Anthony Bates, a regular face at QPR matches over the last decade, is in charge again on Saturday as the R's head north to take on Doncaster Rovers.

Doncaster Rovers v QPR
Referee – Anthony Bates (Staffordshire)
Assistants – Astley (Manchester) and Greenwood (Yorkshire)
Fourth Official – Curry (Northumberland)

I was going to start the column this week by praising the referee in the first leg of the Ireland France game, although the subsequent balls up on Wednesday evening has taken the attention away from him. German Felix Brych showed exactly how to cut play acting and dissent out of football – don’t reward it. Several times in the first ten minutes players of both sides hit the deck expecting a free kick to be awarded and when it became clear that the young referee was having none of it and would allow the game to play on at every possible opportunity it stopped almost immediately. What then ensued was an open, attractive, entertaining and physical game. Id’ show every referee in this country a video of that game – when you suffer people like Andy Hall doing everything to the exact letter of the law and ruining game after game, and then you see how it really should be done with common sense and a clear understanding of what football is about the difference is stark.

Then of course the incident on Wednesday which, in my opinion, one or both of the referee and linesman definitely saw. In my opinion they bottled it because just moments earlier the home crowd had screamed for a penalty when Anelka went over Given in the area. Ireland got several decisions in their favour leading up to the controversial goal and I just think the officials lacked the stones to disallow a French goal as well. Still, FIFA got the team they wanted at the World Cup so I’m sure they’re very pleased.

This Saturday we have Anthony Bates in charge of our game at Doncaster. So far this season Bates is yet to show a red card (famous last words) and has booked 33 (2.538 a game) in 13 matches. His biggest haul in a single game was six yellows in a match between Oldham and MK Dons, and he has gone through a game without showing a card at all on three occasions this season. Five of those 13 games have been in the Championship and just seven of his yellow cards have come in those appointments – well below his average.

Last season he showed 64 yellows (1.68 a game) and three reds in 38 games. That included two QPR appointments, both of which finished goalless although that’s hardly a surprise considering how dire we were last season. At Swansea Bates let Martin Rowlands off with a booking for a horrendous challenge on goalkeeper Dorus De Vries that left him nursing a fractured cheekbone and then at home to Burnley he saw no need to book anybody in a drab encounter. A high mark for the Burnley game and low four for the Swansea one meant he averaged six on LFW last season and was placed joint 14th on the referee league.

Referee: Tony Bates (Staffordshire) 4 Lost the plot somewhat in the first half. It all started when he let Delaney off without a booking for his tackle, had a card been shown there it might have calmed things a little bit but he didn’t, then he let Rowlands maim their goalkeeper without getting sent off and after that it descended into a farce as several QPR players were harshly booked – Ron Atkinson might have refereed to the decisions as “eveners”. Everything calmed down in the second half but the cards kept flying and QPR ended the night with six yellows. LFW Swansea Match Report

Referee: Tony Bates (Staffordshire) 8 Should have booked Stewart for fouling Eagles in the first half but other than that it was hard to fault him and he was hardly noticeable save for one or two mistakes over throw ins and a corner. Not a lot to referee admittedly but excellent all the same. LFW Burnley Match Report

He also refereed Doncaster once last season, a 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United in September. In 2007/08 he showed 85 yellows and two reds in 36 games but again kept the book in his pocket for his QPR appointment – a 2-1 midweek home defeat by Coventry City. A mark of seven in that game placed him joint fourth on our league for the season.

Referee: Tony Bates (Staffordshire) 7 No cards all night which I like to see, always rather see the players be allowed to have a proper man's match rather than being whistled at and booked all the time. Having said that there one or two naughty ones he missed, particularly the one by Best on Mancienne that rendered him half fit for the remainder of the half. Sadly let down by two abysmal linesman, particularly the one on the Ellerslie Road side. I'd like to take his flag and smack him round the head with it. LFW Coventry Match Report

Bates had two more QPR appointments in 2006/07; a 2-2 draw with Luton in the FA Cup when, rather topically, he missed a blatantly handled goal by Shabazz Baidoo at the Loft End that earned John Gregory’s men a replay, and a 0-0 draw at Leeds which proved crucial in our survival and their relegation. He was placed joint 26th on the league that season with an average mark of four.

Referee: Mr A Bates 4 Failed to produce cards for several fouls from both teams that really deserved them. Also got the game's two crucial decisions wrong - Rangers should have had a penalty in the first half and their second goal should never have stood. Ably assisted by a couple of poor linesmen - the one at the Loft End in the first half wouldn't know the offside law if it walked up and introduced itself to him. LFW Luton Match Report

Ref: T Bates (Staffordshire) 4 Does my head in this bloke. Six bookings he made in this game. SIX! There was barely a bad tackle in the match. Picky, constant whistling, desperately looking for an offence from every corner and free kick. Piss poor. LFW Leeds Match Report

We have had this referee a further seven times apart from this – including the game at Huddersfield where we were relegated from this division in 2001, and a 1-0 win at Blackpool where Chris Day made several miraculous saves to claim the points. His overall record with Rangers is four QPR wins and five draws from 12 games. He has shown yellow cards to 27 QPR players and 18 opponents, he has shown the red card just once in those 12 games, to Bournemouth’s Richard Hughes in 2002.

Elsewhere this weekend Premiership referee Lee Probert drops down to take charge of Middlesbrough v Forest at the Riverside, Andy D’Urso has Ipswich v Sheff Wed and our old foes Trevor Kettle and Andy Hall are down in League Two with Macclesfield v Bournemouth and Torquay v Rotherham respectively so expect plenty of cards and farce there.

Photo courtesy of refworld.com.

Photo: Action Images

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