Today I'm angry about.....

[Prufrock]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

[Always hopeful]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

There's an "academy" club near me, where the exact opposite is true.

The youth teams are part of a non-league club, who have a fully professional 1st team. Amongst many strange rules of the club is a rule that if at least one of the parents fails to turn up to watch their child play, their child is then dropped for the next match. Very strange.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

I've done both and I think being a coach is worse - the disgruntled parents know where you live and your contact information, whereas a ref is fairly anonymous in some ways and parental anger more short-lived. Over here the leagues also protect the officials with sanctions against players, but can't do much about unruly fans. No doubt you need a thick skin to help out in amateur sport, which is a shame.

[bobo the clown]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

There's an "academy" club near me, where the exact opposite is true.

The youth teams are part of a non-league club, who have a fully professional 1st team. Amongst many strange rules of the club is a rule that if at least one of the parents fails to turn up to watch their child play, their child is then dropped for the next match. Very strange.

Cefn Druids ... the name says it all.

When you say "fully professional" I'd reckon a decent selction of XI of us could give them a run.

[Bijou Bob]

Takes a certain kind of person to be a referee imo, same type who become traffic wardens or club doormen. You know you're gonna be subjected to vicious abuse, but often they thrive on it.

That's a tad perjorative General. Most adults I know do it to put something back into a game they enjoy and to keep fit, the kids do it as a nice money spinner. I don't thrive on conflict but then again I don't tend to run away from it either. What it takes is the ability to keep up with play and apply the rules consistently and fairly. Sadly both of those are subjective.

[Always hopeful]

Takes a certain kind of person to be a referee imo, same type who become traffic wardens or club doormen. You know you're gonna be subjected to vicious abuse, but often they thrive on it.

That's a tad perjorative General. Most adults I know do it to put something back into a game they enjoy and to keep fit, the kids do it as a nice money spinner. I don't thrive on conflict but then again I don't tend to run away from it either. What it takes is the ability to keep up with play and apply the rules consistently and fairly. Sadly both of those are subjective.

Keeping up with play is relatively straightforward if you're reasonably fit.

In our league, refs are put in an impossible situation because we don't have official linesmen (the rules are that one representative from each team is given a flag and asked to run the line, only indicating for throw-ins, but cannot give judgement on offsides). I assume this is very common in youth leagues.

Without official linesmen, it makes it absolutely impossible for the ref to give accurate and consistent offside decisions. Even Usain Bolt isn't quick enough to put himself in line with the defence at both ends of the pitch, just a few seconds apart. What makes this worse is that many potentially offside situations result in goals. This invariably leads to one set of players/coaches/supporters, who (whom?), irrespective of whether they were better positioned to see the play, disagreeing with the decision and giving the ref abuse. Conversely, if the offside is given, the other team then disagrees and give the ref abuse.

As mentioned previously, we struggle to get official refs in our age group. There's absolutley no chance of getting linesman. Can you imagine the abuse they'd get from parents etc. throughout the match, stood just a few yards away?

[Always hopeful]

Just watched the first 10 minutes coverage of the superbowl, which included the opening ceremony.

If you ever needed evidence of a messed up, disorganised, shambolic, self-pitying, inward looking, self-congratulating, arrogant country, this was it. Goodnight. I'm off to bed.

[89bwfc89]

Not being able to park outside my house between 8 and 8, moving the car to a sidestreet, only for one of Chorley's finest to say "watch what will happen to your car if you carry on parking there". Delightful.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not being able to park outside my house between 8 and 8, moving the car to a sidestreet, only for one of Chorley's finest to say "watch what will happen to your car if you carry on parking there". Delightful.

Why can't you park outside your house?

[89bwfc89]

It's a main road with a single yellow line and a sign saying no parking between 8 and 8. There's more than enough room on the road for cars to park on both sides but thems the rules.

[TANGODANCER]

It's a main road with a single yellow line and a sign saying no parking between 8 and 8. There's more than enough room on the road for cars to park on both sides but thems the rules.

They get around that easily in Farnworth; they just park on the pavements.

[Bijou Bob]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

Do they? well I'm fooked then as my car parking space is behind double yellow lines.

[ohjimmyjimmy]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

Again...doesn't stop them on Tonge Moor !

Speaking of parking....friday evening i saw some lazy cow park her four-by-four in the bus-stop layby opposite Chaes in Harwood, to go in and get her tea...rather than wobble her lazy fat arse a few exta yards from say parking on Morrisons.

[Lost Leopard Spot]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

Again...doesn't stop them on Tonge Moor !

Speaking of parking....friday evening i saw some lazy cow park her four-by-four in the bus-stop layby opposite Chaes in Harwood, to go in and get her tea...rather than wobble her lazy fat arse a few exta yards from say parking on Morrisons.

Anecdote. I once lived in North London, very close to Golders Green. Now I have never ever ever anywhere else come across such selfish b*stards like the residents of Golders Green. The main high street going through Golders Green has a fair few shops along it and parking spaces on both sides of the road (or at least it had when I was there). The parking spaces were always absolutely full. Golders Greeners would then just double park with two cars alongside each other and a car on the other side of the road with just one lane left for cars going in both directions. But hey, this is Golders Green and that arrangement wasn't selfish enough, oh fecking no. I have witnessed and been behind cars that have done this on more than one occassion where they've just pulled up and parked so that all four lanes were filled with quadruple parked cars, and serenely got out for a spot of shopping before getting back in their cars and sailing off into the sunset without a feckin concern for the millions of miles of gridllock they caused in their wake. Usually by the way (but not exclusively), Bentley, Lexus, Rolls, Ferrari drivers.
I've been waiting years to cathartically get that one off my chest.

[Athers]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

Friend of mine often goes to watch his nephew in an u10 league in Sheffield and he tells me they have to stand behind a "respect line" 10 yards back from the touchline. Seems like a simple and sensible idea to me, but it only helps a little bit given the stories he tells.

[bwfcdan94]

I reffed for a bit when 15, jacked it very quickly because of the abuse. 8 years as a coach now, honestly, kids football would be better for everyone all round if parents weren't allowed to watch.

I know somebody who is a linesman in one of our local leagues and he is brilliant parents give it top him so he gives it back when the ball has gone out of play, half time, etc.

[Wandering Willy]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

Again...doesn't stop them on Tonge Moor !

Speaking of parking....friday evening i saw some lazy cow park her four-by-four in the bus-stop layby opposite Chaes in Harwood, to go in and get her tea...rather than wobble her lazy fat arse a few exta yards from say parking on Morrisons.

Anecdote. I once lived in North London, very close to Golders Green. Now I have never ever ever anywhere else come across such selfish b*stards like the residents of Golders Green. The main high street going through Golders Green has a fair few shops along it and parking spaces on both sides of the road (or at least it had when I was there). The parking spaces were always absolutely full. Golders Greeners would then just double park with two cars alongside each other and a car on the other side of the road with just one lane left for cars going in both directions. But hey, this is Golders Green and that arrangement wasn't selfish enough, oh fecking no. I have witnessed and been behind cars that have done this on more than one occassion where they've just pulled up and parked so that all four lanes were filled with quadruple parked cars, and serenely got out for a spot of shopping before getting back in their cars and sailing off into the sunset without a feckin concern for the millions of miles of gridllock they caused in their wake. Usually by the way (but not exclusively), Bentley, Lexus, Rolls, Ferrari drivers.
I've been waiting years to cathartically get that one off my chest.

I can verify this tale.

[Bijou Bob]

A small fairy liquid bottle filled with paint stripper or a handful of large woodscrews would sort this problem out. Not that I'm advocating criminal damage.....................

[Bruce Rioja]

Yellow lines don't stop at the road, they extend to the front of the building behind them!

Again...doesn't stop them on Tonge Moor !

Speaking of parking....friday evening i saw some lazy cow park her four-by-four in the bus-stop layby opposite Chaes in Harwood, to go in and get her tea...rather than wobble her lazy fat arse a few exta yards from say parking on Morrisons.

Lazy bastards that just pull up right outside Chae's too, and block of the left hand lane. Wankers.