[Bulliac]

Re: Robert Hicks : Tue Sep 09, 2014 10:25 am  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

The other thing is, IF a ref really is failing to police the 10, letting lying on go etc., then this still has NO effect on the ability of either team to beat each other, because it's the old "same for both sides" story.

If you accept that a ref is as palpably blind to (say) holding down as some claim, then this should be obvious at least equally to all players as it is to these fans, so unless they are all stupid and their coach blind, they could and should get away with just the same.

But then many rabid supporters would just change tack to conspiracism, i.e. "yes, but he was only not watching one side"

To be frank FA, I think it would be the fans who would be 'palpably blind' if they didn't notice how all referees seem to have their own little 'black list' of offences which they feel are are 'red lines' and not to be crossed and a secondary list which they deem of lesser importance. Though of course, which rule is on which list tends to vary from ref to ref, it may be based on their personal pet hates or depend on what was said at the latest referees' meeting, I really can't begin to explain the logic [if any exists] behind it. You're absolutely spot that it makes no difference to the result though; it's how teams play, or how teams make the most from those foibles, that decides the result, not the referees.

Re: Robert Hicks : Tue Sep 09, 2014 11:57 am  

I agree, Bulliac - but always thought that the teams, of all people, must surely know the likely peccadilloes of each of the refs and coach their teams to play accordingly when a given ref is up? Wouldn't this just be part and parcel of proper preparation?

What is said at latest refs meeting if it is an aspect to be specifically policed is always now communicated to the clubs so they would know of any change in emphasis.

Re: Robert Hicks : Tue Sep 09, 2014 12:06 pm  

Ferocious Aardvark wrote:

I agree, Bulliac - but always thought that the teams, of all people, must surely know the likely peccadilloes of each of the refs and coach their teams to play accordingly when a given ref is up? Wouldn't this just be part and parcel of proper preparation?

What is said at latest refs meeting if it is an aspect to be specifically policed is always now communicated to the clubs so they would know of any change in emphasis.

Exactly. Perhaps the more successful teams are successful partly because they prepare better (except Wigan who cheat)?
In response to Bulliac, I guess each ref has his own black list because they are all different people.

[Bulliac]

Re: Robert Hicks : Tue Sep 09, 2014 1:19 pm  

Oh, of course they are TT. They're all individuals with their own minds,foibles and prejudices - just like the rest of us really. My only real quibble with that is that they have a controller who is supposed [in so much as it's actually possible] to 'iron out' differences in interpretation and the way the laws of the game are applied but, whatever he does doesn't seem very effective though, again I'd accept that trying to do so is, to some extent, like knitting fog or counting sheep on a Yorkshire moor.