Ray Chamberlin is a ******* ****** who agrees?

[Red]

... and have read several pages of vituperation and outrage.

Vituperation? Love your work dimelb

[wolftone57]

This is what gets me. The spirit of the game. Considering the amount of money now available to Vlad, it is time professional umpires are the norm. What would they do all week, I hear you ask, I say have a mid-week umpires game, where they play the game they officiate.

All we want to see is the petty stuff to be play on.

What do the players do all week? Train that's what & some go to Uni, TAFE etc, run businesses, work in Sports Stores, do promos, coaching clinics. The Umpies could do the same.

[wolftone57]

My nephew & I had a discussion about where umpires come from today. My major complaint with the umpies is that they don't seem to understand the game from the playing point of view. I think due to the lucrative funds available to umpires today they are starting younger. A young lad of 14 or 15 can earn $560/week umpiring Aussie Rules in the suburban leagues, this is a lot of money definitely more than the players at that level (most players pay to play). This means many never get to play competition footy and therefore don't get a feel from the playing point of view.

I believe all umpires should be made to pull on the boots 5 times a season just to get a feel of what it is like being on the other end of the umpies decisions and how the game is played.

[wolftone57]

The other thing they could do is have the whole umpiring panel front all the players team by team pre-season so the players can voice their frustrations. Years ago the players knew all the umpies personally but now they don't socialise with the players like they used to. I think the old way was better & the players had a greater respect for the umpies because they knew them. The way it is today there is going to be a major incident involving an umpire and a player and it won't be too far away because the umpires are too dictatorial and annoying. If the players knew the umpires verbals could be avoided because they could always call him a bastard over a beer.

[Big Al]

We need to get more players that have played at the higher levels taking up umpiring. I agree witn Wolfie that Umpires don't seem to understand the game and getting ex players involved would help with this.

[dimelb]

Paul Roos was interviewed at the Melbourne Legends Lunch yesterday by "Grubby" Stubbs, who asked about Chamberlain. Roosy said he was still getting used to the idea that in the media you didn't say anything about umpires, and he still hadn't got his head around that (or words to that effect) but the problem with Razor was that he thought it was all about himself. Loud laughter and cheering all round.

[Dosser]

We need to get more players that have played at the higher levels taking up umpiring. I agree witn Wolfie that Umpires don't seem to understand the game and getting ex players involved would help with this.

Quite a few ex-players go into umpiring, but few ever make the big time because they simply cant bounce the ball. It is for this sole reason that the elite umpire pool is so small.