Rough Play Hurts the Game by Gersman

One of the most foolish incidents I ever witnessed was when a Mexican-American player on one of my son's teams got fouled, then asked to be subbed off. He then changed into street shoes and left the game because he didn't like getting fouled. What a wimp.

There's no excuse for parental whining, but yes, it's a man's game.

 

You have odd Mexican-Americans. Ours come after you, all game, and they take their lumps too.

Personally, I have zero problems with hard physical play, assuming that it is with the upper body, or standing tackles. However, I think that flying slide tackles should be better policed. That is when the bad stuff happens, when the defender leaves his feet. Book 'em early and book 'em often, if they miss on a slide tackle.

 

I come at this problem from two perspectives, and as such, I see two actions that need taken.

From the coaching perspective: I feel there are coaches who emphasize results over all else. When what you pressure players to achieve results, they will do whatever it takes to get them. However, when coaches emphasize excellent play over all else, they tend to get it, and the results usually take care of themselves. In the latter instance, fair play is included in excellent play.

From the refereeing perspective: I feel there are refs who bend over backwards to "keep players in the match," some of whom don't deserve to be. Some refs will hold back on a red card, giving a yellow instead; or will hold back on a yellow card in the first half and give an a$$ chewing instead; or will hold off giving a second yellow. These actions send a message to the players: go ahead, you can do it. Naturally, there's a place for common sense, and you don't ref U-17s the same way you do U-7s. That said, wrong is wrong. A ref should call the game in front of him, without regard to intent, etc.

The guy above who was disappointed in the Mexican-American who left after being fouled: I can feel for that player. He probably received the message that there was no place for skill in the game. Sure, it's a man's game, but men shouldn't disrespect each other with impunity on the field.

 

Most of the article is based on one play which few who read the article have seen. Did the tackle deserve a red? Who can say? There is no way for us to know how severe the tackle was, or how tightly the contest was being called. It may very well be that the referee felt a need to "protect" the national team players (and probably reasonably so).

If a club team is playing a national team, even if it is the second unit of the national team, it is going to be considered an important game for the players on that club (and their parents).

"Stand between them and they appear to be watching entirely different contests, both in their reaction to every tweet of the referee’s whistle to their recounting later of any incident involving fouls and/or discipline. In varied degrees, you tend to get the same thing from coaches and players."

I don't disagree with this. It annoys me as much as it annoys Ziegler.

"Perhaps another axiom should be 'This isn’t American football.' "

I disagree with this. English football seems far rougher than American soccer.

"Our youth game is driven so much by the almighty Win, even at the expense of properly teaching the game and developing players, it produces a competitive environment tantamount to suburban gang warfare."

This is a complaint that I am discussing in another thread. But what happens if coaches "who emphasize results over all else" run into referees who call a matches tightly? Such a coach would have to tone back the aggressiveness of his players, I would think.

 

Good post, and this is a great question. It's a players' game: in this case you suggest, the players will usually adjust. They understand that the ref is calling a tight match and throttle back on reckless challenges and excessive force. It doesn't mean they won't still play hard, but they'll understand that "anything goes" isn't on. There may be complaints, but if the ref takes a firm stance on dissent, that stops, too. In order for this tactic to be successful, it must be consistent and fair.

 

I should add, my concern lies far less with professionals than with youth soccer.

While Rob gives a professional example, the players are compensated monetarily for their risks, all the players have a good amount of skill (in the grand scheme of things), and the referees are uniformly of a high standard.

So the pros don't worry me so much.

But youth soccer, none of those things hold true. I can't tell you how many crap-assed, low-skill players I've seen who are on the field solely because they are larger than most other kids their age, and meaner.

I wouldn't mind rules being changed and/or enforced in a way to chase every single one of those kids out of soccer, and into football, where they belong. That would be a benefit to the sport.

 

Again, I quite understand. I don't think it's a matter of the rules being changed as much as enforced. That will put the marginal thugs on the sideline, if not out of the game entirely, because they aren't effective where the laws of the game are enforced.

As a ref, you can't let youth players do the stuff a professional does -- they're not professionals, who are by and large able to assess and accept their own risks.

As a coach or a parent, you can't put players in the position that, if they don't come home with the points, they've failed.

 

I'm always amazed when a team that has done well in state,regional and even national competitions has parents that bitch and moan about everything and get on the ref for things that they clearly dont understand. ( clean fair tackles on their kids, offside, handling the ball etc...)
I guess even if the players understand the game better the same cant be said for the parents.

 

I'm still waiting for someone to leak the secret memo inside US Soccer where someone said "The only way our sport will be accepted is if we make it rougher. Referees, make it happen."

Talked to a referee who said he couldn't stand reffing high school boys at any level, anymore. He said they just use it as an excuse to kick the crap out of one another.

 

John,

What about the skillful and mean player? Roy Keane comes to mind, and while he had his fair share of really vicious fouls, he is thought of as one of the all time greats. Alternately, Gattuso plays rough, tough, mean and for the most part clean, and is though of as one of the top three DM in the world.

Many great competitors have a heck of a fire burning inside, and while I don't condone visciousness, I do think having a mean streak is not all bad. It certainly inspires teammates and can actually decrease violence in a game for fear of retaliation.

 

A fair point. I'm not sure about the decreasing violence part, but the rest is certainly sound.

Those aren't the guys I am talking about. But I understand the difficulty, how to chase out the pure thugs and retain the Gattuso/Keane types, or at a lower level the Chris Armas types.

 

There is no place for intentional rough play in youth soccer. I will not stand for it as a coach or a referee. Referees should be much more strict. We have too many out there letting kids play like they are in the EPL. High school is a joke. I've seen punches thrown with no cards given.

When I referee I tell the teams and coaches what I am going to allow and what I am not. It depends on the age level, but basically that they will be allowed to play hard, but that anything not in good sportsmanship will result in a caution. This would include late/chippy tackles, trash talking, retaliation, studs up challenges, tackles from behind, shirt pulling, elbows up on challenges, or any other "dirty" or overly aggressive play.

Most coaches do not teach this stuff, but many also fail to punish their own players for bad sportsmanship. It is hard to let your kids get pounded on by another team when the ref is letting it happen though. I have had to tell my players to play more physically because they were getting pushed around.

I oversee a hundred games a week at all ages, and the games that end in fights and serious injuries are too often reffed by the same people, who just let rough play escalate throughout the game. They are stubborn though, and unfortunately I can't just get rid of them.

 

Here's a case where Gers has a point.

A club in our area teaches its defenders the following tactic -- when the attacker receives the ball with his back turned toward you, close and apply a forearm to the middle of the back as he touches the ball. Typically, this will disrupt the receiver enough such that he will fumble the touch, then the defender will fight for the 50/50 ball.

Utterly routine play for them, they will do it all game if the referee permits it, if the referee whistles a foul then they will pick their spots.

I have never seen them receive a card for this tactic.

Watching an EPL match this weekend (Man U - Newcastle), the EPL defender does exactly that tactic, with roughly the same force that these kids apply, bang a yellow card. The announcer said, "He can have no quarrels." And he didn't. Because just as with these kids, it was an utterly cynical challenge, with no intent upon playing the ball, and the defender knew that he had no legitimate cause for appeal.

That's the kind of stuff that is good for nobody, rewards lack of skill and aggression, with tactics that can't succeed at a high level, and chases out boys who are trying to play the game properly. When you have youth tactics penalized less than they are at the EPL level, that's just not right.

 

Had one of those last night trying to cave my son's chest in when on the boards. The elbow was flying.

I told my son the kid was mad because he was smothering him on defense.

Just as he has to deal with better skilled players, he needs to learn to deal with rougher players.

 

Did you ever notice the ones that whine the loudest are usually the ones often getting a taste of their own medicine?

 

I should add that at least with girls teams, I have seen big, tough teams at U11and U12 who beat the tar out of their opponents, both physically and on the scoreboard. Their parents cheered every knockdown along the way. But then come U13 and U14 and the other teams have grown to be just as big and just as tough and often more skillful. Suddenly those parents are no longer so appreciative if the physical side of the game any more.

 

I'm assuming that this was an indoor game with boards. If so, the rules of soccer don't apply This hybrid of soccer and hockey called indoor soccer allows much more violence than any outdoor game. I guess its agood way to blow off steam in the Winter

 

My son's team encountered a similar team, which we'll call "Redneck FC." Anyway, Red beat my son's team on a 50yd x 90yd field by pounding our boys every time they were in possession. I vividly recall one of their parents screaming "Kick him in his leg" when one of our guys came up limping. It was a bit of a different game when they had to play my son's team at our park, which has a more normal sized field. The boys spread the field and made Redneck FC run, which it turns out, they weren't very good at. Their parents weren't so noisy that day, especially after my son's side ran out to an early lead. Much more enjoyable game for almost everyone that day.

 

Referees need to realize that their #1 job, above all else, is to keep all of the players safe on the field. Their goal should be that no one is injured during the game.

Their #2 job is to call the game fair and impartially.

Now I realize that the goal of no one getting injured is impossible in every game. It's a contact sport, no one knows that more than me being that I have 3 metal plates in my head due to a vicious play that didn't result in a foul being called. I can't say whether or not a foul should have been called for the play since I can't remember the game at all.

Good defense does not mean you must push and shove players around to get the ball. I just played an indoor game last night against a team that used elbows like crazy, pushed players around -- heck one guy after falling down actually grabbed another's leg as he was dribbling away with the ball. I was able to shut down the team's attack playing mostly defense while not committing a single foul. This was a team of players 10 years younger than me, faster than me and just as skilled as me.

Maybe coaches aren't capable of teaching their players how to properly defend with positioning, timing and teamwork. That does not mean that refs need to let lazy, sloppy fouling defensive play go, especially at the youth level. I believe that if more referees would just realize their main purpose for being there, and being payed, is to keep the players safe on the field, then this would not be an issue.

 

I should add, mine is on track to being about 6' 1", 180 pounds as an 18 year old, after spending his early teens being smaller than most opponents because he's a July birthday and didn't mature early.

So he seeks some cleanup of the game -- nobody needs to face lunging slide tackles, or forearms in the small of the back -- but not too much cleanup. Payback time is coming.

 

Playing well is the best revenge.

 

You will see, John, that there is an advantage to being a "late-bloomer". When the player is on the small side and they are going up against bigger players, for them to survive, they need to adjust their play. My kid would tell me back then that..."There's no way mom I'm going up against those big guys. I'm just going to outrun them or outplay them and go around them with the ball." Which he did. Then when he went through his growth spurt between junior/senior summer and shot up to 6'1", all those dribbling, running, technical skills that were inbedded in his play made him an even better player now that he was bigger. And I've seen this with other boys, time and time again. And I've seen the early maturers not be so great when they got older and everyone evened out in size. So, you're right when you said "Payback time is coming." Your kid will be paying back by being more skilled because he had to when he was smaller.

 

Easier to play well when you don't fall down when breathed upon.

 

That's so true. It's really fun to see these younger late bloomers sprout up and suddenly be a force to be reckoned with. They have the size and, most importantly, the skill to give those early maturer's that pushed them around all those years a little pushing of their own. We have some kids that play with my son, and they will be something to watch when their size catches up with their skills.