SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1024, 15 July 1930, Page 13

SOCCER SIDELIGHTS

PASSING NOTES

/ Bv

PERSEUS.)

A Regrettable Incident.—Until last Saturday tho season had been fortunately free of any disturbance, and tho number of offenders reported for misconduct must have been the minimum. In fact the Judicial Committee has hardly had occasion to meet to deal with referees’ reports. But this line harmony was disturbed on Saturday. and the week-end talk in Socc'r circles has all been about the Ponsonby- Trams match on Saturday, when play was held up by an angry argument between the Trams and the referee, and three men were sent to the sideline for ungentlemanly behaviour. The result was that what promised to bo one of the best of games degenerated into a farce, and the spectators were bitterly disappointed at the turn events took. * * * How the Trouble Began.—The first spell was about half-way through, and Ponies had secured a useful, if lucky, lead of two goals, with Trams beginning to press and waking up to wipe out the deficit. Play was fast, and in the very sticky going the referee appeared to find it hard to keep up with the ball when it was flying freely from end to end. A swift rush by Trams gave Spencer a great scoring chance, when play was pulled up for off-side. , Spencer appeared to go farther than question the ruling, and wanted to argue about it, a pi-oceeding which is quite wrong, and Mr. Mardle at once ord< '-nm • rlie side-line; whether

after a caution o»* not is not clear, and is questioned but his club mates took quite a wrong attitude in surrounding the referee for a wordy wrangle about the rights or wrongs of his decision, and it was not surprising to see two

t_. o.«..pouii others sent to the (Trams Captain) bank by the referee. Others seemed inclined to go with them, and only the earnest intervention of tho Trams captain kept them on tho field an.d permitted pluv being resumed. A Foolish Attitude. —Whether Spencer was off-side or not, that was a question of fact on which the referee’s ruling was final, and, under Law IS, while a player may inquire from tho j referee as to his decision, neither he j nor any other player is entitled to show dissent by “word or action” from any such decision. Any such dissent is misconduct, and if the offender repeats it after being warned by the referee, the official must order him off the field of play. In fact when the general argument with the referee started he would have been justified in ordering the game to proceed, and then using his powers of suspending or terminating play if the baiting continued. Fortunately the intervention of the acting-chairman Mr. Frank Baker, and the conciliatory efforts of the two club captains smoothed 'the ruffled feathers of the objectors, and the incident closed, but had it occurred on an open ground where spectators could encroach without let or hindrance, it is not hard to forecast what would have been the finish, and that sort of thing cannot be tolerated in any sport.

Faster and Fitter Referees.— Players must learn to control their emotions and play to the whistle, and if any team should have learned discipline it was Saturday’s offenders, who are old players with experience in other lands, and know the laws. At tho same time, if this sort of thing is to be stopped for the future, it seems essential that the standard of refereeing in senior games must be improved. There are a number of good referees about, but some of them are rarely seen on the stadium, and a recruiting campaign among recently retired players should secure some welcome new blood of the right type. It is no use saying the right men will not come forward because of the attitude of the crowd and the players, or lack of support from the authorities in upholding discipline.

Proper Control Appreciated.—There has not been a game this season at headquarters where good and efficient refereeing has not been highly appreciated by players, public, and Press; but there have been too many glaring blunders which have frayed players’ tempers and upset the crowd. One can ignore the violent partisan who resents any decision where his sentiments or stake suffers, but must admit that referees are often too slow in movement, and too quick in giving a decision when not really in a position to give an opinion.

Keeping Up With the Ball.—lt must bo repeated here that unless a referee keeps up with the play, his decisions are always open to challenge, and in both games on Saturday the officials in control stuck too much to the centre circle instead of skating through the mud to follow the ball as nearly in line as possible. In Law 4. instructions to referes, it is emphasised that “it is difficult to judge unless one is close up, hence it is necessary for the referee to follow the ball closely up and down the ground and try to get a" side view.” In a fast game, the referee has to travel faster and farther than the players, and on a muddy surface he needs to be as fit as any player to stand the strain.

New Relegation Rule.—At its meet, ing last week the Board of Control did a peculiar somersault in dealing with the rule governing promotions and relegations from and to the senior B grade. It decided: (1) That in the event of a team entitled to promotion refusing to accept it, only one team from the higher grade be re egated. If necessary goal average will be the deciding factor. (2) Any team enteriVig a competition is assumed to be cognisant of the promotion and relegation rule and should any team fail to fulfil the obligation under which it entered, its entry may be refused the ensuing year.

Glaring Inconsistency.—When Philomel refused promotion at the start of the present season Shore claimed its right to remain senior, as the third team in the B grade had no proved privilege to promotion, but by an overwhelming majority the local Control Board refused to adopt this, and declined to admit it as a reasonable contention. That view was supported by the New Zealand Council, and it was fully expected that it would be

retained after S 3 emphatic a vote. Now the board does a right-about-face and repudiates Its own judgment. It is common talk that Philomel does pot wish promotion to full senior rating next season, even if it wins the right, but if this occurs only one team will go up. and if Shore happens to run third it will not be able to claim the same right that put it down in favour of Corinthians seasoji! Chatham Cup Rules. — It was als*» surprising to find the local authority appealing to the New Zealand Council on behalf of Thistle's desire to play a man who has already turned out for another club in the Chatham Cup competitions. The Chatham Cup rule is so clear and mandatory on that point that the grounds for the appeal must have been very obscure. The Thistle committee might also take heed, before it is too late, that in the Chatham Cup competition proper (the next match) “each player, except he had played for the club during the previous season and has not played in any match for any other club during the season, must have prayed twice for his club in the current season, seven days at least previous to the day of playing the match.” So if Thistle has anyone in view to strengthen the side in meeting the Wellington winners, it should get busy and qualify them. Senior B Table

The senior B table to date is as follows: — r\ w. Lr». pt«. North Shore .. . .. 10 9 i 19 10 New Lynn Bon Accord 10 7 1 •» Belmont 10 Rangers 0 4 Taxnaki •» Metro-College 10 IS Northcote. Birkenhead 10 1 Technical Old Boys .. 10 1