Whilst I agree that the referee's performance wasn't the best I cannot sit here and slate someone for standing out there and taking the abuse that these guys do. I struggle mentally when my 5 year old shouts and swears constantly at me and it isn't fun at all. I feel like crying most days. So lets get behind the officials on Saturday and give them a cheer. I know I will when I'm on the terrace with a beer in my hand singing...

Ole, Ole, Ole, County, County

DaveParade wrote:Whilst I agree that the referee's performance wasn't the best I cannot sit here and slate someone for standing out there and taking the abuse that these guys do. I struggle mentally when my 5 year old shouts and swears constantly at me and it isn't fun at all. I feel like crying most days. So lets get behind the officials on Saturday and give them a cheer. I know I will when I'm on the terrace with a beer in my hand singing...

Ole, Ole, Ole, County, County

I wouldn’t recommend that mate. Nobody enjoys a drink more than I do but you’ll get the old bill with a hand on your shoulder if you’re drinking within sight of the pitch ( alcohol and sports ground act ). As for getting behind the officials - nah! I used to ref myself and the ones you should support are the ones on the parks with no help and no linesmen. The ones we see at rp get all the support, assistants and fourth official and have a hard job calling the f¥cking toss, many of them are totally abysmal.

As much as I agree that they do get help, surely they still deserve to be respected, only human after all. And as for the drinking on the terraces, I don’t actually drink within sight of the pitch, most of the time I hide behind my mate Big John and face away from the pitch so it can’t see me.

It's not surprising there are problems recruiting young refs when abuse occurs even at parks level.

Cornish Exile wrote:It's not surprising there are problems recruiting young refs when abuse occurs even at parks level.

Yes very sad indeed. If it’s the same as when I started , a ref on the parks has to make all decisions unaided ( even club linesmen are only to be relied on for in/out of play ) so offsides etc are very difficult to call. They deserve a fair bit of leeway on the occasional mistake and the players ought to realise they wouldn’t have a proper game without him. Having said all that, that is why I am so hard on league refs who have so much more help in coming to their decisions. There is just no excuse for some of the rotters I’ve seen at league level.