Scorer: Hughes
A real kick in the teeth on Saturday for the first team. Whilst you will struggle to claim you snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in a 4-1 scoreline, how we managed to get turfed over by that margin is a mystery. We probably played better than in our 3-2 victory over EBOGs, but a mix of luck, judgement and ability at key moments of the game killed us. Old F’s were a decent side, good movement upfront and credit for them for trying to play out from the back on a pretty tiny pitch. They deserved their win.
Following another spate of bookings, I would actually like to touch on ‘Respect’. Players and supporters do not treat the officials with enough respect, of which I am embarrassingly one. It is our job as players to take the good with the bad, and as mentioned above, something we fundamentally need to improve.
There is however, only so much you can do with this principle, should an official choose to engage with the players in a way demonstrated on Saturday You are fundamentally granted respect by being a referee, but if you adopt an attitude of disdain for those around you, you are inclined to lose it.
When you give a spate of clearly controversial decisions there is really no need to pro-actively anatagonise those on the end of it. There is no need to respond to any enquiry by either criticizing the ability of the player, or simply replying ‘I really do look the part’, which was both smug and strange in equal measure. There also has to be an element of common sense when throwing cards around for people paying to play football. There was barely a bad challenge in a card littered game.
Ultimately, we pay to play, and it’s not an entirely insubstantial amount. You are occasionally allowed to question the value you are getting. At the very least, I would rather the paid for officials weren’t gleefully telling my players how poor they are whilst serving them up an expensive booking.
‘Respect’ is a quantity that is given, but ultimately in the way you speak to people, it is also something that is earned.
MoM: Shaw
