Saturdays Ref

[Voice of Reason]

Not if the clock is stopped ala Rugby League & Union. With 30 players on the field in Union it is still the referee and touch judges call to issue a head assessment.
I dont think anyone minds genuine injuries taking talk out of the afternoon, but this season has been worse than ever, Peterborough there must have 7-8 stoppages for physio's - Ryan Taylors being obviously one, of the others at least 4 were deliberate time wasting exercises - the sad thing is the referee's know it too, but its just allowed to happen week in, week out. The ref's have it hard because they are held accountable, but i'd love them to recommend a few changes, which would see them and the game in a better light.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

I'd hate to be a referee who makes a wrong assessment on a head injury. Better safe than sorry has to be the policy I'm afraid.

 

[justanotherfan]

I would just like them to be consistent, I don`t expect infallible. On Tuesday, night instead of insisting the Blackpool players being subbed left the field at a jog, he walked off with them as if to say "no time wasting on my watch", either apply a sanction or just ignore the problem.

 

[Voice of Reason]

LC i'm beginning to think you misread things for the sake of it.

No one is suggesting you ignore head injuries, but something has to be done to stop players feigning head injuries, it must make Terry Butchers blood boil, everyone a team is winning and they are under pressure someone will go down with a head injury - the ref's know they are being conned but cannot take the risk, why if you knew you were being hoodwinked and know that the crowd all know its an act of feigning to waste time would you not want a rule change. I dont know if the referee's association makes rule change suggestions, but it would benefit everyone if a 5 minute head injury assessment had to take place. It would stop the cheats, if it was genuine the player in question gets time to recover, or his manager can make a sub. Surely thats better than a crowd of thousands, knowing you are being taken for a ride.

This rule would be easy implemented and benefit the ref, how many times do you see a crowd turn on a referee because he stops play for what is a fairly obvious non injury - the ref by the rules is doing correctly, but even they know themselves they are being played, wouldn't something that made their job easier and benefited the watching public be a good thing.

 

[Lundan Cabbie]

LC i'm beginning to think you misread things for the sake of it.

No one is suggesting you ignore head injuries, but something has to be done to stop players feigning head injuries, it must make Terry Butchers blood boil, everyone a team is winning and they are under pressure someone will go down with a head injury - the ref's know they are being conned but cannot take the risk, why if you knew you were being hoodwinked and know that the crowd all know its an act of feigning to waste time would you not want a rule change. I dont know if the referee's association makes rule change suggestions, but it would benefit everyone if a 5 minute head injury assessment had to take place. It would stop the cheats, if it was genuine the player in question gets time to recover, or his manager can make a sub. Surely thats better than a crowd of thousands, knowing you are being taken for a ride.

This rule would be easy implemented and benefit the ref, how many times do you see a crowd turn on a referee because he stops play for what is a fairly obvious non injury - the ref by the rules is doing correctly, but even they know themselves they are being played, wouldn't something that made their job easier and benefited the watching public be a good thing.

I do understand everything you are saying but I am just pointing out why I think it would never happen.

You are asking the football authorities to change their rules that could let a genuine but not obvious head injury go untreated. Managers wont like losing a player for a period of time and will tell players to not claim a head injury unless really necessary. Those changing the rules cannot take that chance because if just one slips through, it will be one too many. The rules are there for the health and well being of the players and that cannot be watered down one bit.

The only solution is to educate teams, players and managers that the current practice is not wanted. Whatever rules are made, coaches and the like find a way to abuse them.