Sian Massey, Referee?

[FredPuli43]

Both commentators on Radio 5 (Wigan v Swansea) thought Sian Massey was more than qualified to step up to refereeing Premiership matches. She's certainly an excellent Assistant.Who decides and how? Presumably it's the Professional Match Officials who decide, but what criteria do they use, or seem to use? Not I hope, disallowing a ref with a ponytail !

[ELVIS68]

ChillDoubt, do you honestly think the likes of Rooney with his foul mouthed abuse of refs decisions will change because there's a female ref?

[FredPuli43]

Elvis, what words would a man use? "Be careful, be careful" doesn't carry "or you might hurt yourself" with it ! It's a warning.

[DaisyNonna]

Elvis, not like we haven't heard it all before.

[FredPuli43]

And used it, if I'm any judge ! lol

[DaisyNonna]

Too right Fred

[ELVIS68]

It's a physical game, players aren't going to listen to a ref telling them to be careful or you might hurt yourself.

Football is rife with cheats and divers and a female ref isn't going to change anything.
There's no respect on a football pitch despite all the handshakes before and after the game.

[ChillDoubt]

ChillDoubt, do you honestly think the likes of Rooney with his foul mouthed abuse of refs decisions will change because there's a female ref?
-------------------------------------
Yes ELVIS68, he will HAVE to. As I said, the media will crucify any player who acts boorishly against her, then the footballing authorities will have to step in and over a period of time, football referee's will have to be treated in a similar manner to rugby refs. Not exactly the same because respect for the ref and his decisions is ingrained into rugby players from the day they start playing, plus abuse of referee's in rugby carries far more weighty penalty from the RFU, WRU etc than it does in football.

[DaisyNonna]

Be careful might mean if you do it again you will be sent off.

[FredPuli43]

Elvis, I said the exact opposite of "Be careful " meaning "Don't hurt yourself". My point is that the words serve as a warning, and that isn't "or you might hurt yourself".

[ChillDoubt]

Remember too ELVIS68, abuse of the fairer sex in this country under ANY context carries with it a social stigma.
Any footballer seen giving a foul mouthed rant to a female official will be pilloried by the media, supporters groups and womens rights groups too.
Her appointment to Premier League referee can and will IMHO bring about a sea change in football that it's been crying out for.
It's laughable that the PL shirts presently have the word Respect on the sleeves but pretty soon, they're going to have to abide by it, especially if Ms Massey is in charge.
If not, they face consequences from many different quarters.

[ELVIS68]

As much as I'd like to see the game played with respect to both players and officials it will never happen

[ChillDoubt]

It can be. Referee's don't swear at players so why should players get away with such abuse? Swear at a rugby ref and you'll see red, no question.

Football ref's need to apply the laws regarding that far more readily than they currently do.

[DaisyNonna]

Do hope Elvis has his own shed in which to be a man.

[FredPuli43]

Female officers in the armed forces and police don't have difficulty in controlling without creating confrontation or more trouble. Some of the skills are innate others learned, but they are there. I saw one documentary where a woman military officer, addressing a drunk inferior, said "Don't call me ' love'; I'm your officer , not your mother!". I suspect young Sian (she's only twenty-seven) will have equally crushing remarks to players who try to be matey, as they will do with any ref. And swearing? She'll have heard it all, just as the men have, and will ignore it, as they do, unless it's to them.

[ELVIS68]

DaisyNonna "Do hope Elvis has his own shed in which to be a man"

Please explain

[DaisyNonna]

Well said Fred.
This poor ineffective female is going to sleep.
I will leave the boys to their squabbles.
Good night.

[ChillDoubt]

Furthermore, as she's also a school teacher she'll be more than adept at dealing with petulant, stroppy miscreants.

[FredPuli43]

Translation, Elvis: A man's shed is somewhere where the woman of the house never goes.He can use it for many purposes, such as mechanics, of a manly nature. It is his den, his space. The rest of the house has her in it, so he has to behave himself there and accommodate her wishes!

[ELVIS68]

Perhaps she should stay in the house then!

My son plays in an under 16s league and from day one I've drilled it into him not to copy his "heroes" from the premiership about diving and mouthing off to the ref about decisions not going his way.
He plays in defence alongside his captain who is a whinging ginger git who is constantly arguing every decision given against the team and is always pulling him away from such confrontations.
He also saves his captains arse many times during the match from mis timed hoofs upfield in which my son clears the ball.

And at the end of the match the manager always gives the ginger whinger the man of the match award for commitment!

And when my son gets in the car and discusses the match on the way home and is pissed off why the ginger whinger gets the motm award yet again I find it hard to explain why!

[joeluke]

Comparing reffing a high-pressure Premiership football game and a tame top snooker match

Laughed at that one when I first read it and am still laughing now

Refs need big balls to be successful at the top and unless there's something she's hiding I don't think she has those

If Rooney the Runt took a dislike to one of her decisions and started screaming at her she'd go to pieces