Thetownend.com

Well a point on the road for us, but how was the Ref? Did Mr Kitchen cook up a storm or was it a Kitchen Nightmare?

Didn't really notice him at all, can't remember any glaring errors. On that basis he gets an 8 from me

I meant to vote 8 but somehow voted 10. Technology is hard

You can change your vote, I left that option ticked to help the fat fingered and luddites alike

good performance from the ref yesterday

9 for me.  

What was not to like?

Seemed to let plenty go by not pandering to players who fell over, were jostled a bit or who got firmly tackled.  A yellow for each side rightly given (compare to the tosser for Salford).  Played "advantage" a couple of times (even if both sides too poor to actually take advantage!).  Match never boiled over.  No glaring errors.

Lovely stuff! Ta

I thought he handled the game really well, kept it flowing and didnt feel the need to brandish card willy-nilly like the Salford ref did, solid 8/10.

Yeah, pretty much my thoughts.

I wonder how that ref from the Salford game has gotten on since his card fetish waving exploits at SN1?

He reffed Blackpool v Swansea yesterday, gave out 4 yellows and a red.

Thanks JJ, I don’t suppose someone told him to tone it down after his game with us.

There was a bit of mystery for me (and those who were sitting with me) and that is how many times the assistants made no decision and waited for the referee (who seemed to make the wrong decision several times). I wondered if they were under instruction to leave difficult decisions to him. The assistant on our side seemed more indecisive than the the other on the far side.

A friend of mine who made it onto the FL line was told more than once to leave any major decisions to the referee so I doubt if much has changed as the assessor is marking the refs. not lino’s and referees want to look in total charge don’t they.

In football, the waving of a flag, rightly or wrongly, impacts the flow of the game.  Everyone stops - they shouldn't, but they do anyway and the linesman also see it as their job to just keep waving and ignore the game, or just give up and carry on.

Instead, with modern day communications tools available, the Linesman should simply have a word in the ear of the ref - I've just seen something, do you want to stop play?  The ref can determine to stop play immediately, carry on with a view to coming over and having a chat when it goes out, or just ignore the advice and let the linesman know (then go back to them at the next break to inform them why they carried on).

Yet they insist that they're not linesman, they're assistant referees.