Coaches Rant

[reclaimsocal]

So I'm coaching my son's combined U14/U12 soccer team this spring and we are the only team in the division with only 11 players on the roster. Today we show up to play and the opponent only has 8 kids show up. The Ref asks if I mind playing with only 9, and I agree. After 1 quarter we are up 4-0, so I pull my best players back and put my 2 kids who never score goals up at the 2 Forward positions, but after 3 quarters we are up 8-1 (They scored their 1 on a highly questionalbe penalty kick). The Ref then asks me to pullanother player, so I oblige and we are now even with 8 players apiece. I tell my team to spread out and work on ball control, but we get another counter opportunity and go up 9-1, the Ref comes over and tells us that if 1 more of our players cross the Center Line, he is going to call the game. My assistant coach tells him "go ahead". a few seconds later the opposing team turns the ball over and gives us another counter where our forwards take off after the ball and the Ref blows the whistle. We then give the opponents a cheer and go out and shake hands. I shake the first AR's hand and then go to shake the Center Ref's hand and he turns away from me and says "No". Then I lost my temper and told the guy that he had no class and that he needs to show respect to me in front of the kids.


So I guess my question is, how could I have handled this situation any differently? I realize this is an volunteer situation and I hate to have incidents like this, but I can't see any other course of action I could have taken to keep the score down. Anyone else run into anything like this before?

 

[White Shogun]

Ref sounds like an ass. Kids at that age should be used to competition by now and it should be obvious to all involved - your kids, the other team's kids, the other team's coaches, and the ref - that you trying to help the other team stay in the game.

Only thing I'd add is that you not lose your temper in front of the kids, either, even if the ref is an ass.

 

[jaxvid]

Then I lost my temper and told the guy that he had no class and that he needs to show respect to me in front of the kids.

Sounds like the guy had no class. I hope you really blasted him. I'm all for telling people what they need to hear. As for the kids its good for them to see a guy who will stand up for what he believes. Too many people keep quiet not to rock the boat and it's created a situation of appeasement when faced with the a-holes of the world.

 

[Solomon Kane]

The guy sounds like a real jerk...Couldn't he see that you were trying to accomodate his requests as much as was reasonable? Then he demands that you not even cross the center line? Ridiculous! I wonder if he had a son playing for the other team...and could not abide the fact that your team was winning. People are strange--that an adult could not see the sheer unreasonability of his demands.

I hope you get a chance to ask him what you did wrong and why he cannot see the unreasonability of his demands.