Assistant saves Referee's blushes, but what's the re-start?

¶   A fascinating post on about 5'30" from a Football Conference game in Kent. At an Eastleigh freekick, an Eastleigh player in the Dover wall commits violent conduct by slapping a Dover player in the face (and also possibly spits in another player's ear, I'm not sure). The free kick is taken and Eastleigh score. Cue protests from Dover players. Referee clearly has not seen the VC, but luckily for him, his Assistant has.

We're all agreed the red card is correct, but referees are arguing intently about how the game should be restarted.

A minority are arguing the goal should stand because play has restarted after the foul. Laws state that action can only be taken by a referee if play has not re-started. Most, however, argue for pragmatism and say a defensive free kick should be awarded.

It's a tricky one.

A late entry on Ba's broken nose

I know it's taken me a while to get arouind to this, but Demba Ba and Chelsea really should have been awarded a penalty against Newcastle when Fabricio Coloccini broke his nose with a high kick.

Offside law change plan is a mess, needs rewriting

When football's law-makers meet in Scotland next month, they'd better leave themselves plenty of time to sort out the mess they've dug themselves into with proposed tweaks to the offside law, Law 11. The subtleties of Law 11 escape most footballers, but the tweaks FIFA has proposed do not, frankly, make the law any simpler.

Good on you Mike Dean for slapping down the naughty boys

I like Mike Dean when he's at his schoolmasterly best. When the game gets rough and the players start behaving like schoolboys, Dean rises well to the challenge, adopting the guise of Headmaster calming down  his naughty charges and handing out cards like detention slips..

FatRef's comeback ends in the x-ray department!

After a lay off of more than three months to cure a hairline or stress fracture of the fifth metatarsal, a pathetic little bone in the foot, I was desparately keen to get back into action on Saturday. Unfortunately, it ended in tears and more x-rays in the A&E department at Maidstone Hospital, which showed the fracture has not healed. The pain is several times worse than it ever was the first time round and I'm watching my left foot swell and blacken!

Never thought I'd say "lay off Suarez"...

but this time I'm going to. Suarez undoubtedly ignites conflicting emotions; dislike for the frequent diving that was so obvious last season, affection and respect for his towering goal-scoring form this season. He has been a joy to watch.

Walk away from "Thugball", Stanley Lover advises refs

I've had the honour recently of exchanging emails with a certain Stanley Lover. Stanley, who lives in Paris, had a 25-year long global officiating career, including top matches in Britain and abroad. He's particularly proud of serving FIFA for 23 years, as an instructor for international referees, in all six confederations. His first book Football Laws Illustrated is still in print after 42 years. He qualified with the Kent CFA when living at the top of Shooters Hill, Woolwich.. Stanley is well into his 80s these days but shows few signs of slowing up after an extraordinary life. He has given me permission to reproduce what he describes as "A referee's Rant." 

FatRef books Jan 5 as comeback date

Where was I when I was so rudely interrupted? FatRef is looking forward to return to the delights of the Kent County League on January 5 after a three-month lay-off caused by a broken metatarsal.