arbitro

I played up until I was 24 but was involved in an RTA and sustained a fractured femur. During my rehab the physio (Steve Foster who became Rovers physio later) said it would be unlikely that I would play at the same level again. I weighed up my options and to stay involved refereeing was my best option. I went in completely blind with no aspirations or idea about the promotion pathway. I recall my first game at Houghton and alone in the changing room feeling isolated with no team mates around me. Having played was definitely was but he'll and I soon felt comfortable. After various promotions I ended up as a Football League referee in 1995 and stayed until I retired in 2006. Significantly the group I came through with in 1983 were in their mid twenties as I was and had played. To varying degrees we were all successful which gives some credence to my thinking about youngsters who have never played not having a feel for the game.

Hedges was injured. Surely you saw that.

It's frustration like it has been for many of us and last night was the culmination of several incorrect decisions. I believe he is totally right to put it out there. Do you think we should just accept them?

Another hugely disappointing end to a game so soon after Saturday but I really take heart from those two when we had done enough to win in both. I thought tonight was the best we have played at home this season and for a change we started on the front foot and played like a home team should. The big talking point was the potential sending off of the Ipswich number 5. For me it was a straight forward decision and they should have been down to ten. Davies is never going to get across to challenge Morishita and probably the weakest referee I have seen for some time for some unfathomable reason didn't see it that way. We took the lead deservedly and made a few changes which upset our rhythm a bit but we still should have seen the game out. I haven't seen their goal again so I'm not sure if anyone was at fault. It was a sickening end but I think there were lots of positives and if we can win in Saturday and Tuesday then eight points from four games is a decent return. I liked the huddle from the players and staff at the end and hopefully we turn these last two sickening ends to the games into a siege mentality.

Pickering not even on the bench tonight. Surely he's done here.

Todd Cantwell is in the building.

Last I heard there was a shortage and undoubtedly there is a lot of truth in the abuse theory. Having said that mens amateur football seems to be suffering from a shortage of teams/players. Blackburn Combination had five leagues when I started. I think there are only two or three now.

I have just driven past Ewood and there are no TV trucks parked up although I don't know how many vehicles they usually have for red button matches.

I probably do Tyrone. But as football has and always will evolve I don't believe refereeing has kept pace with it. The law makers certainly don't help neither the game or officials with the constant tinkering to the laws and diktats from the authorities. When I was active an esteemed colleague had a saying which was 'let the referees referee'. I agree wholeheartedly with that.

Thanks. That is really unusual as I thought they were mandatory.

Has Ismael done a pre match press conference for this?

Those are the guidelines and of course not every one will apply - each case can be different. You don't think it's a sending off and that's fine but when the Chelsea manager says the red card was justified I think it can be accepted by the vast majority that the decision was correct.

It is too forensic in many situations for sure but for serious foul play and violent conduct I think it has been a success.

Intent was removed from law several years ago so whether he meant to to it is a moot point. It won't matter as your mind is made up but these are the considerations taken into account. "Serious foul play" is a term used in sports, particularly soccer, to describe a challenge on an opponent with excessive force or brutality that endangers their safety. It is a severe offense, typically resulting in a direct red card, and can involve lunging tackles from any direction or challenges with studs exposed that endanger the opponent's safety. Key characteristics of serious foul play Excessive force: The challenge is made with brutality and excessive force, not just a normal attempt to win the ball. Endangers safety: The action poses a risk of serious injury to the opponent. Excessive force or brutality: This can include lunging with both legs from the front, side, or behind, or making contact with studs up. Dangerous: Even if the ball is played, a foul can still be serious foul play if the follow-through endangers the opponent, such as a studs-up tackle. Punishment: It is always punished with a red card.

Both challenges ticked every box for a red card including endangering an opponents safety and therefore should have been dealt with accordingly. In my opinion VAR has done what it should by sending the referee for an OFR in the Chelsea game. Had VAR been used at Birmingham I have no doubt the same process and outcome would have happened. Tackles that could badly injure players should be dealt with accordingly in my view.

A real issue I see in refereeing is that too many are 'manufacturered' and don't have a feel for the game. In 2000 Select Group One was formed and this group became full time, the thinking was largely about fitness and preparation. Select Group Two was formed several years and are full time predominantly refereeing on the Championship. Fast forward to today and there are various Development Groups which are a foothold to becoming full time one of which pays them about £25k plus match fees. Because of this too many now see refereeing as a career but haven't had any real schooling in the game such as playing or even watching. They are almost micro managed with coaches, analysts, sports scientists and various other things. Coaches and analysts will look at performance data but remarkably this doesn't cover the most important part of refereeing namely decision making which I accept can often be subjective (case In point Wrexham's free kick). Decision making is now lower down the pecking order than In my day and doesn't seem to hold the same importance. In my view many are in it for the wrong reasons. When I started there were very few young referees but now there are many, some starting as early as 14 and are promoted far too readily. There are millions annually being invested into refereeing and in my opinion the standard is calling season on season.

But with VAR it would almost certainly been an OFR and very likely upgraded to a red as would Whiteman for his challenge on Tronstadt.

If it's Carragher your referring to then be just be speaking with forked tongue because in the clip he calls it as a red. https://www.skysports.com/football/video/33727/13477696/chelsea-v-arsenal-jamie-carragher-analyses-moises-caicedos-red-card

Can I echo Penwortham Blue's comments Carl. I read about this in the local media. What a tragic story and pointless waste of a young life. I hope all goes well tomorrow mate.

The Chelsea manager thinks the red card was the right decision. The Italian agreed that Caicedo should have been sent off, but did not like the lack of consistency in the Premier League. "It's a red card," said Maresca about the Caicedo challenge. "But why Bentancur against Reece was not red card when we played Spurs away?

I can't say about him personally John but there were linesmen of a similar ilk when I was active and sometimes my instructions would change slightly to factor in their busyness and involvement. I spoke to a couple of friends still involved and asked them about him and both started with 'he's a nice lad but.....'. I would imagine that inwardly the referee wasn't happy as, in my view it has taken the shine off what was a good performance. I saw about six games this weekend and lots of challenges with similar force (or lack of) that weren't given. As I mentioned earlier nobody can say he was 100% wrong but it was probably the softest free kick of the game and certainly didn't fit with the referees modus operandi on the day. It would have been interesting to know if that type of foul had occurred in the penalty area would be have flagged for a spot kick? We'll never know but every fibre in my body tells me no.

The biter bit.

Of course we should have defended it better, what a silly notion from you thinking I don't know if thought that. We were debating the award of the free kick in the first place and you have jumped in and tried to do some insane comparison between me and Ismael.

Usually in away matches we allow the home team to dictate the tempo and we react accordingly. Our tactics sometimes reflect this by affording them more possession in certain areas and other aspects Generally this is the norm for most Championship games. In the majority of our home games we haven't really done this but allowed the visitors to dictate how the game is played with the QPR game being a good example. We allowed them to play a really slow tempo and seemed happy to match it. We have to play home games on our terms and let the opponents come up with a way to combat this and then have another way of playing according to how the game is going.

The referee for the abandoned match was Stephen Martin. For Tuesday's match he is the fourth official as he was for Ipswich's match on Friday night. Given Ismael said he wasn't consulted about the abandonment but the official line was that he was it seems daft to me to have Martin stood in the technical area for nigh on two hours. Poor appointing in my view.