repete

My sentiments exactly. No intent to bait. I made no mention to any named specific players to protect their. privacy. I know there is a mix of very good players from a variety of competetive teams on BHS. I have an idea of who plays where. I have had the luxury of being on the field with these fine athletes in the heat of battle and know first hand what they can do. Someone said there were 9 VP players on the team, so logically that was highlighted, since the fastest one on the field plays for them. My comments were not intended to exclude anyone else. I think the mustcoach referred to Bearden as flat to somehow take something away from the quality of the opposition. I dont bait. I present the facts as I see them. If a person's perspective is otherwise, they should search their own motivations.

You can say the same about any team. Remember, BHS had a day of rest, and ORHS was coming right off that very big win that no one gave them any credit beforehand . BHS is very talented and fast, with the Velocity Elite players. They were matched in very contentious away games (with the Ohio teams) and you can tell the difference between being flat and being evenly matched by a very skilled opponent (I watched the end of one of those games). Most of their local competetion with the exception of the last 2 games, have been walkovers, and blow outs as well. In any event, they did manage to pull out the win in the last 20 seconds. So in that, it was a very good game. I look for them to beat Greenville and advance. But then again...

Thats not factually accurate. That's not "all" you have to do. You have to attend at least 3 meetings of a local association a year, which means you have to join the association. You have to be in good graces with the association, and be assigned by an assignor of that association that is blessed by TSSAA. You have to go to the annual coach/referee rules meeting. Usually the assigors rank the games and the referees and cross match. You have to pass the post season law review to qualify for post season play. Look at local association web sites. There they will have more detailed requirements. It is a big disconnect when people cry "incompetence" and then find out with a little digging that their least favorite referee is in fact, very active in their local association, probably even the president . You have to bust hump, do games in areas you dont want to, probably spending the game fee on gas and food. Its called paying your dues. And you do it year after year until one day you get the call to do a big game. So its not all true that you just take an open book test and voila, you're doing Bearden vs Farragut. That comes with experience, most physically fit, proven track record, and trust. Sure there are politics but mostly its about managing scarce resources and putting the most capable with the most demanding games.

The only problem is that there aren't enough people willing to step up to officiate because of people with a lynch mob mentality. So you reap what you sow sort of speak. Soccer is a physical game, its played that way all over the world. I tend to let them play, bringing them to the ragged edge, but reigning it in as appropriate. Players like that because it pushes their skills to the limit, which they want. People want their teams to win, so naturally they will be biased. Its all white noise to me when I am out on the field. Their point of view is slanted from the perspective of armchair observer. Most never have called a game in their life. Usually at this level in the tourney assignors go with the top refs, who are college and semipro level. I cant speak for one region over another but I know the folks where I ref are very good. My suggestion, stop assigning blame and get over it. Coaches make mistakes, players make mistakes, referees make mistakes. It goes with the territory. This is not an exact science. Its highly interpretive and subjective. It requires alot of judgement and weighing the decision versus the spirit of the game. People who are engrained in the football mentality usually have the toughest time adjustng to proper soccer. HS soccer is hamstrung by additional NF and TSSAA requirements that thickens the rule book needlessly to keep lawyers from sueing schools.

It was an evenly matched, well played, hard fought game. Oak Ridge was up 1-0 with 10 minutes left then Bearden ties it. With 20 seconds left, Bearden put the ball in the net on a cross to the back post to win 2-1. I think the consensus before the game was that Bearden would have an easy time but I think the home team gave them all they could handle.

In all fairness, I got home from the Oak Ridge Farragut game tonight and the website was already updated with the game highlights before it hit the report on WBIR later on. As far as the flash goes, just skip over it. I think the website was by volunteer standards, outstanding. The webmaster said if he fixes the errors, it would mess up the look and feel. There are good soccer schools that dont even have a website so kudos to anyone who gets one going. If people want a pro web site then pay for it. Im not going to be nitpicky with respect to a school website built by a volunteer. For the time and info, I think the website is the best in TN prep soccer, boys or girls.

mj, Did you get a chance to see the game in person? It was very good. Oak Ridge's defense played very well. Their offense made the most of the opportunities presented. They definately play Farragut better on the wider field, as their early season loss was on a narrow Farragut football field.

While I understand your frustration, it is still not an infraction if it is not deliberate. Ever hear of Maradona? The FIFA refs had it right, but it did look bad. I totally disagree with your analysis that things should be called different in the box just because its the box. The foul is the foul. Now what you dont realize is that the bar for trifling can be up to the referee. Players that act differently in the box thinking the referee will give them a little leeway are setting themselves up for disaster. This isnt mindreading or rocket science. For me, a player has to make a play at the ball, propel it or swat it away for it to come up on my radar. That person is probably getting a red or yellow card too, depending on the circumstances, and whether the action was DOGSO. You get to understand what gets what after alot of games.

USSF Advice to Referees is pretty authoritative and interpretative, and Law 12 is pretty universal, even for HS games. High level referees usually refer to it often. There is also a video "Myths of the Game" we use when training new referees that shows a few misconceptions regarding deliberate handling that really bakes the less informed coaches and parents noodles. First things first; it is not an infraction if it is incidental, doesn't matter if a player gains an advantage. Its is not an infraction if the ball played to the hand, doesnt matter if player gains an advantage. The only judgement used in applying the law, ask was it deliberate? Thats all. There are only two places in the LOTG where the word "deliberate" applies; deliberately wasting time (pass back) and deliberate handling. Both require fore thought and intent. Its probably an infraction, but I would categorize it as trifling if 1. The score is 8-0 and its in the box, and the losing team somehow handles it. I wouldnt call it, and sell it that way. (Why rub it in). 2. the player made no attempt to play the ball after it hit their arm. I wouldnt call it if a player had her back to the ball and it struck her in the arm, propelling it to their feet. How could a person deliberate on the ball with their back turned? I probably would call it if its so obvious that not calling it would put my credibility in the tank. Unless it was #1.

The IFK in HS (National Federation) for the team in clear posession is the correct response. Kudos to all who knew that. We must try as referees to sort out which is which. Often fans, coaches, players who cross-play school, competetive, it is often what they see the most. One other rule nuance is the throw in. If the ball doesnt come in, it goes the other way only in HS. In my competetive, HS, adult amateur and college matches, its usually some rule nuance one must keep straight. It gets difficult when one calls different games on the same day.

If you saw the Houston matches, did you not see their match against Oak Ridge?

It might be a stretch for you to find them outside the KFC. Most of the players you cite come from that organization. A little parochialism?

Just wondering since you had an earlier thread on good up and coming new players if you happened to notice the younger ORHS players battling the seasoned Collierville team pretty evenly. They were outstanding and are surely exciting to watch. Look for good things to come from this group.

Hmm. Not to sound condescending, but if you did ref you would understand the code of ethics that all of us who do it, are held to. When we ref, we ref, when we watch, we watch. We don't bash refs when we watch. I understand your life situation but that is not the issue, nor an excuse to ridicule or smugly chide with indignation, those that put their integrity on the line. This is why not everyone can do the job, since courage isnt passed out evenly. More so, those that become frustrated, quit, leaving the game for various reasons. The issue as you say, is thinking, as the late great FIFA ref Ken Aston said so poignantly, "reffing is thinking". Now with regard to "thinking", one must ask "why do you think it's poor?" The word poor has many meanings, and in this context, the only interpretation you give is that it is below acceptable. So what is acceptable? 50% of all spectators think every call is a bad call. The other 50% think the same call is a good call. So there you have it. Only half of all calls are acceptable in an ideal world. Half of any distribution is normal, and normal is poor from your own words. So the normal condition is the state of adversity by design. Unless you have in your data bank a thousand games under your belt to draw on, as some of us who have been doing this for years, it really doesn't matter what perspective you come from, at best you will be 50% satisfied. Maybe now you may see that all parties make mistakes; players miss runs, coaches make strategic errors, spectators see only what they want to see. Without a ref though a game can take two states - either a glorified warmup, or all out brawl, My personal opinion, I like to see them play to their ability, take them to the edge of that ability within the spirit of the game. Anything less is a milquetoast scrimmage. If you really do care for the game, as I do, you would appreciate the physicality without resorting to the cop out that safety is somehow compromised. Remember, that person in the middle may have a busy schedule too where their choice to ref comes at the expense of other things as well. Maybe they are a single dad, or college student, or retiree. Maybe they arent as fast as the players, but maybe they dont have to be. They get banged up too. A thousand or so games does that to an aging body. The mind is still there though. Since refereeing is thinking.

BigG I think it already has gotten to this point. All I am reading is alot of folks (likely adults) trashing a group of 14 to 17 yr old girls for playing the game of soccer. And now they are gunning for them to be stomped on and thats OK. Cudos to fevercoach!