Has Jim O'Neill retired?

**bluemovie** · 03/05/2006, 1:35 PM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

They dont just get accreditation they have to earn it by assessment in a number of aspects of refereeing, including fitness (I think they have to pass something called the Cooper test).

The Cooper Test: Each potential referee has to assemble a barrel by hand using wooden staves and a metal hoop.

John Feighery scored particularly highly on this section of the test.

**Superhoops** · 03/05/2006, 5:42 PM

Originally Posted by bluemovie

The Cooper Test: Each potential referee has to assemble a barrel by hand using wooden staves and a metal hoop.

John Feighery scored particularly highly on this section of the test.

Thanks for this intelligent contribution to the debate!

The Cooper Test (or Cooper Run) measures how far someone can run in 12 minutes on a running track. Usually 2800/3000 metres is considered to be top class. I am sure the UEFA/FIFA requirement is 2800 metres minimum.

2 of the 23 referees appointed for the WCFinals have still to pass fitness tests.

On the subject of WCF referees, included in the final 23 are referees from traditional football strongholds such as Guatemala, Benin, Singapore and Jamaica, so no reason why an Irish referee should not make it.

**football fan** · 04/05/2006, 10:48 AM

The requirements as laid down by UEFA/FIFA with regard to the Cooper test is that the person must run a minimum of 2700 metres in 12 minutes. From what I hear there are several members of the Eircom Panel who run 3000 plus. So fitness is not a problem with these guys.

Furthermore, those referees on the FIFA panel are appointed on a regular basis to matches in Europe. In fact at the end of this month Alan Kelly will take charge of the A International Friendly between France and Denmark and Ian Stokes will take charge of the A International Friendly between Switzerland and China.

Can we start to give these lads some credit!! It will not be long before an Irish referee will be at a major tournament.

With regard to referees from Jamica, Singapore etc, this is because Mr. Blatter wants a world 'family', a world representation. Only so many referees from Europe (I think maybe ten although someone might correct me on that!!)will be sent and therefore the Irish lads have to compete with referees from all the major powers, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and England.

**Dodge** · 04/05/2006, 11:19 AM

They'll get credit when they deserve it. As of now, they're one of the worst things about the league.

**Ronnie** · 04/05/2006, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by bluemovie

The Cooper Test: Each potential referee has to assemble a barrel by hand using wooden staves and a metal hoop.

John Feighery scored particularly highly on this section of the test.

Gary Larson is alive and well in Waterford! Love it!

**razor** · 04/05/2006, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by football fan

The requirements as laid down by UEFA/FIFA with regard to the Cooper test is that the person must run a minimum of 2700 metres in 12 minutes.

Is that with or without the guide dog?

Sorry couldn't resist it.
Kelly looks to be our best bet to be honest and as a Cork man i'd be delighted for him but I couldn't really rate him as we don't get him at all.
thought i heard he was doing England -Italy U21 game soon?

**Réiteoir** · 04/05/2006, 12:49 PM

Originally Posted by razor

thought i heard he was doing England -Italy U21 game soon?

That game happened 4 years ago - and was his first International Match

**razor** · 04/05/2006, 1:03 PM

Originally Posted by Réiteoir

That game happened 4 years ago - and was his first International Match

Yeah I am aware of that but thought I read somewhere that he was getting another U21 game.

**football fan** · 04/05/2006, 1:33 PM

Originally Posted by Réiteoir

That game happened 4 years ago - and was his first International Match

That is correct to some extent. A couple of weeks ago he was back in England to referee another England V Italy U21 match. I hear it went very well for him.

**football fan** · 04/05/2006, 1:36 PM

Originally Posted by razor

Kelly looks to be our best bet to be honest and as a Cork man i'd be delighted for him but I couldn't really rate him as we don't get him at all.

You seem to forget that he did the replay in the cup against Galway and this year he was in charge of your home setanta cup match against Drogheda. I'll jog your memory further, Cork won both games!!!!

**razor** · 04/05/2006, 3:09 PM

Originally Posted by football fan

You seem to forget that he did the replay in the cup against Galway and this year he was in charge of your home setanta cup match against Drogheda. I'll jog your memory further, Cork won both games!!!!

The Setanta game was a last minute thing due to an injury to the appointed referee. The Galway thing was a shock as was the late penalty he gave us to win the game.

**Superhoops** · 04/05/2006, 5:04 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

....As of now, they're one of the worst things about the league.

Is one of the other things cyncial fans?

**Dodge** · 04/05/2006, 5:26 PM

I;m far from cynical superhoops. I just think referees ruin more games than they help. We have a lot going for us, refs aren't one of them

**Superhoops** · 04/05/2006, 9:57 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

I;m far from cynical superhoops. I just think referees ruin more games than they help. We have a lot going for us, refs aren't one of them

Unfortunately you cannot have a football game without a referee. You also have to remember that some of the refereeing decisions/actions are directly as a result of FIFA/UEFA directives.

You can be as critical as you like but what you haven't done in this debate is suggest how you would improve the situation.

Supposing that English Premiership/Italian Seria A/Spanish La Liga/German Bundesliga referees were invited to guest at a certain number of EL games (and they could as their domestic seasons would be finished when the EL in is full swing) would that improve the standard?

I would guarantee that if say Marcus Merk was refereering Pats v Bohs/Shels and gave a decision that you did not agree with and that cost Pats a goal or the game, you would still get Pats 'fans' (maybe you might be one of them) expressing the view that Merk was a rubbish referee.

We hear managers, players, fans and pundits in the Premiership question the competency of referees like Graham Poll, Mike Riley, Mark Halsey and Steve Bennett almost on a weekly basis. Are all of these poor referees?

Even 'super whistler' Pierluigi Colina went through times in Italy where his competency was questioned.

Very seldom in a game where a crucial 50-50 refereeing decision is made, will you get both sets of fans/players/managers in total agreement that the referee had a good game and got all the key decisions right.

**Copa Mundial** · 05/05/2006, 10:51 AM

This has probably been the most objective and interesting discussion on refereeing that this site has seen. There seems to be some very informed posters here and thats a good thing. Everybody is entitled to their opinion of course but judging by comments from Superhoops and Football Fan, their's seem to be more factual than those based on opinion. I'm not dismissing comments made by others.

As i have already said, maybe a Q&A session with the referees department of the FAI is something to think about. Maybe then will people (players, managers,supporters) will be aware of the reasons referees do what they do.

These guys (and girls) make mistakes the same as the rest of us, its not on purpose though. If people can get past that then thats a start. Collina, the most recognisable referee in the world was practically hated by those in his own country. We have a small league and often see referees too often during a season. Familiarity breeds contempt. Its just something to think about.

**Copa Mundial** · 07/05/2006, 5:31 PM

Back on the topic, Jim O Neill has retired. He is not part of the Referee Assessor's group for the Eircom League.

**SÓC** · 07/05/2006, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by Copa Mundial

Back on the topic, Jim O Neill has retired. He is not part of the Referee Assessor's group for the Eircom League.

He was at the Munster Derby on Friday in with the Waterford fans at the Cross

**razor** · 08/05/2006, 8:42 AM

Originally Posted by SÓC

He was at the Munster Derby on Friday in with the Waterford fans at the Cross

Colours nailed well and truly to the mast. And to think of the amount of times he has been involved in officiating us against Waterford in some capacity or other.

**Réiteoir** · 08/05/2006, 4:12 PM

Originally Posted by football fan

That is correct to some extent. A couple of weeks ago he was back in England to referee another England V Italy U21 match. I hear it went very well for him.

Just remembered - it wasn't another U-21 game - it was a representative game between the Football League and the Italian League

Quite a big appointment to get

**monkey magic** · 08/05/2006, 11:16 PM

Originally Posted by Superhoops

T
1) why are coaches/players/supporters in rugby more respectful of referees even when they get decisions wrong that their football counterparts?

well for a start, in general, the rules of rugby are somewhat less ambiguous than foorball rules, football rules are open to a lot of interpretation, this in my opinion is the single most contributing factor in bad decision making. referees see things/interpret things differently snd this leads to acrimony from managers, who are constantly taking advantage of the un-clearness in the rules to put referees under pressure.

the thing that would inprove decisions the most for me is an improvement in the rules.

i mean at the end of the day, you have to say referees do not go out to make bad decisions, and they cannot all be incomptent, someone else mentioned that even the top referees get called into guestion quite regularily, and when their motives, physical fitness, and knoledge of the rules cannot be questioned, you have to say that its the rules themselves that pose the problem