Ever get a brain cramp on direction in 2nd half?

[NHRef]

Had a bad case of this last weekend, first half went fine, bunch of calls always pointed in the right direction.

Second half came along and I just couldn't get it through my head that the teams had switched direction! I kept pointing the wrong way on calls:eek: even when I said the color correctly I pointed the wrong way. I must have done this 4-5 times, it was embarrassing.

Finally I started not putting up the direction arm until I had thought it through in my head really good. Worked ok, except on some calls that the players looked at me for direction on.

Man I hate when I do that! :mad:

[Wreave]

Me too.

Saturday morning in a U19, first game of the day, my AR did that to me on a GK/CK situation at the beginning of the second half. High bouncing ball in the goal area, attacker and keeper challenge, it appeared to me that the attacker knocked the ball out of play. I signaled a GK. As the defense was getting the ball, I looked at my AR. I was just inside the PA, at about the 12. My AR was on the goal line, and had come in just past the intersection of the PA and goal line. He's a very good ref, and though I was a little closer to the play as it was on my side of the goal, he clearly had the angle.

He dropped his flag and pointed at the goal line for a corner. I looked at him with a question, and he very insistently (politely) affirmed with the flag he was calling a CK. So, I signaled for a CK. As the teams are setting up, one of the defenders asks me why it's a corner kick, and I told him the AR ruled it was last touched by a member of the defending team.

Attacking team is taking its sweet time getting set up, then the AR raises his flag and waves his arms at me. I blow the whistle and come over, he tells that he got the colors mixed up, and that it was in fact last touched by the attacking team. We change the restart back to a GK. :mad:

Interesting thing about that game, though. In addition to that call which made us look a little stupid, this same AR (again, good ref and normally very sharp) called defensive handling in the PA for a PK that was converted for the first goal of the game, which he later told me he probably should have let go (I was entirely screened from the play). The final score ended up being 2-0. I expected at least some complaints about the game from the losing coach and/or players... but instead, two of the players (including one who missed a PK) took it out on their coach, complaining about formation, players/positions, etc. :eek: This is a team that lost its second straight after four consecutive wins, and the coach was, well, peeved at the attitude of these players. No complaints on the officiating, though.

[nsa]

...

Man I hate when I do that! :mad:
Happens all the time. I think that it's called "muscle memory". The body has gotten used to one action associated with a particular colour and isn't ready to give it up.

Then there are (rare) occasions that I accidentally point the wrong way in the first half. A couple tweets to get the players' attention and I then point the correct way. I'll comment in a stage whisper, "I don't usually do that until the second half.", which usually gets a laugh from the players, coaches, and parents.

[Ref Flunkie]

Then there are (rare) occasions that I accidentally point the wrong way in the first half. A couple tweets to get the players' attention and I then point the correct way. I'll comment in a stage whisper, "I don't usually do that until the second half.", which usually gets a laugh from the players, coaches, and parents.

If I joke, I usually get things thrown at me ;). My AR did this in our first game as well. He called a foul, I pointed the way I thought it was to go (I saw the foul too), but he pointed the other way. Since he was closer, I went with it, but then he figured out he was pointing the wrong way. Oops.

[chrisrun]

Had a bad case of this last weekend, first half went fine, bunch of calls always pointed in the right direction.

Second half came along and I just couldn't get it through my head that the teams had switched direction! I kept pointing the wrong way on calls:eek: even when I said the color correctly I pointed the wrong way. I must have done this 4-5 times, it was embarrassing.

Finally I started not putting up the direction arm until I had thought it through in my head really good. Worked ok, except on some calls that the players looked at me for direction on.

Man I hate when I do that! :mad:
I usually know whose throw it is, I just forget which way they are going. So in the beginning of each half, I yell out the color of whose throw it is while I think about which way they are going, and then put my arm up.

[USSF REF]

Usually, this will happen to me when for one reason or another, the two players involved at a tackle or other foul are going in a direction that is opposite the logical direction that I know they should be going. For example, if blue is going towards their own goal with the ball and is fouled by red who is seemingly "defending" his opponents goal -- then I will usually point in the direction that blue was traveling, not thinking about the actual hald that blue is defending.

[macheath]

I often find myself chanting (under my breath, I hope) at the start of the second half, "Blue is going north, Blue is going north" or somesuch, to try and avoid this problem. Still happens sometimes.

[Chas (Psyatika)]

You could try changing your diagonal in the second half, so that it feels like an entirely new game and you won't remember which way you used to point (since you're facing the opposite direction now). It's also useful if you want a certain AR to be on the parent's side for both halves, but they have to stay with their child's defence.

My problem is always with remembering who takes the kickoff in the second half, and in which direction. 99% of the time i write it down, but there is still that 1% (second of two consecutive games, i forget to change my datasheet before the coin toss, and then forget to write down the kickoff team and direction when i finally swap the data sheet). Usually the players are honest about it though.

[MetroFever]

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I thought I was the only one that ever had this problem. :D

[refontherun]

I'm glad I stumbled upon this thread. I thought I was the only one that ever had this problem. :D

You have to hate it when that happens, but it's part of the game.

[NHRef]

I've seen differing reactions (ya I've done this in several games), from acknowledgement that its nice to see a ref admit a mistake, to making you look foolish and loss of respectability because it makes you look like you are changing your call based on the screams from players/coaches.

I do try and talk and call out the color and often delay putting my arm up, but sometimes it calls for a FAST direction call.

When I use to ref basketball I used to have a rubber band I would put on one hand or the other to remember who gets possession on the next jump ball, but in that case I was always facing the clock, not so easy in soccer you could be facing either way :-)

[aevange8]

I saw an EPL ref point the wrong way today in Manchester United vs Sunderland. He shook it off by pointing both directions at the same time and presumably having a laugh. I will find the minute of the incident on my DVR later.

[MetroFever]

I saw an EPL ref point the wrong way today in Manchester United vs Sunderland. He shook it off by pointing both directions at the same time and presumably having a laugh. I will find the minute of the incident on my DVR later.

I remember the play you're referring to. I think it was around the 30 minute mark of the first half on Sunderland's half of the field.

[aevange8]

I went back and checked it when i got home from work (i cant have the audio of the game on during work) and he was acknowledging his AR for a little help......it was funny because none of the players seemed to care about the referee's signal, there wasnt any apparent argument over the incident.