Of course I'm not happy that referees and their families get the abuse and threats from certain sections of the community and I never said that and never will condone such actions as I said in my previous post. No one in any legitimate job should suffer such actions, and I take umbrage to the idea that you seem to think that I may do so. The references in my previous post were to your statement that all referees deserved respect. I recall that when you took over the reins of Wakefield Trinity you stated that you were a man of honesty and integrity and I have no reason to believe that the claim was not true as you appear to be a gentleman. But can you honestly put your hand on your heart and state that you believe that James Child refereed last Friday's game and the earlier game at Castleford fairly and honestly. ? I eagerly await your response.
I for one personally think Child refereed both games fairly and honestly. Whether he reffed them well is a totally different argument. I don't believe for a second he is biased and watching the Cas game back on Sky the other week i can see why pretty much all the decisions were given, even if i might not have agreed with all of them. As a neutral i doubt i’d have thought anymore about them. Do i think he had a good game on Friday? No i don't. But that doesn’t mean he is cheating.
When he is having a bad game then he is bound to get criticism from the crowd and i’m sorry to DC but yes it comes with the job to a degree i’m afraid. It has always been the case and always will be but there is obviously a line that shouldn’t be crossed. Shouting he is have a stinker is one thing, but personal abuse is a big step too far. And from what i heard from some in the north stand on Friday then i’m not sure as a club we can act all high and mighty regarding Isreal Falou when some of our fans shout what they did at the referee this weekend. And as for the curse of social media, some of the vitriol on those platforms these days is pathetic. It does say more about the braindead idiots posting it than the person it is aimed at but it will hurt. i’d love to think that a #bekind type campaign would work but lets be honest, it won’t. The world has changed irrecoverably and sadly it’s not for the better.
I couldn’t agree more with your last 2/3 sentences. However if I give up, and accept that this is just how it is these days, I don’t want to be part of that. We cannot give up and let these ‘idiots’ win. What the hell will we leave behind us?
I couldn’t agree more with your last 2/3 sentences. However if I give up, and accept that this is just how it is these days, I don’t want to be part of that. We cannot give up and let these ‘idiots’ win. What the hell will we leave behind us?
I know exactly what you mean but trying to change it is like King Canute against the tide i’m afraid. Social media has ballooned into some great behemoth that is in reality out of control. It has given people the chance to say exactly whatever they want, without justification and without the consequences. Up to 20 years ago to say things that are the norm on these platforms would have to be in person and would get you a fat lip and you’d think twice about doing it again. Now there are no real comebacks. Many of the people who find these things reprehensible have already been shouted down and don’t use them anymore, so the abuse is more acute. I’m really not sure what the answer is, or whether it is just too far gone to be stopped. Maybe it would take people walking away from the game and putting the club or game they purport to love to make people think but i wouldn’t be sure.
I always try to be measured about the referee - and make a point that the outcome of a game is in the hands of the players, not the officials; it is very hard to take however, when a referee is inexplicably inconsistent, and makes big decisions that do in fact turn out to influence the outcome of the game - as happened on Friday night.
On reflection, I don't think Mr Child is biased against Wakefield; I also happen to think that he's *technically* one of the best referees in the game - he quite clearly knows the rules inside out. What I don't enjoy, is his pedantic application of the rules, which seems to exclude interpretation and situational awareness. I also believe that he focuses on one team for periods of a game, then switches his attention - hence a lopsided penalty count, that evens up later.
He doesn't hate Wakefield - he's just not an especially good all-round performer, which is frustrating as a spectator; personal abuse however, is entirely unacceptable - and given recent events, one would hope that people would realise that. They won't though.
I think you'll find it was the touch judge that gave both decisions. He would have looked a bit daft overruling it when the touch judge gave it as he was so close...
No, the TJ does not "give" trys - he merely indicated he had no reason to indicate a no-try. Both very brave calls from him, as you'd be forgiven for thinking they were just too improbable!.
The ref could have disallowed it/either, if he wanted to influence the result of the game.
I know exactly what you mean but trying to change it is like King Canute against the tide i’m afraid. Social media has ballooned into some great behemoth that is in reality out of control. It has given people the chance to say exactly whatever they want, without justification and without the consequences. Up to 20 years ago to say things that are the norm on these platforms would have to be in person and would get you a fat lip and you’d think twice about doing it again. Now there are no real comebacks. Many of the people who find these things reprehensible have already been shouted down and don’t use them anymore, so the abuse is more acute. I’m really not sure what the answer is, or whether it is just too far gone to be stopped. Maybe it would take people walking away from the game and putting the club or game they purport to love to make people think but i wouldn’t be sure.
Social Media making it mandatory to use your own name and details is a good start. Like on here maybe 2% post under their own name. I know it's how it was set up but some people are cruel, vile, rude and disengenious with what they say. They know they can hide behind a username. Reasoned debate also seems to have been lost. In respect of Child's. I did feel he didn't penalise Hull like he did us, within the ruck and offside. However I said at the game I'm often wrong with decisions when I watch it back so I'm interested to watch. If I was right the ref doesn't deserve the abuse he gets. I totally get fans aren't going to watch in silence and are going to moan, I have. But there's a difference between shouting loud come on ref same for both f*cking sides to I hope you loving die in a car crash. I don't think anything has gone too far to be stopped although I agree it's very difficult to change attitudes. A kid announcing over the tannoy isn't the answer!
I couldn’t age more with your last 2/3 sentences. However if I give up, and accept that this is just how it is these days, I don’t want to be part of that. We cannot give up and let these ‘idiots’ win. What the hell will we leave behind us?
As Mick says above, some requirement of proof of ID should be mandatory to get a social media profile, and the social media sites should be required more easily to disclose those proofs of identity. Further, there should be a presumption that a post made on a social media site is made by the profile-holder, unless the profile holder proves otherwise.
The criminal offences are there, but it's the effort involved in proving it that gives people a free rein. And further offences could be introduced. I'm no longer on social media as it is just too draining, which is a shame, because in its infancy it was great. Even on here, people have all sorts of spats, but face to face it would be nothing more than blokes rambling in a pub.
The internet is one of the world's greatest inventions. But it is also one of the worst.
No one has explained the statistic (if true) of only 3 winning games out of 30 matches reffed by Mr Child. Are these the figures of an unbiased official? I'd like to see his statistics for the other 11 clubs in comparison
No one has explained the statistic (if true) of only 3 winning games out of 30 matches reffed by Mr Child. Are these the figures of an unbiased official? I'd like to see his statistics for the other 11 clubs in comparison