REFWATCH : Huddersfield Town (h)

[Sutekh]

Keeping charge on Tuesday will be Wiltshire’s

Brendan Malone



The art of semaphore will be demonstrated by

John Busby
Justin Amey

Stopping any fights in the dugouts

Lee Collins

First Appointed to FL List

2010/2011

Last time Mr Malone was appointed

30 Oct 2015 > Cambridge United 1-2 Bristol Rovers

Last Championship Appointment

25 Apr 2015 > Huddersfield Town 2-2 Blackburn Rovers

Previously

20 Aug 2011 > Reading 1-2 Barnsley
31 Jan 2015 > Reading 2-0 Sheffield Wednesday

Previously with Huddersfield Town

12 Mar 2011 > Bristol Rovers 0-1 Huddersfield Town
12 Mar 2014 > Charlton Athletic 0-0 Huddersfield Town
25 Apr 2015 > Huddersfield Town 2-2 Blackburn Rovers

Carding Activities over last 3 Seasons

2015/2016 > 11 games, 24 yellow, 2 red : Average per game > 2.18 yellow, 0.18 red
2014/2015 > 31 games, 60 yellow, 5 red : Average per game > 1.93 yellow, 0.16 red
2013/2014 > 30 games, 70yellow, 3 red : Average per game > 2.33 yellow, 0.10 red

Total > 72 games, 154 yellow, 10 red : Average per game > 2.13 yellow, 0.13 red

Number of Championship Games Refereed

19, therefore 12.33% of his appointments have been for the Championship/Division 2/Tier 2

[Magic Hat]

Cheers Sutekh I appreciate these. Just a heads up, the last 2 you've copy/pasted and not changed "Last time Mr Graham was appointed".

[Sutekh]

Cheers Sutekh I appreciate these. Just a heads up, the last 2 you've copy/pasted and not changed "Last time Mr Graham was appointed".

Thanks, now corrected...

[sandman]

Absolutely woeful.

[blueroyals]

Can anybody explain WTF he stopped play for just as Blackman was about to shoot?

The worst ref I have seen all season.

[3points]

Can anybody explain WTF he stopped play for just as Blackman was about to shoot?

The worst ref I have seen all season.

He was trying to wave their centre back onto the pitch and as he was trying to get his attention he accidentally blew his whistle. It was a load burst and he put his hands up in apology as he did it - almost like he was saying "how did that happen". Pretty comical really

[sandman]

How he didn't book their keeper for time wasting is a mystery.

[paultheroyal]

Don't think the keepers tine wasting was a problem to be fair. Nothing out the ordinary.

What was more grating is opposing players picking up the ball and holding onto it or kicking it away ten yards etc.

As for the stop in play moment, comical, error, held his hands up. One of those things.

[Nameless]

The keeper did get warned twice for time wasting, but to be honest it was what we would have done and I agree there was a lot more cynical stuff going on and not being dealt with. 5 minutes added was way short when you discount 2 injury breaks, the drop ball farce, 4 subs and a goal. He added about a minute for time wasting which was about 4 minutes under.
He confused me for allowing tackles which other referees penalise these days. The tackle from behind where the player takes the ball and also the man is one I thought was now banned but it was a regular feature last night. To be honest I think most of the tackles last night were good old fashioned red blooded tackles which we miss from the modern game but in the same way a ref can't unilaterally allow pass backs to the keeper he should also be consistent with the current tackle interpretation.
Other than that he was ok.

[ayjaydee]

Where in the rules does it say that all players have to be in their positions before play is allowed to restart? After their goal the Huddersfield players went for a time wasting water break (it's November not mid July in 40 degrees FFS). They were all back on the pitch but still the ref delayed kick off.

WRT to the accidental whistle blowing the situation was exacerbated by his indecision over the drop ball. He should simply have acknowledged his cock up and ordered the Huddersfield player to play the ball back to Reading as we were in possession at the time.

Didn't think he was very good at all tbh

[NeilD]

He should simply have acknowledged his cock up and ordered the Huddersfield player to play the ball back to Reading as we were in possession at the time.

A referee can only suggest a team gives the ball back to the opposition from a drop ball restart.
There is no law that says they can be forced to give the ball back to the opposition.
If they want to contest the ball, then they can.

[JC]

Where in the rules does it say that all players have to be in their positions before play is allowed to restart? After their goal the Huddersfield players went for a time wasting water break (it's November not mid July in 40 degrees FFS). They were all back on the pitch but still the ref delayed kick off.

WRT to the accidental whistle blowing the situation was exacerbated by his indecision over the drop ball. He should simply have acknowledged his cock up and ordered the Huddersfield player to play the ball back to Reading as we were in possession at the time.

Didn't think he was very good at all tbh

Never have quite understood the modern drop ball. They always used to be contested and I am not sure why that changed.
If we are going to have uncontested drop balls then would it not be logical to restart play by the ref just giving the ball to the team who were in possession?

[Woodcote Royal]

The worst of an increasingly sh*t bunch of officials I've seen in recent times.

With no Prem matches last night, that made ours one of the top 12 in the country and if that muppet was the best the nation had to offer, this is nothing short of scary

No command of the game whatsoever from start to finish. There was hardly a stoppage in which a Huddersfield player didn't kick away the ball or obstruct one of ours when trying to retrieve it in order to take a free kick yet, was anyone booked for time wasting?

Any team in Huddersfield's position was bound to try it on and also bound to enjoy some success but any ref worthy of the term would have been across it from the start and either have stopped their 'keeper taking the p*ss or, carded him.

Many of these officials would not survive the kind of dependant scrutiny many of us are subjected to in our working lives and it is simply outrageous that many managers are fined for little more than saying a referee was poor.

It's high time the protection of cr@p officials by in-house assessors was blown out of the water with truly independent scrutiny, the results being made public for all to see. This might help bring about some of that respect our refereeing fraternity believes is theres by divine right

[colski boy's]

Let's hope the Ref's from Swansea on Saturday

[RoyalBlue]

Where in the rules does it say that all players have to be in their positions before play is allowed to restart? After their goal the Huddersfield players went for a time wasting water break (it's November not mid July in 40 degrees FFS). They were all back on the pitch but still the ref delayed kick off.

Quite. They were back in their own half and the qualified ref with me said that the ref on the pitch could and should (that 'should' bit from a ref who is a Reading fan though) have kicked off. One of their players realised the risk of that happening and then stood in front of the ball on the centre circle, rather than outside of the arc. He should have been booked for that.

And there can be no excuse for him 'accidentally blowing his whistle' ( I subscribe to that version of events, although BBCRB said he deliberately blew because the player receiving treatment was interfering with play - in which case he should have been booked)! He is not meant to run around with the whistle in his mouth. He is meant to place it there when he intends to use it. He was completely wrong in failing to send their guy off for the late, full blooded challenge straight throw the back of Blackman.

Apparently it was his first Championship game of the season last night. It should be his last. He also refereed games that Ady Williams played in, so I would suggest it is time for him to retire!

[Yellowcoat]

I understand that he has been appointed for the FA Cup game on Saturday between Wealdstone and Colchester for which I have a ticket,
I am certainly not looking forward to his inept control of a match so quickly after his last example of incompetence.

[Nameless]

It's high time the protection of cr@p officials by in-house assessors was blown out of the water with truly independent scrutiny, the results being made public for all to see. This might help bring about some of that respect our refereeing fraternity believes is theres by divine right

That's a huge amount of unthought through, impractical, clueless nonsense in one paragraph. Well done.

[Woodcote Royal]

Well thought through over many years, thanks, but feel free to disagree.


Meanwhile "clueless" and "impractical" continues down that well trodden left wing path of undermining the source rather than challenging the point of view. Well done.

[Nameless]

Some very bizarre ideas to respond to there.

So practically who are these independent assessors qualified to judge referees ? Ex players ? Ex managers ? International businessmen ? Management consultants ? Taxi drivers ? Can't see you finding any of them who understand the laws of the game let alone able to comment on their application in the context of matches. Ex refs with relevant experience seem ideal. Extra input from others could be good, although the ready happens. Would you really advocate independent above appropriate ?
Protection ? The referees who are suspended, demoted or removed from the lists will disagree they are protected.
And of course for every referee you suspend, demote or remove you need a replacement. And where do they come from ? The same limited pool that the original one came from. Only they will be younger, less experienced and have a lesser track record. Doesn't mean they won't be good officials but if you think Championship refs are so poor then bear in mind they are the group that a demoted Premiership referee is replaced from. There is no great mass of referees just waiting for the call to do Liverpool v Chelsea or even Reading v Huddersfield. It is a long and arduous road to reach the Football League. Not many refs would make it in less than a decade and the commitment to do it is immense when you also need to work. Your practice idea to ensure a ready made supply of suitably experienced refs is awaited.
You say refs demeaned respect. They don't. They deserve it though. The Respect campaign is about much wider things than referees. You may want to read up about it. It is about attitude to the game, to opponents, the laws and much more. And at the top level,it has failed absolutely 100%. It's depressing to read the basics about Respect and then see players and managers who clearly have no idea about what respect is. And compare it to other sports where it's so ingrained that people can't understand why football needs a campaign. Respect is more about the person giving respect than the one receiving it. Referees don't demand it but players and coaches should give it. If a hugely physical, complex game like rugby can have an ethos of respect to opponents and officials the it's sad that football has the opposite. In which cheating is encouraged, even praised, in which bad sportsmanship is the norm and abuse of officials for tactical reasons is seen as clever management.
I get frustrated by referees, but I get frustrated by players who mak silly errors and managers who make bad decisions too. Hopefully I can sometimes empathise with officials and at the same time accept that they are human, are officiating in a game with few definitive rules that requires judgement based on OPINION rather than fact, and that like everyone they get stuff wrong. I'm happy to debate referees but get really angry at people who spout off nonsense without having a clue about the subject. Now prove you aren't just a big mouthed, clueless idiot who can make knee jerk clever dick comments about something you haven't actually thought through.

[Ian Royal]

Please do enlighten us as to how your idea would work and who would do it, given the years of thought you've put into it.

It should be good for a laugh.