Ref Watch Oxford United V Wycombe Wanders L1 28/10/2023 Sebastian Stockbridge

[Sarge]

Todays incompetant was in my opinion right up there in terms of a shockingly poor officiating as Purkiss and Mather ( Port Vale & Bristol Rovers)
He was unbelievably inconsistent ( hence in terms of consistency the poll has to be 1-10- sorry, I know he warrants a 0), first few mins foul on McGuane , not given, thankfully Beadle pulled off decent save or his missing/ignoring of that could've had worse consequences. Catalogue of incidents missed, not given or ignore. A wycombe player goes over in the first half in their pen area, handles the ball nothing given, McGuane goes over 2nd half same place same thing pen awarded! Beadle made NO contact with their player, WW typical dark arts employed ( which Stockbridge fell for every time) 2nd pen awarded. Yet neither McGuane nor Beadle were yellow carded? - which they should have been for their (alleged) offences, applying the rules/laws of the game One of our players RR ,I think ,was pushed in the face, WW player then goes down in a heap without any contact. NO card?

His far side ( in front of WW away support) assistant referee was farcical - at least twice wasn't keeping up with play 2nd half - clear offside not flagged for, also ball went over the touch line ( goalkick) yey play allowed to continue.

As for our late pen, talk about soft, the earlier shout of a pen on Harris looked more convincing. On the subject of Harris, clear through on goal yet Stockbridge pulled play back for a FK (and yellow card) , that was a clear advantage denied

Its about time FA/EFL clamped down on the likes of Purkiss, Mather and Stockbridge, (NOT that they ever will) people go to football to watch a game of football, not the amateur dramatics of the match referee, despite what those jokers may think it is not all about them

A 1 from me ( purely because YF ref watch IS consistent, so there is no option for zero or less)

 

[QR]

Jesus Christ doesn't cover the half of it!!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1718557261973303303

 

[bazzer9461]

Was that Stockbridge

Yes 7 yards is the new 10 yards with him

 

[bazzer9461]

I’ve just watched the Sky highlights, the second penalty, the cheating s**t lies there acting as if he’s been injured, holding his leg! If it was, and it wasn’t a foul , it would have been a tap from the hand. Wycombe being Wycombe.

And why wasn’t Beadle not booked

 

[Swaby39]

Not sure if anybody watches the rugby last night but if you did, it was a masterclass in officiating - from an Englishman. There was a particularly tough 10/15 minutes in the second half where New Zealand we’re camped on the South African try line and there were 3 or 4 borderline decisions in quick succession and he maintained control throughout and his communication with the players was outstanding to watch.

There are many things football could learn from rugby but on that evidence, proper excellence in officiating and the use of video assistance would be right up there. Their collaborative approach was evident but the referee ALWAYS had the decision and made it very clear to his colleagues and the players what he was doing.

They ought to pay the EFL a visit and hold a seminar on the basics because I’m exhausted with referees being central to the outcome of football matches.

 

[tonyw]

Not sure if anybody watches the rugby last night but if you did, it was a masterclass in officiating - from an Englishman. There was a particularly tough 10/15 minutes in the second half where New Zealand we’re camped on the South African try line and there were 3 or 4 borderline decisions in quick succession and he maintained control throughout and his communication with the players was outstanding to watch.

There are many things football could learn from rugby but on that evidence, proper excellence in officiating and the use of video assistance would be right up there. Their collaborative approach was evident but the referee ALWAYS had the decision and made it very clear to his colleagues and the players what he was doing.

They ought to pay the EFL a visit and hold a seminar on the basics because I’m exhausted with referees being central to the outcome of football matches.

So having not watched any rugby for about a decade, I watched a few games this month (NZ-Ireland, Eng-SA and yesterday's final). And I had three main observations:

1) They've almost perfected the VAR system - it's relatively quick, and completely open and clear to fans and players alike

2) The players are still appropriately respectful to the officials, in a way that football really needs to learn from

3) It's a good thing that 1&2 are true, because rugby is still a game where tight matches are entirely determined by a series of somewhat subjective refereeing decisions! This thumping tackle is a red card, that one is a yellow; this ruck was formed and therefore it's a penalty, that time the players weren't fully engaged so it was fair game; this front row collapsed, that front row collapsed.

In the US, the commentary teams are all Aussies and Kiwis, and even after multiple replays, they still weren't able to definitively say why South Africa's late penalty against England was given......we just got a 'That seemed harsh'. But everyone seemed to just get on with it - you know that if that happened in a football World Cup semi final, there would be a fight on the pitch and fans and newspapers would still be complaining about it four years later!

Football needs to learn from rugby and aspire to its level of reffing.
But can't help but think that rugby would be a much better game if you just eliminated the penalty kick. Learn from American Football - penalties should cost you yards, not points.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I agree with much of that, TonyW. I am no real fan of rugby union (it's a game that has been ruined by the introduction of a plethora of rules and offences that neither the players nor indeed the commentators understand!) - but I did watch a few minutes of the final last night. After Stockbridge's farcical attempt at officiating our game (he completely spoiled it, if we are honest), watching how the ref dealt with the rugby was a breath of fresh air - he was constantly talking to the players, giving them the opportunity NOT to offend, he was backed up by a pretty quick VAR system that the crowd could see and hear, he was calm and logical.

I also agree that penalties have become far too important in the game and in fact I didn't bother to watch it to the end (I dipped into the first half and bailed out at half time)

We have had some real stinkers of refs this season, but none were as bad or affected the game so much as yesterday's poor excuse for an official. And that bloke who called RadOx last night to say he thought the ref had a good game? Words fail me!

 

[Oldman159]

I’ve said it before, but…..

If the Referees feel that they are not getting the ‘respect’ they think they deserve, perhaps they should simply ask themselves ‘WHY?’

I also agree the view that football officials could (AND SHOULD) learn a lot from Rugby. They should also be made to justify their contentious decisions.

 

[NottsYellow]

In addition to all the above, I wonder what Liam Manning said/did to warrant getting sent off?

 

[Oldman159]

Can we get Dermott to review his performance for the whole game on Sky tomorrow?

Unlikely, because it’s not affecting Pep, Juergen, or Artetta.

 

[Paul Cannell]

I’ve said it before, but…..

If the Referees feel that they are not getting the ‘respect’ they think they deserve, perhaps they should simply ask themselves ‘WHY?’

I also agree the view that football officials could (AND SHOULD) learn a lot from Rugby. They should also be made to justify their contentious decisions.

I agree with you, but isn't it a question of scale?

The egg-chasers (in both Union and the heterosexual version) have big screens onto which the 'evidence and deliberation' can be played, so the in-stadium audience are involved. If that's not feasible is the purpose not defeated to a large degree?

Perhaps, like other young people, you watch simultaneously on your phone, or, worse, think TV should be the ultimate arbitor of life's decisions.

 

[Wandering Yellow]

I’ve said it before, but…..

If the Referees feel that they are not getting the ‘respect’ they think they deserve, perhaps they should simply ask themselves ‘WHY?’

I also agree the view that football officials could (AND SHOULD) learn a lot from Rugby. They should also be made to justify their contentious decisions.

They will never do that, because lots of decisions are provably wrong and it would make the EFL look bad.

 

[Joey]

I’ve said it before, but…..

If the Referees feel that they are not getting the ‘respect’ they think they deserve, perhaps they should simply ask themselves ‘WHY?’

I also agree the view that football officials could (AND SHOULD) learn a lot from Rugby. They should also be made to justify their contentious decisions.

As far as more respect goes it sounds as if you're implying he should just be better at his job, unfortunately he's crap and that won't happen. I'm generally a defender of refs as there's no game without them and if it were up to me I'd bring back bookings for dissent and make it known I expected it to be enforced so the refs don't get blamed for following the rules. If matches early in the season end up 9 a side that's tough s**t, players will learn pretty sharpish. It also needs to be hammered in at grass roots level, especially with parents. If there's too much stick then the game is off and that parent has ruined it for everyone, would be bedlam at first but people would get used to it. A couple of years ago dissent was clamped down on but I'm not sure it even lasted 10 games.

Saying all this, Stockbridge is an absolute clown who shouldn't be near any of our games again. I doubt you're allowed to ask to not have a certain ref but we need to do all we can to make sure we don't get lumbered with him again.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

Totally incompetence dressed up with ‘look at me’.

Chaos ensued.

Absolute nadir was the Harris penalty. He blatantly dived.

Closely followed by the lack of advantage decision in first half. Has the man actually ever played football - at any level?

He should be removed from the list for that performance. Local derbies should not be about the ref- spectators were short-changed yesterday, and that should concern the EFL.


Ps I’d venture that the nefarious ‘Neil’ was on the wind.

RadOx post match not the time or place old chum.

 

[Paul Cannell]

It's not a 'derby' against a tiny nonentity. Ask Mrs Potter to stop you taking too much Vimto in the evening.

Have a lie down.

 

[PottersRightBoot]

It's not a 'derby' against a tiny nonentity. Ask Mrs Potter to stop you taking too much Vimto in the evening.

Have a lie down.

It's not a 'derby' against a tiny nonentity. Ask Mrs Potter to stop you taking too much Vimto in the evening.

Have a lie down.

Don’t you mean ‘red wine’ ?

 

[Cass63]

Can we get Dermott to review his performance for the whole game on Sky tomorrow?

Unlikely, because it’s not affecting Pep, Juergen, or Artetta.

I’ve met dermot I few times, I wouldn’t hold your breath

 

[MiddleBartonYellow]

The main issue is the changing of the laws. To me, handball is deliberately handling the ball and not included in that is accidentally falling on it. How many times is it actually deliberate, not many.

 

[AbsoluteZero]

It was a game that was unusual that it had so many big decisions that led to a clear cut goal chance for a ref to make in the game. But given there were so many big decisions it seems unlikely that any ref would get more than 1 or 2 maximum wrong, so for Stockbridge to get them all wrong says it all about his ability. We all know that he is a shocking ref and has been for years. Yet he will rock up somewhere else later this week and ruin another game of football.

The problem is that despite the billions of pounds in the English game refs below Championship level are part time, undertrained, probably underpaid, and because of the lack of investment in them likely to be unfit and not properly mentally prepared to be able to referee a game played at such a speed for 100+ minutes. And because of the demands of VAR requiring even more officials at a Prem game, this means less good ones to go around at the levels below which means that the likes of Stockbridge get a promotion not through merit but through necessity.

We can complain all we like about Stockbridge not being good enough, but there is no back up and no one behind him waiting to come through. Unless there is a huge investment in referees to enable them to make this into their full time job and be paid well enough to consider that, we are stuck with what we have got at least until we go up a division, although many then argue that we just get a better standard of rubbish. There seems no reason why this couldn't be invested in by the Premier League or using a Football Transfer fee levy or a Football Agents payments levy, it should be easily affordable. You get what you pay for at the end of the day and in League 1 more often than not we have a part time, don't care, old, unfit person put in charge of a football game that means a lot more than a kick around in the park because there are people's livelihoods (talking more about the staff rather than players and coaches) often at stake upon a decision made by a referee.

 

[Foley]

Not sure if anybody watches the rugby last night but if you did, it was a masterclass in officiating - from an Englishman. There was a particularly tough 10/15 minutes in the second half where New Zealand we’re camped on the South African try line and there were 3 or 4 borderline decisions in quick succession and he maintained control throughout and his communication with the players was outstanding to watch.

There are many things football could learn from rugby but on that evidence, proper excellence in officiating and the use of video assistance would be right up there. Their collaborative approach was evident but the referee ALWAYS had the decision and made it very clear to his colleagues and the players what he was doing.

They ought to pay the EFL a visit and hold a seminar on the basics because I’m exhausted with referees being central to the outcome of football matches.

I don't disagree with some of your points, but you are comparing the referee in a world cup final ( so arguably the best rated referee in the world),in rugby, with a poorly rated EFL referee in a L1 game in football.

 

[Oxymoron]

The main issue is the changing of the law. To me, handball is deliberately handling the ball and not included in that is accidentally falling on it. How many times is it actually deliberate, not many.

That gives the referee a decision to make - did he mean it? You don't get that leniency on, say, a tackle - you trip your opponent, it doesn't matter if you meant to or not, it's a foul.

If the ball hits a hand and stops or changes direction, give it as handball - no ifs or buts, free kick or penalty. Sure there will be some harsh one's but at least everyone knows the rule and consistency is all but guaranteed.