RateTheRef

He must be sat thinking that involvement in a game like that fully justifies moving across the world to ref. What a finish.

I'm sure Jarred is here because there are less things here to kill him on a daily wander or swim. All we have are turds in the rivers and falling down schools,  not alligators, spiders, snakes and jellyfish. 😉

Matlock v Marine
Att: 1022
Referee: James Conde
Game 1/5
Difficulty 3/5
Score 0:1

The referee, who had an excellent game, reminded me of Steve Bratt, bouncing around at though a Derbyshire Tigger!

The match was as poor as they come, but with plenty to do. One red, numerous yellows, and plenty of whinging to back up the lack of football.

There were VERY few things I disagreed with.

Splitting hairs, perhaps an immediate red card might have helped for the Matlock player. Certainly it was an obvious decision. Leaving everyone waiting only allowed questioning and further minor confrontations.

You can't win with them though. Go immediate and some would call it rushed!

Well done

Not wishing to point out that a few on Pyramid Patrol gave RR the thumbs up a few years ago. The great Ceasar from Brighouse, he say yeah! What more does anyone need

Credit to Webb. The appointments this year are a breath of fresh air after Hackett and to an extent Riley. Hackett, for all his bluster, was dreadful at forward planning and getting fresh blood into PL, hence why we ended up with 6 FIFA refs at one point and very few refs were ever given big games, leading to problems when they finished.

Webb is clearly really trying to forward plan and spread experience around the group. Although you have to expect that, if you give people a go, it can occasionally backfire, it hasn’t so far and it’s for THE GREATER GOOD of not over using certain refs and thinking of the future/injuries.

Look where "the greater good" took Simon Pegg in " Hot Fuzz". Be careful what you wish for! 😄

Just sometimes it's better to report and entertain than to name, and yesterday at Contrib was one of those..

We can all agree that passing a fitness test shows a fair degree of competence in this field, but it doesn't mean everyone is as fit as each other. I have to say that, today, had myself, Bmb and JCFC entered a 2700m Cooper Test, tied at the waist, we may not have been lapped by Mr....

Proximity falls-behind angle these days, but it sure helps if decisions are to be made. Other than to supervise injuries no real effort was made to get into either penalty area in the 85 mins I saw, and dissent accrued due, in part, to the long distance nature of the officiating.

I don't want to mention any incidents, because the sleuths on here would home in like hounds to a foxhole, but it really wasn't impressive. Even wags in the crowd were correcting restarts in law, and when it comes to that..

Still, I didn't get caught in any traffic, which nowadays seems the most important thing.

I've found, at home, a first draft, initialled "WdlM". Slight amendments were made, but..

"Is there anyone there", said the old man, knocking on the turnstile grill.

He'd agreed to meet Chastity Joe at one, but all seemed deserted and still.

What is it, he mused, that makes him travel this country so much in hope?

How does he manage to move forward, how does he manage to cope?

With a 1950s timetable, pre Marples, pre Beeching, pre Castle.

From Frome to Great Yarmouth, from Crich to King's Langley, once upon a time t'was nay hassle.

He wrapped a second time on the shutters, more in hope that of raising the dead.

" Tell them I made it from Brighouse, tell them I called " he said.

But no turnstile was opened to the traveller, no pie, peas and gravy, and mash.

No thought of his travails in the battering rain, no one willing to relieve him of cash.

He looked back a last time, and gave up, forlorn that he'd been thwarted by fate.

Damned Chastity Joe, damn the railways too, and awaited the B48.

With a nod to Alfred Noyes....

The lashing rain, timetables' soggy, but the old man kept his nerve.

Many moons ago, he still had wit, and vigour and verve.

He lifted the remainder upwards, to find if he could still see.

The time of the last bus to Brighouse, the pub doors closing in Brighouse, his own bed awaiting in Brighouse.

Time enough maybe for a pee?

Having sat by for two days, thinking whether or not I should send in a report of a match of the utmost drudgery, I think it better I camouflage the game. I don't want the boys being sent round. As we're heading towards November, how does it go.." No Sun, no moon, no stars, no noon, no corners, no shots, no ability to play..etc"

F A Trophy
North of Wooton Basset/ South of Brighouse
Referee. Mr Harrow
Reporter left at half time.

The most exciting thing to happen, and I'm not joking, was a burst pipe by a corner flag, which necessitated a ten minute hold up. Other highlights include my using 20% of my phone charge, and having ice cubes in my lager, having requested ice cubes. Normally the reaction is " you're kidding me"and no ice, or..in some corners of some counties " yer want an umbrella in it too"  and no ice. Top marks to the bar staff for getting it right, without looking at me to see if I'd a third eye, or seven nostrils. 

Mr Harrow, not his name btw, seemed almost startled at times, and certainly no better than ineffectual. I doubt the players had confidence in him, but as I had absolutely no confidence in the players I thought my next hour might be better spent catching up with friends at the snail racing heats in a backwater public house on the way home.