All About Ben
Ben Williams is set to hang his whistle up, but more importantly for professional footballers everywhere tuck his cards into his pocket one last time.
There is no doubting Williams was technically a very good referee but his biggest downfall was that he failed to read the game and use the players to guide his way through games. For Ben Williams football was always about Ben Williams and for me he never fully understood the role of the referee.
Williams never shied away from the big decision, not because he wasn’t intimidated by the magnitude of player he was officiating but because that was his chance to make the game about Ben Williams. Football should never be about the referee, but somehow you always knew Williams would always find that moment to remind fans everywhere that he was the man in charge.
One cannot question the achievements of Williams with numerous appearances at major tournaments all over the world but when the final whistle of Tottenham vs. Juventus is blown fans will rejoice throughout Australia.
Referees often find themselves the centre of attention when clubs experience a poor run of results and no doubt there needs to be a healthier respect for our match day officials, particularly those involved with the A-League but when fans check the weekend fixture and breathe a sigh of relief when they don’t see the name ‘Ben Williams’ assigned to their game you know there is a problem.
Too many times over the last few seasons Williams has lost control of games at crucial moments and attempted to dig himself out of this by handing out yellow and red cards. It was Russian roulette for many defenders knowing Ben Williams literally held all the cards and a tightrope was to be walked.
Williams stifled many games with his antics and frustrated many with his card happy attitude towards the game and no doubt turned many spectators away from our game.
Ben Williams has achieved far more in his football career than most and would’ve been remembered for this if his attitude towards the games was very different. Whilst congratulating Williams on a decorated career I will be far happier attending games this season knowing the next 90 minutes won’t be influences by Ben Williams.
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