Black-book Black-balled

Without the merest hint of a warning, the GAA announced at the tail end of last week that it has decided to discontinue the practice of referees showing the black book to players. This will take immediate effect.

"In future referees will inform a player who has committed a 'Noting/Ticking' infraction that his number has been recorded and that a repeat offence will earn the player in question a yellow card. The only change arising from this decision is that referees will no longer display the black book to players meaning play will no longer be stopped to allow for this practice."

There'll be no more phrases like "he's got the black book", or "he's only ticked him", or (my personal favourite) "he's on a black tick" (whatever that's supposed to mean?!) heard in the stands and terraces.

And there is a serious gripe to be had with this so-called "procedural change". How the hell are the good, paying spectators in the stands, and those sitting comfortably watching on TV, going to know if or when a player has been ticked?

It reminds me of the good old days, before even yellow and red cards had been introduced to the playing fields of football and hurling. The offending player's name would be taken as a caution, and if they were to be sent-off the referee pointed to the line. It was a guessing match most of the time for spectators, and even players had difficulty knowing what the referee had just done. Sure poor Charlie Redmond didn't know if he was coming or going!

Removing the black-book seems like a needless change from the GAA. Referees actions are difficult enough to interpret at the best of times; this will only serve to put fans (and even players) further in the dark.

Goodbye Yellow Card Road

It was originally billed as the directive that would remove the 'culture of indiscipline' from our games, but during Saturday's GAA Congress in Cork, the new disciplinary rules trialled during the National Leagues were rejected by a slender margin of eight votes. For the time being, the sight of a yellow card will not mean instant removal from the field of play, and the new four-tier fouling category will not be in evidence during this year's championship.

Congress actually voted in favour of the new rules by 177 to 100 (almost 64%), but it failed to reach the elusive two-thirds majority mark. All this means is that in the world of GAA, minority rules (and the need to change the ruling to allow for only a simple majority is probably worthy of a separate debate)...

But what a high-profile minority it is.

And it was possibly the vociferous nature of these soap-box exponents that helped see the change hit the shelf (for this season anyway). High-profile, successful managers like Brian Cody, Mickey Harte and Jack O'Connor made their feelings known in the week leading up to Congress, urging delegates to vote No. As did the majority of GPA members.

It's easy to view the 'No Camp' as having its roots in the elite playing and managing sector of the GAA - but are these not the people (as well as Club players up and down the country) likely to be most affected by any rule changes? Players can be forgiven for not wanting to be sent to the line in a Championship match for a foul that the referee has full power to view as 'disruptive'.

Men like Liam O'Neill (disciplinary task force Chairman) do little to stamp out the age-old stereotype of suited men trying to lay down the law to the people who actually play and know the game. And there were plenty like him at the Rochestown Hotel in Cork last weekend - which helps to explain why the motion came so close to being carried.

The new directive had its merits. The four categories of fouling is a necessary way to clarify ever-blurring refereeing lines, but to send someone from the field of play for a yellow card offence, is too harsh a punishment to ensure the so-called 'highly-disruptive' fouls are eradicated from football and hurling.

Inter-county sides would be able to cope with such seemingly random changes in team personnel during a game, but one can only imagine that this system would be a disaster at club level, especially in lower divsions where squads are smaller, and the quality of refereeing poorer.

Yellow is the universal colour of caution. One more chance. It should remain so. If a foul is so harsh as to warrant the removal of a player from the field of action, then it should be accompanied by a red card. The rules should be clear as to what this should and should not entail; kneeing an opponent on the ground for example, or kneeing a player between the legs. Such actions should receive appropriate punishment.

Perhaps this is the value of the exercise. Mickey Harte has repeated his thoughts on how he sees the experiment as necessary to allow a healthy debate on an important topic, and the ball is now in the hands of the power-makers to refine their vision for change.

We all want to see cyncial and blatant fouling removed from football and hurling fields, but the GAA will have to produce a formula that allows this to happen in a more consistent and coherent way. Maybe then, the people that actually play our games will be in a position to say yes.