Q&A with referee Alan Kelly on Foot.ie

[Ref]

Q&A Session with Alan Kelly - National League & FIFA Referee

Alan Kelly has said that he will answer your questions about refereeing in the eircom League.

PM me your questions and I will fwd them to him. I will publish his answers here on May 16th.

(No questions about any individual incidents.)

Everyone is always slagging and criticising referees on this site about this and that. Heres a chance to get a few answers.

Closing date for questions is May 12th - 11pm.

ref.

[Stevo Da Gull]

I'd like to know if ref's
;feel reluctant to give more than 1 peno to the same team in 1 match, allso is there any time in a match where a ref is reluctant to give a peno (exmpl- right before HT, straight after a goal is scored, when a teams players are giving you heat etc...etc)?

:If you see what you think is a stone-wall peno but the lines-person flags you and tells you that it was a clear-cut dive- what do u do?

:If 1 player is continuassly winning free's do u become reluctant to give him a free or call it as u see it (does the players reputation count)?

:Are u personally more reluctant to book team Captains?

:If you are booking a player in a heated match and he's cracking a few joke's with you do ya have a laugh or keep it serious?

: If you have a bad game and perhaps cost team points, will you favour the unlucky team more next time you ref a match between the two?

: (finally.... Is there a ground you hate reffing in... or should I say is there a crowd in the country with the most hostile attitude towards ref's)?

[dahamsta]

Great idea Ref. I was hoping to do something like this with Fran Rooney some time ago, but he didn't get back to me. Good luck with this.

adam

[corkharps]

Will alan be holidaying in Tirchonail this year?

[A face]

This one is more about refs behaviour than them refing a game.

1. Hypothetical situation.

If a ref, has words with a player like "So you think you are the big man, .... i'll show you who is the big man alright" and more words to that effect throughout a game and the members of the crowd actually hear it / witness it.

Is there anything can be done about this ..... if that were to happen in an eL game, is there anything that interested parties (players, club, fans, just about everyone really) can do about this ...... my question really is, ... Is the a procedure to deal with such an event if it actually happened. It there anything interested parties can do to eradicate this kind of behaviour.

2. Are the FAI doing anything to recruit more refs from the more regional areas, i.e. not Dublin. I know the majority of refs that come forward are from Dublin but that answer isn't a solution to the problem. Can something be done to make up the shortfall? Can regional areas be targeted more specifically to help resolve the problem?

3. Are Refs / Linesmen / Fourth Officials ever given the opportunity to comment on their peers work? Is there any sort of forum for them to criticize / praise work for their peers

4. Are Refs given the opportunity to discuss their work and analyse their faults / strengths of their game with the assistance of video of their games?

5. How do you think the process for appealing of a decision by players / managers / staff etc. works in the eircom League ? Do you think that it is successful ?
It being the only opportunity (that I know of anyway) for the officials to discuss and conclude on the decisions that are made with players / managers, do you think this process is being used to it optimum?

[CollegeTillIDie]

National League United broke the ice with referees a few years back when Declan Hanney addressed one of the forums. He went into detail about the interpretations EL referees are expected to use regarding offside .

It was a breath of fresh air for both parties. And the Referees Society have been keen to engage in this type of dialogue ever since.

Well done getting Alan to participate. The younger officials are more willing to engage in this type of discussion than some of their predecessors .

[A face]

the Referees Society have been keen to engage in this type of dialogue ever since.

Fair play .... they cant be expected to do it all themselves anyway. To be honest ... i think it would be really helpful if players and managers were to get involved in this type of discussion as well. If we see all the jersey pulling and grabbing and obstruction that goes on then i'd say players (who actually want to play football anyway) have alot to say about it too.

[monutdfc]

Well done. Hope the questions don't put him off!

I have a question about the 'new' implementation of the offside rule. There appears (to me anyway!) to be an inconsistency in its application. I'll try an describe a situation: 2 attacking players break forward, one from an offside position and the other from an onside position. The player who receives the pass is the one who was ONside, but the player in the offside position continues his run. Some assistant referees will flag immediately, others will not, unless the player who was OFFside subsequently receives the ball. (In my opinion, if the offside player continues his run then he is automatically interfering with play because a defender will move to cover him, thus taking that defender out of the game.)
This is being inconsistently applied by assistant referees and makes it very difficult for players (defenders). To make things worse, sometimes the referee will over-rule the assistant referee when they put their flag up and wave play on.

[Macy]

1) Are linesman instructed not to tell the referee if they see something (i.e. foul when they've a better angle, off the ball incidents etc). We rarely see them put up their flag for anything other than offsides and throw ins, when they must see other incidents. They rarely consult with the referee, so is that the ref not wanting them too, or the linesman not wanting the hassle? (it's gotta be one of the most frustrating things about the officials)

2) Do the officials realise that it's when the ball is played for offside?

3) Do they let players reputations cloud their judgement? It seems to me players with "history" don't get a fair deal.

4) Who assesses the officials? Is it someone independent and with "teeth" or is it part of their gang?

5) Why are walls never made to stay the required distance back, and why are free kicks never made to be retaken when someone charges down the free kick before the ball is played?

[pete]

National League United broke the ice with referees a few years back when Declan Hanney addressed one of the forums. He went into detail about the interpretations EL referees are expected to use regarding offside .

It was a breath of fresh air for both parties. And the Referees Society have been keen to engage in this type of dialogue ever since.

Yeah was at that was eye opener about the "new" offside rules @ that time.

Question re Assessment of Refs:
- Who assesses the referees? Do referees get promoted for good performances & relegated or suspended for poor performances?

[eoinh]

Ask Him - Cant res use the advantage rule more? Too many frees. If a player needs to be booked he can to that after the play has broken down.

[max power]

what is the meaning of life ??

how do they get the figs onto the fig rolls ???

have you ever seen a baby pigeon ???

is jimmy o'neill a robot ???

[A face]

[QUOTE=max power]have you ever seen a baby pigeon ???QUOTE]


Now that you mention it ......... no !!

Is there something we should know ??

[Enda M]

i think its silly how refs like yourself and anthony buttimer are not allowed to ref cork city games considering any time we play a dublin team the ref is from dublin.what do you think??

[patsh]

One particular player, (it seemed to me like he is told to do this), was at the ref for the whole game. He kept complaining to him, calling his attention to "supposed" fouls, followed him as much as possible, constantly disagreed with any, (very few), frees against his team, demanded that opposing players be booked for every little thing, and he seemed to be eventually getting through to the ref. This is not the first time that this player from this particular club has carried on this way, I think he does it every game. This kind of stuff is kept up from start to finish.
I feel that in a recent particular game, he had really intimidated the ref by half an hour in.
What, if anything, is the punishment for this kind of thing?
Is there a rule which allows the ref to caution, book or even send off the player?
If there is, why is this particular player allowed to get away with it, game in, game out?
Thanks.

[Footie_Fan]

Questions:

When did you start refereeing?
What league was it in?
How did you move up the leagues?
When you did schoolboy football how did you deal with aggressive managers/parents, considering there was no stand to send them to?
Do you think teams should be docked points for serious abuse of an official?

Thanks

[Suetrol Ned]

Where do you get your hair done?

[A face]

Another question !!

Are the Referees threatening to strike over the incident at Droghedas United park ?

What are your own opinions on this matter ?

[4tothefloor]

Ask him does he model himself on Hans Frisk (spelling), 'cos he's got the same kinda thing going on there

[SÓC]

What changes would you make to the laws of the game if you could?

Have you ever given a free-kick against the keeper for holding the ball for more than 6 seconds?

Should Refs from other leagues be brought in to take charge of big games like what used to happen in the 70's?