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| The Wurst of Times; A German Interlude | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Friday, 7. December 2012, 14:19 (9,710 Views) | |
| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 7. December 2012, 14:19 Post #1 |
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Friday 30th November 2012 Reginalliga Nord SV Wilhemshaven 1 v 3 Werder Bremen ll Robert Schroeder (Hannover); Mario Birnstiel, Maxim Sapiro Apologies, firstly, for my continuing inability to produce o-umlaut - the code I used to use now merely deletes everything, so "oe" will have to suffice. A foul by a Werder player in the 11th minute produced a strong blast from Herr Schroeder, who was quick to move in and forestall any overreaction from the home players, issuing an early yellow card. Bremen took the lead two minutes later, and though Wilhelmshaven appealed for a penalty on the half hour, more in hope than in expectation, I suspect, the visitors had the better of the first half. As they left for the break, one of the Bremen players shook the referee's hand -usually an indication that he knows he is to be substituted, though in this case he reappeared after the interval. Bremen extended their lead two minutes into the second half and continued to press. The home number 20 should, I thought, have seen yellow midway through the half for a foul on the edge of the box - it looked a deliberate attack-breaker. The gentleman operating the PA began to exhort his fans to get behind their team and when they were awarded a free-kick on 71 minutes, they did so: the kick was floated across, missed by the defenders and fell at the feet of an attacker close to goal, who..... somehow contrived to effect a clearance rather than a shot. When the next PA announcement mentioned hopes of three points, there were many derisive laughs - and not just from the Werder contingent. The visitors in fact added a third before Wilhelmshaven finally got a goal in the closing stages. A yellow card per side came in the final minutes - the Wilhelmshaven one being for an offence similar to that which went unpunished before. The professional clubs U-23 teams are often well-behaved and so Herr Schroeder had a comfortable evening, controlling the game effectively with no problems. A sound if unspectacular performance. If he seemed at one stage to be a little economical in his ground coverage, there may have been a reason..... Saturday 1st December 2012 Regionalliga Nord BV Cloppenburg 0 v 2 St Pauli ll Robert Schroeder (Hannover); Mario Birnstiel, Maxim Sapiro Travelling 50-odd miles South the next day, I was surprised to find the same trio in charge. If the assessor understood JCFC's fractured German correctly, it is apparently not unusual to have the same team of officials in action Friday/Saturday. Whether they stayed over in Wilhelmshaven or made the 140 mile trip back to Hannover I don't know, but I would suspect the former. The assessor also confirmed that there is no expectation that German assistants should change hands, though I did not enquire (my German would have been stretched too far, let alone his patience!) whether Herr Sapiro's frequent habit of flagging for fouls with his right hand then switching hands overhead to show the direction was equally acceptable. Incidentally Herr Sapiro looked a somewhat unlikely figure, not particularly coordinated in his movements, with a shirt too large for him and a white polo-neck collar protruding above his yellow shirt, but he was accurate in his decisions in both matches. Being at the opposite end of the stand gave me a closer view of Herr Schroeder in action and he showed several good examples of communication in passing - on the half hour he even found himself the recipient of a tap on the hand from a visiting player. Sankt Pauli took the lead shortly afterwards, whilst Cloppenburg beat the offside trap only to send a diving header wide. JCFC has never quite seen why handshakes between the officials are such a no-no at the end of a match, but would certainly accept that at half-time they are premature in the extreme! The second half saw chances for each side, saves by each keeper, low-key lectures for players from each side, with Sankt Pauli registering the only goal and the only caution - a clear-cut one for holding - with Herr Schroeder again putting in a very solid display. Sunday 2nd December 2012 Regionalliga West VfL Bochum ll 1 v 3 1.FC Koeln ll Lukas Sauer (Bergkamen); Philip Holzenkämpfer, Soeren Passon The PA announcer was so keen to classify each official as "unser Sportkamarad X" that JCFC was unable to distinguish the names, but was able to glean the necessary details from a helpful and very formal assessor. Herr Sauer is I think in his first season as a Regionalliga referee, but at 24 is already quite old by German standards. He turned out to be a singularly laid-back indivdual, in appearance at least. From the kick-off he was not required to move for several seconds, but did begin to walk thereafter. Eventually he produced a slowly bouncing lollop, but at no point did he ever manage anything that could be construed as a sprint and only once did I notice him adjusting his position in the light of developments in the play. He began the match, like his colleagues, but not the players, wearing gloves, but wandered over to the touchline after a while and removed them. The visitors took the lead on 23 minutes, Mr Holzenkämpfer having signalled no offside, and Mr Sauer was commendably quick to have words with the protesting home goalkeeper. The manager left his technical area and headed down the touchline to engage Mr Holzenkämpfer in discussion at close quarters and wave his arms at Herr Sauer, but no disciplinary action was taken. The visiting number 18 was spoken to for a foul after Mr Passon had flagged somewhat belatedly, but his side scored a second goal before Bochum managed their first shot - on 40 minutes. Mr Sauer remembered to go and collect his gloves at half-time. The Koeln number 8 picked up an early yellow card in a rainy second half, hauling back an opponent when there was really no need, and the home number 6 joined him eight minutes later for what looked a minor foul - possibly for something he said? Mr Sauer allowed some effective advantages, but with a curious one-handed advantage signal. Midway through the half Bochum were awarded a free-kick for a foul and their number 6 again pushed his luck by vociferous complaints about the lack of a card for the offender. They did get a goal back on 78 minutes and almost immediately hit the post with a header, but Koeln made things safe on 85 minutes, whilst there was one further yellow, for a barging foul by Bochum's number 27, flagged by Mr Holzenkämpfer. The driving rain might explain why not a single second of additional time was allowed. With the exception of one occasion when Mr Sauer indicated a glancing contact off a foot, then gave the throw to the owner of that foot, he did little to attract unfavourable comment and the match was conducted in an orderly manner, but I was left wondering how he had impressed people sufficiently to reach this level. I doubt whether he would have got beyond Level 5 in this country. However, given JCFC's lack of success in judging German officials, he may well have a brighter future than I would expect. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 7. December 2012, 17:09.
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| Deleted User | Friday, 7. December 2012, 17:22 Post #2 |
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Great reports!!! This is the real football passion I think. I would add a marks to the reports, the best in UEFA scale. I love to read referee observations. UEFA scale: 9.0-10.0 Excellent. 8.5-8.9 Very good, important decision(s) correctly taken. 8.3/8.4 Expected Level 8.2 Satisfactory with small areas for improvement 8.0/8.1 Satisfactory with important areas for improvement 7.9 One important mistake, otherwise 8.3 or above 7.8 One important mistake, otherwise 8.0-8.2 7.5 – 7.7 Below expectation, poor control, significant point(s) for improvement. 7.0 – 7.4 Disappointing. Below expectation with one and clear important mistakes or a performance with two or more clear and important mistakes. 6.0 – 6.9 Unacceptable. |
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| bmb | Friday, 7. December 2012, 19:07 Post #3 |
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Good read JCFC |
| Officially a Southern Softie! | |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 22. July 2013, 22:13 Post #4 |
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I doubt if anyone is interested, but I note (with a certain degree of pleasure) that Herr Schroeder is among those who have been promoted to the 3rd Division List for the coming season. Herr Sauer is not!
Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 22. July 2013, 22:13.
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| mac | Tuesday, 23. July 2013, 17:03 Post #5 |
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I didn't realise your assessments counted for so much JCFC! I shall be wary! ;) |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Tuesday, 3. December 2013, 23:17 Post #6 |
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Well, Friday really was the worst of times. There were two matches in the Oberliga Hamburg (the fifth level in German football) that evening and when the appointments were made JCFC settled for the one with the very young referee - who knows he might prove to be a German UACSOTF! The details were checked, the route was memorised and JCFC caught the S-Bahn to Iserbrook on the way to Friday 29th November 2013 Oberliga Hamburg SV Blankenese 1 v 3 Alstertal-Langenhorn Kevin Rosin (Hamburg); Osman Özmen, Gerhard Haase The gates of the ground confirmed date, time and opposition in large letters, but alas it was shut and the ground in darkness. A small notice alongside stated that the match was being played on the "Dockenhuden." Now this may be useful information for a local, but for a foreigner in a dark and deserted residential area, it meant nothing at all. A different route was taken back to the station, in hopes of sighting floodlights somewhere - but in vain. All was not lost, however. The map on the station showed an area called Dockenhude and though it didn't have detail to show a sports ground,there was a section of green. The next train into Blankenese and a brisk walk should see JCFC there in time for kick-off. Indeed it did, but still no lights were to be seen and the green area turned out to be woodland. After walking for a further quarter of an hour, there was nothing for it but to get the bus back into Hamburg and watch a rather mixed display from Dr Brych on the TV in my hotel room. Whether Herr Rosin is a young hopeful, or merely young and hopeless, is therefore left to others to decide. The above result, gleaned from Teletext, at least provided a certain pleasure, as Blankenese had become for JCFC the villains of the piece. Ironically the match that had been rejected produced a score of 3-6. Things could only get better - and they did, to some extent at least, when the sun put in an appearance at Saturday 30th November 2013 Regionalliga Nord Eintracht Norderstedt 5 v 2 TSV Havelse Julian Lüddecke (Wolfenbüttel); Vito Garippo, Martin Krause Herr Lüddecke is the embodiment of the old truism about policemen looking younger, though at 27 time is fast running out if he hopes to make further progress. He appeared agreeable during the warm-up, and passed the test on two of JCFC's prejudices, having both long sleeves and a handkerchief! Alas, things went downhill from there. The first two fouls, for very minor nudges, each produced a long aggressive blast on the whistle and saw Herr Lüddecke sprinting frantically to the spot to issue warning and gestures. JCFC allowed himself to hope that this was a case of setting his stall out, to relax thereafter. Sadly, it was not to be; the technique continued throughout. Far from pouring oil on troubled water, it seemed more likely to have the opposite effect. To be fair, he was not helped by players who went down at often minimal contact, frequently wailing piteously in the process, but it was not until the very late stages of the game that he seemed to get wise to this. The cautions, though, when they came, were probably deserved. The home side picked up the first, after 17 minutes, scored the first goal on 24 minutes with a header from a debatable free-kick and collected another caution a couple of minutes later. Not to be outdone, the visiting skipper picked up a yellow for a foul, only for Norderstedt to collect another a minute later. Herr Lüddecke, for all his bluster, did not seem to be commanding respect and when an injured player had to leave after treatment, he and the trainer were pointed directly towards the sideline, but ignored that and headed diagonally across to the dug-out, which was deep in the other half of the field. Though trailing on yellow cards, Havelse did draw level on goals with an equaliser shortly before the interval. Norderstedt scored two rather nice goals early in the second half, so Havelse tried to catch up in the discipline stakes, with three yellow cards - one of them being the captain's second. Against ten men, Norderstedt added a couple more goals, before easing off and removing their stronger players. One attempt to substitute number 8, announced on the PA, resulted in a long confab on halfway between him, the player replacing him, and Herr Garippo. The upshot was that he returned to the fray looking bemused and his replacement returned to the bench. A little later a further substitution was made, and still later number 8 was replaced, but not, it appeared, by the same man as before. Havelse did snatch a goal, but too little, too late. As has been noted previously, German assistants are not expected to switch hands other than when signalling. For a game at this level, though, it does look very amateurish, especially when accompanied by Herr Garippo's strange gesticulations with his free hand. There was little indication that Herr Lüddecke was keeping in contact with his assistants during the game - the only example noted came with an angry blast on the whistle at Herr Krause, who had not reacted to a signal to send the spare ball from its resting place on halfway down to the position of a throw in. Herr Lüddecke did not appear to do any talking, other than to admonish and caution - perhaps "patter" is frowned upon. There was one incident when he whistled to stop a goalkeeper taking a goal-kick. It may technically have been the case that the whistle came a fraction after the ball had been played, but not obviously so. A sensible official would simply have had the kick retaken, but here Herr Lüddecke chose to have a drop-ball, and then shooed away one of the would-be participants. On the credit side, he moved quite well, albeit in a lolloping style when not sprinting to an "incident" and showed sensible lateral movement, something not always apparent in Germany. He did keep the game under control, but for JCFC the game was over-refereed. In fairness it may be that his style is what is expected - the only murmurs from the spectators came from a couple of occasions when he did not show yellows (correctly so in JCFC's view.) It did though reinforce the impression that we are very fortunate with the nature and quality of the officiating we enjoy at Contributory and Supply level on a regular basis. The following morning it was back down a step, for Sunday 1st December 2013 Oberliga Hamburg SC Condor 4 v 0 Bramsfelder SV Christian Okun (Hamburg); Stefan Ohrt, Nils Heinrich The grass pitch was out of bounds, so the game took place on the dreaded red gravel. Herr Okun is 34 and is therefore officially classified as a member of the Oberliga "Oldie" (not a translation) group of referees! He is quite small and the combination of very long shorts and the presence of the man-mountain masquerading as AR2 made him look extremely diminutive. There were thoughts in JCFC's mind of "Oh no, here we go again" when a throw in within the first minute produced an extended blast on Herr Okun's whistle, but this was to summon the captain from the other half of the pitch, from where he had disputed the award. Thereafter Herr Okun's whistling for offences was generally reasonably well-modulated, though there were times when a vocal instruction would have been better - a sevenfold whistle to get a throw taken correctly seems excessive. The next half hour was reasonably even and reasonably quiet. A home player went down injured at one point and after a moment of hesitation his colleague played the ball into touch. JCFC may have dreamt it, but the restart appeared to be a throw by the team who put the ball out. Bramfeld claimed a penalty when a header appeared to strike a defender's arm, but Herr Okun waved play on, a decision which seemed reasonable enough until the ball went down the other end and a fierce shot was blocked by the Bramfeld captain. The whistle went and a penalty was awarded. Though the shot was hard, it had travelled a distance and the arms may even have been a little outspread, but the defender was adamant that the ball had struck his chest. Having finally given up protesting, he turned to leave the area and a yellow card was shown to his back. He must have spotted it or been told about it as at this point he uttered a loud cry of "Unglaublich" (unbelievable.) Condor scored from the spot to lead at the interval. They added a second six minutes after half-time. On 70 minutes the visiting number 13 was shown yellow for not retreating, a decision which produced a brief cry from a visiting coach who was immediately asked to move behind the barrier. This possibility was only available on the opposite side of the pitch, so he had to trudge, more in amusement than in dudgeon, across the field before play could restart. Two minutes later his number 7 also saw yellow, well away from play, so probably for dissent. Condor were caught offside on 78 minutes. A defender took a short kick quickly, only to find an attacker who played in his colleague to score Condor's third. There remained a couple of further yellows, one per side, and Condor's fourth goal. Despite the odd injury stoppage and a full ration of substitutions, Herr Okun actually blew for full time over a minute and a half early. The non-hand-changing by the assistants led to some oddities. Man mountain was left-handed and his signalling of corners across his body was a sight to behold. Herr Ohrt was right handed so his left hand was free to signal "carry on," which was done by pointing back towards the centre circle, regardless of the nature of the (non)-event in question. More surprisingly they failed to flag for throw-ins on occasions when it was either clear or they left it to the referee, which in England would see a reinforcement of the referee's verdict as routine. More surprisingly still, offside flags were taken down when the whistle went and off the assistants wandered with no input to the positioning of the ball for the free-kick, which was often taken some distance from where it should have been. At least Herr Okun always acknowledged their contributions with thumbs up. Herr Okun did not say anything when the ball was in play, but was at least a little more communicative at times, with a few pleasant-looking exchanges and he even smiled once or twice. For all his possible faults, there were also many good features and he could raise a fair turn of speed when required. After the game there was a long trek back to the clubhouse and it was apparent from his conversations with bystanders along the way, that he has a cheerful manner and, it seemed, a good sense of humour. JCFC was left with the thought that here was a tool/resource that was being underused on the field of play. Back up a level in the afternoon for Sunday 1st December 2013 Regionalliga Nord Hamburger SV ll 1 v 1 SV Wilhelmshaven Dennis Senning (Nienburg); Nils-Rene Voigt, Timo Roetsch It was at this point this afternoon that JCFC made the mistake of forgetting that the normal 148 code for o-umlaut deletes everything when used on Rate The Ref and his ramblings disappeared - it might be suggested that this should happen more often - so if anyone can explain how o-umlaut can be achieved in safety, it would be much appreciated. It possibly spells the kiss of death for Herr Senning's career, which would be a shame at 26, that JCFC approved much more of his style. His whistling was much more measured throughout and his triage was very good. When the first player went down, he was on the spot to signal "Get up" as play was allowed to continue - something that was to be repeated on a number of occasions. A fairly even first half produced little goalmouth incident and just the one caution, for the visiting number 14. After the break, Wilhelmshaven gained the upper hand and it was Hamburg's turn to have a player booked. As the visitors pressed, a ball out of defence was about to put an attacker well clear, but he was beaten to it by the keeper. Nothing unusual in that - except that the keeper got to the ball first in the centre circle! On 64 minutes a Wilhelmshaven player went down in the area, the assistant flagged for offside which Herr Senning either failed to spot or had taken to be for a foul and a penalty was awarded. Fortunately the assistant stood his ground with flag raised, and after consultation the right decision was made. After Wilhelmshaven had spurned a glorious chance, a goalless draw looked likely. The Hamburg number 9 was cautioned: he stood too close to a free-kick by a visiting defender, Herr Senning moved him back, blew his whistle., the free kick was taken, striking the Hamburg player. Though he did not appear to have advanced from the place Herr Senning had indicated, he was cautioned - rather unluckily, perhaps. No reservations about a caution for Wilhelmshaven's number 18, for holding. When the visitors finally scored on 78 minutes, it looked as if their efforts were to be rewarded, but this feeling did not last as Hamburg scored a surprise equaliser three minutes later. Though still not using patter, Herr Senning did communicate well at breaks in play and used his voice rather than his whistle to make his wishes known. Despite the odd minor blemish, he put in a very creditable performance and maintained a good and regular level of eye-contact with his colleagues. Not an exciting display, but very efficient on the whole. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 17:37.
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| nemesis | Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 00:51 Post #7 |
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nö idea ! |
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| Tim Wills | Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 01:22 Post #8 |
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Official Forum Stalker
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ö http://www.theasciicode.com.ar/extended-ascii-code/letter-o-umlaut-diaeresis-o-umlaut-ascii-code-148.html |
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The UK's most comprehensive directory of cricket related businesses. http://www.cricketpages.co.uk | |
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| nemesis | Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 12:19 Post #9 |
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........ more seriöusly, just cöpy it fröm character map (ör any website where it appears) and paste it intö yöur text. Edited by nemesis, Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 12:19.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Wednesday, 4. December 2013, 12:42 Post #10 |
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Danke schön! :bow: |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 21. March 2014, 22:51 Post #11 |
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Friday 21st March 2014 Regionalliga Sued-West KSV Hessen Kassel. 1. v. 1. KSV Baunatal Markus Wingenbach(Diez); Ehsan Amiriam, Berndt Augustin It was several seasons ago that JCFC saw Herr Wingenbach in a match at Karlsruhe ll, with a junior Fandel on the line. On that occasion he appeared rather tentative, though to his credit, when a bad foul was committed he didn't hesitate to produce his red card. It was a surprise when he subsequently was promoted to the Bundesliga list. He did not quite make the grade there and was moved back down. As is the wont in Germany the assistants were not expected to change hands other than to signal. Herr Amiriam did so a couple of times, but only when he needed his right hand for a bit of a scratch. Herr Wingenbach, meanwhile, was often some distance from events. When not actually running, he seemed to limit himself to a heavy plod. For the first 20 minutes he whistled long and hard for even minor offences, but eventually began to employ different tones. The match was a derby between the big city club that has seen better days and their upstart suburban neighbours, who probably have.not, but with neither side doing particularly well this season, it was quite a tame first half. Kassel had a reasonable-looking shout for a penalty turned down on 36 minutes, but that was as exciting as it got. Five minutes before the interval a player from each side went down after a clash of heads. Herr Wingenbach rightly stopped play, a posse of 4 physios raced on, both players received attention, but only the visiting one was required to leave the field, which seemed odd. Play was restarted with an uncontested drop-ball, but even that required two attempts. The home side took the lead early in the second half, when the Baunatal defence failed to deal with a free-kick,leaving an easy finish. The visiting number 21 was rightly cautioned for a cynical foul. When Hessen won a corner, the big screen sprang into life with the message "This corner is presented by the Kasseler Bank." It wasn't, it was presented by the referee as the ball clearly came off an attacker - a point which the defenders were quick to make. There followed a couple of cautions for the visitors, one for a foul and one for not observing Herr Wingenbach's distant requests to retreat further at a free-kick - better refereeing would have avoided the latter. Baunatal began to come back into the game, having a free-kick rebound from the post with the keeper nowhere. Despite having a throw reversed for stealing ground, they continued to enjoy a spell of pressure and equalised on 78 minutes with a diving header from a cross. Another justified yellow for a visitor completed the evening's entertainment. Opinion in the tram on the way back into town seemed to be that in the end Baunatal deserved their draw. JCFC meanwhile was left wondering quite what qualities had ever led Herr Wingenbach to make the Bundesliga. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 21. March 2014, 22:56.
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| babyref | Saturday, 22. March 2014, 01:46 Post #12 |
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Whatever happened to Knut Kircher? I remember seeing him at St James Park for an Intertoto game a few years ago and thinking he had a bright future ahead. |
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| caref | Saturday, 22. March 2014, 10:41 Post #13 |
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Knut Kircher is still a Bundesliga referee, in fact he is refereeing Nürnberg-Eintracht Frankfurt tomorrow. My impression is he is knowns as a reliable and consistent referee and he has refereed more than 200 Bundesliga games. |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 23. March 2014, 22:39 Post #14 |
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Saturday 22nd March 2014 Regionalliga Bayern SV Viktoria 01 Aschaffenburg 2 v 2 Bayern Muenchen ll Marco Achmueller(Bad Fuessing); AR1 and AR2 Bayern's table-topping youngsters predictably dominated the first quarter, penning lowly Aschaffenburg deep in their own half and giving the home keeper plenty of exercise. AR2 contributed a couple of timely flags and wonder of wonders switched hands in a more or less orthodox manner, AR1 being less visible, but appearing to follow suit. There was little for JCFC to note, but his neighbour, wearing a Bayern jacket was busy keeping tabs on one player's touches on a piece of paper. A slightly serious-looking Herr Achmueller was having little to do. On 24 minutes, however, he awarded a free-kick to Bayern on the edge of the penalty arc. JCFC entertained reservations about this one, as did the defenders. There followed a long delay, with attempts to move the wall back being punctuated with several bursts of pushing, of which Herr Achmueller seemed unduly tolerant. At last the kick was taken - a low shot which beat the keeper just inside the post. The home side's prospects looked bleak. On the half hour their keeper made another great block, the ball was hoofed into the Bayern half, where a handball prevented it from reaching an attacker. Still some 40 yards out, with Aschaffenburg having shown no sign of attacking ability, the evidence in favour of DOGSO was purely circumstantial, but out came the red card, probably the right decision - just! Off trooped Bayern's number 5, the neighbour's paper disappeared and shortly afterwards so did he. Each side had a man cautioned for attack-stopping fouls before the interval. Despite being a man light, Bayern continued to do most of the attacking, but Aschaffenburg now began to threaten with long balls for the front man to chase. One such on 55 minutes saw the attacker get his nose in front on half-way. The defender did not dare challenge, but the attacker's touch was too heavy and the ball was heading for the keeper, who promptly slipped, allowing the striker to regather and equalise. Bayern continued to do all the pressing, but their long shots and free-kicks did not trouble the keeper greatly. The home side looked happy with a point and Herr Achmueller did a good job of chivvying substituted players from the field. And so to the ninetieth minute, when Bayern worked the ball across to a free man, who turned and shot to give them the lead. The home number 5 protested, though there seemed to be no possible grounds, only desisting when Herr Achmueller's hand threatened to move towards his pocket. From the restart Aschaffenburg played the ball up into the Bayern area, where a collision saw two players fall to the ground, with the keeper rushing up to instigate an extended bout of handbags. Herr Achmueller isolated the keeper and observed in text-book fashion, while AR2 coming from the far side got involved rather more than is recommended. Surprisingly play restarted with a kick to Bayern, with neither cards nor lectures. Aschaffenburg came back with a final long ball which was heading harmlessly towards the keeper when the chasing attacker was taken down off the ball. Herr Achmueller gave the penalty, which seemed indisputable, and showed a yellow card as he disappeared under a swarm of angry Bayern players. AR2 again came charging all the way across to lend a hand, insistently pointing out a player as the chaos subsided, so Herr Achmueller produced his yellow card, apparently to the home number 11. The kick was taken and Aschaffenburg scored. Bayern's number 23 lost it completely at this point, ranting and gesticulating at Herr Achmueller, who sadly rather than despatch him decided instead to blow for full time. The Bayern lynch mob again surrounded the referee. Normally the U-23 teams are well-disciplined, but it soon became clear why Bayern were the exception. Their first official on the scene cleared his players away, made his point to Herr Achmueller, offered a handshake and moved away. Sadly his place was taken by two further staff members who continued to rant for some considerable time. When they finally left, Herr Achmueller made a note in his book, which only served to summon them back for round 2. As the officials were finally able to leave the field it was AR2 who was scribbling away furiously. The saddest thing was that the refereeing had been of a better standard in terms of decision-making and of positioning. The only possible reproach would be a failure to take sterner action against offenders in the closing minutes. Having been involved as 4th official in the goings-on at the Europa League match at Salzburg on Thursday, Herr Achmueller had had a lively few days! Aschaffenburg was a pleasant place to visit on two fronts. From the top of the stand there was an impressive view of the Schloss, which if not as immediately imposing as the HBOS lump at the Shay is far more attractive. Better still, as an alternative to the eternal Bratwurst, there was a stand offering 3 pieces of cake (JCFC selected lemon, caramel and apple crumble cakes) with a coffee for 3 euros. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 24. March 2014, 07:07.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 24. March 2014, 08:59 Post #15 |
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Sunday 23rd March 2014 Regionalliga Nord-Ost KSV Wacker 90 Nordhausen 0 v 0 VFC Plauen Max Burda (Berlin); Patrick Kluge, Daniel Koeppen Before the start we were asked to observe a minute's silence in memory of Regionalliga referee Stefan Kleinschmidt who passed away through illness the previous weekend at the tragically young age of 28. At that moment the small band of Plauen fans beside the goal chose to start drumming and chanting. Eventually they subsided, but JCFC's allegiance for the afternoon was settled. The officials' status was decided by height - the tall thin young man was in the middle, the slightly older but rather shorter one was AR1, with the smallest one reduced to AR2. Herr Burda was soon in business. A second minute pull back deserved and received a yellow card. Like his Berlin colleague Daniel Siebert, Herr Burda appeared to stick too rigidly to his diagonal and was often quite remote from events. Fortunately Herr Kluge took care of his quarter of the pitch with regular flags and occasional play on signals. Plauen went on to collect three further yellows, with a late one going to the Nordhausen sub who committed two fouls within a second. Nordhausen had the better chances, but the goal would not come. It is hard to know what to make of Herr Burda. He kept firm control of what was a largely good-tempered game and did nothing obviously wrong, though the time-lag on his whistle was overdone at times. On the other hand he did not seem to offer anything special - so with JCFC's record, he may well be destined for higher things. The match had its longueurs, but the energetic choreography of the Plauen ultras was available as alternative entertainment, though if JCFC wishes to see an unsightly expanse of undraped belly, he would prefer to settle for the bathroom mirror. The view from the stand offered two wooded hillsides - another place that would be pleasant to visit in Autumn. The only downside was the ground's shortage of what are termed the usual facilities. The good citizens of Nordhausen, by the way, are clearly nature lovers. In the early stages of the walk back into town it was amazing to see such numbers of men standing and inspecting various tree trunks at close quarters. Oddly the women did not appear to share this fascination with matters arboreal! Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 28. November 2014, 22:48.
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| Ref Watcher | Monday, 24. March 2014, 14:54 Post #16 |
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Bad Fuessing - what an excellent place for a referee to live. Any chance that they might consider a twinning arrangement with Great Bookham? |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 24. March 2014, 19:29 Post #17 |
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It would have been even better had I not been wrestling with an unfamiliar and unforgiving tablet, and could have used the correct u-umlaut. The machine, however had other ideas and kept changing to Bad Guessing, which would have been even more appropriate! |
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 28. March 2014, 12:50 Post #18 |
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The aforementioned unforgiven tablet has twice already deleted the following - an extreme example of literary criticism, maybe? - so third time lucky... Tuesday 25th March 2014 3. Liga FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt 2 v 0 SpVgg Unterhaching Sören Storks (Velen); Andreas Steffens, Cetin Sevinc In the decade or so since last visiting the Steigerwaldstadion, I had forgotten exactly what the ground was like. From my seat in row fifteen at the back of the stand, the near touchline was roughly 45 yards away. I leave it to students of Pythagoras to factor in the elevation. There was a match out there somewhere, though, and it may be a case of distance lending enchantment to the view, but Herr Storks went some way towards restoring my faith in German referees. Unterhaching, fighting to avoid the drop, started much the better, creating several chances without the desired end product. Erfurt, meanwhile, seemed to do little other than concede a succession of free-kicks. Some referees might have produced a yellow or two, but Herr Storks settled, rightly in my view, for clear "no more" warnings. Midway through the half Erfurt did get the ball up the other end, winning a free-kick, which they proceeded to waste with a woeful shot. A minute later, however, they managed their first decent move of the game, aided by a visiting defender who had hung back to play three men onside, to take the lead. Still the visitors attacked, one extended dribble through the home penalty area had Herr Storks craning this way and that to get a view as defender after defender was beaten, but the eventual shot came from such a narrow angle that it went across the face of the goal and out for a throw-in. The visitors again had the better chances in the third quarter, but the home keeper did well. The final quarter was more even, with end to end movements and evntually as Unterhaching pressed for the equaliser, Erfurt exploited a stretched defence to score their second with the final kick of the game. Herr Storks was much sharper in his movement and adjusted his diagonal in the way we are used to seeing, so was generally well-positioned. His triage was good, fouls and advantages correctly assessed, and the three yellows in the second half were for the sort of wilful offences that deserve a caution. This was his eighth match in the division this season - and the fourth involving Unterhaching. The 3rd Division has in the past seen a high turnover of officials, many being discarded fairly quickly, though the cull was less severe last time. It is to be hoped that Herr Storks survives - but with JCFC's record of second-guessing the authorities, his future may not be as assured as it deserves to be on this showing. The great hand-switching conundrum continues. AR1 did, though occasionally had problems when signalling, AR2 did not. Neither appeared to get anything wrong, however, and AR1 made a number of timely interventions with his flag. A most civilised kick-off time of 18.30 enabled JCFC to make the 20.50 train with several minutes to spare. What a pity that is not practicable here. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Wednesday, 28. May 2014, 20:56.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 28. March 2014, 13:34 Post #19 |
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A full set of league games in midweek is known, curiously, as an "Englische Woche" and this one ended with.., Wednesday 26th March 2014 3. Liga Hallescher FC 0 v 0 Borussia Dortmund ll Marcel Göpferich (Bad Schönborn); Moritz Kühlmeyer, Tobias Fritsch To start with the assistants, Herr Kühlmeyer was a hand-changer and generally looked sharp and on top of things. Herr Fritsch kept his flag in his left hand. When flagging for offside or an attacking throw he would raise the flag in his left hand, bent it back down over his shoulder and switch it to the other hand at the back of his neck. Most curious! Though he did not make any obvious errors, he looked very amateurish - in particular in the way he would flag for offside, turn away and wander off upfield as soon as the whistle went. If he referees in similar style then he would not rate highly in JCFC's books. Herr Göpferich managed to intercept a close-range Halle pass early on and got the bird from the home fans - though the rebound did actually create a good chance which Halle put wide. Around quarter time the visitors picked up a couple of cautions, one for a trip, one for a late tackle. Halle looked dangerous raiding down the flanks, but the ball into the middle was too often cut out much too easily. An excellent advantage from Herr Göpferich (with what appears to be a standard one-armed German signal) let the home striker through,but the Dortmund keeper came out to block well. On 41 minutes Halle were awarded a free-kick just outside the box. JCFC thought that it was inside the box, but a fair challenge - probably wrongly on both counts! The final action of the first half saw Dortmund fire in a shot which was palmed away by the home keeper. The second half did at least see the ball in the net, when Herr Kühlmeyer, having flagged for a free-kick to Halle, then spotted an infringement when it was taken. That apart there was little to excite the neutral. One yellow for each side was added to the tally. Herr Göpferich had a sound enough game, being usually well-positioned and appearing to get most things right, without creating an outstanding impression. So back to England, but not alas in time for the match at Thackley! PS This is what a monologue feels like, mutn! Anyone fancy a trip to Germany? Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 28. March 2014, 13:34.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Friday, 30. May 2014, 21:48 Post #20 |
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To alleviate withdrawal symptoms, a quick visit to Germany, where three of the Oberligen are still in progress, was hastily arranged. So it was that a sunny evening in Hamm saw JCFC making his way to Friday 30th May 2014 Oberliga Westfalen Hammer SpVg 0 v 1 TuS Dornberg Marco Goldmann (Warendorf); Juergen Meller, Philipp Hartmann As is often the case, it was the youngest of the trio who had the whistle, though at 25 Herr Goldmann is getting on a bit by German standards. Herr Meller is a large man, who looks to be carrying a few excess kilos (pot... meet kettle!) and his participation in the warm up was at best desultory. He was subsequently often a few yards adrift on the line and was kept busy with offside decisions, fortunately mostly clear-cut. He did contribute some appropriate flags for fouls, but lacked the body language to support them. Once again, neither assistant changed hands - other than above their heads. This was something of a nothing fixture, Hamm being safe from relegation and Dornberg already condemned to bottom spot. The start was delayed by an interminable series of presentations to those leaving the club - over half the team plus sundry reserves and back-room staff - made even more protracted by the woman who insisted on kissing them all. This might have been behind the captain's refusal to come forward, but nothing daunted she walked over and got her prey. Herr Goldmann started with three softish free-kicks in the first couple of minutes, but having made his point he correctly judged the tenor of the match and quickly eased off as the players got on with the game. The visitors had the better chances, the home keeper twice diving to turn shots round the post. As half-time approached, Herr Goldmann looked over to Herr Hagemann and pointed to his knee. For a moment there were thoughts that he might be injured and that we might see Herr Meller strut his stuff in the middle, but we were spared that. Hamm eventually created a decent chance, but pushed the shot tamely to the keeper. Five minutes into the second period a visiting midfielder received the ball ten metres inside the Hamm half, saw the keeper off his line and lifted the ball over him to give his side a deserved lead. The visitors continued to create the only chances until the 90th minute when the Hamm striker was left free in front of goal, only for the keeper to block his effort. There was little in the game to test Herr Goldmann, but what he had to do he did convincingly. His triage appeared accurate and his whistle was used sensibly - generally low-key, but with a stronger blast on the few occasions that warranted it - and with an effective but not excessive time-lag. He appeared to relate well to players, though quite what led the visiting number 20 to give him a friendly handshake after a quarter of an hour, remains a mystery. Certainly to this observer he looked rather more convincing than some of his higher-ranked colleagues, but it remains to be seen how he would fare in more challenging circumstances. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Friday, 30. May 2014, 21:50.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 1. June 2014, 09:22 Post #21 |
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Saturday 31st May 2014 Oberliga Westfalen TuS Heven 3 v 5 TuS Erndtebrück Oliver Topp (Bueren); Matthias Kiene, Durica Dzijan This match did have something at stake, the home team occupying the second relegation spot, with two clubs just a point ahead. When JCFC commented unfavourably the previous day on Herr Meller's minimalistic approach to the warm-up, he was clearly doing him an injustice. With kick-off at 18.30, Herr Topp emerged shortly before 18.00 and went through a solitary routine on the running track. At K-17 he headed off, leading JCFC to wonder if he was about to drag his colleagues out of the bar and put them through their paces, but no assistants were seen until the teams emerged. At this point the reason for the assistants' failure to warm up became clear - they had been engaged in a fruitless search for Herr Dzijan's lost razor, as his 5 o'clock shadow was by now ...distinctly half-sixish! Herr Topp belongs to an older generation of referees - a generous forty-something in appearance - and with no prospect of advancement did not appear to push himself particularly hard. He remained fairly central - lateral movement had been a strength of Herr Goldman the night before - and did not work too hard from end to end. He was unimpressed by a couple of forwards who went down too easily early on.As the game progressed, JCFC began to harbour the uncharitable thought that free-kick awards were based on bringing play back in Herr Topp's direction, and one or two players started to express their frustration. The visitors took the lead after 9 minutes and after good saves at each end Heven equalised on the half hour, only to fall behind again shortly before the interval. Heven equalised again on 57 minutes and went ahead six minutes later. On 69 minutes a visiting defender pushed the ball away from an opponent who had got wrong side off him, with his hand at shoulder height. From his position Herr Topp had no chance of spotting this, and sadly Herr Djizan, whose view should have been ideal, shook his head. In the circumstances the protests of the home players were remarkably restrained. The visitors went on to equalise 5 minutes later, adding a couple more in the closing stages. Barring an unlikely set of results next weekend Heven look set for relegation, but things might have been different had the assistant flagged for the penalty. Starting in the 63rd minute, Herr Topp issued 4 yellows to Erndtebrück players, with one to Heven in stoppage time, though the feeling remains that with a more active approach early on these may possibly have been unnecessary. For Sunday there is a range of possible matches, but JCFC has decided to head doggedly to the one where the referee has an amusing name. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 1. June 2014, 09:29.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Monday, 2. June 2014, 08:04 Post #22 |
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Another fixture affecting the relegation battle was Sunday 1st June 2014 Oberliga Westfalen SV Zweckel 23 0 v 1 VfB Huels Pascal Pooch (Lage); Semih Icoglu, Leo Bender Accustomed to the smart dress code of British officials, JCFC was surprised to see the referee and his assistants an hour before kick-off in jeans and casual shirts. They did however take part in the warm-up, allowing JCFC to work out who was who - wrongly as it turned out! The tall, dark-haired young man with the film star looks - no, not Lassie or Rin Tin Tin - was indeed Herr Pooch, but it was the slightly pasty youth with the stubble, who sprinted hard but with an action that looked as if he was suffering from blisters, who took up position as AR1, while the slightly older gentleman, with the rather stockier build and swarthy complexion turned out to be AR2. Assumptions based on nationality can be highly misleading. The match day magazine rightly expressed delight that after two successive promotions Zweckel had secured their position in the league - a commendable change from the English response of managerial sackings when the step up proves hard. It also contained a touching appeal from one of the two gnomes in the junior section window, whose twin brother had been abducted. A reward of a drink and a Bratwurst is offered for information leading to his return. After an unusual toss - the referee whistling and waving for the teams to change ends, only for the visiting captain to come back and change his mind - the match kicked off. It was something of a local derby and during the warm-up many hugs had been exchanged, but within seconds players were coming to grips in a different way, when a crude challenge by the Huels number 10 led to an angry reaction from Zweckel number 9 and others were quick to join in. Both assistants were quickly in to observe and when things subsided the correct pair of offenders was isolated. JCFC would happily have seen a yellow apiece, but Herr Pooch decided to settle for a long lecture to calm them down. When he wanted a word with the Huels number 15 following a foul a few minutes later, he did well to clear home players away first. On 13 minutes a clattering challenge from behind by the Zweckel number 5 was rightly penalised, but did not receive the warning which was the very least it merited, whilst an apparent foul by Huels 15 was not punished. Midway through the half a confab between referee and assistant saw the visiting physio called ... to administer first aid to Herr Icoglu's flag. Things had settled down somewhat and JCFC was able to note Herr Pooch's willingness to work into the corners when required, and his sensible diversion from his strict diagonal. On the half hour however a forearm to the neck by Huels number 10 was not spotted, a further challenge upfield left a home player on the ground, while the attack was finally stopped by a Zweckel tackle on the edge of the area that looked like a foul but was again waved on. Goalmouth action had been limited but on 38 minutes a visiting corner led to a good save by the home keeper. Two minutes before the break Herr Pooch finally produced a yellow card, for a trip by the Huels number 2. Five minutes into the second half the visiting number 10 was penalised for a foul and kicked the ball away - but for the third time he escaped without a card. He was certainly living up (down?) to JCFC's experience of unpleasant number 10s in red shirts. (Ossett Town and Thackley come to mind and there may be some at higher levels.) He appeared determined to wind up opponents at every opportunity and whenever anything untoward occurred he was there! Zweckel forced a good save from the keeper, their first real threat of the match. On 55 minutes the home number 5 chopped down an opponent near the touchline and then had the temerity to try to get the ball to take a throw-in. This time he did receive a long and demonstrative lecture, but really should have seen yellow. Zweckel came close on 58 minutes, heading a corner onto the bar, but it was the visitors who took the lead on 67 minutes, with Herr Pooch doubtless pleased with an advantage call. Huels were awarded a free-kick shortly afterwards, number 10 as usual tried to stir things up and when he continued to argue when poised to take the free-kick he finally received a yellow card. By JCFC's reckoning it could/should have been his fourth. On 71 minutes the visiting number 22 saw yellow for a body-check at the side of the box. Herr Pooch moved the wall back and was issuing his instructions about arms when the kick was taken and he had to duck for cover. He rightly had the kick retaken, but the kicker escaped punishment. The remaining minutes saw a succession of cards for obvious offences - Zweckel number 4 for pulling back an attacker,Huels number 16 for obstructing the taking of a free-kick, Zweckel number 8 for a raised foot and his number 21 for clipping an opponent's heels to break an attack. In stoppage time the Huels number 16 was fortunate not to get a second yellow, for barging into an opponent and grabbing him round the neck. On 93 minutes an attacker was heading towards the box when he was barged over from behind by Zweckel number 4 who appeared to aim a kick or two at the player on the ground as well. Herr Pooch rightly produced a card, a straight red rather than a second yellow. Now JCFC is often critical of unnecessary waiting for goal-kicks to be taken before blowing for time - as had happened at the interval here - but Herr Pooch's decision to blow for time with the offender only 15 metres or so towards the touchline beggared belief. Revenge was sought and another general melee ensued. No doubt he will not do that again. Despite the usual reservations about flag-handling, both assistants did well, AR1 bossing his area - and the benches - most effectively. Herr Pooch's decisions did not always match JCFC's view of things, not that this necessarily means he was wrong, but he did seem rather too lenient. This win made the visitors safe from relegation Heven need three points from their final game away from home, coupled with a draw or defeat for Westfalia Herne, if they are to escape the drop.. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Monday, 2. June 2014, 18:13.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Saturday, 29. November 2014, 20:53 Post #23 |
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Some dozen or more years ago, the official policy was that the 2. Bundesliga referees list was to be refreshed regularly, with referees who hadn't made the step up after two or three years being discarded. This has not been the case in recent times, as the top list has been very static. A couple of referees have now been on the 2.Liga list for over 10 seasons. The winnowing is now done at the 3. Liga level, with the result that 11 of the 22 on this list are in their first season - a remarkable statistic! One of these was in charge of Friday 28th November 2014 3. Bundesliga Arminia Bielefeld 2 v 0 Sonnenhof Grossaspach Franz Bokop (Vechta); Lars Thiemann, Henrik Bramlage The home side have often been in the top division, while the visitors are appearing at this level for the first time. Not surprisingly, perhaps, the first half was very one-sided. Arminia had a great chance as early as the sixth minute, but lifted the ball over the bar from four metres out. They were not to be denied for long, though, taking the lead just two minutes later. Thereafter the visiting keeper saved his side on numerous occasions and when he was beaten again on 40 minutes, the header struck the base of the post, crossed the face of goal to beyond the other post, where the shot was blocked for a corner. He deserved a lucky break after all. The second half was a little more even, the visitors forcing the Arminia keeper to stretch to turn a free-kick past the post, but the home side still looked dangerous. Sonnenhof forced a couple of further saves and were correctly denied a penalty when their attacker went down in the box. Equally correctly Herr Bokop had a word with the keeper, who had bent over the attacker and given him what for. Arminia netted soon afterwards, but there was a clear offside in the move, then saw a prod towards an unguarded goal trundle against the post. They did get a second with ten minutes to go, but things rather fizzled out. Herr Bokop did find a couple of cautions in the second half, each credible, neither absolutely essential. Given the casualty rate among third division referees, it is hard to know whether such an undemanding game is an advantage or not. Herr Bokop had no chance to blot his copybook, but nor did he have the chance to show his mettle. A satisfactory, unshowy performance in an apparently relaxed style. Of the assistants, Herr Thiemann handled his flag well, Herr Bramlage did not. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Saturday, 29. November 2014, 20:55.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 30. November 2014, 08:08 Post #24 |
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Saturday 29th November 2014 Regionalliga West FC Kray 1 v 1 FC Viktoria Köln Martin Thomsen (Kleve); Dustin Sikorski, Pascal Dey. This was one step down the pyramid, but in refereeing terms one step up, as Dr Thomsen is one who has survived the 3.Liga and is now in his second season in the 2. Bundesliga. For the mathematically-challenged JCFC it was to be a game of three halves. The officials' warm-up had involved interminable slow jogging to and fro and surprisingly for a young man this was how Dr Thomsen conducted the game. The only quick movement came when he engaged reverse gear to adjust his position. This lolloping style meant that he was frequently at some distance from play, but also that he was ducking for cover on occasions. His whistle was of the shrill variety and it was blown more strongly and at greater length than necessary. Kray conceded numerous free-kicks in the early stages, but then got one of their own. It appeared to be headed for a throw-in by a defender, but the verdict went in favour of the visitors. JCFC did not agree with the decision, but did approve of Dr Thomsen's word with the dissenting home striker. A foul by the home number 10 on 21 minutes looked perhaps worthy of a yellow card, but nothing was said and a further offence minutes later still did not see the card appear, nor did it for the home 27 for wrestling an attacker to the floor. At this point JCFC was wondering how this was one of the top 40-odd referees in the country. Gradually, however, this opinion began to change as his laid back approach and use of a gentle smile seeming to be doing the trick. An accidental clash of heads saw the Viktoria number 6 laid out, with first the nearby home physio and then his own rushing to the spot. After a long spell of treatment he was helped to his feet, but his legs did not seem to belong to him. Surprisingly there were attempts to patch him up with a view to sending him back on, but fortunately the whistle went for half-time, during which wiser counsels prevailed and he was replaced. Kray had been under the cosh for most of the first period, but took the lead just after the break. One or two minor squabbles began to appear and Dr Thomson had words with those involved. Just before the hour mark Viktoria gained a deserved equaliser. This signalled the end of JCFC's second half, as things became a little lively and Dr Thomson had more to contend with. Quite how the home number 21 escaped censure for sprinting all of 40 yards to contest an obvious free-kick against his striker was hard to understand. On 67 minutes a squabble over the ball at a throw by the home bench ended with the visiting number 7 pushing an opponent in the chest with both hands. When the resulting confrontations had settled, Dr Thomson finally produced his yellow card for the offender - all it really merited - and had a calming word with the home coach, who had got a little too excited. Two minutes later a foul by Kray led to some arguments and a straight red for their number 21. Dr Thomsen originally pointed towards the benches, but quickly remembered that the changing rooms were on the other side and pointed the right way as the offender trudged off. A minute later a Kray defender was struck in the face by the ball and went down on the edge of the area. Dr Thomsen allowed play to continue for some time until the home keeper finally gained possession, amidst a certain amount of dispute. This had to be sorted before the physio could finally be summoned - players of both sides had been trying to call him on and in the end he slightly anticipated the referee's signal. Play restarted with the ball being dropped for the keeper. In these slightly fraught circumstances it was brave to play an advantage for Viktoria in a defensive situation, but it was an excellent decision as a crossfield pass released the right winger to run on and shoot, the goalkeeper just managing to turn it for a corner. The closing minutes saw a Kray shot produce a rather flashy save by the Viktoria keeper, while at the very end a Viktoria free-kick hit the post, the rebound being hammered against the crossbar before being cleared. It is hard to know what to make of Dr Thomsen. To one accustomed to a more energetic style of refereeing, he did not look the part, but he did well not to overreact to occasional histrionics, while his smile remained even in the more difficult times and served him well. In the end he appeared to get the important decisions correct and was well received by the participants at the final whistle. Herr Sikorski kept his flag firmly in his right hand throughout, but credit to Herr Dey who managed to switch his flag over in orthodox fashion, a manoeuvre requiring occasional contortions as it also required switching the hand with which he was shading his eyes from a bright low sun! Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 30. November 2014, 08:23.
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| Jim Carr Fan Club | Sunday, 30. November 2014, 21:23 Post #25 |
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The weekend's final game was a step further down the ladder at Sunday 30th November 2014 Oberliga Westfalen FC Gütersloh 1 v 0 TuS Ennepetal Max Krämer (Münster); Jürgen Meller, Julian Wehrmann The officials' warm-up was interesting. It started with a few lengths at a steady jog. Herr Wehrmann began to tire of this and introduced a few moves. From earlier in the year it was known that the cumbersome Herr Meller is a lost cause and he soon dropped out, preferring to strike various poses on half-way. Herr Krämer continued to plough his furrow, with knees and heels up, while Herr Wehrmann went off on an energetic series of sprints and sideskips. The early stages were desperately uneventful as the visitors passed the ball around at the back to no effect, leaving Herr Krämer trundling back and forth along the half-way line.This at least allowed time to observe that he employs a bouncy heels-up running motion - and also that his hairstyle, short at the front, but with a sort of peak at the back, not in this case involving rubber bands in the style of some players, made it look as if his head was pointed. The visitors eventually moved forward and camped in enemy territory for several minutes, so much so that after a quarter of an hour the referee looked back to check that Herr Meller had not fallen asleep/ gone home/ been turned into a pillar of salt. Actually he maintained regular eye contact with each assistant throughout. Anyone thinking that nothing much was happening was not far wide of the mark. On 32 minutes, however, the home number 4 fouled an opponent, who waved an imaginary card, which doubtless ensured that the referee kept his in his pocket, but the home player bent and beat the ground with his fists in a show of irritation, so was rightly summoned for a ticking-off. The home side managed to earn a couple of corners, but it was not until the 36th minute that the Ennepetal keeper had to make a save. Fortunately the second half provided better entertainment. Ennepetal wasted a great chance after just a minute and then the home number 4 rightly received the yellow he had escaped in the first half. He might have been joined on 65 minutes by his number 8, who hauled an opponent to the ground, but the visitors saw a chance to take the kick quickly, so he escaped. The home keeper came to the rescue in the midst of panic amongst his defenders, but play was more even now. Ennepetal picked up two correct yellows in the space of a couple of minutes. On 74 minutes Herr Krämer allowed an excellent advantage on the right touchline, the winger ran forward and crossed to beyond the far post, where the striker did not get the contact he intended, the ball bouncing over the keeper and into the net. Ennepetal looked for an equaliser, leaving Gütersloh space to create the best chances, but without adding to the score. It was not a particularly testing game for Herr Krämer, but his triage was excellent and he handled the game well, the more so as he is only 20. JCFC, having been impressed by Herr Wehrmann's energy - if not his esprit de corps - in the warm-up expected to be disappointed with his flag handling, but instead was pleased to see slick hand switching and good judgement on offside. He is of a similar vintage and JCFC will look for his name with interest in the future. Herr Meller is Herr Meller. Edited by Jim Carr Fan Club, Sunday, 30. November 2014, 21:32.
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8:03 AM Jul 13