137 replies to this topic

[Tommy The C5t]

At the end of the day the Bulls lost because the didn't defend early on and wasted far too many chances, clear cut chances, which should have been taken. I thought they defended well after the first ten minutes, including some lengthy periods on our line. The line was superb and the tackling excellent for large parts of the game, but the game was probably lost due to the general lack of confidence surrounding the club at present, very noticeable when in possession.

I'm sorry but I can't let the inept performance of the referee pass without comment. He wasn't the cause of our loss, we were bad enough on our own to do that, but his awarding of penalties which left both sides both puzzled and fuming at various stages of the game and drove fans at the ground to fury. How he could get to the stage of giving a Bulls player ten minutes for repeated offside when did didn't give a single penalty against the Cats in the same period, despite them being just as guilty as we were, was almost criminal.

Quote from Connor Murphy, Bradford Telegraph and Argus: James Child's performance was at times farcical and the inconsistent way he refereed the game only contributed to the chaos on the pitch, rather than bringing any kind of order to the proceedings. End quote.

That's putting it nice.

Child won't be seen at Odsal for a long after yesterdays debarcle and a friend of mine who is married to a qualified Rugby League referee and yesterday he was going ballistic at James Child for his shocking and inept display.

This is coming from a qualified Rugby League referee who also thinks the standards are so poor and the only option is to get rid of the likes of Child and bring in new Blood.

My thoughts are that there is no consistency, one referee will operate one way and then another totally differently and it's no good for the players and staff never mind US, the poor supporters who are paying week in week out to watch the tripe from referees.

[Tommy The C5t]

Mick - taken liberty of reducing the length of your question for the fans forum. Assuming you are still keen enough to go - would you ask the one below please;

"If it is a fact that the cost of staying at Odsal Stadium is not financially viable and we must leave, can you confirm or state where the Bradford Bulls are likely to be based and how you will market that change to the fans on this occassion?"

How does that sound? Interesting?

Cheers Errol, no worries my friend and I'll ask both these questions for sure on Wednesday and let you know the response from Hood, Duffy etc.

Thanks for reducing the length of my original question

[Tommy The C5t]

To reiterate our stance, we will not stop people calling refs ###### or criticising their performance, it's just that we get seriously fed up of people calling refs bent. People can have an abysmally ###### day at the office without being on the take!

Criticise Childs all you want as long as you don't stray into the libel fields...

But no one is calling him bent?

We are just highlighting to you all that Cummings has inept referees who are out to destroy games.

[ckn]

But no one is calling him bent?

We are just highlighting to you all that Cummings has inept referees who are out to destroy games.

I refer you to my post earlier:

No-one's saying you can't criticise refs, that's why the posts are still there and not deleted. It's just we're all way past the kid crying wolf stage now and refuse to believe anything Mick says about referees, even if he were 100% right for a change.

Seriously... if you'd have shown any restraint in the past on referees and not been too willing to throw in the wildly incorrect rants about them then people might listen to you when the ref has a genuinely bad game.

If people see a post where you're criticising a ref and given a straight choice between "is the ref really ######" or "is Mick just irrationally ranting again" then a good majority of people would probably go for the latter.

Every time you have a rant at a ref, I get a number of posts from a wide ranging group of very sensible people, including a few Bradford fans, asking why you haven't been banned (again) yet. It gets harder to defend you every time I see those PMs and your posts on refs.

[ParisSurtout]

The only thing that Catalans should be impressed about is the massive penalty count in their favour.

You don't want to address the legitimate issue that I have raised about comparative playing strength of the two teams. You do not address it because you cannot answer it, and because you are obsessed with the referees as the source of your club's woes.

I would not have high hopes of careeer in journalism if I was you.

Edited by ParisSurtout, 02 August 2010 - 01:34 PM.

[Tommy The C5t]

I refer you to my post earlier:

Seriously... if you'd have shown any restraint in the past on referees and not been too willing to throw in the wildly incorrect rants about them then people might listen to you when the ref has a genuinely bad game.

If people see a post where you're criticising a ref and given a straight choice between "is the ref really ######" or "is Mick just irrationally ranting again" then a good majority of people would probably go for the latter.

Every time you have a rant at a ref, I get a number of posts from a wide ranging group of very sensible people, including a few Bradford fans, asking why you haven't been banned (again) yet. It gets harder to defend you every time I see those PMs and your posts on refs.

But everyone should be open to criticism, myself, you, teachers, nurses, referees (freedom of speech and all).

With this here forum there is a whole wide range of personalities and ages and if people are sending you PM asking for members to be banned then that is quite frankly pathetic.

At the end of the day we are all highly passionate about are love of the greatest game, so why don't we all just get on and sing the praise of Rugby League.

[Tommy The C5t]

You don't want to address the legitimate issue that I have raised about comparative playing strength of the two teams. You do not address it because you cannot answer it, and because you are obsessed with the referees as the source of your club's woes.

I would not have high hopes of careeer in journalism if I was you.

I'm fine with the career I have thankyou very much and my reply was to your apparent failure to undesrtand that Catalans had a heavy penalty count in their favour and for the last time the referee didn't cost us the match and no I'm not obsessed with referees and I don't blame them for the shortcomings of my club.

[Exiled Wiganer]

Given how badly caned the Catalans are most weeks, getting the count in their favour must have been a refeshing change. You don't lose so many games on the run without having far more serious issues than the referee. Given the crowd was 6k and loose change at least there weren't many spectators to drive away.

[Amber Avenger]

Given how badly caned the Catalans are most weeks, getting the count in their favour must have been a refeshing change. You don't lose so many games on the run without having far more serious issues than the referee. Given the crowd was 6k and loose change at least there weren't many spectators to drive away.

Sure, but on the flipside all these gripes from even the most "sensible" section of the Bradford fans on here must tell you that even with all the problems we have on and off the pitch that it must be a special kind of reffing display to promt that kind of response.

FWIW - I don't think one person on here has blamed anyone but the Bradford players for the defeat.

[Bulligerent]

I think some people are being a little mischievous here and only picking up the points in Mick's posts that they want to i.e. Mick criticises referee = the ramblings of a mad/drunk man (apologies Mick, i use that as a generalisation!).

In fairness to Mick, i don't think on this occasion he has any need to apologise for his complaints; the referee was absolutely shocking yesterday.

However, i agree that Mick has made a rod for his own back in that he allows his passion for his club to blinker his opinions at times and has, on occasion, used the shortcomings of the referees as an excuse for the club's own failings. Incidentally, that is the reason that i felt the need to add a pre-cursor to my own thoughts about James Child's performance yesterday - i do feel now that Mick has blackened the name of Bradford fans on this forum when it comes to our thoughts on referees and even when we do have a genuine cause for complaint about a refereeing performance (i repeat that i am not blaming the ref for our defeat - i'm simply stating his performance generally yesterday was not up to standard), it is seen as "same old Bradford fans, using the ref's performance as an excuse".

However, in further defence of Mick and in the interest of balancing my argument as i do not want to be seen as 'attacking' Mick as that is not ultimately my intention; if you could extricate the good in Mick with regards to his support for Bradford; his passion, knowledge, and willingness to immerse himself in all things Bradford Bulls and inject that into the lapsed supporters and in some ways the Board at Odsal, we would be a serious force to be reckoned with!

For the record - i am not one of the Bradford fans who feels the need to PM the Mods re: Mick's ref rants.

[Tommy The C5t]

I think some people are being a little mischievous here and only picking up the points in Mick's posts that they want to i.e. Mick criticises referee = the ramblings of a mad/drunk man (apologies Mick, i use that as a generalisation!).

In fairness to Mick, i don't think on this occasion he has any need to apologise for his complaints; the referee was absolutely shocking yesterday.

However, i agree that Mick has made a rod for his own back in that he allows his passion for his club to blinker his opinions at times and has, on occasion, used the shortcomings of the referees as an excuse for the club's own failings. Incidentally, that is the reason that i felt the need to add a pre-cursor to my own thoughts about James Child's performance yesterday - i do feel now that Mick has blackened the name of Bradford fans on this forum when it comes to our thoughts on referees and even when we do have a genuine cause for complaint about a refereeing performance (i repeat that i am not blaming the ref for our defeat - i'm simply stating his performance generally yesterday was not up to standard), it is seen as "same old Bradford fans, using the ref's performance as an excuse".

However, in further defence of Mick and in the interest of balancing my argument as i do not want to be seen as 'attacking' Mick as that is not ultimately my intention; if you could extricate the good in Mick with regards to his support for Bradford; his passion, knowledge, and willingness to immerse himself in all things Bradford Bulls and inject that into the lapsed supporters and in some ways the Board at Odsal, we would be a serious force to be reckoned with!

For the record - i am not one of the Bradford fans who feels the need to PM the Mods re: Mick's ref rants.

Cheers for the above Bulligerent, see you at the supporters forum.

[Tommy The C5t]

Sure, but on the flipside all these gripes from even the most "sensible" section of the Bradford fans on here must tell you that even with all the problems we have on and off the pitch that it must be a special kind of reffing display to promt that kind of response.

FWIW - I don't think one person on here has blamed anyone but the Bradford players for the defeat.

Spot on and guess what?

It's the same posters again trying to say different, we should just ignore them and let them get on with it.

Edited by Tommy The C5t, 02 August 2010 - 02:34 PM.

[tonyXIII]

Try to look on the bright side, Mick (and all Bulls fans on here). No matter how bad Mr Childs was yesterday, he can't possibly have been as bad as the Salford team.

(PS. Don't bother to reply. I don't want to start another thread)

[Tommy The C5t]

Try to look on the bright side, Mick (and all Bulls fans on here). No matter how bad Mr Childs was yesterday, he can't possibly have been as bad as the Salford team.

(PS. Don't bother to reply. I don't want to start another thread)

I must say I was pretty shocked on hearing that result mate.

Anyhow enjoy the match highlights of yesterdays game here ----> http://www.superleag...ayer.php?id=750

If they had included all the penalties in the highlights you'd still be watching it next week.

[indomitable]

Spot on and guess what?

It's the same posters again trying to say different, we should just ignore them and let them get on with it.

I personally wrote my opinion of the Bulls performance earlier without mentioning anything about the referee. All I will say on the subject is that his performance was terrible, and he destroyed any chance of a good game.
The French supporter who keeps quoting that the Bulls had only two first teamers absent through injury should get his facts right, three first team forward were also absent, and one has not yet been fit to play this season. On top of this a number of youngsters who would normally play are injured also. Just remember this has been a regular occurence and not just the odd match such as Catalans.

[Bulliac]

Completely agree. It is the boards penny pinching and short sightedness is what's really at the root of where we are today. There's a saying in business that when times get tough, you can't afford to not spend money. Actually, I made that up but it sounds like it comes from Dragons Den anyway.

Cutback on this, cutback on that...can't afford this, release this player,...and look where we are, slumming it with the lower orders. Damn them to hell!!

No good blaming the current management mate, the seeds of the current mess were sown five, six, seven and more years ago, when we were spending money (actually allocated for ground maintenance) as though it was going out of fashion, and signing players already contracted to another club (oh, how that has cost us dear) in a corporate willy waving competition.

It's true to say there have been people at the Bulls who didn't know the difference between capital and current account, and nor did they show much corporate responsibility either, fortunately they are no longer there.

[Tommy The C5t]

No good blaming the current management mate, the seeds of the current mess were sown five, six, seven and more years ago, when we were spending money (actually allocated for ground maintenance) as though it was going out of fashion, and signing players already contracted to another club (oh, how that has cost us dear) in a corporate willy waving competition.

It's true to say there have been people at the Bulls who didn't know the difference between capital and current account, and nor did they show much corporate responsibility either, fortunately they are no longer there.

I think even if he could turn back the clock, he would still do that and only just to get one over Hetherington.

I know he had left the club, but I bet he was really rubbing it in at Old Trafford way back in October 2005.

[John Drake]

Apologies if anyone is upset by my constant moaning about the officials but today I feel I'm more than justified to criticise them.

The thing is, Mick, you criticise them all the time, and in such a way that goes beyond anything that could be classed as rational or objective. You do not analyse their performance and explain where and how they have made errors, which would be perfectly acceptable. You descend into attacking them personally and implying that they are somehow out to 'get' Bradford for some reason or another, in other words 'cheating'.

Take these examples from this thread:

"the abomination with the whistle is a disgrace, an absolute disgrace"

"It really is a disgrace as the cries of cheat cheat cheat cheat reverberate around Odsal. The odds and other factors are firmly against us today."

I'm writing this as a Bradford fan myself, as disappointed as anyone by the club's decline, but in all honesty, your attitude towards referees exasperates me in my capacity as Site Admin on this forum, because you go way beyond what is acceptable, time after time after time.

I really don't want to have to ban you from here (again) because I think your passion for your club - and the game in general - is laudable, but you need to learn to channel that passion more constructively or I am going to end up with no other choice. It isn't just the same people complaining about your ref rants, you really are getting on a lot of people's nerves with it, including the moderators and however good or bad James Child may be as a referee, neither he nor anyone else deserves to be called an abomination on here by anyone.

I'm posting this in public rather than PM in the hope that you'll get this message loud and clear, and that other forum members will understand that I am not ignoring their complaints.

I'd recommend you take the advice I'm about to offer, Mick, if you want to stay on TRL:

1. Stop posting live updates from games, because you will end up posting something in the heat of the moment that will finally end up getting you banned from TRL, no matter how many assurances you give beforehand that you won't. Leave it at least 24 hours after the game before you post.

2. Do not, even after the event, post abusive personal comments about referees or imply that they are cheats.

3. If you must question their performance in a game, do so analytically, rather than emotionally. Don't just rant that they got it all wrong, because no one will listen or take you seriously, trust me on that, they really won't. Instead, describe what, in your view, they got wrong and how. If that means you have to think a bit harder before posting, or maybe even take notes during a game, so much the better because you'll probably begin to notice and - dare I begin to hope - appreciate how much they also get right. Referees, like players, are not infallible robots.

I've said enough now. Take it on board please, and don't spoil the forum for others by filling it with rants about referees and don't spoil it for yourself by getting banned from here as a result of carrying on doing so.

On this note, I'm locking this thread.