Just back

Quoted from RichMariner

I've seen enough bad refs down the years to know he wasn't the worst, but there's a huge cluster of them down there in the bottom 10%.

Well not a huge cluster surely, just 10% of them

I think it's obvious that there is a certain amount of experimentation going on with systems and player positions within the team, with a view to next season and player retention.

It doesn't make for very cohesive games, especially at home, but I'm hoping that it will stand us in good stead for what's needed, and that next season will be a lot better for it.

If the frustration of our home form is addressed in the summer window with better recruitment for the weaker parts of the team, then it may all be worth it eventually.

I very much hope so.

Where's Waterfall if he's not injured?  Who was Captain?

Refereeing is an interesting subject.

If you're a footballer and you're brilliant you can go from non league to Premier league very quickly (virtually over night if you're good enough) whereas as a referee you have to hit certain targets, referee a certain amount of games etc. For me, if you're good enough you should be allowed to progress and move up quicker.
I know a referee who's now worked his way up to national league south level, genuinely the best referee I've seen. Yet its taken him years to get to where he is so far and still had a long way to go before he's moved into the football league. Why? He's better than most I've seen officiating.

Quoted from lukeo

Refereeing is an interesting subject.

If you're a footballer and you're brilliant you can go from non league to Premier league very quickly (virtually over night if you're good enough) whereas as a referee you have to hit certain targets, referee a certain amount of games etc. For me, if you're good enough you should be allowed to progress and move up quicker.
I know a referee who's now worked his way up to national league south level, genuinely the best referee I've seen. Yet its taken him years to get to where he is so far and still had a long way to go before he's moved into the football league. Why? He's better than most I've seen officiating.

Having spent years refereeing I can also tell you that plenty of referees have been pushed and then when they hit a level, as with players, they aren’t good enough.

I could go on about the issues with refereeing and why there are shortages etc but to be honest, nothing will change. Personally, I didn’t think he was too bad, made some confusing calls and I fail to see how the keeper wasn’t sent off…literally the same thing at Lincoln saw their keeper walk. I certainly don’t blame him for stopping the game and following the directive when their player cheated holding his head. That’s on the player.

I thought the first half passed us by but had we not switched off, the first half had 0-0 written all over it. Second half broke into a game of football at least and I felt Town probably edged it. We had our chances to win it 3/4-1 I thought.

Mansfield were poor, for a side that has once again spent a fair whack, lost last years playoff, albeit in dreadful fashion and clearly have promotion aspirations this year, nothing about them would point to promotion. The fact they sat back and protected a draw at times was awful.

Absolutely FED UP of Team tactics to tap the ball to a defender  on a goal kick and then lose the ball in our own third when the opposition swarm on it.
Cost us many goals this season!
It’s not rocket science! Kick the ball up the pitch!

Quoted from easypeersy

Absolutely FED UP of Team tactics to tap the ball to a defender  on a goal kick and then lose the ball in our own third when the opposition swarm on it.
Cost us many goals this season!
It’s not rocket science! Kick the ball up the pitch!

Has it?

Quoted from easypeersy

Absolutely FED UP of Team tactics to tap the ball to a defender  on a goal kick and then lose the ball in our own third when the opposition swarm on it.
Cost us many goals this season!
It’s not rocket science! Kick the ball up the pitch!

But it hasn’t, and didn’t yesterday, in fact, yesterday our playing out from the back contributed to one of our attacks in the first half…

It doesn’t need a spreadsheet to know that just whacking it 60 yards up the field simply plays into the hands of the defending team…

If town ever make their way back up the leagues these folk who lament playing out from the back or teams sitting back and waiting for the press are gonna be flipping miserable every week…

Quoted from lukeo

Refereeing is an interesting subject.

If you're a footballer and you're brilliant you can go from non league to Premier league very quickly (virtually over night if you're good enough) whereas as a referee you have to hit certain targets, referee a certain amount of games etc. For me, if you're good enough you should be allowed to progress and move up quicker.
I know a referee who's now worked his way up to national league south level, genuinely the best referee I've seen. Yet its taken him years to get to where he is so far and still had a long way to go before he's moved into the football league. Why? He's better than most I've seen officiating.

My brief experience of refereeing showed me it’s ‘promote your mates’ culture where the ones most willing to dive in and kiss some bottom will get relatively far.

This combined complete lack of accountability for excrement decisions and the general attitude from most refs that they’re never wrong has led to some of the worst Refs I’ve ever seen reffing town games. It gets laughed off as ‘typical football fans’ but it’s getting to the point where they’re actually ruining a massive amount of games through pure incompetence.

Quoted from pontoonlew

My brief experience of refereeing showed me it’s ‘promote your mates’ culture where the ones most willing to dive in and kiss some bottom will get relatively far.

This combined complete lack of accountability for excrement decisions and the general attitude from most refs that they’re never wrong has led to some of the worst Refs I’ve ever seen reffing town games. It gets laughed off as ‘typical football fans’ but it’s getting to the point where they’re actually ruining a massive amount of games through pure incompetence.

I reached a relatively decent level and had I continued I could’ve probably gone further but for the politics and nonsense.

I was never the fittest in fitness tests etc but never had an issue acruslly refereeing games, quite the opposite. A couple of lads from other areas of the county were pushed because they could score ridiculously high on bleep tests or smash the fitness test…flipping dreadful referees though. Knew very little about football in truth and it showed.

We’d have centr of excellence meetings that spent more time telling us how to stay fit than actually watching play, understanding phases and looking at decision making…surprise surprise, the people making decisions to do that were usually old men…

As with players, an ex referee does not always make the best person to coach…

Then factor in politics, the expectations placed upon referees once they enter the semi pro arena for little money and understanding and it’s just a recipe for disaster…

VAR has done nothing but emasculate referees…however, as I said, my only gripe with the referee yesterday was the lack of red card for their keeper…