Head of safety statement

[donnyguy]

https://www.doncasterroversfc.co.uk/news/2025/january/22/statement-from-the-safety-officer/

[johnny rovers]

If a pull out tunnel was a solution before COVID. Why is it no longer?

[Dagenham Rover]

Easy way to stop it get referees and Lino's that know what they are doing and act neutral

[graingrover]

It doesn’t help with an idiot on X saying the ref got all he deserved .Do folk not realise that posts are traceable and things like that actionable if not by the FA then by the law .

[Alan Southstand]

The Club have got to be seen to protect people from others taking the law into their own hands. However, when are we going to see some action to correct the ever declining standard of officiating at this level? It was discussed at the MTO and it’s clear that the management team are becoming increasingly frustrated by some of the decision making we’ve all witnessed.

At some home games this season, the linesmen may as well have not turned up as many of them wait for the ref to decide what the decision should be before they do anything. Many of them are not able to keep up with play so how they can decide on offsides becomes increasingly difficult! Inconsistency is rife throughout games.

People are going to get hacked off - it’s a normal human reaction to, in some cases, total incompetence!

[graingrover]

 It is but not violently like throwing coins aimlessly .That will only make things worse for our club and certainly not further the issue of poor refereeing you rightly point out .There are other channels for that no doubt .

[Padge_DRFC]

Life time ban for sure if caught

[Goole Rover]

Life time ban for sure if caught

Let’s hope so.

[Dagenham Rover]

I can understand frustration at the dire officiating and Linesmen who cant or have been instructed not to make a decision until the Ref decides and I'm as frustrated as anybody with it but theres a line that must not be overstepped and this was over.
What was it Grant said at the MTO ok last season but out of the first 9 games we had 8 new first season in the EFL Refs and that to me is out of order from the FA
 

[Usher wide.]

That’s what I miss about Belle Vue. You could stand by the wall & the linesman, standing 2 yards away, could hear every word of encouragement you shouted his way as you cajoled him into making the correct decision.

[Donnywolf]

If a pull out tunnel was a solution before COVID. Why is it no longer?

Agree . I posted this just after the Game


The tunnel extension is currently being lengthened to (almost) reach the NE corner flag

Then the officials can go in there and be immune from and protected from any jibes, insults or abuse that might come their way due to the new highly uprated soundproofing that is being added

So if any of them in future turn down 3 penalties ( 2 for wrestling and one for a hand ball so obvious that the opposition fans sympathized with the home team ) and yet allow a clear foul on a home player on half way line which led to the away Team taking a vital lead , it won't matter because their ears and thin skins will be well protected

The only downside for future Refs is they will be deprived of the opportunity to smirk and grin at the Fans trying to show their derision

[IDM]

The Club have got to be seen to protect people from others taking the law into their own hands. However, when are we going to see some action to correct the ever declining standard of officiating at this level? It was discussed at the MTO and it’s clear that the management team are becoming increasingly frustrated by some of the decision making we’ve all witnessed.

At some home games this season, the linesmen may as well have not turned up as many of them wait for the ref to decide what the decision should be before they do anything. Many of them are not able to keep up with play so how they can decide on offsides becomes increasingly difficult! Inconsistency is rife throughout games.

People are going to get hacked off - it’s a normal human reaction to, in some cases, total incompetence!

Being angry with officials’ decisions is no excuse for crossing the line into lawlessness and violence.

[Donnywolf]

Agree 100 % idm.

I'm one of the worst scorers ( nay I'm the worst ) on Rate the Ref and I was right there above the Tunnel after that game but as you say it is not acceptable to descend into lawlessness and or violence however much the Officials may provoke those reactions

[DonnyBazR0ver]

Agree 100 % idm.

I'm one of the worst scorers ( nay I'm the worst ) on Rate the Ref and I was right there above the Tunnel after that game but as you say it is not acceptable to descend into lawlessness and or violence however much the Officials may provoke those reactions

You've played the game right? Have you refereed a game at any level? I reffed a Sunday morning match once when a ref couldn't turn up, and it was hard enough!

Without refs, we haven't got a game. How can we encourage people to take up officiating if we continue making villains out of them and victims of this sort of abuse or worse?

I'm as guilty as anyone shouting at the officials but it should never descend into anything else.

[Donnywolf]

Agree 100 %

[Dagenham Rover]

Saturday might be interesting a shiny new to the EFL refferee. I reckon the Efl watched Grants comments at the mto

[EasyforDennis]

Agree 100 % idm.

I'm one of the worst scorers ( nay I'm the worst ) on Rate the Ref and I was right there above the Tunnel after that game but as you say it is not acceptable to descend into lawlessness and or violence however much the Officials may provoke those reactions

You've played the game right? Have you refereed a game at any level? I reffed a Sunday morning match once when a ref couldn't turn up, and it was hard enough!

Without refs, we haven't got a game. How can we encourage people to take up officiating if we continue making villains out of them and victims of this sort of abuse or worse?

I'm as guilty as anyone shouting at the officials but it should never descend into anything else.

Maybe the head of referees should be getting a better grip on the situation. The standard of referees is pretty poor and seems to be getting worse. There is zero consistency from week to week. Surely the management of the referees can see this? We can't all be wrong, can we? It isn't just Rovers fans, we hear it every week from fans up and down the country.

[German Rover]

Agree 100 % idm.

I'm one of the worst scorers ( nay I'm the worst ) on Rate the Ref and I was right there above the Tunnel after that game but as you say it is not acceptable to descend into lawlessness and or violence however much the Officials may provoke those reactions

You've played the game right? Have you refereed a game at any level? I reffed a Sunday morning match once when a ref couldn't turn up, and it was hard enough!

Without refs, we have 't got a game. How can we encourage people to take up officiating if we continue making villains out of them and victims of this sort of abuse or worse?

I'm as guilty as anyone shouting at the officials but it should never descend into anything else.

Maybe the head of referees should be getting a better grip on the situation. The standard of referees is pretty poor and seems to be getting worse. There is zero consistency from week to week. Surely the management of the referees can see this? We can't all be wrong, can we? It isn't just Rovers fans, we hear it every week from fans up and down the country.

Ultimately though the problem isn't referees. The problem is people who can't control their emotions.

[Alan Southstand]

No, it’s both!

[IDM]

Couldn’t disagree more.

Poor officials deserve criticism, always have and always will.

Violence against them, nope.  Fans need to control their frustrations, or we won’t have any officials and then we have no football..

[donnievic]

Easy way to stop it get referees and Lino's that know what they are doing and act neutral

is ok saying this but at times fans also don’t know the laws either

[Not Now Kato]

Easy way to stop it get referees and Lino's that know what they are doing and act neutral

Unfortunately, the requirement for a referee to be neutral and/or act in an impartial manner doesn’t appear anywhere in the FA’s Laws of the Game.…..
 
https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-5---the-referee
 

[Donnywolf]

Here's something novel.

How about the Referees Assessor ( who I believe attends every game ) publishing their findings after every game

I have seen these in the past and they were very illuminating for sure. They would be especially useful to the Ref and his Officials and maybe for people like me to pick over

On the downside though some will confirm how bad certain decisions had been in individual matches and of course would not alter those decisions

Last Season Wolves were apologized to "the most" following VAR interventions. I think they were denied 14 points by having decisions wrongly adjudged and Howard Webb apologized time and again. They did not get the Points back and so the danger with Assessors report is it will merely give advice , coaching etc to the Ref for the future.

VAR also get several looks at incidents and often get for example , Penalty calls wrong , so I and others must accept with one look , often from way too far away to make a correct call

[IDM]

Easy way to stop it get referees and Lino's that know what they are doing and act neutral

is ok saying this but at times fans also don’t know the laws either

I suspect many don’t.  I qualified as a ref 30 ish years ago but that lapsed after a couple of years as I didn’t have the time to dedicate to it.  Some laws have changed particularly offside, but many won’t have.  How many realise that “attempting to” kick, trip etc an opponent is (or was.?) the same offence as actually making contact?

Making contact itself isn’t necessarily a foul, so when pundits say “ there was contact therefore it’s a penalty” etc really gets my goat..

[TonySoprano]

Couldn’t disagree more.

Poor officials deserve criticism, always have and always will.

Violence against them, nope.  Fans need to control their frustrations, or we won’t have any officials and then we have no football..

What actual violence though?
A few hurty words and a plastic bottle thrown ?
Hardly the battle of stalingrad is it.

[graingrover]

Donnywolf ..that suggestion is excellent and more accountability within the refereeing authority is needed.Why is every football-related authority under pressure? I think it starts at the top and the historic and unresolved corruption in FIFA has seeped
down into every fabric of our game. Lack of honesty has bred opaque decision-making processes,political appointments and incompetent management throughout. Football authority in this country needs an independent watchdog.Athletics and Cycling waited until scandal brought universal condemnation and alienated the public.Football is going thst way .


ointments and

[TonySoprano]

I've often wondered about these part time amateur refs we get in the lower leagues, I wonder if any actually do have bets on the matches they ref?
Because some of the decisions I've seen can't all be down to incompetence. 

[ravenrover]

Well if managers and  players cut out the attempts at cheating that might see a glimmer of hope that refs will improve.
We all know that's not going to happen though

[IDM]

Couldn’t disagree more.

Poor officials deserve criticism, always have and always will.

Violence against them, nope.  Fans need to control their frustrations, or we won’t have any officials and then we have no football..

What actual violence though?
A few hurty words and a plastic bottle thrown ?
Hardly the battle of stalingrad is it.

It’s not the point, it’s what it might lead to..

Words should be enough, or are you actually condoning violence towards officials.?

What if the club has a points deduction.?  Could make a huge difference where we finish the season.

[TonySoprano]

Couldn’t disagree more.

Poor officials deserve criticism, always have and always will.

Violence against them, nope.  Fans need to control their frustrations, or we won’t have any officials and then we have no football..

What actual violence though?
A few hurty words and a plastic bottle thrown ?
Hardly the battle of stalingrad is it.

It’s not the point, it’s what it might lead to..

Words should be enough, or are you actually condoning violence towards officials.?

What if the club has a points deduction.?  Could make a huge difference where we finish the season.

Of course I don't condone actual violence, but there wasn't any was there?