Todays game is OFF

[Rba]

To me the problem today was last week. Last week they didn't get covers down in time but managed to turn things around. The ref was sympathetic and by hook or by crook they got where they needed to get.

This week they had covers down in time and, having succeeded in getting the game on last week, thought that everything would be okay. And the ground was seemingly in good nick this morning.

So it seems likely that last week's success probably led to this week's over-confidence.

Then the new ref turned up and - as is his right - decided that he wasn't happy with the pitch.

We might infer from the tone of the club's message "the ref has turned up and called it off" (or words to that effect) that the club weren't very pleased with this, but that's just my assumption, having left just after 11 with everyone content that the game was on.

I'd be interested to know if the area in front of the South Stand was worse than last week or whether the ref just wasn't prepared to give the game a chance.

Whatever. I'm sure there'll be a bit of a review within the club. Whenever this sort of thing happens it seems like fans default to assuming that the people involved are idiots, which plainly isn't the case. But yeah, to me it seems like the club got caught out either a) by two refs having different interpretations, or b) the area in front of the South Stand not thawing as quickly as expected, or maybe both. They could have taken the easy way out (along with the rest of the division) and just called the game off yesterday, but in trying hard to give us all a game of football they've ended up with egg on their face. Live and learn.

Sensible post....Though I will ask why oh why did the club post a tweet being rather over confident that all was fine. Also helpers with the pitch also had that confidence..
It would have been best keeping quiet till the man that mattered said yes or no
Also I apologise to the Secretary Louis.. I thought it said louise and was a women (

You should never label anyone these days incase of causing offence .

[hepcat]

Lower I agree with you. As I said the messages that the game was definitely on was foolish! As I was a Referee in the 70's to 90's it was always my decision if a game was on - nobody else's.

I bet you took no nonsense

I was lucky in that I was an Army FA referee and that there were never any problems from others with my decisions. Even with civilian matches. I always gave explanations for my decisions. However, I really do despair for our officials safety these days, especially in the lower echelons as highlighted in another thread.

You referee'd in the 70's 90's-did you notice any change in attitudes in the 90's ? I can only make a theory (and everyone knows I detest the PL) but I think the abuse of ref's came in with the PL-Ferguson didn't help at all-it was his one huge failing -and more and more it became about how a ref's decision relegated/helped a team/Fergie time given thanks to Ferguson's bullying and-if he can do it so can we. We get "sub standard" refs now because the FA HAS to promote early to try and fill gaps.Punching linesmen/threatening refs in Sunday league level matches-why wouldn't refs quit in their droves ? It must-also-be extremely hard in the lower reaches of football trying to preside over crappy players who think they are Messi or Ronaldo with all the entitlement and none of the skill. Things such as VAR have-ironically-made ref's weaker and more prone to abuse.
Can't see what the remedy is as any punishment to deter will just add to the hatred and abuse refs get.

[Rba]

I bet you took no nonsense

I was lucky in that I was an Army FA referee and that there were never any problems from others with my decisions. Even with civilian matches. I always gave explanations for my decisions. However, I really do despair for our officials safety these days, especially in the lower echelons as highlighted in another thread.

You referee'd in the 70's 90's-did you notice any change in attitudes in the 90's ? I can only make a theory (and everyone knows I detest the PL) but I think the abuse of ref's came in with the PL-Ferguson didn't help at all-it was his one huge failing -and more and more it became about how a ref's decision relegated/helped a team/Fergie time given thanks to Ferguson's bullying and-if he can do it so can we. We get "sub standard" refs now because the FA HAS to promote early to try and fill gaps.Punching linesmen/threatening refs in Sunday league level matches-why wouldn't refs quit in their droves ? It must-also-be extremely hard in the lower reaches of football trying to preside over crappy players who think they are Messi or Ronaldo with all the entitlement and none of the skill. Things such as VAR have-ironically-made ref's weaker and more prone to abuse.
Can't see what the remedy is as any punishment to deter will just add to the hatred and abuse refs get.

Hepcat I like your post. I am sure referees put there hands up to do it because they want to. I am a Cricket Umpire, you give wrong decisions it happens, you just have to move on. As for violence I have had two sides with people coming onto the pitch with weapons in a game. Two local sides in a Thames Valley league 1 game. The two sides were from and around the Slough area. What's more there was a language problem. I sorted the problem quickly ( it was all over a girl) my fellow umpire who was from the premier league did nothing.it's down to the referees man management.
In other words if it bites them on the ass ,they should sort it out in the first place.

[redblueuptoyou]

To me the problem today was last week. Last week they didn't get covers down in time but managed to turn things around. The ref was sympathetic and by hook or by crook they got where they needed to get.

This week they had covers down in time and, having succeeded in getting the game on last week, thought that everything would be okay. And the ground was seemingly in good nick this morning.

So it seems likely that last week's success probably led to this week's over-confidence.

Then the new ref turned up and - as is his right - decided that he wasn't happy with the pitch.

We might infer from the tone of the club's message "the ref has turned up and called it off" (or words to that effect) that the club weren't very pleased with this, but that's just my assumption, having left just after 11 with everyone content that the game was on.

I'd be interested to know if the area in front of the South Stand was worse than last week or whether the ref just wasn't prepared to give the game a chance.

Whatever. I'm sure there'll be a bit of a review within the club. Whenever this sort of thing happens it seems like fans default to assuming that the people involved are idiots, which plainly isn't the case. But yeah, to me it seems like the club got caught out either a) by two refs having different interpretations, or b) the area in front of the South Stand not thawing as quickly as expected, or maybe both. They could have taken the easy way out (along with the rest of the division) and just called the game off yesterday, but in trying hard to give us all a game of football they've ended up with egg on their face. Live and learn.

Sensible post....Though I will ask why oh why did the club post a tweet being rather over confident that all was fine. Also helpers with the pitch also had that confidence..
It would have been best keeping quiet till the man that mattered said yes or no
Also I apologise to the Secretary Louis.. I thought it said louise and was a women (

You should never label anyone these days incase of causing offence .

There’s no offence now. Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg etc have single-handedly brought back “free speech” but only if you agree with them and know your place in society.

[redblueuptoyou]

I bet you took no nonsense

I was lucky in that I was an Army FA referee and that there were never any problems from others with my decisions. Even with civilian matches. I always gave explanations for my decisions. However, I really do despair for our officials safety these days, especially in the lower echelons as highlighted in another thread.

You referee'd in the 70's 90's-did you notice any change in attitudes in the 90's ? I can only make a theory (and everyone knows I detest the PL) but I think the abuse of ref's came in with the PL-Ferguson didn't help at all-it was his one huge failing -and more and more it became about how a ref's decision relegated/helped a team/Fergie time given thanks to Ferguson's bullying and-if he can do it so can we. We get "sub standard" refs now because the FA HAS to promote early to try and fill gaps.Punching linesmen/threatening refs in Sunday league level matches-why wouldn't refs quit in their droves ? It must-also-be extremely hard in the lower reaches of football trying to preside over crappy players who think they are Messi or Ronaldo with all the entitlement and none of the skill. Things such as VAR have-ironically-made ref's weaker and more prone to abuse.
Can't see what the remedy is as any punishment to deter will just add to the hatred and abuse refs get.

Playing youth football at pretty much the lowest local level in the mid-late 90s. The abuse screamed by parents and ‘coaches’ on the touchline at both players and officials was disgusting. Did these people - who were definitely old enough to know better - copy Fergie or were they already wired like that?

[Graham Stovold]

I was lucky in that I was an Army FA referee and that there were never any problems from others with my decisions. Even with civilian matches. I always gave explanations for my decisions. However, I really do despair for our officials safety these days, especially in the lower echelons as highlighted in another thread.

You referee'd in the 70's 90's-did you notice any change in attitudes in the 90's ? I can only make a theory (and everyone knows I detest the PL) but I think the abuse of ref's came in with the PL-Ferguson didn't help at all-it was his one huge failing -and more and more it became about how a ref's decision relegated/helped a team/Fergie time given thanks to Ferguson's bullying and-if he can do it so can we. We get "sub standard" refs now because the FA HAS to promote early to try and fill gaps.Punching linesmen/threatening refs in Sunday league level matches-why wouldn't refs quit in their droves ? It must-also-be extremely hard in the lower reaches of football trying to preside over crappy players who think they are Messi or Ronaldo with all the entitlement and none of the skill. Things such as VAR have-ironically-made ref's weaker and more prone to abuse.
Can't see what the remedy is as any punishment to deter will just add to the hatred and abuse refs get.

Playing youth football at pretty much the lowest local level in the mid-late 90s. The abuse screamed by parents and ‘coaches’ on the touchline at both players and officials was disgusting. Did these people - who were definitely old enough to know better - copy Fergie or were they already wired like that?

This reminds me of those days, my stepson played in NE hants league in early to mid 90’s. I would offer to run the line & the abuse always seemed to come from the larger areas. Basingstoke in particular was always a place where a good level of abuse came from.

Nowadays, I watch the grandson play & things have improved but it’s still there on the odd occasion.

[lowerbourneshot]

You referee'd in the 70's 90's-did you notice any change in attitudes in the 90's ? I can only make a theory (and everyone knows I detest the PL) but I think the abuse of ref's came in with the PL-Ferguson didn't help at all-it was his one huge failing -and more and more it became about how a ref's decision relegated/helped a team/Fergie time given thanks to Ferguson's bullying and-if he can do it so can we. We get "sub standard" refs now because the FA HAS to promote early to try and fill gaps.Punching linesmen/threatening refs in Sunday league level matches-why wouldn't refs quit in their droves ? It must-also-be extremely hard in the lower reaches of football trying to preside over crappy players who think they are Messi or Ronaldo with all the entitlement and none of the skill. Things such as VAR have-ironically-made ref's weaker and more prone to abuse.
Can't see what the remedy is as any punishment to deter will just add to the hatred and abuse refs get.

Playing youth football at pretty much the lowest local level in the mid-late 90s. The abuse screamed by parents and ‘coaches’ on the touchline at both players and officials was disgusting. Did these people - who were definitely old enough to know better - copy Fergie or were they already wired like that?

This reminds me of those days, my stepson played in NE hants league in early to mid 90’s. I would offer to run the line & the abuse always seemed to come from the larger areas. Basingstoke in particular was always a place where a good level of abuse came from.

Nowadays, I watch the grandson play & things have improved but it’s still there on the odd occasion.

Soldiers return were very good on the verbals as I recall playing in a courage 6 a side tournament way back when

[Turnkey]

Playing youth football at pretty much the lowest local level in the mid-late 90s. The abuse screamed by parents and ‘coaches’ on the touchline at both players and officials was disgusting. Did these people - who were definitely old enough to know better - copy Fergie or were they already wired like that?

This reminds me of those days, my stepson played in NE hants league in early to mid 90’s. I would offer to run the line & the abuse always seemed to come from the larger areas. Basingstoke in particular was always a place where a good level of abuse came from.

Nowadays, I watch the grandson play & things have improved but it’s still there on the odd occasion.

Soldiers return were very good on the verbals as I recall playing in a courage 6 a side tournament way back when

Would that have been the side led by player-manager Paul Cenci, I played for them for a couple of seasons, he was a feisty bastard. Still about 100 yards from the Soldiers.

[FloridaPhil]

It will come from the ground beneath. I've been watching water from an underground pipe melting the canal all day.

Well we obviously don’t have such hot underground pipes as that area is crap for thawing!!

OK.

No mate, it's the inherent heat that is in the ground. I believe it's used in heat pumps with pipes laid underground. Quite surprising to see the running water (from about 4' down) melting the ice this morning at 6.30. Everything above ground was frozen solid.

[steveshot]

Get a local ref to do a early pitch inspection and let the final decision be made by the 2 managers

[Old Bob]

Get a local ref to do a early pitch inspection and let the final decision be made by the 2 managers

Hmm ... I think there are a few holes in that, Steve. And that's putting it mildly.

Why bother with the inspection if the ref does not have the final decision? (Wasn't that the problem on Saturday ... that the local ref who did the early pitch inspection didn't have the final decision?)

What happens if the two managers disagree?

Suppose one or other or both managers has an agenda or ulterior motivation that is nothing to do with the pitch being playable or not?

What if one of the managers is a nutter (like Joey B*****)?

[lowerbourneshot]

This reminds me of those days, my stepson played in NE hants league in early to mid 90’s. I would offer to run the line & the abuse always seemed to come from the larger areas. Basingstoke in particular was always a place where a good level of abuse came from.

Nowadays, I watch the grandson play & things have improved but it’s still there on the odd occasion.

Soldiers return were very good on the verbals as I recall playing in a courage 6 a side tournament way back when

Would that have been the side led by player-manager Paul Cenci, I played for them for a couple of seasons, he was a feisty bastard. Still about 100 yards from the Soldiers.

I couldn't tell you to be fair .