ARs: Can a referee's pre-game take you "out of your game"?

Really? Have you ever played against a team or in a league comprised of mostly players from Central or South America? Even some southern European players prefer you to call contact early. This is a matter of style and we have quite a variety in New Jersey. Perhaps where you're from, its more heterogeneous.

Thanks man! However, tactic play an important role here as does a player's temperment. Plus, we're in the US. A player's number often has no correlation to where he plays. This information is also relevant so the referee doesn't get in the way.

Ruiz is a unique case. I've reffed enough games at this point to know that the above just isn't true. A player in the Ruiz mold is very difficult to referee. On the one hand you need to call the first foul and on the other you need to promote attacking play. There's a difference between fronting a player and leaning into a defender and popping him in the jaw.

I have not found this to be true. Some Latin players like this and many northern European and suburban college kids from an English influence like the contact but there are certain types players I've encountered who don't like to be touched. The Portugese are just one example from NJ. It depends, so if you have the information its good to know.

You do realize that players like Etcheverry, Hagi, and Stoichkov have been capitains right? Also English players who wear the armband tend to want nothing to do with managing their teammates because that's my job. Again, I've reffed enough games to see a variety of management styles from captains. Some fit the Eddie Pope mold I described and others are a little nutter so its good to know. If the players are female, everything changes and there's a whole new set of challenges.

Entirely possible, luckily there's a half time and periodic communication with your teammates to help you refocus. If you feel the game, you'll also know when you're screwing it up.

I'll try to explain to the college teams I see that they need to play less direct and slow down. The above just isn't true at all. There are a variety of styles. A team can knock it around the back, play through the middle, go down the flanks, play to a target man, absorb pressure and counter, etc. The style the teams play will tell you where the danger areas will be and it affects where the referee needs to be. Can you honestly look at MLS for instance and tell me every team plays a strict possession game? This clearly isn't the case.

Well until you actually try to call offside, you won't understand the significance of a trap with respect to the AR. Trapping makes matters much more difficult, particularly as it compresses the field and play moves from one end to the other quickly. I guarentee you that this is the first piece of information ARs share with eachother at halftime at just about every level of the game. It doesn't matter if we're talking MLS or Sunday u-12s, the ARs know that a team plaing a flat four and pressing are a bigger challenge and demand different attention than one playing a sweeper or a back line playing soft.

Of course, and that's all anyone suggested before you started to jump down people's throats. You need to provide information and discuss what is relevant to a particular game. The pregame is step one in achieving your main goal, getting into the proper position and making calls which are likely correct.

An earlier point is that the examples set by those at the highest levels provide us guidence when doing your games. You do not get to the level of Mr Collina without intense preparation. There are a few people posting here who could get to the same level Collina has officiated so the earlier one starts to get into good habbits the better prepared that official will be as he or she advances. My guess about the performances you observe is that the referees do not prepare enough or lack experience. I find it strange that you would point to Collina as a gold standard while derriding the officials for doing things to ensure they do the best possible job for you. These are not people who care about the match fee, they just want to do a good job, enjoy the game, and go home. I just spent six days in Virginia away from my family reffing at youth regionals. I didn't do that for the money thankfully because there wasn't any. I did that because I enjoy this. That's the world cup for those kids so we had to prepare.

 

Nashvillian. The answer is yes definitely a Referee's pregame instruction can take you out of your game. I mean it has happened to you correct? That is all the evidence you need. I happen to agree with you 100%. 3 or 4 key simple points is all that a Ref should try to communicate to his Assistants.

 

If that's what the game requires, then fine. If you want to get to higher levels this just won't be the case.

 

I'm not deriding anyone. I'm trying to help you.

I'm merely suggesting that you folks are making your jobs more complicated than they need to be. Sure prepare all you want but at the end of the day you still need to step on the pitch and perform. In my mind you should step on the field of play with a clear mind. You are telling me that you have dozens of little pieces of information floating around in your mind ranging from style of team play, individual player tendencies, fouling patterns, etc. etc. I understand what you are saying about all that. I'm suggesting that you should leave all that behind when you step on the pitch. That's right. Let it go. Don't get your panties all in a bunch over the hundreds or thousands of things that may happen during a match. Concentrate fully on what is happening.

Let me put it into a players perspective. During the game a player is called upon to do a myriad of tasks. However to do any single task well one must concentrate 100% on that single task each time. Otherwise the players performance will suffer or worse the player will fail. The same will be true of the Referee. You need to commit your full focus and concentrate on each individual play and if you don't you will fail. You can't be trying to assimilate all of the various pieces of information that you are referring to in an instant during the run of play. That will lead to mistakes.

It's simple. Free your mind. Stay with the play. Get yourself into a good calling position. See the play. Call the play. Don't make it more than it is.

 

Isn't that what most of the games especially at his level require?

 

Wreave is funny!

 

Soccertom, if you really wanted the referees here to take you seriously you should have presented your information in a bit more mature and tactful of a manner. As it stands, you are simply coming across as an arrogant player who thinks he knows everything about the game.

Back when I was younger I used to play and thought I knew everything too. There wasn't a single game where the referee didn't do something I knew for a fact was wrong. Then I became a referee myself. Let's just say that until you become one, you really have no clue what being a good referee and making the right calls is all about.

Seeing as how you have never refereed, how can you possibly know what does or does not help us do our job better? The #1 rule all referees are taught from the very beginning is thus:

Keep it simple, and SEE the game.

SEE is an acronym that stands for Safety, Equality, and Enjoyment. If any one of those three is lost then you have not done your job. "Keeping it simple" is the mantra of every professional referee -- set the tone early, keep it consistent, and deal swiftly and justly with incidents as they occur.

However, in order to keep the game simple you have to sometimes read between the lines. If you don't know anything about the players and teams going into the game, how can you possibly be in the right place at the right time to SEE what happens? By the time you start getting a good feel for the tactics and attitudes, it may be too late. Instead of waiting for the sh!t to hit the fan, it's better to establish control from the get-go and never let it reach that point.

This is what the pre-game is for. To get the referee team on the same page so that they can service the game for the full 90+ minutes. Without preparation, you might be able to feel your way through the game just fine after about 20-25 minutes or so, but if something happens in those first 25 minutes then you are going to have a match from hell. All because you didn't prepare.

Instead of assuming you know everything, we know nothing, and presume to preach to us the gospel of soccer, maybe it is you who needs to open his eyes and SEE that some of us might just teach YOU a thing or two.

 

Possibly, but I don't know what his level is. There are national referees, referees with decades of experience, and real up and comers posting in this forum. My assumption is that anyone with the desire to post here wants to become a better referee. To be a better referee you need to add to your bag of tricks over time. No one here woke up one day with all of the experience and knowlege that's been dispensed in this forum. Its been gained over time and because the USSF and other national associations can't touch every single referee, we try to pass on what we've learned to those that have had the opportunity to learn yet but are interested enough to ask. The problem Nashvillian mentioned in this thread's first post isn't that of referees asking to much. Its a problem of fast tracked or hotshot referees not respecting a teammate and talking down to him. Its possible to give an appropriate and thorough pregame without being disrespectful and I think that's what we all expect, whether we need to discuss many details or just cover the basics.

 

"But hey what do I know? I'm just a lowly Player. The game is all about the Refs right? A Player of my experience couldn't teach you wise Referees a cotton pickin thing right?"

Not true at all. The game is about the players, and our jobs as referees is to make sure that the players are safe and free to show their skill. Any referee who is worth his/her salt will listen to what players are saying during the match as long as it's not abusive or demeaning to the official.

I think you raise some vaild points, but I think your approach was very condescending to referees. It may not be trolling, but it is not a good introduction to discussion about a very interesting topic. I know many refs who think too much instead of just doing what comes naturally on the field. I'm one of those referees myself more than I care to admit. However, just as a team will prepare for its opponent, referees should take advantage of some opportunity to learn a little about the teams. I'll give you an example. One big game I had featured a finesse team against a physical team. I knew the tactics of both teams, and I knew who the important players were. I also knew that the finesse team would play through fouls and wanted advantage called as often as possible. This knowledge helped me apply advantage on several good scoring opportunities while returning to caution players after the stoppage.

Tom, you're right - we can overanalyze things too much. However, I still believe some basic knowledge about playing styles and "problem children" can help you referee matches better.

 

OK you hit the nail on the head with the above. Guilty as charged.

I assure you I wasn't trolling.

I admit I did take a condescending approach toward you Referees. I did that on purpose for 2 reasons,

1) I knew it would stir you folks up and get the blood boiling and some good discussion going. Yes I'm an asshat. I really harbor no ill will to any of you folks and do want you to know that I have a whole bunch of Refs as good friends. No really I do! What? You don't believe me?? OK FINE!! Ref's hate me!! In all seriousness I do want to apologize to all of you if I rankled your feathers in any way. I sincerely recognize the vital work the all Refs do at every level of the game. I do understand that being a Referee is often times a thankless and difficult job under the best of circumstances. I also want you to know that I personally thank every Ref after a game for the work they did whether I think they performed well or not.

2) I am usually pretty unimpressed with the Refereeing community as a whole for what I consider to be a rather weak overall area in the sport of soccer.

What makes you thing I have never Reffed? I assure you I have. I would never offer any criticism without having personal experience in the area. That goes against my basic principles of living. Who says I haven't learned anything from the Posters in this Forum. I assure you I have. My experience in the Soccer Community is rather extensive. So much so that I'm quite surprised that my wife hasn't hit me over the head with a frying pan to end my soccer activities. I have coached for over 30 years and also served in administrative capacities. I have also had the honor of being invited to teach @ numerous College Instructional Camps.

 

Good post. I agree!

 

I agree with MidwestRef!

Actually I think we have all benefitted for this discussion. I know I have.

 

How would you deal with this...

I do many games with an older referee who tells his AR's...

"We officiate with the whistle not the flag."

 

I would say, "Sir, what the heck do you mean?" That doesn't even make sense.

 

In my experience, this means that the ARs are there to assist the referee make his calls and not make calls themselves. Assist not insist. This is along the same direction as Ed Rae's "100 Pound Flag" article which can be viewed here:

http://www.massref.net/ins050607.cfm