Was just chatting to a mate there from a rival club and we were discussing the dodgy linesmen and umpires that were in our respective clubs down through the years..

You know the story, referee turns up on his own and asks for umpires, club looks for the dodgiest man possible who has no qualms about giving a clear wide ball as a point or vice versa.

The funny thing is everyone in the crowd plus all the players know that if a ball is anywhere near over the line or crossbar, the man ill give it. Only 1 who hasnt a clue is the ref.

In our own club we had an umpire who gave a wide ball when the ball clearly went into the net, problem was there was a hole in the corner of the net so it travelled on out.

Referee gave it as a wide and we went on to win by two, there was near war after the game.. Any other similar stories????

star10 (Monaghan) - Posts: 31 - 13/08/2010 15:42:29    745470

how could you top that?

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 13/08/2010 16:25:23    745530

11th July Croke Park ! That is the worse part of it ! Massive game :(

MR (Louth) - Posts: 2570 - 13/08/2010 16:33:44    745540

yes Mr louth that was rather funny!

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 13/08/2010 16:39:43    745546

star10
County: Monaghan


Your a drumhowen man - was there that nite.

Brolly (Monaghan) - Posts: 4472 - 13/08/2010 16:50:27    745561

In reply to you post Star10 I feel that some of the things that is going on with umpires and so call officials at club level are completly wrong. I remember back a couple of years when my own club played one of our close reveals and when their umpire give a ball wide for us in the first half and then proceed to award a point that had been kick wide by at least 2foot all hell nearly broke loose.
With that said my own club is no better as sometimes imaginery lines are invented when the ball comes near the side line.
Something needs to be put in place to make sure that refs have their own umpires and linesmen instead of putting local men who are clearly bias in a position that they can decide the outcome of a closely contested game.
Needs to be sorted before some man is badly hurt!!!

legend09 (Monaghan) - Posts: 5 - 13/08/2010 16:54:41    745566

I dunno that happens in a lot of underage games alright in terms of the ref turning up on his own but with all Clare senior club games they do bring (neutral) umpires with them in fairness. Also for county semi-finals and finals in most underage grades, you'd get the same in Clare.

banner_boy (Clare) - Posts: 1285 - 13/08/2010 17:57:56    745631

No not from Drumhowan but it does show that it happens quite often in Monaghan.

Another story was a linesman who gave a shocking decision against the away team, a row broke out and he used the flag as a stick to hit one of the opposing players..

It is very difficult though to get 4 people to come with a referee unpaid, especially of a sunday afternoon..

star10 (Monaghan) - Posts: 31 - 13/08/2010 18:47:03    745692

you should be sending scripts into the BBC


as youse say yersels that atara

ochonlir (Cavan) - Posts: 4343 - 13/08/2010 19:51:29    745732

Try an auld jr c match in a county i was playing abita ball in few years back ya'd do well to get one umpire,The ref would look for the keepers reaction to decide for a tight one

O and lads anyone know if the ball goes directly over the post is it given as a score or a wide?

BostonMan (USA) - Posts: 6 - 13/08/2010 21:00:21    745780

I umpired an inter faculty hurling match in UCD (on the night Dalglish scored the winning goal in the European Cup) when my team scored a late consolation goal. The goalie had misjudged a head high ball which flew into the roof of the net. The other team's umpire insisted that the ball went over the bar, rolled down the back of the net and spun back under the net. The referee was not impressed. The goalie confided in me afterwards that the umpire had told him he was planning such a ruse.

On another occasion, at a club hurling match in Dublin, a low shot rebounded off the opposition's umpire's leg for our corner forward to score. The referee allowed the goal insisting, despite the protestations of the backs and the umpire, that the ball had hit the post. House rules pevent me from qouting the linesman's response but he said enough to be sent off by the ref. The ref did not ask my opnion. I resisted the call from my conscience to tell the ref he was wrong.

Another umpire, also at a club hurling match in Dublin, flagged a point despite our goalie being adamant that it was wide. A man walking his dog behind the goals loudly remarked that it was 'as wide as the gates of the Phoenix Park'. We lost by 15 points instead of 14.

tommy58 (Dublin) - Posts: 169 - 14/08/2010 21:19:03    746278

My club have an umpire, who when he is at the goals we are attacking puts the hand up for every shot and when we are defending those goals everything is wide, funny as fleck. He is the club president too!!!

rogercasement (Antrim) - Posts: 59 - 15/08/2010 12:58:51    746377

Tommy, I bet the game turned on that decision though!!! Big difference between 15 and 14!!

I remember an umpire in a underage club match about 10 years ago (who was from my club) when a ball went over the end line almost beside the sideline. The umpire ran across and waved his arms wide. There was a heavy protest from the supporters on the sideline who said it came off the corner back's foot (and they were right, even our supporters knew that. An argument started and the umpire roared at the referee and the opposition supporters "DO YOU THINK I'M AN EFFIN EGIT" as loud as he could, which I think ended the argument.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 15/08/2010 14:04:08    746401

It is very hard to get 4 umpires never mind linesmen but poeple who go against the correct decision are not true sportsmen.

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 15/08/2010 15:43:41    746440

i was playin a reserve game about 5 years ago and had a shot that hit the bar and went over for a point, couldnt believe it when the umpire gave it as a wide even though it hit the bar, didnt matter anyway cause we were stuffed but felt like smacking the umpire and the ref for not over ruling him, so much for fair play

ciaran08 (Down) - Posts: 171 - 16/08/2010 16:01:58    747239

I was in goals in an undergae hurling game years ago when the oppositions corner forward grabbed the ball and soloed in at any angle and hit a rasper into the top corner. The nets hadn't been secured properly so the ball flew through a gap between the net and the post. The umpire and the ref both ruled it wide. The corner forward couldn't believe it and went a bit mad in giving out to the referee. The ref then sent him off!

The best thing about is what that the umpire turned out to be his Da!

I bet the drive home was a frosty one!

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13792 - 16/08/2010 16:07:55    747249

delboy what about a goal that was a point a few weeks back keeper punched it out from behind the goals and forward scored goal from it. was the referee a true sportsman

paudi (Meath) - Posts: 681 - 16/08/2010 16:49:59    747310

MesAmis, that is a classic story. Brilliant.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 16/08/2010 19:07:42    747513

Have been in some hotly debated umpiring situations myself.School match this year,ball clearly crossed the line for a goal for my school,other umpire was a man of about 60 who had been having goes at me all game and me 15.Ref finally came over after i had my hand up for about 5 minutes.Ref listened to him and then me and then said he wasnt awarding the goal.Dublin division 2 feile final in parnell,official linesmen but umpired from either team including my dad.Last year division 2 under 15 final official umpires but my dad on linesman.hE IS FAIR THOUGH

dubs4eva (Dublin) - Posts: 484 - 16/08/2010 21:08:40    747667

paudi if it was the wood v clan na geal game well your wrong umpires both stated it was a goal as ball never went over the bar , now both umpires agreed ... tells something bout you if it is same game.

Dellboypolecat (Tyrone) - Posts: 15069 - 16/08/2010 21:45:54    747706