Northern Leagues

Agree, there was much slipping and sliding! Springs were minus at least 5 starters, including 3  midfielders, and Birko seem to have gained a few from earlier in the season, and looked far more like the team of old. Seems to be a bogey ground for springs too!

Proposed North Shore and FHM merger

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-OaQFIJGs_cLTBKdS1vQVd6R1pRTnZ5bDh5aDlGOWVPM0E0/view

Who was at the Manukau /North Shore game and can report first hand - as I heard the match was abandoned after 6 red cards!! How unlike Manukau to be involved in something like that!

Wasn't there but was abandoned in the 96th minute according to COMET! Manukau twitter account blew up afterwards but have since deleted the tweets.

I was at the Three Kings game, Howieson has completely changed that team. Amazing what one player can bring to the table.

Anyone know what the tweets were referring to?  

Main tweet that was deleted. Always referees fault and never the players or clubs!

Kevin's blog this week will be must-read.

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/domestic/1137...

Don't think it's from the same competition as it mentions playing Ellerslie. Nevertheless it's all a disgrace. Where are the club fines?

Some things never change though, Manukau United still just a flog of club.

Without being there, who knows of any provocation, but from the comet report posted, it looks like the brawl started from a North Shore headbut...

Even if the referee was poor (national league referee btw) how does that excuse headbutting someone and then having a brawl... 

manukau were deducted points last season would imagine something of the same here for both teams ,would imagine manukau on a good behaviour bond also ?

Nick is probably the best referee in the country.

Have played for a club getting reds week in week out for behaviour. We too used to blame the referee. The truth is that the culture was shark.

Are the orange cards 10 mins off for verbals to the ref?

I saw one tweet ranting about how the last NSU goal was obviously offside, but it was cursing out the lino, not the referee

yes - temporary dismissal.

FYI if one happens in the 80-90 min range - even if there is additional time played the player can not come back.

Well that's not consistent as a player in the Mainland Premier League got sin binned at 83 and came on for the last few minutes of injury time... 

Its not run nationally yet so I would say the difference is how each local body has decided to run the trial. We don't even have it in Capital Football.

Also, latest Facebook post from Manukau United was a shared post from Manukau City about the incident the weekend before.

Didn't know that - just assumed it would be the way it is in Auckland Football, if it isn't and your the team down a player wouldn't you just waste as much time as possible (even if the referee added it) so that you get your player back for injury time.  

It doesn't and never will. I've been to many games, as I'm sure we all have, and thought that the refereeing was 'poor' but no excuse for fighting etc. Manukau United along with Manukau City should face a one season ban, at least, because it has happened before and will happen again unless something is done. Other clubs don't do it so why should they?

not really - quite diplomatic for him, although he still puts the blame on the officials 

This week also was horrendous for me as a coach.
In the Manukau United versus North Shore United Premier League fixture, officialdom and player frustrations coupled with the inevitable consequences of such stupidity as the “sin bin” nonsense, wrecked a fine contest until tempers spilled over.
I do not condone lack of discipline and am constantly seeking respect for officials and coaches alike but it has to be reciprocated.
In the final analysis the game was not well managed and decisions were made that were not justified.
Decisions that could only be described as a result of a “brain explosion”. Decisions that could wreck our seasons work.

We must respect the referees ... unless I don't agree with them, then it is OK to show a lack of discipline

I am reading this from Canterbury due to the coverage it is getting. I'm sorry but that report, as diplomatic as he thinks he is being, highlights his clubs/teams problem. Well managed game or not (and who is to say his view is correct) players should get on with playing. There is NO excuse for what happened and they should look at themselves first, second and last.

Unless I read the match report wrong, it was an NSU player who started the fight with a headbutt

report in Stuff with some Big Kev quotes

It doesn't surprise me that Nick Waldron was the referee in charge of this game a very arrogant and vindictive person and he's being touted as the next best thing in the world of Refs.The game in this country is in a bad state from top to bottom and the state of refereeing is in the mix. What has gone on at the NSU/Manukau match is a blight on the game here, both clubs should be deducted points and fined.Refs should always be protected but the standard of officiating has been very poor leading to a lot of frustration through the various leagues If this is indeed the second time Manukau  have offended in this way some heavy sanctions  need to be put in place but don't tell me we were lucky NZ best referee was in charge.

You could apply that to any point of the game. Hence one of the biggest flaws in the rule.

In regards to this incident - in Auckland Nick is one of the only referees I've seen who actually has the balls to enforce the sin-bin correctly. Again, I wasn't there, but chances are each card was totally deserved.

We can't ask referees to crack down on dissent then get grumpy with them when one of them does.

Manukau have a history of this. A 1 season ban would be appropriate and show that the associations are actually going to take this seriously.

Here is the fight from the game, the headbutt appears to be off camera while ball is down the other end https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport-video/news/video.cfm?c_id=1503077&gal_cid=1503077&gallery_id=208399

one of the worst things in this is the guy in the black and orange jumper who wanders on from the near sideline - assume he is a Manukau supporter - don't they get it that you can't just walk on and start stirring.

its interesting to see what Waldron does there, instead of rushing into break up the fight, he lets them go and moves to the back to observe whats happening, probably giving him a reasonably clear view of who did what

Yes it was but that is still no excuse for what followed. There will always be a coming together of players after that sort of incident but Manukau always seem to take it a step to far. The ref would have dealt with the headbutt I'm sure but what followed is just outrageous. This happened last year with Manukau and they were deducted points and fined. IMO they should be stood down from the league for this season and next!

I would not like to be the officials deciding on what to do with this going forward, watching the video there was so much going on in every direction.

The previous week Springs played NSU at that ground, with different officials, but some of the incidents that went unpunished or blown were just awful. Matt Conroy was sent to hospital after a terrible challenge from a NSU player, and there was a lot of afters in the game that the referee allowed until very late in the encounter. Week in and week out I am appalled at the actions of some players and often wish the officials would act earlier to stop the pattern setting in.

Yes, that's what they teach us to do in case of brawls in Gaelic football reffing.

Its what they teach you to do as a ref and ARs, stand back and let the players etc sort it out and pick up who starts it, who reteliaties and also who comes running in. Then once it is settled down you issue the cards.

In the article 

"Further, one Manukau fan - later identified as Manukau's groundsman - entered the pitch to join the action and there was a brief crowd scuffle by the terraced seats on the clubrooms side while the brawl festered."

Yeah, if you're in the middle of it you can't see what's going on around you. Also the chance of getting belted yourself, by accident. Generally brawls in football matches blow over fairly quickly so it's best if Refs and ARs take a step back and make a note of who's doing what then deal with it when the dust settles.

is that a reasonably new thing? I always seem to remember refs trying to get in between players to stop it

think this way is probably better

he should have the bloody book thrown at him - there is no reason to enter the pitch from the crowd.  Disgraceful.