http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=383585&root=mls&cc=5901 Rolling blue since leaving the DMN. This article is a couple weeks old but really good. Bing to the o
My 8 year old son watches a bit of soccer on TV. Last week he hit the ground 3 or 4 times - and each time he got up on his knees, put his hands out like "where's the call ref"? I didn't teach him that. Course the ref was a bit clueless. Same game, Colin scored off a corner kick - bent it straight into the goal. Ref called a goal kick. I was amazingly restrained.
thanks for the linkage, bs027 --- Mr. Davis really lets loose - maybe 'cause he's not writing in this case for the general populace --- this leads me to thinking what a dinosaur I am! for still enjoying the newsprint, home-delivered Star-Telegram (killing all the trees to make paper etc), which, as texgator says, is dead, in contrast to the niche , internet content like Steve Davis' article here where he can be all loosey-goosey 'cause he's writing for those who are interested and informed. [parenthetically: isn't that the toughest thing to do in soccer: to try to reach deeper in the skill bag --- instead of the revenge bag {{or the "complain" bag}} --- when you been DONE WRONGED!!! ?] and Northside? was the ref thinking that a corner is an indirect free kick? or there were no goals nets?? I'm gonna go down there to Austin and retro-actively invade the pitch!!!
on a related note: when my son was 11/12 and playing in the classic league we had a game against Andromeda coached by Jan Van Beveren. Down 2-1 late in the game we get a penalty and my son steps up to take it (at that point he had never missed one in a game) prior to the refs whistle he runs up to take the kick....the ref, on seeing this steps in front of the shot, blocks it and awards a free kick to the other team..!!! I ripped his useless arse AFTER the game after first giving him a lesson in the laws of the game....silly twat was too embarressed to give me a red card...probably didn't even know I was still under his jurisdiction....
Worst call I ever saw in youth club soccer was a kid being called offside for dribbling past the final defender. Although my pet peeve is goalkeepers crushing forwards without touching the ball. Most of the time they will not be penalized at all, and no matter how deliberate, cynical, or aggressive the hit, they will never be carded. In youth soccer, all goalkeepers have a free rein to crush kids in their boxes, while on the other hand if a forward brushes up against them accidentally they fall & cry and a yellow card is awarded. Hmmm, guess you discovered my weak spot, eh? At any rate, great article by Steve Davis. The man deserves rep points.
Calling players out for crying is a good thing... that should stop. But did Steve's article need to be so long winded and whiny about it?