TIM CLANCY believes full-time match officials should be looked at in a bid to further improve the League of Ireland.
The Cork City boss was sent off at the end of his side’s 2-1 defeat to Waterford on Monday night.
The Meath native felt whistler Damien MacGraith’s performance on Monday was ‘shocking’[/caption]
https://twitter.com/VMSportIE/status/1896684221801935290
With Bohemians’ Alan Reynolds and Tiernan Lynch of Derry City previously receiving their marching orders, it means 30 per cent of the Premier Division’s bosses have been red-carded just four games into the season.
Clancy — who may also face sanction for his comments after the game — believes there is an onus on coaches to be more disciplined.
But he highlighted the disparity where every top-flight club is now full-time while games are being officiated by people with a day job.
Clancy said: “I spoke to Kevin Doherty after the game on Monday and I think Kev, Daire Doyle, Alan Reynolds and Stevie O’Donnell all got booked so it seems to be a little bit excessive.
“As managers and coaches, we’ve got to control ourselves more as well.
“There was very little in our game so you get frustrated with decisions.
“I won’t be on the line against Sligo on Friday, you miss the game and that’s it.
“You can’t appeal it. Once you’ve been given a red card you have to serve a one-game ban.
“I’ll see what ban I get but I don’t think I said anything in the post-match interview that was derogatory or insulting or offensive or anything like that.
“We’re not perfect, we make mistakes, players make mistakes and officials are going to make mistakes as well.
“The only thing is we might get questioned a little bit more when we make mistakes, or you might hear from us.”
In some other leagues, officials can explain decisions, but Clancy would not be in favour of a similar move here.
He said: “If officials were made available for post-match interviews I know which one would be the longest one after every game.
“I think if you do go down the route of demanding to speak to match officials after games, it can become a very pressured situation and I don’t know if that would be the answer to anything like that.
“It’s probably the same as everything else but with more funding and more money going into that, they could become full-time or something because every match official, I’m led to believe, it’s their second profession.
“Maybe that’s a situation we can look at where we’re investing money and we’re asking for infrastructure and everything else, maybe more needs to go in there and help the officials as well.”
SELECTION HEADACHES
City are waiting on the results of scans on Greg Bolger and Seani Maguire on Tuesday but they will both miss the game against Sligo, as will Cathal O’Sullivan.
The winger turned 18 yesterday and Clancy insisted he is not fretting about losing the talent who is now old enough to make a move to England.
Clancy said: “What can you do? Speculation or not, he can’t leave until a transfer window opens and the club have to accept a bid.”
The Meath man was not surprised to see John Russell’s Bit O’Red defeat Shamrock Rovers on Monday, believing they were unlucky not to take any points against Waterford and St Pat’s.
He said: “You always have to prepare for the best version of every team you play against and the best version of Sligo is a very good team.
“They’re very well set up, they’re really well-coached, they’ve got a lot of very good offensive players and they’ve decent players at the back as well.
“Of the goals they’ve conceded, a good few have been because of individual errors so I’m sure John will have been working on trying to limit them and having a threat going forward as well.”
