Tonight's ref - Mike Jones

[london blue 2]

I know someone will put me right if I am wrong but I just have this hunch and gut feeling that:

A game of football is contested by 2 teams who play within a set of laws and the result of the game is usually defined by the sum total of the decisions made by those players.
The referee is only there to ensure that the decisions made by the players during the game, fall within that set of laws.

Can someone explain then why it is deemed important for the referee to let the game flow? Or why the fuck he shouldn't blow his fucking whistle every tiime a player goes beyond the limits of the laws? Oreven why a referee is expected to use his/her discretion?

It has got fuck all to do with him. The way a game is played is the sole responsibility of the players. Surely it is the players who have the sole responsibilty to let the game flow by not commiting offences. If by using his/her discretion, he/she ignores an offence and allows the game to flow, he has given one team an advantage and the ref is interfering with the contest.

The other night I heard that Lampard wasn't booked or sent off (can't remember which) simply because he wasn't considered to be (normally) a malicious player....abject fucking nonsense. It's not the ref's responsibilty to consider that as a factor. All the ref should have considered was the offence and punished it as he sawit on itsmerits, at the time.

Just for the record, I hate all refs...just because they are refs and they breathe.

Well if what you say is true old man then Howard Webb did his best to interfere last night by not giving the barcodes a stonewall penalty.

Obviously now't wrong with that Gillie, that was just Webb's way of evening things out over the course of the season. That's allowed isn't it, we're told it often enough.

And that's the difference between our ref's and continental ones. Ours try to run the game whilst they try to do their job and officiate it.

I'd take our refs over most continental ones every day of the week.

[branny]

For what it's worth, Graeme Poll agreed with the Barry sending off because he'd been warned previously for the body check on Gerrard. I didn't even think the challenge on Agger warranted a free kick. Looked shoulder to shoulder to me. Poll also said that Jones made a mistake not sending Mekon off. Said it should have been red as he prevented a goal scoring opportunity. He then corrected himself and said Barry should have stayed on because he hadn't had 3 yellows.

[Beefymcfc]

For what it's worth, Graeme Poll agreed with the Barry sending off because he'd been warned previously for the body check on Gerrard. I didn't even think the challenge on Agger warranted a free kick. Looked shoulder to shoulder to me. Poll also said that Jones made a mistake not sending Mekon off. Said it should have been red as he prevented a goal scoring opportunity. He then corrected himself and said Barry should have stayed on because he hadn't had 3 yellows.

I don't think anyone complained at Barry's sending off, it was more the inconsistency the ref showed between us and them. Adam did 3 or 4 bookable offences before the captain was brought across and warned so why wasn't Barry afforded the same treatment after 2 innocuous challenges?

It stinks of the FA, not trying to put more on the Dippers so they wouldn't get the candles out.

[john68]

Gillie,
I agree about refereeing interference. It seems they are increasingly being used to MANAGE games rather than arbitrate. I get annoyed when they even things up and influence the way in which a game develops (beyond their true remit).

Noticeable also in rugby league, where refs are often seen telling players to get back onside at the "play the balls". The refs are increasingly influencing the decisions made by players, a form of coaching?....As said, the contest is whollydefined by those players' decisions.
The referee should simply BUTT OUT.