Day 3: Be ready for THAT question ...

So (Mr. or Ms. referee or AR), what did YOU think about the match?

Be ready with an answer to that one after each and every match. It can help jump start an assessment, and can be used as a tool to lead an assessor down a path that you as referee want to go down. Now, it may be short lived as if there is a topic an assessor wants to cover, they are going to cover it, but you can start things off on the right foot for your team by helping the discussion down the right path.

Here are some answers I would avoid, however each is free to use them at their own peril:

I was AWESOME today!!

I really stunk today, just fail me now.

Well aren't YOU supposed to tell me how I did today?

From a previous post I offered some thoughts about how to handle what might be a tense situation with an assessor. Taking a look back, here are the basic points:

1. Be calm. Assessors (believe it or not) are there to help, not to berate you. Engage in a dialog to understand where the assessor is coming from, and where you as referee, are coming from.

2. Be honest. If you blew it, say you blew it. If you did't, say you didn't. If you don't know, say you don't know. Nothing will get you into hotter water faster than saying something that is obviously not true to an assessor. Some may buy the BS ... the best will know better.

3. Ask - What would you have done? You might just get a blank look indicating they have no idea. Other braver assessors may say they don't know. The best will have a thought for you to ponder, as a single correct solution rarely presents itself in this game.

4. Say - Thank you. Assessors, as I said before are there to help, not just hang around. You can disagree with the assessment, think they got it all wrong in all aspects, and that they were a blind, clueless, ex-referee trying to relive their career through you. That might be true, every word ... but they took the time to try and help. Appreciate that fact if nothing else.

5. Think about it. There are times when a point in an assessment will not make sense until much later in life. Review those older assessment and rethink about that situation and how you would solve it the next time. It may just happen again.

6. Be your worst assessor. I became an assessor at a young age to try to think like an assessor and understand what they were after. I would perform my own self-assessment and try to come up with the questions they would ask. Sometimes I got it right, sometimes I got it wrong, but in all cases I was thinking about the match, and how I could make my performance better next time.


Getting an assessment after a whole day on the pitch can be no fun. I know this, been there, done that. Just be ready to answer THAT question, and consider the above points, and you'll be just fine.