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ASK THE REF, GRAHAM FRANKLAND 3-2-06
Graham Frankland of Middlesbrough is the ComeOnBoro.com man in the black - I said MAN in the black - and is here to answer your questions and settle your arguments.
If you have a question for the ref, just fill out the form at the bottom of this article or email us here. Ask The Ref is published weekly.
Question one from Retro Barker
What do you think of Jeff Winter's new found celebrity status and would you like to be making multi TV appearances like he does? Do you think that 'celebrity referees' like Collina are good for the game?
The Ref Says...
Wow, what a fantastic question Retro. As you may or may not not know I am a big mate of Jeff and was actually his best man when he married his current wife so I'm probably in a good position to answer this one.
I think Jeff has always had celebrity status since being chosen as one of the elite list of referees to officiate on the Premier League. Such is the worldwide interest in the league that many believe to be the biggest and best of its kind and he has therefore been seen by millions on a very regular basis. It therefore followed that it would be a natural progression for him to attempt to carve out a living from the game he had served so well after his retirement. This has been done primarily through the after dinner speaking circuit but gradually more and more through his input in the media regarding refereeing topics, and of course currently through the publication of his new book regarding his life.
I can say that without hesitation, the lifestyle that Jeff has at the present time which involves virtually living out of a suitcase and endless hours driving the car from venue to venue, is a lifestyle that definitely suits his character but is not one that I could have ever contemplated and could therefore never be jealous of. Why? you may ask.
The main answer to that is quite simply, unlike Jeff, I just don't need to do it in order to earn my living and having spent years of travelling up and down the motorways to games I was refereeing I don't envy the driving one little bit.
I have seen on many occasions the "stick" he has to put up with from people who recognise him and bring up situations regarding the club they support. Even at the Riverside one day Jeff came very close to fisticuffs with a disgruntled Boro fan who was pissed off with the ref's performance and directed his annoyance at Jeff who was sat in the West Stand watching the game. This guy suddenly started on him by tapping him on the shoulder and saying "you fucking referees, you're all the fucking same!!" So as you can see celebrity does have its downsides too.
My character is that of a much quieter, laid back kinda guy and although standing up in a room full of drunken diners is not something that would phase me too much, I'm afraid, apart from not having had the Premier League experiences to relate, that lifestyle just ain't for me. Add the fact that due to his commitments he has not been able to watch a single Boro away game in Europe. Fuck that!! Wouldn't have missed those trips for the world. He does however get to see Darlo and the Pool quite often................ Oh for celebrity eh??
As for celebrity refs being good for the game, I think that they do bring a sense of reason to footballing arguments but all too often the input of a referee kills the argument dead which is not something that makes good TV. The people who produce football programmes much prefer controversy and talking points and as a consequence you do not see too many referees being invited onto football shows.
Question two from John Hickton
What are your views on dead legs being performed on a regular
basis? The cameras and refs don't seem to pick up all these incidents
up and
we've lost a few players this season with these incidents. Mad-Dog was
done
at Sunderland in the back of the knee and no action seems to be being taken at these
deliberate
attemps to take players out of a game.
The Ref Says...
Thanks John. A dead leg is quite simply a contact injury to the upper part of the leg and can be picked up in many different situations during the game. Certainly the attempt by Gary Breen (I think) to inflict injury on Pogo was quite petty and fucking stupid if you ask me - he's not called Mad-Dog for nothing - and I'm sure that if the referee had seen it he would have at least had a word with Breen.
I can assure you that referees are always vigilant in respect of players inflicting deliberate injury on others and the sanctions are there for them to be dealt with. Sadly not all incidents are detected and players sometimes get off scott free but that's football. Since the referral of such incidents to video replay I do feel that the majority of them do now get detected...................... eventually.
Question three from Mark Hargreaves
If the ball hits a player on the hand when he is on the goal line, i.e. unintentional handball, would you award a penalty and would he be red carded for preventing a goal scoring opportunity? How do you interpret accidental or intentional handball?
The Ref Says...
Thanks for that Mark. In the situation you have outlined above, you have actually answered your own question by indicating that the offence was unintentional and therefore no offence has occurred. If the ball makes contact with a player's hand or arm, the referee has one quick decision to make which is whether it was intentional or not and that is always a matter of personal opinion. In the same situation that you outlined, if you deemed the handball to be have been deliberate then a penalty kick would be awarded and the player would have to be sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.
Certainly if a player's arms are in the air above his head or spread outwards like wings then the player is much more likely to be penalised and a free kick or penalty awarded than if the arms are down by his side. It is a split second judgement that a referee has to make and I do think that more often than not, they do get it right.
Question four from Bill Dennis
Have you ever missed an incident of violent conduct and then been obliged to report it afterwards because TV cameras highlighted it? Is the Ref's association understanding in situations llike these?
The Ref Says...
Cheers for that Bill. Once a game has finished the referee has a duty to report to the FA all disciplinary incidents that came to his attention during the game, such as yellow or red cards issued to players or misbehaviour by anybody else connected to the game such as managers or coaches who cannot be shown cards but can still be reported for indiscipline.
A referee is unable to report on incidents that were not dealt with on the day but came to his attention by watching the game on TV. However, if the FA subsequently contact the referee regarding an incident that has come to their attention through TV and asks for his opinion then that player will be dealt with as if the referee had spotted it during the game and any punishment would be handed out to the player accordingly.
If a player appeals against a red card that he may have received, then in that situation the referee may use TV evidence to deem whether the decision was correct or not.
Sadly, the Referee's Association in this country at the top level of football is a toothless organisation with little or no input into any aspect of refereeing and certainly have no jurisdiction on the situations just highlighted. The Referee's Association is much more about looking after the game at grass roots level where video replays simply do not come into the equation.
I hope that my answers have given an insight into the aspects of refereeing referred to.
Until the next time.
Enjoy your football.
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