It was fortunate for us that the incident occurred at the end of the game. If it had been just after the start of the second half Norwich may have won the match. A rescinded red card would not have altered the result. Incidents like sendings off, offside goals scored or goals scored when not offside,and penalties given or not given should allowed to be challenged by the manager twice in each half. If he wins the decision he keeps the challenge. There would obviously only try to use them when they think that they will win as they would not want to either look completely stupid or have none left when a blatant penalty is missed. Technolgy would be able settle it before the players have finished harassing the ref.
Just back from my match. The home side won 8-1, and the away side only got their goal because I awarded a soft penalty. If the match had been closer I might have let it go. But I was right on the spot, and the lad did kick the attacker's heal just as he was about to strike the ball, and it put him off his shooting stride. There was only one controversial incident of note, and that was when I had an argument with one of my linos, right at the end of the match. He'd flagged for a foul throw, but I was looking the other way and had allowed play to go on too far to call it back. It was a minor incident and didn't affect the outcome of the game. He got the right arse-ache with me, too.
"Integrity of the players" This simply won't happen enough times during the course of the 90mins., not in football and not in any present day contact sport. Football is indeed a contact sport and professional players will not hold their hand up to a tactle unless its one that might have made Chuck Norris himself cower. That level of integrity is 'below their pay grade'. The only contact allowed in snooker is 'Cue-stick to ball' and in golf its 'Thinggumy to whitsits" therefor all fouls are obviuos so the player really has not choice but to call them as 'birdies'....... I mean 'fouls'. Which remains me, I've not seen many Albatross'es this year.
Huddlestone featured today for a Spurs XI, along with Dawson, as they beat Wycombe 6-0. Sounds like Townsend impressed, again. http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/spurs/News/spursxi-wycombe.page?
You can't give penalties just because the match was one sided or not give it because it was close. Keep giving decisions like that and you will soon be reffing PL games
It wasn't quite like that. Many times in a match one (as ref) have to make a decision that is 50/50). You can't give a drop-ball. As a ref, you have to make a decision one way or the other. Anyone who has been a ref in a competitive league will know what I mean. You cannot shirk that responsibility. That's one of the reasons why I like to ref (for which I get paid). The decision was not entirely clear-cut, but I was stood within 20 yards of the incident, with a clear line of sight, and I saw the lad's heal kicked as he was about to strike the ball. He didn't fall down, but the kick to the heal forced him off his stride and he missed a shot on goal. I'm confident it was more a penalty than not, and the fact that I didn't get a huge reaction from the home team (or the fans) indicated to me that I probably made the right decision. All I am saying is, that if I had not given the penalty, I could probably have got away with it, but I don't think that would have been the right decision. Like a lot of things in life, experience is a big help, and I've been a referee (at competitive level) for quite a while now. I would have retired before now, but I keep getting asked to come back, as I am considered to be very good (and that is not me blowing my own trumpet).
