Robins Report Podcast

[Si Robin]

I agree the 11 games without scoring at the start of the season doesn't wash with me anymore either.

Since then we have only gone goalless on 5 occasions (in the League), so currently 16 overall with 7 games left. Last season we failed to score in 19 games. I don't think we fail to score in more than 3 games in the rest of this season.

[Jerry St Clair]

We aren't going to go down because of refereeing mistakes. We'll go down because didn't score a goal for nearly a quarter of the season.

You say that, but if the penalty had been given and scored at Derby, Lloyd's onside goal at Bolton not ruled out, and at least one penalty given to us on Monday, we could be sat at least 5 points better off right now and feeling a lot more confident. Could very easily be the difference between staying up or not. Obviously, a million moments and decisions decide a season, not just several made by the officials, but they're the ones that stick out.

I think you've answered your own question in the last sentence. If the penalty had been scored at Derby or Lloyds goal at Bolton been given, those games would have panned out completely differently. You can't just add or remove points and goals based on specific incidents and assume everything else would have stayed the same.

Refs make mistakes. Sometimes very bad ones. We needed to respond by creating more chances and scoring more goals. If we hadn't imploded at the end of the first half against Reading we might have had more points. That was on us, not the referee. The list is endless.

The fundamentals are obvious: a relatively tiny budget compounded by summer chaos and tactical timidity under Wade. A couple of bad penalty shouts are minor impacts in that context.

[Shade]

The major difference being that the officials are there to apply the laws of the game correctly, not be the ones that make a difference to the results through their errors. The players DID create chances, and the officials denied them. The other stuff, that's a part of the game. Multiple blatant bad decisions against us that cost us points shouldn't be. That's my POV anyway. Am I wrong?

[asl]

My issue is that some on this board would have you believe that it's corruption rather than simple human error that causes decisions to go against us - which, I'm sorry, is utter nonsense.

Are some officials at this level not very good at their job? Yes. Could the vast majority of keyboard warriors on here do a better job in real time, without the aid of slow-motion video replays? Almost certainly not.

[Shade]

My issue is that some on this board would have you believe that it's corruption rather than simple human error that causes decisions to go against us - which, I'm sorry, is utter nonsense.

Potentially a bit naive? It would hardly be a world first for a ref to be bent. Not that I'm saying any of them are...I just wouldn't be massively surprised if something eventually came out about dodgy payments.

[asl]

At this level? And to the extent some on this board believe it? Pretty much every time we lose, it's "oh, this ref is bent". Conversely, when we win, the ref hardly gets a mention!

[longmover]

At this level? And to the extent some on this board believe it? Pretty much every time we lose, it's "oh, this ref is bent". Conversely, when we win, the ref hardly gets a mention!

This government is bent, our national utilities are bent, local councils are bent, big business is bent. To think that professional sport (in this country) is not bent is very very naive.

[Jerry St Clair]

The major difference being that the officials are there to apply the laws of the game correctly, not be the ones that make a difference to the results through their errors. The players DID create chances, and the officials denied them. The other stuff, that's a part of the game. Multiple blatant bad decisions against us that cost us points shouldn't be. That's my POV anyway. Am I wrong?

I don’t think you’re wrong. I just disagree. It’s an opinion.

In my view referee mistakes are part of the game, just as much as forwards missing open goals. Officials are not helped by endless tinkering by IFAB, but that’s another story altogether……

[Ihearye]

At this level? And to the extent some on this board believe it? Pretty much every time we lose, it's "oh, this ref is bent". Conversely, when we win, the ref hardly gets a mention!

This government is bent, our national utilities are bent, local councils are bent, big business is bent. To think that professional sport (in this country) is not bent is very very naive.

Thank God we haven't reached the depths of flogging off our council home and pocketing the proceeds ....... Oh wait

[asl]

This government is bent, our national utilities are bent, local councils are bent, big business is bent. To think that professional sport (in this country) is not bent is very very naive.

I didn't say it doesn't exist at all, even at our level - but I'd be willing to bet that at least 99% of all decisions that go against us, and ever have gone against us, are due to human error or interpretation rather than corruption.

[ctfc-fan]

This government is bent, our national utilities are bent, local councils are bent, big business is bent. To think that professional sport (in this country) is not bent is very very naive.

I didn't say it doesn't exist at all, even at our level - but I'd be willing to bet that at least 99% of all decisions that go against us, and ever have gone against us, are due to human error or interpretation rather than corruption.

Agree. Being a ref isn’t for the feint hearted! I’ve done one match for u10 and that was bad enough

[Ihearye]

Sorry don't buy into this all honest mistakes, not for the feint hearted stance. They are paid very well to do a job approx 180 minutes a week. If they were employed in any other job, they wouldn't be allowed to make mistakes week after week. On top of that, they have three other well paid officials to help them make the decisions. Not saying they are bent just incompetent.

[ctfc-fan]

However most normal jobs don’t rely on someone seeing something in the blink of an eye. They can’t rewind and watch again in our leagues. They’re only human after all, despite what I also think of them at times!

[Jerry St Clair]

Sorry don't buy into this all honest mistakes, not for the feint hearted stance. They are paid very well to do a job approx 180 minutes a week. If they were employed in any other job, they wouldn't be allowed to make mistakes week after week. On top of that, they have three other well paid officials to help them make the decisions. Not saying they are bent just incompetent.

Paid very well?

Select group 2 refs (essentially Championship) are on an annual retainer (circa £20k) plus match fees (circa £500). League 1 and 2 refs don’t get retainers, but get match fees and expenses. Match fees for L1 are about £400.

Elite refs, such as Premier League and Fifa officials, might well earn something like £100k per year which is about the same as a head teacher of a large secondary school.

[Si Robin]

Not sure which job would be worse to be honest.

I reffed an u13 friendly yesterday and at times it felt like the Boca-River derby. That was a load of kids in front of about 20 parents and coaches who I get on really well with. Sod reffing in front of a few thousand people, most of whom think you're deliberately trying to diddle their team.

[Jerry St Clair]

Not sure which job would be worse to be honest.

I reffed an u13 friendly yesterday and at times it felt like the Boca-River derby. That was a load of kids in front of about 20 parents and coaches who I get on really well with. Sod reffing in front of a few thousand people, most of whom think you're deliberately trying to diddle their team.

Exactly. I manage my son’s team. Last autumn we played a tournament and at the end of one of the games the opposition coach went marching on to the pitch, arms outstretched exclaiming that the ref was “making the rules up as he went along”. This was U8s. The ref was a teenage boy. Unbelievable.

The refs got £20 for giving up their Saturday and putting up with this s#!t.

[Si Robin]

I'm in my 4th year coaching my son's team and, fortunately, I've never come across an u18 ref getting grief. Not sure our parents would allow it either

[Ihearye]

Sorry don't buy into this all honest mistakes, not for the feint hearted stance. They are paid very well to do a job approx 180 minutes a week. If they were employed in any other job, they wouldn't be allowed to make mistakes week after week. On top of that, they have three other well paid officials to help them make the decisions. Not saying they are bent just incompetent.

Paid very well?

Select group 2 refs (essentially Championship) are on an annual retainer (circa £20k) plus match fees (circa £500). League 1 and 2 refs don’t get retainers, but get match fees and expenses. Match fees for L1 are about £400.

Elite refs, such as Premier League and Fifa officials, might well earn something like £100k per year which is about the same as a head teacher of a large secondary school.

Yes, would say that is quite a healthy second income, would also argue that the responsibilities of a secondary school head are much more important and stressful that a ref.
At the end of the day, if they find it to much of a burden to perform the job, then the answer is easy. Folk on here say they wouldn't do it. Exactly, that's why they are not doing it.

[ctfc-fan]

The answer is easy? So all the refs give up and we don’t have anyone? Well that would be great wouldn’t it?

At youth level the local FA I feel tip toe around young refs as they don’t want to lose them, even though some are a PITA!

[Ihearye]

The answer is easy? So all the refs give up and we don’t have anyone? Well that would be great wouldn’t it?

At youth level the local FA I feel tip toe around young refs as they don’t want to lose them, even though some are a PITA!

If I had the inclination I would trawl the internet to see if any league or national league match had ever been called off because they didn't have enough refs. If it ever has happened then it is a rate occurrence. Your argument makes no sense whatsoever. Why would they all stop? They are doing something they CHOOSE to do for the remuneration they receive. If they didn't want to do it or thought it was not worthwhile, they would not do it. History tends to show us that there are always people who want to be paid to do this. So have no idea why you think all refs would give up.
What I said was easy, was, if you don't think it is worth it, then don't do it. How complicated is that?

[Si Robin]

The Robins Report CTFC
@Robins_Report
NEW POD

This week, @OwenCTFC_ is joined by @MarkHalliwell1 and @bretonday5 to discuss:

- A dreadful week
- Support for the whole team
- @HerGameToo_CTFC vs Bristol Rovers
- Last chance saloon Vs Burton

UTT
#ctfc

https://t.co/x3bYce192C

[RegencyCheltenhamSpa]

Well said re jeering and targeting of individual players from fans and the need to support the team in the relegation battle rather than undermine it.

[Si Robin]

Apologies - forgot to post this one yesterday...

The Robins Report CTFC
@Robins_Report
NEW POD

This week, @OwenCTFC_ is joined by @MarkHalliwell1 to discuss:

- A WIN!
- Survival back on?
- The time for inquests
- Play off chasing opponents

UTT
#ctfc

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4caB9f ... 3oXHfN6dKQ

[Si Robin]

The Robins Report CTFC
@Robins_Report
·
5m
NEW POD

This week, @OwenCTFC_ is joined by @MarkHalliwell1, @bretonday5, @SimonGardiner84 and @DaveCohen_ to discuss:

The final week of the season!


UTT
#ctfc

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Y9372 ... eac1134a8f

I should point out, and Owen refers to it at the end of the episode, we have taken the executive decision to not discuss the forum last week or Murry Toms leaving the board. These will still be issues next week and we felt the on-pitch issues were more important this week!

[Jerry St Clair]

Very, very good call to defer discussion on Murry/the forum.