Managing a lopsided game

[DerbyRam54]

Over on the coaches board there was an account of a 10-0 victory. I tried to suggest to the coach that running up the score was not in his best interests as it might lead to the losing team seeking revenge on his star forward.
A thread on this board contains a somewhat similar incident which led to a fight, a red card and an ugly scene with the spectators.
Any thoughts on what management techniques to use in managing this kind of game so that you don't get to boiling-over point?
The only lopsided games I've had never got that far because in one case the coach altered his tactics at 5-0, in the other both sides lost interest in the game and were joking with each other.

[Gary V]

Your comment to the coach - about retaliation due to bad feelings - is about as far as a ref can go. There's nothing we can do if they decide to run up the score.

You can, of course, slow down the game as much as possible, and there's no need to add time. That might keep a 10-0 game from becoming 12-0.

I've heard of terribly "creative" (but definitely extra-Law) refs making up cautions. Yes, it's generally considered unsporting to run up the score on a weaker opponent. But it is not cautionable as Unsporting Behavior.

If you are a typical ref, you probably have some connection to your local soccer club. It certainly is within your rights as a concerned soccer participant to notify club officials. It is their job to give this team and coach better ways to play soccer. Their team do things that don't take the competitiveness away from the game, but limits the score. The leading team will be able to use the game for training specific skills (e.g. "Let's only score off headers.") and the trailing team isn't humiliated.

There could be reasons to run up a score for a league tie-breaker, but most leagues limit the goal differential to 3-5 per game. If the league has unlimited differential for tiebreakers, you might try to get that changed.

Although one might wonder why a league has matchups that allow blowouts like this. Teams should be divisioned with like opponents. An effective promotion/relegation scheme will even things out. And if this it the last-ranked team in the lowest division, one might ask why they are even trying to play in that league - they need to step back.

[ref2coach]

1) Quickly punish ANY comments, the winning team may make, that could be considered "baiting" or "taunting".

2) Stay close to the ball/action, talk in calm tones to any one who appears to be getting angry about the score.

Call the contact tighter, may encourage playes to pass more, dribble less, which allows less time be be fouled.

[chrisrun]

The only other thing I do is call the game tightly so that the flow is a little slower. I make sure free kicks are taken from the exact spot of the foul, and that throw ins are taken from right where the ball went out. Any dissent I will caution. It's a blowout, there should be nothing to complain about. Even if there is, enjoy the win and stop complaining. Other than that, not much else that can be done.

[BC_Ref]

Calling fouls tightly, ensuring zip taunting takes place and adding zero time are about the only things that can be done if you have an unreasonable coach. Don't make up phantom cautions, but be prepared to hand them ASAP if tempers flare.

[Ref Flunkie]

I just got home from one. 5-1 U-14B. I was doing a real good job (IMO) of keeping things calm by talking the players down, relaxing everyone, etc. I had given out only one caution by that point and that was in the first 10 min of the game (late clip). Then low and behold, with 1 min to go, the kid with the caution takes out the feet of a player and pushes him down a good 1-2 seconds after the ball was gone (I was watching behind the play for just this crap to happen). Boom, second caution w/ red to the surprise of the kid (yeah I was paying attention dufas). I hated to do that, but it was that or let the kid think he can get away with cheap shots in the last minute of the game.

[MidwestRef]

I've been on more than a few of these games. Here are a few tricks I've tried besides the ones mentioned.

1) I ask the keeper to give me the ball after goals, and I walk it up the field. I then take a few extra seconds marking the score in my book while talking to a player.

2) I'll make up a reason to talk for a few extra seconds with an AR over any topic. Just something to let a few more seconds slip away.

3) In games where we are allowed to wave players into the game immediately (high school), I'll ask the AR to hold the players for a few extra seconds.

If I'm officiating an out-of-town team, it's tough to say anything. If it's my home association's teams or teams with people I know, I will usually try to have a quiet word with the coach away from all of the commotion after the game.

[vabeacher]

Crack down on excessive goal celebrations after there is a 3 or 4 goal margin. There's nothing that gets the losing team more upset than that.

If it's a local game, I'll talk to the coaches at half-time. Most of them are understanding and will shuffle their line-ups (put their top striker in a defensive position, give their bench players more time, etc.). I've even gotten coaches to agree to shorten the game by 5 or 10 minutes, especially in less than ideal weather situations.

A lot of times, these situations develop when one team plays short, because not enough kids showed up. I make sure I mention this to the opposing coach. Even though I can't make them, often they choose to only start an equal number of players.

[IASocFan]

As a coach playing against a short sided rec team, with permission of the referee, I have loaned the other team players to even up teams. It gets my players more playing time and a more fun game.

Maybe not within in the rules, but with the spirit of sportsmanship.

[dadman]

Crack down on excessive goal celebrations after there is a 3 or 4 goal margin. There's nothing that gets the losing team more upset than that...

A lot of times, these situations develop when one team plays short, because not enough kids showed up. I make sure I mention this to the opposing coach. Even though I can't make them, often they choose to only start an equal number of players.Good points. My son's coach has always operated this way. If the scoreline gets too out of balance, he'll pull a player and play a man down (and if they continue to score, he'll pull another). His players respect this, and it's a reason they've played their hearts out for him for eight years.
As a coach playing against a short sided rec team, with permission of the referee, I have loaned the other team players to even up teams. It gets my players more playing time and a more fun game.

Maybe not within in the rules, but with the spirit of sportsmanship.Which is where I come down as a passionate parent-on-the-sidelines. Though there's nothing within the rules that addresses this, the way the adults in authority handle it speaks volumes to the kids on the field.

[Law5]

Probably my most lopsided game was 14-0 and we only played 45 minutes. Adult men's game, Greeks v. Mexicans. I called the Greeks for two hand balls in the box and the Mexicans missed both PK's. The second time, the defender starts to protest, looks at me and says, "Ohhhh. Okay."

My youth club's U-10 team beat an opponent 17-0 this year. The opponent's coach had been trying to recruit our players AT THE GAME! This guy is standing two yards from our coaches and telling our players about what a great program he has at his club, yahda, yahda, yahda. Our coach said "no mercy if he's going to pull that kind of stuff." So there may be something else going on when a coach runs up the score. Keep it safe, keep it sane, don't let them taunt. Also remember that this may be the bench kids' best chance to play all season, so don't cut their playing time short.

[HoldenMan]

Personally I think making any comment suggesting that the coach slow it down is out of line.

I also think slowing the game down to limit the goals is completely out of line - what right do we have to do that? Just because you can do it in the laws doesn't mean it's right, let's not over-step our authority.

Just keep an eye on sledging, and don't let players off on cynical and serious fouls just because it's an easy game. That's all you have to do.

[BC_Ref]

Personally I think making any comment suggesting that the coach slow it down is out of line.


Suggesting that a coach call off his dogs is within the "game management" duties of a ref. We are supposed to be allowing for a safe, fair, and fun game - the lower the division and age, the more the "fun" aspect comes into play. If this was a top travel team, then I'd likely just make a brief suggestion and leave it at that (since slaughters do take place at the international level). For lower divisions, I'll be much more pointed in my suggestions

[Wreave]

In a U10 game that went 5-0 with about 15 minutes left to play, the winning coach actually asked me (after the game) what he should do next time.

This was a rec 8v8, and subbing out wasn't really an option because the players needed to meet playing time requirements. I told him that other coaches I knew had done things like pulled their forwards back to defense and rotated players up that didn't often get a chance to even shoot, much less score. What other actions would be appropriate for a coach in this situation?

[NHRef]

This was a rec 8v8, and subbing out wasn't really an option because the players needed to meet playing time requirements. I told him that other coaches I knew had done things like pulled their forwards back to defense and rotated players up that didn't often get a chance to even shoot, much less score. What other actions would be appropriate for a coach in this situation?

Coaches can put limits on shooting (I've either done these as a coach or seen them as a ref):
- weak foot shots only (my personal favorite since most kids can't use both feet, it's usually good for comic relief).
- has to be a 1 touch off a cross
- saw one coach restrict any shots on goal that weren't headers
- 1 forward, pull back the ball handlers to the defending area.
- x passes inside the PA before shooting
- ball has to be crossed across the field x times before a shot
- shots only allowed outside the PA
- Only kids how haven't scored yet are allowed to score.

[MidwestRef]

Personally I think making any comment suggesting that the coach slow it down is out of line.

I also think slowing the game down to limit the goals is completely out of line - what right do we have to do that? Just because you can do it in the laws doesn't mean it's right, let's not over-step our authority.

Just keep an eye on sledging, and don't let players off on cynical and serious fouls just because it's an easy game. That's all you have to do.

With all due respect, HoldenMan, I believe that if the coach won't call off the dogs, then doing what I can to slow the game down falls within "Law 18". It's usually not very obvious when I use these techniques, so the average fan won't be able to tell what I'm doing.

If the winning coach wants to comment on my actions, fine. I'll deal with the consequences. But I hate seeing some team getting drubbed 10-0 while the offense takes the ball and hustles up the field to get another scoring chance. I use the techniques only when it is totally clear that the winning team has no intentions of keeping the score down. If it's clear they are holding the score down or using the blowout to develop specific skills, then I will let the game proceed as normal.

[scaryice]

With all due respect, HoldenMan, I believe that if the coach won't call off the dogs, then doing what I can to slow the game down falls within "Law 18". It's usually not very obvious when I use these techniques, so the average fan won't be able to tell what I'm doing.

If the winning coach wants to comment on my actions, fine. I'll deal with the consequences. But I hate seeing some team getting drubbed 10-0 while the offense takes the ball and hustles up the field to get another scoring chance. I use the techniques only when it is totally clear that the winning team has no intentions of keeping the score down. If it's clear they are holding the score down or using the blowout to develop specific skills, then I will let the game proceed as normal.

Soccer is a game. Two teams play each other, and there's a final score. You have no right to treat the game differently no matter what the score is. That's wrong.

[Bill Archer]

I was at some STate Cup matches last weekend where the scores got out of hand. 15-0 and 14-1 were the two that come to mind.

Clearly some coaches get their kids into spots they have no business being in, but that's a whole 'nother issue.

The real problem occurs because the first or second tiebreaker is total goals scored and/or goal differential. So unlike at most league games or less significant tournaments, the coaches aren't likely to resort to any of the many little "tricks" you use to hold the score down.

Even if a coach was so inclined, he knows that the next coach probably isn't going to be so generous and since usually these are games to win a shared bracket, you may need all those goals.

I've refereed in situations like this and it's tough. Under other circumstances you try to take the "wind" out of the game, slowing it down so that the team on top has trouble getting momentum going and otherwise milking the clock, but in a significant tournament with regional implications you really had better be careful injecting yourself into the scoreline.

It can be hard, but sometimes you've just got to go ahead and let them get plastered.

[njref]

I was at some STate Cup matches last weekend where the scores got out of hand. 15-0 and 14-1 were the two that come to mind.

Clearly some coaches get their kids into spots they have no business being in, but that's a whole 'nother issue.

The real problem occurs because the first or second tiebreaker is total goals scored and/or goal differential. So unlike at most league games or less significant tournaments, the coaches aren't likely to resort to any of the many little "tricks" you use to hold the score down.

Even if a coach was so inclined, he knows that the next coach probably isn't going to be so generous and since usually these are games to win a shared bracket, you may need all those goals.

* * *

Any tournament that doesn't limit the effect of a one game score differential to three, four or five goals is asking for blowouts and is moronic. Hard to believe that such tournaments still exist.

[Ref Flunkie]

Soccer is a game. Two teams play each other, and there's a final score. You have no right to treat the game differently no matter what the score is. That's wrong.


Exactly, it is a game. And we have every right to treat a game differently depending on the skill level, league, and score. Refereeing every game the same is just stupid.