Mark Halsey is....

[toffee balls]

I asked him about Stoke.
He held is hand up on that one and said there was argie barge going on at the front post every corner and got wrongly obsessed with that.

I give refs dogs abuse week in week out.
Mike Dean is the best we have IMHO.
Something was lost on tv today with the arsenal sending off but he got that and 90% of the subsequent decisions spot on which is why he is our best.

Having met the fella I will respect him that he will not get to that level of performance again but at 52 he stlil pretty good and definitely honest.

I reckon If be gets the tv job he will pack in next season and release his book pdq.

 

[djm68]

I find bad language somewhat indearing in the right enviroment and the football pitch is one such place.

I've changed pubs because my original local of 30 years plus has deteriorated into a contest to see who can swear loudest and most frequently. Watching City, I inevitably mutter an occasional expletive, but I am choosy about who I inflict it on. The assumption that we are all comfortable with a mode of language that adds neither force to argument, nor dignity to manhood is a false one.

Swearing is the one aspect that lets down non-league football. The players' language used in front of small crowds that usually include a higher proportion of U-11's (because they are often let in for free) is utterly unacceptable. It could be dealt with, but the FA choose not to. That is to their eternal shame.

 

[vonksbignose]

I find bad language somewhat indearing in the right enviroment and the football pitch is one such place.

I've changed pubs because my original local of 30 years plus has deteriorated into a contest to see who can swear loudest and most frequently. Watching City, I inevitably mutter an occasional expletive, but I am choosy about who I inflict it on. The assumption that we are all comfortable with a mode of language that adds neither force to argument, nor dignity to manhood is a false one.

Swearing is the one aspect that lets down non-league football. The players' language used in front of small crowds that usually include a higher proportion of U-11's (because they are often let in for free) is utterly unacceptable. It could be dealt with, but the FA choose not to. That is to their eternal shame.

You'd have loved the Kippax then, me old cocker!!!

 

[djm68]

I find bad language somewhat indearing in the right enviroment and the football pitch is one such place.

I've changed pubs because my original local of 30 years plus has deteriorated into a contest to see who can swear loudest and most frequently. Watching City, I inevitably mutter an occasional expletive, but I am choosy about who I inflict it on. The assumption that we are all comfortable with a mode of language that adds neither force to argument, nor dignity to manhood is a false one.

Swearing is the one aspect that lets down non-league football. The players' language used in front of small crowds that usually include a higher proportion of U-11's (because they are often let in for free) is utterly unacceptable. It could be dealt with, but the FA choose not to. That is to their eternal shame.

You'd have loved the Kippax then, me old cocker!!!

Good point! I was on the Kippax for 20 years or more (approx 66-86) and some behaviour was vile. We had one particular guy behind us who reduced everything to the crudest vocabulary,e.g.:Tottenham could only be referred to as "Cocksuckers" throughout the whole game. The most surreal moment was when he heard via a radio that Cambridge had won the boat race. He went into a fit of rage and swore that "someone's going to get their head kicked in" as a result of this traversty. I can only assume that he had had a bet, because there wasn't a chance in hell that he had attended the place!

 

[mick10]

Halsey has had a place in city fans' hearts since wembley 99 because gillingham were furious about the 5 minutes he added on. Whilst I am not doubting there were that many stoppages, it remains the only game I've ever been to when, as soon as the board went up you actually heard the crowd go '5 minutes!!!' In unison because it seemed a lot. If that 5 minutes had been 3 city's entire history could have been very different.

He went out for a beer in the wembley Hilton that night and of course the bar was full of celebrating city fans who bought him beers and saluted him in song in a tongue in cheek fashion. It hit the press that he's been 'celebrating' with city fans but in reality he was just having a laugh by all accounts. Gillingham made some kind of complaint but nothing was ever going to come of it.

He misses a blatant penalty after a handball by Whitley in extra time, too, if you watch the video. It's offset by one he missed for us early in the game though, equally as blatant.

Always seems a nice man, and he battled camcer of course. Can't wait for the book.

Oh he's a right fooker Dave. If he was that nice why didn't he stop me leaving in '99 boo hoo ;( a fooker he is.
I'll never get over it never.
I'll buy the book as soon as it's published gotta be a good read.

 

[mancityvstoke]

Great that he gave us those 5 minutes. Pulis was going mental after the game.

I shall never forget that Gillingham game and I shall always remember Halsey with great fondness.

Beating cancer and coming back to referee premier league football? Respect!

Look forward to reading his book.

 

[mancityvstoke]

I've changed pubs because my original local of 30 years plus has deteriorated into a contest to see who can swear loudest and most frequently. Watching City, I inevitably mutter an occasional expletive, but I am choosy about who I inflict it on. The assumption that we are all comfortable with a mode of language that adds neither force to argument, nor dignity to manhood is a false one.

Swearing is the one aspect that lets down non-league football. The players' language used in front of small crowds that usually include a higher proportion of U-11's (because they are often let in for free) is utterly unacceptable. It could be dealt with, but the FA choose not to. That is to their eternal shame.

You'd have loved the Kippax then, me old cocker!!!

Good point! I was on the Kippax for 20 years or more (approx 66-86) and some behaviour was vile. We had one particular guy behind us who reduced everything to the crudest vocabulary,e.g.:Tottenham could only be referred to as "Cocksuckers" throughout the whole game. The most surreal moment was when he heard via a radio that Cambridge had won the boat race. He went into a fit of rage and swore that "someone's going to get their head kicked in" as a result of this traversty. I can only assume that he had had a bet, because there wasn't a chance in hell that he had attended the place!

lol

 

[sergiokun]

Good stuff mate seems a decent guy

 

[toffee balls]

https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/mark-clattenburg-referee-lehmann-mikel-18256316

Interesting interview with him.
I won’t quote the Mail or the Mirror but they have the top 5 including Mikel which I referenced below.

I have put it in this thread because my post below was correctly pulled by Cleavers at the time as it could have compromised him.

toffee balls said:
Top top guy.

Bumped into him on the train back from London and spent the best part of 2 hours chatting with me and a colleague.
Quick summary

Suarez snarles at refs and is a ****
Balotelli is a dick
He is no longer wanted as a premier ref
He may do 1 more season
He is mates with Clattenburg , Webb , dislikes Mike Dean but reckons he's the best
He hates Chelsea as a club and say they intimidate refs like no other team especially their Spanish boys. Apparently Ramirez wound Mikel up after the scum game saying he heard the racist comments, others agreed with him and Mikel ran in the refs room and tried to twat him(that came from Gary Cahill )
Fergie is nothing like his game face and has ploughed tens of thousands into his cancer charity
He is as fit as a fiddle and looks fuckin great for 52
Loved May 13 th
Very passionate about football and loves the game
Hates brown nose refs and the bureaucrats at the FA
Thinks refs are well paid but massively sold down the river by football as scapegoats
Supports QPR but watches Bolton
He is hoping to work for BT when they take over from espn next season or maybe al jazeraha in Dubai
He is very fond of city fans
He is writing a no holes barred book at the moment and we will obviously play a major part in it........

Especialy the guys lucky enough to get pissed with him in 99 .

Can't speak highly enough of him.
A real pleasure to meet him

 

[DJBusinesscake]

He used to own an Italian restaurant near me called 'Sottovento', met him in there, seemed decent. There was a picture on the wall as you walk in of him sending Rooney off.

I dunno why he lived up here though, being a southerner and all that though.