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#Post#: 26637--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: Leggy
Date: February 9, 2021, 5:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Beryl link ---
>
> [quote author=TheThingFromLewes
link=topic=2144.msg26634#msg26634 date=1612866565]
> [quote author=Whistleblower link=topic=2144.msg26633#msg26633
date=1612866384]
> [quote author=bmb link=topic=2144.msg26626#msg26626
date=1612821969]
> [quote author=ajb95 link=topic=2144.msg26621#msg26621
date=1612814468]
> For an annual meeting we had Mr Elleray come round for a chat.
The way he spoke made me think he was looking down on us which
was felt quite patronising.
> Talking to him briefly afterwards he was extremely arrogant
and seemed very selfish.
>
> Don’t know others views but just mine which was a brief
encounter
>
--- End Quote ---
Mr Elleray is a strange man. He was very supportive of bmb jr
and did a lot for him, including arranging for him to guest with
Kassai and team and for him to attend several seminars not
normally open to youngsters. Jr did his first game at age 11yrs
and 5 days & it fascinated Mr Elleray that one so young wanted
to referee not play. He liked bmb jr, partially I believe,
because of his manners and respectful nature. Jr always called
him Sir or Mr Elleray & a few months down the line Mr Elleray
did comment on his grammar school education as shining through -
he'd literally only been at the school a week or 2 at the time!!
He is very much the school principal in life in general, imo -
good manners go a long way with him. He phoned me absolutely
delighted that he had received a handwritten thank you letter
from jr and was full of praise for my parenting and how much a
delight jr was to deal with. Some I know a bit more cynical than
me told me his involvement with jr was just to make him look
good in certain circles, I have no idea if it was or wasn't but
I can certainly not fault him in any way with how he supported
him, took the time to teach him and with how polite, warm and
respectful he always was towards me. It would not surprise me if
he fell into the autism spectrum, high functioning I mean, maybe
Aspergers - to me he has many of the traits. Jr has ADHD &
Asperger's which was something else that fascinated Mr Elleray
and they had a few talks about how it impacted his life in
general as well as with refereeing. I remember he and jr having
a long conversation about links - Mr Elleray going to Dover Boys
grammar, I went to the girls grammar there for 1 year, us being
at the same RA at different times, jr's bond with Hungary
because he was born on the anniversary of the revolution, Kassai
being his favorite where a link was that he was born in
Christchurch which is twinned with Tatabanya, where Kassai was
born, Mr Palotai being the first foreign referee I ever watched,
Kassai being his - both Hungarians etc. Jr even found a link
with Chris Wild at UEFA who was also a big influence - he'd been
in the away crowd at an AFCB game that was significant to Jr -
might have been Jr's 1st game as a newborn actually! It was
quite the conversation and both of them were equally fascinated
by it. Me I got through about 4 coffees while they chatted and
didn't exist as far as they were concerned! I know lots of
people speak more negatively about him though, my own personal
experience & more importantly that of my then very young son
were only ever positive.
[/quote]
If you read David Elleray's autobiography and his diary of one
season in his Premiership career then that reveals a great deal
about the man. I also have met him. He is formidably intelligent
and utterly focussed on his tasks and aspirations. He is an
Oxford geographer and I think very much sees refereeing as a
science rather than an art. Dover Grammar school is the key
after which Oxford and a highly successful career at Harrow
School, one of the leading Public Schools in the country. So
there is a bit of manufactured polish about him which can come
over as aloofness or arrogance but actually I don't think he is
either. I see a parallel to Sir John Major, who from a modest
beginning rose to the very top of his career and used a certain
way of speaking, very particular choice of words and extremely
measured delivery, in his senior roles. Major manages to convey
a warmth though which Elleray doesn't quite achieve. Elleray
describes how he rarely gets angry because it is such an
"inefficient" emotion. That speaks volumes I think. In his
autobiography Elleray is quite candid about seeking and applying
for a Headmastership at Harrow and other leading Public Schools.
He never managed to land one despite his many obvious and great
abilities. I suspect the Governors of these school detected just
something missing for the complete appointment.
There is no doubt Elleray is a traditionalist who abhors the
flash and show-off tendencies employed by some. In private, I
have heard, he is an affectionate man. Interestingly his
autobiography reveals that two of his good friends in the
refereeing world are Steve Lodge and Martin Bodenham, two more
down to earth people it would be hard to find. Conversely I
don't think Graham Poll would ever have been a great mate.
[/quote]
Nor Clattenburg.... lest we forget!
Lord Elleray showed a complete disdain for him.
[/quote]
Dont know which was worse, Polls insistence that he was middle,
flanked by his linesman in public, under threat that if you did
not comply, you would be removed from HIS adventures, or anyone
weak enough to go along with the narcissism
Close second be Rennies requirement that the linos carried his
kit bag.
[/quote]
I have worked with both, and - on those occasions - neither was
true. Poll had (has?) an ego and until his well publicised fall
from grace he also had the ability to back it up.
I have also worked with David Elleray and the posh school-master
was never far from the surface. I recall one game where the
other lino was the delightful David Crick where I felt very much
like the Ronnie Barker character to - respectively Ronnie
Corbett and John Cleese characters. There were a lot of long
and complicated words used that evening, and none by me!!
PS: That game took place on the very evening on which it was
announced that David Elleray would officiate that that season's
FA Cup Final. And for those of you who like to guess the venue
(not the cup final!!) it was where the geology was for certainly
for those who were fans of Aurum.
#Post#: 26646--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: Beryl
Date: February 9, 2021, 6:22 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Leggy link ---
>
> [quote author=Beryl link=topic=2144.msg26635#msg26635
date=1612868026]
> [quote author=TheThingFromLewes
link=topic=2144.msg26634#msg26634 date=1612866565]
> [quote author=Whistleblower link=topic=2144.msg26633#msg26633
date=1612866384]
> [quote author=bmb link=topic=2144.msg26626#msg26626
date=1612821969]
> [quote author=ajb95 link=topic=2144.msg26621#msg26621
date=1612814468]
> For an annual meeting we had Mr Elleray come round for a chat.
The way he spoke made me think he was looking down on us which
was felt quite patronising.
> Talking to him briefly afterwards he was extremely arrogant
and seemed very selfish.
>
> Don’t know others views but just mine which was a brief
encounter
>
--- End Quote ---
Mr Elleray is a strange man. He was very supportive of bmb jr
and did a lot for him, including arranging for him to guest with
Kassai and team and for him to attend several seminars not
normally open to youngsters. Jr did his first game at age 11yrs
and 5 days & it fascinated Mr Elleray that one so young wanted
to referee not play. He liked bmb jr, partially I believe,
because of his manners and respectful nature. Jr always called
him Sir or Mr Elleray & a few months down the line Mr Elleray
did comment on his grammar school education as shining through -
he'd literally only been at the school a week or 2 at the time!!
He is very much the school principal in life in general, imo -
good manners go a long way with him. He phoned me absolutely
delighted that he had received a handwritten thank you letter
from jr and was full of praise for my parenting and how much a
delight jr was to deal with. Some I know a bit more cynical than
me told me his involvement with jr was just to make him look
good in certain circles, I have no idea if it was or wasn't but
I can certainly not fault him in any way with how he supported
him, took the time to teach him and with how polite, warm and
respectful he always was towards me. It would not surprise me if
he fell into the autism spectrum, high functioning I mean, maybe
Aspergers - to me he has many of the traits. Jr has ADHD &
Asperger's which was something else that fascinated Mr Elleray
and they had a few talks about how it impacted his life in
general as well as with refereeing. I remember he and jr having
a long conversation about links - Mr Elleray going to Dover Boys
grammar, I went to the girls grammar there for 1 year, us being
at the same RA at different times, jr's bond with Hungary
because he was born on the anniversary of the revolution, Kassai
being his favorite where a link was that he was born in
Christchurch which is twinned with Tatabanya, where Kassai was
born, Mr Palotai being the first foreign referee I ever watched,
Kassai being his - both Hungarians etc. Jr even found a link
with Chris Wild at UEFA who was also a big influence - he'd been
in the away crowd at an AFCB game that was significant to Jr -
might have been Jr's 1st game as a newborn actually! It was
quite the conversation and both of them were equally fascinated
by it. Me I got through about 4 coffees while they chatted and
didn't exist as far as they were concerned! I know lots of
people speak more negatively about him though, my own personal
experience & more importantly that of my then very young son
were only ever positive.
[/quote]
If you read David Elleray's autobiography and his diary of one
season in his Premiership career then that reveals a great deal
about the man. I also have met him. He is formidably intelligent
and utterly focussed on his tasks and aspirations. He is an
Oxford geographer and I think very much sees refereeing as a
science rather than an art. Dover Grammar school is the key
after which Oxford and a highly successful career at Harrow
School, one of the leading Public Schools in the country. So
there is a bit of manufactured polish about him which can come
over as aloofness or arrogance but actually I don't think he is
either. I see a parallel to Sir John Major, who from a modest
beginning rose to the very top of his career and used a certain
way of speaking, very particular choice of words and extremely
measured delivery, in his senior roles. Major manages to convey
a warmth though which Elleray doesn't quite achieve. Elleray
describes how he rarely gets angry because it is such an
"inefficient" emotion. That speaks volumes I think. In his
autobiography Elleray is quite candid about seeking and applying
for a Headmastership at Harrow and other leading Public Schools.
He never managed to land one despite his many obvious and great
abilities. I suspect the Governors of these school detected just
something missing for the complete appointment.
There is no doubt Elleray is a traditionalist who abhors the
flash and show-off tendencies employed by some. In private, I
have heard, he is an affectionate man. Interestingly his
autobiography reveals that two of his good friends in the
refereeing world are Steve Lodge and Martin Bodenham, two more
down to earth people it would be hard to find. Conversely I
don't think Graham Poll would ever have been a great mate.
[/quote]
Nor Clattenburg.... lest we forget!
Lord Elleray showed a complete disdain for him.
[/quote]
Dont know which was worse, Polls insistence that he was middle,
flanked by his linesman in public, under threat that if you did
not comply, you would be removed from HIS adventures, or anyone
weak enough to go along with the narcissism
Close second be Rennies requirement that the linos carried his
kit bag.
[/quote]
I have worked with both, and - on those occasions - neither was
true. Poll had (has?) an ego and until his well publicised fall
from grace he also had the ability to back it up.
I have also worked with David Elleray and the posh school-master
was never far from the surface. I recall one game where the
other lino was the delightful David Crick where I felt very much
like the Ronnie Barker character to - respectively Ronnie
Corbett and John Cleese characters. There were a lot of long
and complicated words used that evening, and none by me!!
PS: That game took place on the very evening on which it was
announced that David Elleray would officiate that that season's
FA Cup Final. And for those of you who like to guess the venue
(not the cup final!!) it was where the geology was for certainly
for those who were fans of Aurum.
[/quote]
The story was told by one of Polls european adventure helpers,
so if both stories are untrue then they can be traced back to
him
#Post#: 26647--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: ajb95
Date: February 9, 2021, 6:24 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I never rated Poll at all growing up! I thought he was a good
communicator and had a lot of authority but got a lot of key
incidents wrong!
#Post#: 26662--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: Blind Referee
Date: February 9, 2021, 9:49 am
---------------------------------------------------------
What a great thread this has developed into ! My twopeneth on
some of the names mentioned
Plenty has been said about David Ellerary - I would agree with
the great majority of what has been written - in my humble view
far, far past his sell date and one of the reasons refereeing in
England is in the state it is currently
Uriah, when he broke onto the scene was a beast of a referee,
outstanding fitness, great presence - when he first emerged on
the Prem he was outstanding - he had a fantastic career and is
best not remembered as the referee at the end of his career when
he lost his enthusiasm and commitment, lost hist fitness and
went through the motions for several years. Quite a complex
character- one week he could be warm, humorous and like a long
lost relative, the next week he could blank and ignore you for
the entire day - I never really enjoyed working with Uriah - you
never knew which version would turn up
I worked with Graham Poll many, many times and although probably
not a popular view, he was tremendous company - yes he was
arrogant but he was honest, funny and always had time for
everyone - the media and public perception of him was a long way
from the real Graham. As a referee he was undoubtedly the best I
ever worked with - he wasn’t as fit as some, and he didn’t have
the law knowledge of others, but in terms of understanding a
game, the players and the tempo, he was unsurpassed - the best
man manger of players we have ever had - players and managers
trusted him, even liked him and always wanted him on the
toughest, most important games. Only referee since that I have
seen come close to this was Clatts - another fine referee with
an edge to him
One other name mentioned was Dave Crick - what a top, top bloke
- a gentleman amongst scholars - never worked with Dave when he
was active but I was fortunate to have him assess me many times
when I was active - he was funny, articulate and had an
encyclopaedic knowledge of the game - the best assessor
(observer) I ever had and one of the few that could, through his
assessments, improve you as a referee - if there had been more
assessing and coaching like Dave the standard of refereeing
today would have been far higher today
#Post#: 26664--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: Whistleblower
Date: February 9, 2021, 10:29 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Blind Referee link ---
>
> What a great thread this has developed into ! My twopeneth on
some of the names mentioned
>
> Plenty has been said about David Ellerary - I would agree with
the great majority of what has been written - in my humble view
far, far past his sell date and one of the reasons refereeing in
England is in the state it is currently
>
> Uriah, when he broke onto the scene was a beast of a referee,
outstanding fitness, great presence - when he first emerged on
the Prem he was outstanding - he had a fantastic career and is
best not remembered as the referee at the end of his career when
he lost his enthusiasm and commitment, lost hist fitness and
went through the motions for several years. Quite a complex
character- one week he could be warm, humorous and like a long
lost relative, the next week he could blank and ignore you for
the entire day - I never really enjoyed working with Uriah - you
never knew which version would turn up
>
> I worked with Graham Poll many, many times and although
probably not a popular view, he was tremendous company - yes he
was arrogant but he was honest, funny and always had time for
everyone - the media and public perception of him was a long way
from the real Graham. As a referee he was undoubtedly the best I
ever worked with - he wasn’t as fit as some, and he didn’t have
the law knowledge of others, but in terms of understanding a
game, the players and the tempo, he was unsurpassed - the best
man manger of players we have ever had - players and managers
trusted him, even liked him and always wanted him on the
toughest, most important games. Only referee since that I have
seen come close to this was Clatts - another fine referee with
an edge to him
>
> One other name mentioned was Dave Crick - what a top, top
bloke - a gentleman amongst scholars - never worked with Dave
when he was active but I was fortunate to have him assess me
many times when I was active - he was funny, articulate and had
an encyclopaedic knowledge of the game - the best assessor
(observer) I ever had and one of the few that could, through his
assessments, improve you as a referee - if there had been more
assessing and coaching like Dave the standard of refereeing
today would have been far higher today
>
--- End Quote ---
Some fascinating insights there Blind Referee, thank you for
sharing them. And, as the original instigator of this thread,
thank you for your kind words of approbation
#Post#: 26666--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: DublinRef
Date: February 9, 2021, 10:34 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: TheThingFromLewes link ---
>
> [quote author=Whistleblower link=topic=2144.msg26633#msg26633
date=1612866384]
> [quote author=bmb link=topic=2144.msg26626#msg26626
date=1612821969]
> [quote author=ajb95 link=topic=2144.msg26621#msg26621
date=1612814468]
> For an annual meeting we had Mr Elleray come round for a chat.
The way he spoke made me think he was looking down on us which
was felt quite patronising.
> Talking to him briefly afterwards he was extremely arrogant
and seemed very selfish.
>
> Don’t know others views but just mine which was a brief
encounter
>
--- End Quote ---
Mr Elleray is a strange man. He was very supportive of bmb jr
and did a lot for him, including arranging for him to guest with
Kassai and team and for him to attend several seminars not
normally open to youngsters. Jr did his first game at age 11yrs
and 5 days & it fascinated Mr Elleray that one so young wanted
to referee not play. He liked bmb jr, partially I believe,
because of his manners and respectful nature. Jr always called
him Sir or Mr Elleray & a few months down the line Mr Elleray
did comment on his grammar school education as shining through -
he'd literally only been at the school a week or 2 at the time!!
He is very much the school principal in life in general, imo -
good manners go a long way with him. He phoned me absolutely
delighted that he had received a handwritten thank you letter
from jr and was full of praise for my parenting and how much a
delight jr was to deal with. Some I know a bit more cynical than
me told me his involvement with jr was just to make him look
good in certain circles, I have no idea if it was or wasn't but
I can certainly not fault him in any way with how he supported
him, took the time to teach him and with how polite, warm and
respectful he always was towards me. It would not surprise me if
he fell into the autism spectrum, high functioning I mean, maybe
Aspergers - to me he has many of the traits. Jr has ADHD &
Asperger's which was something else that fascinated Mr Elleray
and they had a few talks about how it impacted his life in
general as well as with refereeing. I remember he and jr having
a long conversation about links - Mr Elleray going to Dover Boys
grammar, I went to the girls grammar there for 1 year, us being
at the same RA at different times, jr's bond with Hungary
because he was born on the anniversary of the revolution, Kassai
being his favorite where a link was that he was born in
Christchurch which is twinned with Tatabanya, where Kassai was
born, Mr Palotai being the first foreign referee I ever watched,
Kassai being his - both Hungarians etc. Jr even found a link
with Chris Wild at UEFA who was also a big influence - he'd been
in the away crowd at an AFCB game that was significant to Jr -
might have been Jr's 1st game as a newborn actually! It was
quite the conversation and both of them were equally fascinated
by it. Me I got through about 4 coffees while they chatted and
didn't exist as far as they were concerned! I know lots of
people speak more negatively about him though, my own personal
experience & more importantly that of my then very young son
were only ever positive.
[/quote]
If you read David Elleray's autobiography and his diary of one
season in his Premiership career then that reveals a great deal
about the man. I also have met him. He is formidably intelligent
and utterly focussed on his tasks and aspirations. He is an
Oxford geographer and I think very much sees refereeing as a
science rather than an art. Dover Grammar school is the key
after which Oxford and a highly successful career at Harrow
School, one of the leading Public Schools in the country. So
there is a bit of manufactured polish about him which can come
over as aloofness or arrogance but actually I don't think he is
either. I see a parallel to Sir John Major, who from a modest
beginning rose to the very top of his career and used a certain
way of speaking, very particular choice of words and extremely
measured delivery, in his senior roles. Major manages to convey
a warmth though which Elleray doesn't quite achieve. Elleray
describes how he rarely gets angry because it is such an
"inefficient" emotion. That speaks volumes I think. In his
autobiography Elleray is quite candid about seeking and applying
for a Headmastership at Harrow and other leading Public Schools.
He never managed to land one despite his many obvious and great
abilities. I suspect the Governors of these school detected just
something missing for the complete appointment.
There is no doubt Elleray is a traditionalist who abhors the
flash and show-off tendencies employed by some. In private, I
have heard, he is an affectionate man. Interestingly his
autobiography reveals that two of his good friends in the
refereeing world are Steve Lodge and Martin Bodenham, two more
down to earth people it would be hard to find. Conversely I
don't think Graham Poll would ever have been a great mate.
[/quote]
Nor Clattenburg.... lest we forget!
Lord Elleray showed a complete disdain for him.
[/quote]
He treated Clattenburg quite appallingly in my opinion.
I should clarify that comment - I mean purely in terms of how he
handled Clattenburg's progression as a referee , I obviously
can't comment on how he treated Clattenburg on a personal level.
#Post#: 26670--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: BabyRef
Date: February 9, 2021, 11:37 am
---------------------------------------------------------
This thread has got me thinking about a refereeing role model
who I had the privilege of spending time with - George Courtney.
I haven't refereed now for several years but when I was young
and keen I had the honour of being appointed to be his assistant
referee for a schools semi-final. I was 16 and even then he was
in his early 70s - I was absolutely blown away by his
enthusiasm, his fitness (even at that age) and the rapport he
had with everyone. When we were getting ready before the game, I
asked him who the best player he'd ever refereed was. His reply:
'Either Pele or Maradona'. I remember thinking bloody hell!
Anyway, he ended up being a kind of mentor, and I would go on to
run the line to him several times a season, along with being his
guest at some of his assessing appointments. His view was that
refereeing was all about personal relationships and he had such
a love for people, and a curiosity about everyone he met.
When joining him for his assessments, I vividly remember how,
from the catering staff to the cleaners, George would take time
to chat to everyone and it'd often be long past 8pm by the time
he left the ground! The way in which he was so kind and caring
and treated everyone with total respect stuck with me, even
after I stopped refereeing.
Many times when running the line to him the game would kick off
late as he would be nattering with parents on the side - one
time he summoned over a player after a terrible challenge. I
assumed that George was giving him a total rollocking and then
two minutes later as the player walked away I heard George say
'Anyway, send my regards to your father!'. But I never saw any
of his games get out of control, and his man management was
still the best I've seen from any referee anywhere - he had a
wonderful skill of shutting someone up with what he called his
'magisterial glare'!
When I was a student at Durham, we would often meet at Durham
Cathedral for a piece of cake and a coffee. At a time when I
could barely get out of bed in time for lectures, he would walk
12 miles from his home in Spennymoor and arrive raring with
energy and full of excitement about games he'd refereed. He was
just so excited to still be refereeing.
We've somewhat fallen out of touch these days but I believe he
is still regularly refereeing even at the age of 79 - I read a
story recently that a Northern League assistant went down with
an injury and up stepped George, probably the most experienced
Level 7 in history!
He is a truly remarkable man - one of the kindest and most
generous souls I have ever met (and still a bloody good referee)
and I feel very lucky to have met him.
#Post#: 26671--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: BabyRef
Date: February 9, 2021, 11:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
When checking what he's upto now, I just found this interview
with George - encapsulates his spirit perfectly
HTML https://www.palatinate.org.uk/refereeing-means-everything-story-george-courtney/
#Post#: 26672--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: bmb
Date: February 9, 2021, 12:20 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: BabyRef link ---
>
> When checking what he's upto now, I just found this interview
with George - encapsulates his spirit perfectly
>
>
HTML https://www.palatinate.org.uk/refereeing-means-everything-story-george-courtney/
>
--- End Quote ---
He comes across so well and sounds absolutely lovely. Thanks
for the link.
#Post#: 26673--------------------------------------------------
Re: Role Models
DIR By: Whistleblower
Date: February 9, 2021, 12:23 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: BabyRef link ---
>
> This thread has got me thinking about a refereeing role model
who I had the privilege of spending time with - George Courtney.
>
> I haven't refereed now for several years but when I was young
and keen I had the honour of being appointed to be his assistant
referee for a schools semi-final. I was 16 and even then he was
in his early 70s - I was absolutely blown away by his
enthusiasm, his fitness (even at that age) and the rapport he
had with everyone. When we were getting ready before the game, I
asked him who the best player he'd ever refereed was. His reply:
'Either Pele or Maradona'. I remember thinking bloody hell!
>
> Anyway, he ended up being a kind of mentor, and I would go on
to run the line to him several times a season, along with being
his guest at some of his assessing appointments. His view was
that refereeing was all about personal relationships and he had
such a love for people, and a curiosity about everyone he met.
>
> When joining him for his assessments, I vividly remember how,
from the catering staff to the cleaners, George would take time
to chat to everyone and it'd often be long past 8pm by the time
he left the ground! The way in which he was so kind and caring
and treated everyone with total respect stuck with me, even
after I stopped refereeing.
>
> Many times when running the line to him the game would kick
off late as he would be nattering with parents on the side - one
time he summoned over a player after a terrible challenge. I
assumed that George was giving him a total rollocking and then
two minutes later as the player walked away I heard George say
'Anyway, send my regards to your father!'. But I never saw any
of his games get out of control, and his man management was
still the best I've seen from any referee anywhere - he had a
wonderful skill of shutting someone up with what he called his
'magisterial glare'!
>
> When I was a student at Durham, we would often meet at Durham
Cathedral for a piece of cake and a coffee. At a time when I
could barely get out of bed in time for lectures, he would walk
12 miles from his home in Spennymoor and arrive raring with
energy and full of excitement about games he'd refereed. He was
just so excited to still be refereeing.
>
> We've somewhat fallen out of touch these days but I believe he
is still regularly refereeing even at the age of 79 - I read a
story recently that a Northern League assistant went down with
an injury and up stepped George, probably the most experienced
Level 7 in history!
>
> He is a truly remarkable man - one of the kindest and most
generous souls I have ever met (and still a bloody good referee)
and I feel very lucky to have met him.
>
--- End Quote ---
What delightful reading this is, thank you for sharing it
BabyRef. George Courtney is clearly a remarkable and estimable
man. I believe several, quite senior, National List referees
looked to Courtney as their role model. Quite why England didn't
send Courtney to the World Cup Finals in 1982 but instead chose
the somewhat flamboyant Clive White is a mystery and one of the
greatest miscalculations of all time as history bears witness.
Courtney was at the World Cup Finals in 1986 and 1990 and may be
counted extremely unfortunate not to be awarded the Final. I
believe he got a 3rd v 4th Play Off . It was thought politics
entered into the appointments.
I have heard people far more qualified than I in the world of
refereeing say that, in his pomp, Courtney was world class and
probably the best in the world. And, let us not forget, at the
time of this refereeing distinction, he was also serving in the
incredibly important and formative role of being a Primary
School headteacher. How good that he went on serving the game
with such enthusiasm.
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