Football/Spurs news - Rooney and the Ref

By Statto the Yid
September 15 2005

Over the last week or so there has been some debate over some clubs driving fans away with boring tactics, turning the Premier League into some kind of Serie A throw back of the late 1990's.

This may be the case, but other issues are sure to eat away at attendance step up Mr Rooney, the shrek faced player is causing damage to our game and the development of players coming through from grass roots football, and youth systems throughout the land.

"People may poke fun at Rooney, but does he represent something far more serious in football?"

Im sure we all have kids playing football at School or for a youth team from our families, and I feel its time to change the way they are encouraged.

The atmosphere of their own match days should be one of 'well done' rather than screaming parents at the touch line, swearing at the ref. Seeing the family background Mr Rooney comes from Im sure this was the case with him at youth level (which face it isn't a distant memory for Rooney) If parents can break this cycle then it will only help with stamping this constant ref abuse out, after all kids learn from example, if you show a child love it learns how to love - if you show it anger and aggression it learns to be angry. This ethos is the same for everything a child does, which is why is it so important for parents and players they regard as heroes to stop this ref abuse which is so common in the domestic and international game.

Fans have to take their part in this too, some of the decisions that were made in the Ashes series were incorrect and the use of some quite breath taking technology sorted the wood from the trees, but the ref decisions was final. What interested me more than that was the reaction of the fans packed into the Oval. . not 'The Ref's a . . (what every rudeness you can think of) but nothing no moaning no whining, just they carry on, the players just chalk it up and deal with it. The same goes for Rugby, Ice Hockey, I could go on so why does this erode our sport so much, why football of all sports does this manage to shadow some football fixtures so much.

"Warne shows Wayne how to be a top sporting star but also a top bloke"

You could blame over the top passion, the beer intake of some fans which have fuelled the ref abuse, managers of some clubs who don't come out and say this is not on, maybe is a reflection of society today ( which I don't buy into for the reason previously stated ). Something needs to be done, but its obvious the FA are only interested in changing the off side flag timings and taking your shirt of when you score a goal.

If I was a PL manager I'd fine anyone two weeks wages for back chat to a ref and a month for being sent off due to ref or linesman abuse. Whist this may not change grass roots football it does send out a clear signal that this will not and can not carry on, maybe if this was done 7 years ago when Rooney was a kid then maybe he would not be such a liability on the pitch.