Paddy Heaney lambastes Down Club Referees

[Guillem2]

This will do Bredagh a lot of good when it comes to the 50/50 decisions:

Club footballers deserve much better from the men in black  

Against The Breeze 
by Paddy Heaney  

A Westmeath footballer is currently facing a 48-week ban after he knocked a referee to the ground during a club game.

It's always shocking and disturbing to learn that a match official is assaulted – but when you consider the standard of refereeing at club level, it's equally surprising that such incidents aren't more widespread.

I should point out that I'm not condoning this type of behaviour but those readers who mainly follow the inter-county game may have little understanding of the ineptitude of some club referees.

The match official who took charge of Sunday's game between Derry and Monaghan is a useful example. Leitrim's Frank Flynn incurred the wrath of our football analyst, Kevin Madden, who accused the Connacht official of "doing his best to ruin what potentially should have been an open, free-flowing game of football''.

Madden's displeasure with Flynn's handling of the game was wholly understandable. Flynn rarely had the whistle from his lips. He made a series of needless interventions and single-handedly stopped the game from developing any type of ebb and flow.

Yet, despite Flynn's faults, most club footballers can only dream of getting a referee of this standard. I kid you not.

Let me explain. For starters Flynn turned up on time. He was actually on the pitch when the game was scheduled to start at 3.30pm. Anyone who has any experience of club football will appreciate just how rare an event it is when a referee appears at the allocated time.

There were other aspects of Flynn's display which the typical club footballer could never take for granted.

For instance, the Leitrim official actually knew the rules, it was just unfortunate that he made it his personal duty to impose every last one of them. More significantly again, he wasn't biased. For all his failings, he showed no favouritism to either side.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for countless referees who will officiate at club games throughout the country. Due to either weakness of character, sheer vindictiveness, or long-held prejudices, too many referees fail in their basic duty of applying the rules with impartiality.

Bad, biased referees can fall into one of four categories, which are:

a) The Hometown Whistler: This individual places his own safety above everyone else's and therefore gives the majority of decisions to the crowd that barracks him the loudest – the home team. These weak officials have done immeasurable damage to the culture of the GAA because they have proved that verbal abuse pays.

b) The Neighbourly Ref #1: Have you ever played a game where the players on one team are all on first name terms with the referee? "For God's sake Jimmy, give us something,'' they'll whine after Jimmy has awarded the only free of the game against them. Jimmy will bow his head in an apologetic manner and get on with the business of making sure that his good friends win the game.

c) The Neighbourly Ref #2: Refs being refs, they can be thran sorts, and having a neighbour in charge of your game doesn't guarantee anything. As we all know, some neighbours hate each other and the same applies to the referee who abuses his position to settle old scores against his parish rivals. These twisted match officials are probably more common than the friendly types previously mentioned.

d) The Most Important Man on the Pitch: You know the sort – obnoxious to the core – and not happy unless he's the centre of the attention. A dangerous and poisonous individual, these men take perverse pleasure from causing controversy. Sick, nasty and objectionable, the GAA provides a refuge for these sickos, who tend to be unloved by their family and friends. Truth to be told, they wouldn't have it any other way.

Anyone who regularly goes to club games will be able to spot a referee who fits into one of those four categories. And while it's not a very politically correct thing to write, a good deal of the havoc caused in club games stems from such referees.

I've no doubt that the single greatest source of trouble comes when referees fail to execute their primary duty, which is to protect players.

Gaelic football is a very hard game to referee and it's understandable when officials miss technical fouls or make the occasional dubious call. However, it's completely unforgivable when they decide to overlook dangerous challenges, punches, or kicks.

This may seem like stating the obvious. But if a referee matches any of the four descriptions

previously mentioned then there is a strong possibility that he'll allow serious infractions to go unpunished.

The consequences are predictable. Once players realise they can't depend on the referee to protect them, they take the law into their own hands. The result is mass brawls, carnage and – every now and again – a referee gets to experience what a punch on the jaw feels like.

It's an age-old problem, but the solution remains the same. Poor referees exist because few people are willing to do a job which engenders so much flak and bad manners.

It's a Catch-22 situation. The public get the politicians they deserve and players get the referees they deserve. Unless footballers, their managers and supporters start giving referees the respect they often don't deserve, the standard of refereeing at club level is set to remain at its current level.

And that's a worrying thought.

[parttimeexile]

I think Paddy Heaney should seriously think about the articles that he writes.Although referees are not perfect most of them do as good a job as they can. Although every referee makes mistakes I doubt if they do it out of malice but rather out of misjudgment of a situation.I for one would not fancy becoming a referee when I am finished playing because of the abuse they take never mind people like Paddy heaney writing articles like this.

[Bacon]

I was talking to a local ref this morning and slagging him about this article. He didn't take it well.
As Bredagh will remember form the ex-County Chairman's address at the last county convention, many GAA officials cannot separate Paddy's role as Bredagh senior football manager from his role as a professional journalist. This will certainly do the team no good.

[Uladh]

d) The Most Important Man on the Pitch: You know the sort – obnoxious to the core – and not happy unless he's the centre of the attention. A dangerous and poisonous individual, these men take perverse pleasure from causing controversy. Sick, nasty and objectionable, the GAA provides a refuge for these sickos, who tend to be unloved by their family and friends. Truth to be told, they wouldn't have it any other way.

Pints of Guinness' oul mate from the weekend

[johnneycool]

I was talking to a local ref this morning and slagging him about this article. He didn't take it well.
As Bredagh will remember form the ex-County Chairman's address at the last county convention, many GAA officials cannot separate Paddy's role as Bredagh senior football manager from his role as a professional journalist. This will certainly do the team no good.

To be honest I think the standard of hurling referees in Down and indeed Antrim has improved.

I'll take the lads name out as it is indeed unfair on him to be too critical afterall he gives up his time like the rest of us to do his best.

[stiffler]

I dont think the article was directed at refereeing in Down, moreso the common (mis)conceptions of the club footballer/fan.

[Bacon]

Jimmy Flynn from Drumnaquile!! A legend in his own mind. Anyone who has witnessed Jimmy refereeing a game will know exactly what I mean. You won't know him Johnnycool. He only does East Down juvenile hurling  - wouldn't get out of the Ards alive.

[amallon]

At thirds match against Glenn a few years ago we had a ref who wanted the opposition to take a 50 from the 21 yard line!  I kid you not.  We don't epxect Pat McEnaney to do thirds matches but the least we expect is a ref who knows the rules!

[Square Ball]

Jimmy Flynn from Drumnaquile!! A legend in his own mind. Anyone who has witnessed Jimmy refereeing a game will know exactly what I mean. You won't know him Johnnycool. He only does East Down juvenile hurling  - wouldn't get out of the Ards alive.

is he the one who never ventures more than 5, maybe 10 yards from the middle of the pitch? and can see clearly when the ball has passed the lne from there?

[Uladh]

They used to say in Dorsey...

"we have a soft spot for referees at this club... in the bog behind the bottom goals."

[pintsofguinness]

d) The Most Important Man on the Pitch: You know the sort – obnoxious to the core – and not happy unless he's the centre of the attention. A dangerous and poisonous individual, these men take perverse pleasure from causing controversy. Sick, nasty and objectionable, the GAA provides a refuge for these sickos, who tend to be unloved by their family and friends. Truth to be told, they wouldn't have it any other way.

Pints of Guinness' oul mate from the weekend

He's a **** uladh!


Well said Paddy Heaney!
Anyone who disagrees with him doesn't watch club football!

[Orior]

Its always so easy to criticise. Not so easy to referee yourself.

[ONeill]

So Paddy doesn't like Tyrone players, Tyrone supporters, Derry County Board, Referees, Down Officials and Flynns. The last is understandable....

I wonder who he'll pick on next week.

Ladsbroke:

Weighty women in belly tops 5/4
Henry Kelly 2/1
Journo's wages 7/2
RHF 9/2
Himself 150/1

[thewobbler]

I've been a ref basher for years lads, and we had a couple of poor ones at the start of this year, but I can honestly say I've been happily surprised at the standard of refereeing in the past dozen or so games we've had. Some have been a picky, others not picky enough, but that's just their styles. But it's been a fair while since I've felt like we're playing against 16 men.

Such is the nature of sport, that on Friday night i could come back on this board spitting blood from swallowing my words, but credit where it's due, the Down men in black are generally going well this season.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

So Paddy doesn't like Tyrone players, Tyrone supporters, Derry County Board, Referees, Down Officials and Flynns. The last is understandable....

I wonder who he'll pick on next week.

Ladsbroke:

Weighty women in belly tops 5/4
Henry Kelly 2/1
Journo's wages 7/2
RHF 9/2
Himself 150/1

He's already had a go at the young females who live down in the Holylands and the fact they love to wear GAA stuff all the time