I was fully intending to write something about local soccer. I still am, just in a roundabout way.
Referees. They’re crap aren’t they? I mean seriously. Just humanly interpreting laws with their own opinions like they don’t get to see umpteen replays.
Full disclosure.
I used to be a referee. Also a lino for that matter. I passed my Cheshire County referees course at 14 years old and was just a minor Class 3 referee in junior football. It was crap. Imagine being a peewee hockey umpire in Canada and you’ll understand the general jist….
But saying that, I do for the most part understand the laws of the game. Or the version of the laws I learned back 24 years ago. Any revisions since then I’m a little sketchy on.
However it’s those revisions that leave us with such a grey area. I am of course going to cite the recent incident with Tiote’s goal for Newcastle against Manchester City. People were upset no? The incident wouldn’t have been questioned 10 years ago, it would have been offside clear as day and we’d have had no controversy. However with the new directives on interfering with play, then people are screaming about how the referee (and more notably the linesman) messed up. Or did they? Law 11 is as thus below, and what the media types whom are battering Mark Jones and his assistants fail to mention is “In the opinion of the referee” and it really is that straight forward,
If in the opinion of the referee or linesman that those 3 offside Newcastle players were interfering with the play, or impeding the sight of the ball from Joe Hart, then it’s their opinion. Not mine, not yours, not Martin Tylers opinion…..
All laws of the game are written thus. “If in the opinion of the referee” and gives great latitude. And as the game gets quicker, they need it.
So how does this appertain to St Louis soccer? Well our teams play in the lowest rungs of the USsoccer pyramid system. Our teams are basically crap and the cream rising to the top leaves pretty quickly to pastures new where the grass is greener. But still our teams like the Lions and the Piasa and the Ambush are basement dwellers. So in that case our referees are also bottom dwellers. For the most part they’re just guys like I was at 14 whom enjoyed the game and want to be involved. And for all my bluster about screaming at the lino every Lions game, I think the Louligans for the most part recognize that. However I am not so sure the teams do. In the past year I’ve seen Dean Lovegrove, Tony Glavin, Andrew Haines tweet about their displeasure about referees. Not to mention that idiot at the Piasa chasing the officials off the field.
You play in the 5th and 6th tier of the game. You’re going to get 5th and 6th tier referees. It sickens me to be honest, that your team can have an absolute stinker of a game, your striker can’t hit a barn door from 5 yards away, your tactics maybe as inept as a blind person picking the team… However you expect the referee to be perfect. Beyond perfect.
It’s a joke. and it does you no favor to moan and bitch. This is America. We appreciate winners not whiners.
If you complain about referees from now on, I’ll direct you to this website where you can contact the Missouri Referees administrator about signing up for a class and walking a mile in their shoes. If of course, you think you can do better. I daresay grass roots needs you.
Without the refs, there cannot be a game. Referees are getting better. You just don’t realize it. Referees in the 1980’s were absolute terrible. I still remember George Courtney’s name because he was so inept. It’s just in this day and age we are used to having every conceivable camera angle. and the 99.9% of calls that are made correctly do not invoke controversy.
In a 90 minute game 1 bad decision will not change the outcome of a game. Do your job, put your chances away and you’ll win games. It really is that simple.
You can remind me of this article again when I call the Lino a Twunt from the bleachers. It is our job to a degree to get inside the heads of the opponents and officials to gain favor for our team. However I enjoyed Brad’s story on the pod about the Lino we all know worrying about seeing us in the bar that one time, and I am glad it was definitely not the case of him ever needing to worry.
I have nominated 2 honorary Louligans recently, Mario Balotelli and the Lino. This list is going to grow longer.
End note, Erich is stupid and jumping into a freezing cold lake for charity. Give the lad some money here……
Matt
@matthewb76
