Officials decisions the last two home games!

[GovanAllan 0]

I know you will say this is the referees' union speaking and so it is but I had 2 spells as a linesman in the senior foootball in the late 70's/early 80's (including an appearance at Wembley and John Greig's Testimonial) and it was an incredibly difficult job then and it is more difficult now because the game is so much faster.

 

Consider that often you cannot look at the player kicking the ball, who may well be some way to the side of your line of sight, or you have to look at him or her at the same time as looking across the line. Since this is a physical impossibility most times you have to listen for the ball being kicked forward rather than see that happen because you are focused on offside. That means you have to be staring across the line of the last defender (at the same as worrying that the attacker will slice his kick or a defender will intercept and send the ball out for a throw in) and in order to match the TV replays you would have to be able to freeze frame the action with the naked eye at the same time as applying a right angled triangle.

 

At least in my day you could give the decision there and then, now you have to wait till the player in the offside position touches the ball, making you look very slow and incurring the wrath of the defenders.

 

Not an easy job, I can assure you.

 

As someone who sits in GF2 at Ibrox I can assure you looking along the line for these guys is near impossible because they are never up with play.