Referee

[davie nine]

I've noticed in the last two games (it may have been more) that the announcer has said 'And it's a warm welcome back to Home Park to today's referee xxxx xxxx'.

I wonder why he is saying that?

If he is then he'd better be told to pack it in. Any official hearing that might be inclined to be harsher toward us so as not to look like showing us favouritism.

No repeat of that last night by the announcer.
I thought Brendan Malone officiated well.

 

[pilgrimB173]

He did well but it was an easy game to referee. The hardest part would have been keeping up with play! He also handled the lights failure well.
It is great to see a passionate local derby where the players are all keen to play football and not just kick lumps out of each other. Long may it continue.

 

[memory man]

Mr Smith from Stonehouse, Glos. was always an excellent ref.

How right you are - Mr DW Smith from Stonehouse in Gloucestershire. What memories. A marvellous referee. He had a great record here, starting in the 1959-60 season with a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City. He also did the final game of that season when we beat the champions Aston Villa 3-0. He also did the great West Ham cup tie in January 1962, another 3-0 win. We were unbeaten under him at Home Park for a number of years. I think he also did the Football League game when John Newman was a non-playing substitute. He will be featuring quite a lot in my next book and I have recently been in touch with his family through another good referee, Brian Stevens. DW was also in charge of the famous Man United v Man City game when Denis Law scored against United, which he abandoned with nine minutes to go after United fans would not leave the field. The result stood and United were relegated. He also did the 1972 FA Cup Final. Funnily enough in his spare time he was a referee while his day job was as a linesman - for the local electricity board!!!

 

[Penlee]

I couldn't stand Roger Milford always smarmy a really weak ref

 

[Ollieargyle9]

He did well but it was an easy game to referee. The hardest part would have been keeping up with play! He also handled the lights failure well.
It is great to see a passionate local derby where the players are all keen to play football and not just kick lumps out of each other. Long may it continue.

I didn't quite understand the light fiasco, ok one of them went out but it was perfectly playable as the ground was still very well lit. There is probably a rule about floodlight failure which the referee had to follow but what if it hadn't come back on, would they seriously had called it off because one corner of the pitch was a darker shade of green to the rest of it?

Then I suppose those are the rules but a bit of common sense applied in those circumstances wouldn't go amiss, it wasn't as though all of the lights had gone out.

 

[Old Gunner]

Who'd be a referee? They get dog's abuse at all levels. I've rarely seen a really bad referee over the years, but am always appalled at the vitriol that gets aimed their way--I see supporters every week with veins standing out on their temples, eyeballs protruding, foaming at the mouth--take look at yourselves guys. I bet these are the same people who are opposed to using technology to support refereeing decisions.

 

[Old Gunner]

Spot on, referees are failed footballers or the class wimps who couldn't get into the school team

Try having a game without one.

 

[memory man]

Spot on, referees are failed footballers or the class wimps who couldn't get into the school team

Try having a game without one.

Precisely