Thing is that yellows are so soft these days, faint tough and depending on the reaction can be a yellow. Also, your other point is down to the refs - they should simply warn they will book players who 'mob' the ref - maybe that could be a 10 min sin bin?
I missed your post yesterday when I was on..apologies.
That's a fair point re yellow-carding many players and as many as 10 (your example) do gather round. It's disheartening to watch a ref backing away from 'the mob' and waving them away. That's what bothers me about the top people watching it week after week. If I were a top FA official I'd be saying that we need to get that conduct stopped. Handing a yellow to one or two does seem to have a sobering effect but no..the ref can't be giving 10 yellows so it has to be tackled as part of the culture in absence of the FA sorting it. Off the top of my head, maybe having only the captains approach the ref and any players that mob the ref will have post-match sanctions applied or alternatively the club is sanctioned..points lost, maybe ? The reason being that it's difficult to deal with so many players at the time.
As mentioned, I have seen refs vigorously wave players away and it doesn't stop them mobbing him. Rugby does have much stricter refereeing which doesn't spoil play but does command respect. Football just has a 'Respect programme' which
asks players to show restraint and have respect for match officials .Complete waste of time as we see week in and week out. Maybe it's not a very good analogy or a bit harsh but to me rugby players are the senior boys (at school) and footballers, by and large, the infants..not even secondary grade. The 'Respect programme' clearly doesn't work. The level of respect for the rugby ref is such that the captains call him 'sir' I'ver heard it via the mics. Now there's something that would be useful. Get the refs miced-up. You get these top players..the ones who think they're a gift to humanity, railing against the ref even though the decision is without question the right one.VAR is great..for refs. The moment a ref gets a decision through his earpiece and, let's say it's a penalty award at stake, as soon as he motions that the VAR screen shows a penalty there's no challenge to it. Up to that moment the ref is surrounded like a pack of hyenas around cornered prey. There's a lot to love about football (unless you're an Arsenal or Spurs fan..now maybe Man. United too..lol) but this harassment of the ref isn't one of them.
I also think that the linesmen/women ..assistant refs to use the correct terminology, should have a bit more backbone when clear fouls are made right infront of them. Infact, I've noticed that the female refs and assistant refs especially, are far more decisive. Talking about the efficiency of females in football. On Sunday West Ham beat Spurs 1-0 at The London Stadium and on Five Live the commentator and summarisers were females and they were both excellent. No high-pitched maniacal screaming from Vicky Sparks, the commentator, as a player was about to score. She's a sports journalist. The summariser was Karen Bardsley, Manchester City/England goalkeeper. My wife heard some of the commentary and commented on how much more technically-detailed the comments were from both of them compared to their male counterparts. In 2017 sexism was still as alive and kicking as it is today. This is what Moysey (as Sunderland manager) said to Vicky Sparks in a post-match interview having taken issue with a question she put to him .“You were just getting a wee bit naughty at the end there, so just watch yourself. You still might get a slap even though you’re a woman. Careful the next time you come in.” The FA fined him £30,000 for 'improper and threatening remarks'. Quite right,too.
Just to finish with two other aspects of the game I don't like to see and which I think should be penalised. The first one is when two players go for the ball as it's about to cross the goal line and one player is marginally infront of the other and the one behind gives a shove in the back to the one infront which often results in that player being bundled into the hoardings at a greater speed than would otherwise be the case. Maybe the one behind hopes the other will catch the ball with his feet and a corner be given but it's a risky thing to do which could end in injury and possibly a serious one.
The second is pitchside. Why on earth does a manager think it's acceptable to have a go..and often a very aggressive one at that, at an official standing close to him when the referee gives a decision he doesn't like ? I could also say that I've seen managers have a go at the other manger especially re a bad foul resulting in injury. In both cases the action is completely out of control of those off the pitch. Having said that what can we expect when Diego Simeone refused to shake Jurgen Klopp's hand (he went straight down the tunnel) after his Atletico Madrid side lost 3-2 (at home,too) in the recent Champions League game on October 19th because Antoine Griezmann was sent off, (a high foot in the face of Firmino..a straight red) a penalty given against them and a penalty decision overturned after the ref went to the monitor. What influence did Klopp have over any of that ? None. Couldn't Simeonne have shaken hands and just quietly said that he wasn't happy with some of the decisions. No,....he storms off down the tunnel like a spoilt child. I've never seen any of that behaviour in rugby.
He clearly has not a clue what happens in Saudi Arabia.
Others might not have been so lenient.
Second time round,I see.
