John Smith

Why was it a red? Read law 12. Abusive, offensive or insulting language is a send off offence. It can never be a cautionable offence - although dissent by word or action is. So the ref had a choice. Was it dissent or abusive? You saw it. Huckerby made sure the ref heard exactly what he said. Look at his body language. How would you feel if someone behaved like that to you. Imagine making a mistake at work and having that sort of reaction from a customer or colleague. Would you accept it? Remember the referee in the Championship is not a professional like in the Premiership. (I''m sure they would turn pro if the money was there, but it''s not.) If some one was abusive to you in your hobby how would you feel? Rooney & co are often a bit more cute. You see a close up of them bawling, but what you don''t realise is that the referee is probably 30+ yards away with 60,000 fans shouting - impossible to hear. Hopefully all referees will start dishing out the cards. The clubs will have to control their players or suffer the consequences of lengthy bans for star players. Is an out of control player a bonus for your team? Get the player to channel that passion into kicking the ball instead of screaming like a toddler

For those that have never read the laws of the game dissent should result in a caution and abusive, offensive or insulting language a send-off. You cannot give a yellow card for abusive, offensive or insulting language - even for a first offence. Use the wrong words and it is a straight red. It does not matter if the words are aimed at the referee, his assistants, an opponent, a team mate or someone in the crowd, the law states that the use of such language is a send off offence, regardless of the target. So what is abusive, offensive and insulting language? This is not defined anywhere, it is purely in the opinion of the referee. Any player who has missed an open goal has probably shouted "Oh dearie me!" in frustration. Now if everytime a frustrated player opened his mouth he was sent off the game would be abandoned due to lack of players after about 5 minutes. Most referees will use the tone and volume of the offending language and maybe even his body language as a guide. However a parks referee in Norfolk who was also a priest sent off any player who blasphemed - regardless of the situation. To him taking the Lord''s name in vain was offensive. In law he was not wrong and no appeals against him ever stood. At the end of the day it will come down to the individual referee''s personal tolerance level. It may even come down to his mood on the day. If he has a row with the wife before the game he may be quicker to dismiss a player than on the day she kisses him sweetly as he leaves for the game. The FA have said that the use of abusive, offensive or insulting language must not be tolerated. However, the referee has to hear it before he can take action. Imagine how little you can hear at Old Trafford with nearly 70,000 people in there. Unless you stand next to someone then it is difficult to communicate properly. That''s why Schmeichal always seemed to yell so loudly at his defenders - it is the only way to be heard. The TV cameras pick up Rooney mouthing at the referee. But as he is 30 yards from the ref then the guy has no chance of hearing it. I have refereed in front of crowds of under 200 and not heard something said by a player which has then been brought to my attention later. So it comes down to self-control by the players. Today''s professional footballer tends to have very little self-control. If they did not show dissent at every decision then their supporters would accuse them of a lack of passion. With their high wages they will do everything possible to justify their place in the team to the manager and fans. What is done at Old Trafford on Saturday will be replicated at Sloughbotton or on the Beaconsfield on Sunday. So where do we go from here. Either the game cleans up its act or it justifys itself and allows standards to slip. We already see the police turning up at Thorpe Rec and other grounds across Norfolk to investigate complaints from local residents. Why shouldn''t they turn up at Carrow Road or Highbury?

What could football referees learn from rugby referees? What would you do to improve refereeing? What could be done to make it more consistant?

Yes

Interesting that you suggest Collina as a coach. Remember that the Italian FA have suspended the folically challenged one on more than one occasion for "failing to apply the laws of the game". Should we actively encourage referees to follow him and make it up as he goes along? Or should we have referees all using the laws as written by the International Football Board?

There were one or two posts here in the close season about the standard of refereeing that they expect this season. What do you think so far? Are the Premiership referees any better? Could you do better?

Hang on a sec. Don''t get carried away! Shackell will be a good player in this league. However his first 20 minutes weren''t good. He was late in the challenge and was second to the ball - although he did improve later. It was his man who had a free run at goal while he was on the touchline chatting to the assistant referee He is clearly a confidence player. After he got one good challenge in he did very little wrong for the rest of the game. Perhaps he should make a few tackles in the warm up. Perhaps the club couldline up some willing volunteers for him to scythe down on the pitch to get his confidence going?

Does it matter? The only thing a football captain does is toss up at the start of the game. After that there is no role for him. In cricket the captain has to decide on a batting order or field positions. In rugby and hockey he is responsible for team discipline. In soccer he gets to wear a nice armband.  

Statistics show that teams score more goals when shooting towards their most vocal fans. Also 23% of all goals are scored in the last 10 minutes Therefore it makes sense to shoot towards the Barclay in the second half as the Barclay and Snake Pit always make more noise than the more reserved folk (e.g. Rasputin?) of the River End. (Plus it would mean that the opposition are not shooting towards their fans in the second half  - even if they are tucked away in the SOuth Stand. In fact it would make sense to put the away fans on the halfway line.)

I had the misfortune of being in Ipswich this morning. I walked past the binner''s town centre shop and saw their new away kit in the window It seems to be of a very similar hue to Coventry''s famous 1970''s brown kit. Can''t wait to see them play in it. If they lose to someone like Brighton then imagine the headlines!

Anyone know who will referee tonight - or the assistant referees?

I have heard that there is a star player in his last year at a top premiership club who has made millions from the game. He is thinking of investing in a club where he may get a premiership game next year, where he will get all the fans thinking how great he is for sinking his millions into the club and will be able to continue his involvement in football - maybe even be a springboard to management. Now for that sort of guy I''d keep the 9 shirt in reserve!

I was really pleased to see the flag at first - the only football club flag I saw there. However it did perfectly block my view of the stage from my position further back. Good job there were no binner''s flags there - they need their debt cancelled as much as some African nations!

Can you honestly say you know the laws of the game? There are only 17, but so few people seem to actually know what they are. Have you ever read them? Can we make our team not only the best supported club in the Championship but also the club whose supporters actually understand what is going on in front of them? If you haven''t read the laws before why not do so? It will only take about five minutes of your time. If you are in a real hurry just read laws 11 and 12. You can download them at http://www.fifa.com/en/regulations/regulation/0,3527,3,00.html   Now when someone says "What was that for ref?" you will know - and you will feel good that you know more than that ignoramus. I bet it will improve your love and understanding of the game.   Remember, ignorance is no defence in law!

Andy D''Urso is one of the best referees in the country. So the debate shouldn''t be about him, but "Are our referees good enough" There are really two arguments: YES and NO If you take the YES argument, then we should be pleased to see whichever official turns up at Carrow Road. Personally I happen to think our referees are the best around. If you say NO, then why not? Have you ever refereed a game? Do you actually know the laws of the game? My experience of referee criticism has been first hand - I have been an official at Carrow Road and Colney. Abuse has been heaped on me when I have clearly made the right decision (even after checking the video later). If you can do better then come forward. Call Steve Clover at Norfolk FA on 01603 717177 and say you want to take up the whistle. He''ll make sure you are trained and if you are good enough you too could get to run on the hallowed turf without a steward chasing you and throwing you out!

Roy Waller sadly is about as much use as a chocolate fireguard when it comes to commentating. Chris Goreham has done some excellent work with Kings Lynn and the Senior Cup final, so welcome Chris. Sadly Waller gave us a poor account of the game. He has no knowledge of the laws of the game, and even turned down an offer from the Referees Association to help him overcome this rather important gap in his knowledge. I have lost count of the number of times that Neil Adams has had to tell him that he was talking about the wrong player or that he missed something important. Last season we were on Radio 5 a lot more so I could listen to that. The season before I tuned into BBC Suffolk for a more accurate description of what was going on - well it was funny too! Good luck Chris Goreham.

Thank God Waller is being axed. I''m sure he is a nice guy and he is good at interviewing local "celebrities" in the studio, but his commentaries let the BBC down. I hate to say it but for the last few Ipswich games I have tuned into Radio Suffolk so I could get a more balanced, descriptive account of the game (as well as to laugh at the poor Ipswich commentators who obviously didn''t like the fact we won!). He has no knowledge of the laws of the game. An offer from the Referees Association to help him on this rather important aspect of the job was rather rudely turned down by this so called legend. Obviously a godlike entity like him doesn''t need to know such trivia. Chris Goreham may not yet be such a well known name in the area, but he will be. Look at his coverage of the Senior Cup Final last season where he brough a rather one-sided game to the thousands who weren''t there in a way that described the game and atmosphere far better than Waller''s over-excited, looking the wrong way, uneducated style ever could. Good luck Chris!

Which game will you be watching this afternoon?