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Ref Watch ...... Wimbledon (H)

Mick

Life President
Joined
Oct 28, 2003
Messages
10,935
When we last hosted Wimbledon, I started off with:

On the first day of 2019 we were 15 places and 13 points above AFC Wimbledon. Who would have thought just 10 weeks later this would become a massive “six-pointer” against a team 25% of which is made up of departed Shrimpers, all three of whom would walk straight into our side at present?

It is now 10 months not 10 weeks into the year but nothing’s changed. It still is a massive “six-pointer”, 25% of their team is still comprised of departed Shrimpers and any of the three would still walk straight into our side.

Anyway, the authorities have taken note of how absolutely appalling both teams have been this season and made an appropriate appointment !

It will be Simon Hooper from Swindon refereeing Southend for the 9th time in his 12th season as a League referee. On Swindon’s books as a junior he was released at the age of 16 and turned his attentions towards refereeing. He also represented Wiltshire at tennis and athletics in his younger days.

For some inexplicable reason he is a Select Group referee – one who is allowed to referee Premier League matches, although they wisely haven’t yet trusted him with one involving any top teams!

His last Southend match was our decent point at Charlton last February when he lived down to my expectations whilst showing 6 yellows and a straight red to Yearwood after just 27 minutes. Our two yellows went to Kightly and Dieng.

Prior to that and since the formation of Select Group 2 we had seen nothing of him since the Millwall home match in the Paint Trophy back in 2015/16. Fairly low key game but he did okay – a caution for Coker and one of theirs in our 0-2 defeat. That was his second visit to Roots Hall that season, having done the 2-1 home win over Peterborough when he started badly and improved slightly as the game went on. Again, one yellow apiece, ours to Leonard.

Before that he was, of course, the man who refereed the Play-Off Final at Wembley and who, in my opinion, did so rather badly. Someone must like him as his promotions have seemed to be despite rather than because of his performances.

Prior to that final, his most recent Southend match was the unfortunate game at Mansfield in 2013/14 when we lost 2-1 and had Clifford sent off along with yellows for Bentley, White and Barnard. Phil Brown went very public with his criticism of the referee on this occasion and it seemed from the Wembley performance that Hooper still bore a grudge!

Before that it was the early season home draw with Northampton in 2011/12 - yellows for Mohsni, Grant and Phillips and 2 yellows and a red for them. His previous visit to Roots Hall was the match against Brighton (0-1) which I believe sealed our relegation in 2009/10. Only a yellow apiece, ours went to Moussa.

The other match was a win, as always, at Hereford in 2008/9 with all four yellows going to the home team.

He was also 4th Official at the away leg of our Orient JPT triumph en route to another visit to Wembley.

Despite drawing a good salary from the game, he has refereed just 5 matches all season. The rest of the time he has been acting as VAR or holding up a numbers board. Nice work if you can get it.

Those 5 matches (4 Championship and one Premier League) have produced 21 yellows and no red with 8 of those yellows coming last Saturday at Loftus Road, sorry, I mean, of course, the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium.

Assisting are Dan Robathan from Dorking and, as he was for that Charlton match, Londoner, Neil Davies who’s certainly not in football for the money; educated at Oxford University he is an Actuary in the City of London. Fourth Official is Alan Dale from Ipswich.
 
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