Official’s job is to dampen conflict, not encourage it
Matches at Turf Moor in which Burnley have avoided defeat against Fulham
Iwas shocked by Darren Drysdale’s behaviour – from my experience of him, he is not that sort of character. I have always considered him calm and controlled, but he was lucky that other players intervened to defuse the situation with Alan Judge, as it had the potential to turn quite nasty.
Referees are there to dampen conflict, not encourage it, and every official who operates at this level will have had training in how to deal with volatile situations.
I used to regularly ask sports psychologists to come to speak to referees about managing emotions, but there are also specific things that officials are taught to do in workshops laid on by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd.
For example, a referee should always stand at least two arm’s lengths away when addressing a player. That way, if the player does lose control and wants to throw a punch at you, you are far enough away to avoid it. That is not particularly a problem at the elite level, but it is at grass roots, where player behaviour can be a big issue.
Similarly, referees should not point at players – that is aggressive and antagonistic. Instead, if they have to use their hands, have them with palms outstretched, facing down – a gesture that says you are calling for calm.
Also, when asking a player to come over and speak to them, a referee should not point to them and say: “Come here.” Instead they should gesture to a third point on an imaginary triangle and say: “Join me over there” – so it is an invitation, not a command.
Mason Greenwood has conceded he has found his second season in the Manchester United first team far harder than the first, after signing a new contract that will keep him at the club until at least 2025.
The 19-year-old, who has been tipped to become one of the best forwards in Europe, has scored just once in 18 Premier League appearances this season and has mainly been used as a substitute after a sensational breakthrough year.
Greenwood scored 10 goals in 31 league games as he established himself as a key part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans, but it has been harder for him to make the same impression in this campaign.
He has also suffered a reversal in fortunes on the international stage, after forcing his way into Gareth Southgate’s full England squad.
He made his senior debut in the Nations League win over Iceland, but has not been picked since he was sent home from Reykjavik in disgrace for inviting two women into the hotel room he shared with Manchester City’s Phil Foden.
While Foden has stepped up and made an impact with City at the Etihad after that controversy, and could become a key figure at this summer’s European Championship, Greenwood may only be watching from home or be with the England Under-21 squad.
“I feel like I’m getting back up to where I was last season,” Greenwood said ahead of United’s Europa League game against Real Sociedad. “I’ve been here since the age of seven and it’s the place I want to be. Hopefully I can get back up to the standards I was up to last season. I’m working hard with all the coaches, so hopefully I’ll be back there soon.
“It’s just a challenge. After you’ve played for the first season, not many of the players know what you’re going to do. Second season, you’ve really got to have a few more tricks up your sleeve.”
Solskjaer does not see any reason to be concerned about the slowdown in Greenwood’s progress and revealed the player is so young, they do not even know what his best position is yet.
The United manager, who confirmed Paul Pogba will not play at all this month because of injury, added: “He can play right, centre-forward, 10 and – at a stretch maybe – on the left. We just have to give him time to find his final position.”
“He’s a forward who moves really well along the line.
“At his age, and at his development physically, sometimes you don’t want to be right up in the mix and in the middle with the big brutal centre-backs next to you so… [it] will be in the next year or two [we find out] if he is going to be a No9 or a [wide] forward, or a shadow striker.
“But in and around the goal definitely, we need him there, even though his link-up and general play has improved a lot.”