Ref Watch ..... Fleetwood H

[Mick]

For the second Saturday running we play a team against whom we hold a single win lead in head to head League matches. Instead of last week's 42-41 starting position we lead Fleetwood by just 2 wins to 1 with the other 6 games all drawn. Our record at home against them is P 4 W 1 D 2 L 1 F 5 A 5. Barry Corr has scored more than half of all goals scored against Fleetwood at Roots Hall.

Man in charge is the inexperienced first year League referee Antony Coggins from Bicester. He progressed remarkably quickly through the non-league ranks. Just 5 years after refereeing his first kiddies' match he was refereeing in the Conference South and still a teenager. He is now just about 30 and was previously a teaching assistant.

After just one year in the middle of the Conference Premier (or National League as it is now) he was promoted to the Football League List at the end of last season.

He has already taken charge at Roots Hall this season as a late replacement for the customary first round League Cup defeat, this time to Newport when our defence was run ragged by, yes, Nouble in his 25 minute appearance. Coggins did okay without being totally convincing and the match's two yellows both went to them.

He had previously been an Assistant Referee at Wembley for the 2016 FA Vase Final. His matches in the National League last season included Braintree's relegation clincher at Aldershot, the high profile Lincoln v Forest Green match and Dagenham's home play-off also against Forest Green. In fact over a third of his matches last season featured Dagenham or Forest Green or both. Those 23 matches produced a very average 77 yellow cards and slightly high 6 reds. He appears not to be one to shirk extreme decisions. He was roundly condemned for abandoning a match at Macclesfield just after the fog had lifted!

His 22 matches this season have produced a below average 50 yellows and 2 reds. As you would expect the majority of his matches have been League Two or Checkatrade.

Here's a clip of him in one of his few previous League One games:

http://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/football/11174443/ref-takes-a-tumble-at-gillingham

His assistants will be will be Tranmere Rovers supporter and ex-semipro player for Newtown (in the Welsh League), Anthony Da Costa, now from Cambridge and first year "lino", Callum Walchester a young looking police officer from Lowestoft also making his 2nd visit to Roots Hall. Fourth Official will be poor non-league referee, Ian Cooper from Rochester.

 

[Mick]

And a link for those who like the photographs:

https://www.southendunited.co.uk/news/2018/january/anthony-coggins-will-take-charge-of-this-weekends-game-at-roots-hall/

 

[Lord Football]

As usual, excellent. Two things, if I may.

You comment that the 4th official is "poor" based on his non-league performance. Do you base this on your own observations?

More importantly, I'd be really interested to read your assessment of some these guys after the game.

 

[Mick]

You comment that the 4th official is "poor" based on his non-league performance. Do you base this on your own observations?

Absolutely; after all you wouldn't base an opinion on comments by, say, managers !!!

I've seen Ian Cooper (not to be confused with Nick Cooper, who is a bit, but not a lot, better) several times. One of the worst was at Concord not that long ago.

I rarely think the referees are quite as bad as many on here suggest but they could, of course, be better and they would be better if the players didn't try to cheat quite so much.

 

[borientater]

Question for our resident refs , what did MAF do wrong that warranted the awarding of a free kick when the goalie blasted the ball straight at him ?

 

[Stan33]

Thanks. I would like to know the answere to that

 

[rigsby]

Can I also ask why a ref would look over to his assistant and ignore the obvious indication that the free-kick for the offside was 20yds further back.

A simple rule that could be changed should be for stopping the game for an injury. Cox was on the floor and the ball was in the keepers hands yet from the restart it had to be a drop ball. We, quite rightly didn't challenge so the ref had to drop the ball on the 6 yard box with just the keeper for company. He then had to sprint 60yds to get up with play as the keeper kicked it......Seems daft and pointless.

 

[leroyjean]

Can I also ask why a ref would look over to his assistant and ignore the obvious indication that the free-kick for the offside was 20yds further back.

On that particular incident, isn't it the assistant we should be blaming for this? Shouldn't he just have stood his ground, waving his flag, and waited for the referee to consult him? I thought assistants were tasked with helping the referee get things right. This one gave up and ran hell for leather as soon as the kick was taken.

 

[Lord Football]

Can I also ask why a ref would look over to his assistant and ignore the obvious indication that the free-kick for the offside was 20yds further back.

A simple rule that could be changed should be for stopping the game for an injury. Cox was on the floor and the ball was in the keepers hands yet from the restart it had to be a drop ball. We, quite rightly didn't challenge so the ref had to drop the ball on the 6 yard box with just the keeper for company. He then had to sprint 60yds to get up with play as the keeper kicked it......Seems daft and pointless.

Because that is what the Law says. We would have been within our rights to challenge for it. Ok, so no one does, but the ref cannot make that call.

 

[Lord Football]

On that particular incident, isn't it the assistant we should be blaming for this? Shouldn't he just have stood his ground, waving his flag, and waited for the referee to consult him? I thought assistants were tasked with helping the referee get things right. This one gave up and ran hell for leather as soon as the kick was taken.

No. Because he is there to ASSIST. In all probabilty, the ref would have told him to drop his flag and get on with it. One of my bet hates is people screaming because a free kick or throw on is taken from the wrong place. I'd rather they just got on with it than a referee keep stopping the game for a matter of a few feet, especially when these kicks and throws are in your own half.

Linos often get a bad time from the crowd for doing or not doing certain things, when in fact all he is doing is working to the refs instructions.

For those with long memories, you'll remember the infamous Geoff Thomas. His instructions we basically "you flag when I blow my whistle, because I am the referee".

 

[Mick]

Not Southend related but:

https://twitter.com/AFC_Gilles/status/952660556070244352

 

[Mick]

For those with long memories, you'll remember the infamous Geoff Thomas. His instructions we basically "you flag when I blow my whistle, because I am the referee".

Clive ? What was that about memories ?

 

[Mick]

On that particular incident, isn't it the assistant we should be blaming for this? Shouldn't he just have stood his ground, waving his flag, and waited for the referee to consult him? I thought assistants were tasked with helping the referee get things right. This one gave up and ran hell for leather as soon as the kick was taken.

No ambitious lino is going to fall out with a referee over the precise positioning of a defensive free-kick. I'm sure if it was our free-kick and we had a promising attack, you'd be the first to moan if the Assistant was standing there indicating the kick was too far forward.

Interesting, or not, point about positioning of free-kicks for offside is that the Laws now stipulate the free-kick is taken in the position where the offside player became subsequently active. That could result in a free-kick 20 or more yards further forward than where the player was offside at the time the ball was played. This can even result in conceding a free-kick for offside in your own half !

 

[RobM]

"This can even result in conceding a free-kick for offside in your own half !"

How does that work? The laws state you cannot be offside in your own half.

 

[RobM]

Question for our resident refs , what did MAF do wrong that warranted the awarding of a free kick when the goalie blasted the ball straight at him ?

Been a while since I 'retired' but as far as I know, there was no offence.

 

[Mick]

"This can even result in conceding a free-kick for offside in your own half !"

How does that work? The laws state you cannot be offside in your own half.

You're in an offside position in the opponents half. Whilst the ball is, for example, in the air you run back and get involved with play in your own half and you're offside. Free kick is conceded in your own half but the offside position at the time the ball was played would have to be in the opponents half. Hope that helps.

 

[RobM]

You're in an offside position in the opponents half. Whilst the ball is, for example, in the air you run back and get involved with play in your own half and you're offside. Free kick is conceded in your own half but the offside position at the time the ball was played would have to be in the opponents half. Hope that helps.

Yep, I follow that but it seems contradictory. The law is misleading then. Wouldn't the free kick have to be given on the half way line?

 

[Mick]

Yep, I follow that but it seems contradictory. The law is misleading then. Wouldn't the free kick have to be given on the half way line?

No, the "opposing" half bit is just to define what constitutes an offside position. Being in an offside position is not an offence in itself - only when the player becomes involved and that is where the free kick is, or should be, taken.

 

[RobM]

No, the "opposing" half bit is just to define what constitutes an offside position. Being in an offside position is not an offence in itself - only when the player becomes involved and that is where the free kick is, or should be, taken.

As Michael Caine would say "Not a lot of people know that!"

 

[londonblue]

"This can even result in conceding a free-kick for offside in your own half !"

How does that work? The laws state you cannot be offside in your own half.

Because he was offside in the opponents half, but came back across the half way line (into his own half) before he became active, which could quite easily happen if the 'keeper is clearing the ball whilst a lazy (or injured) forward is still ambling back to the half way line.

Can you imagine the screams from the crowd if that happened?