Uriah Rennie
Encyclopedia
Uriah D. Rennie is a retired English
football
referee.
until 1994, at which time he was appointed to the Football League
List of referees.
He was given his first Premiership appointment on 23 August 1997, controlling the 2-0 away win by Crystal Palace
at Leeds United
, goals being scored by Paul Warhurst
and Attilio Lombardo
.
In 2000, he became a FIFA
referee.
He dealt Alan Shearer his first red card in a Newcastle v Aston Villa match in 1999, the reason for the red card was "persistent use of the elbow"
In 2001, he joined the Select Group of professional referees. Keith Hackett
, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board
has described him as "the fittest referee we have ever seen on the national and world scene."
He refereed the 2001 (old) Football League Division One
Play-off Final
between Bolton Wanderers
and Preston North End
at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff
, when Bolton won 3-0 with goals from Farrelly
, Ricketts
and Gardner
. Uriah did not show a red or yellow card
at all during the match.
At the end of the 2004-05
season, he retired from the FIFA list, at the compulsory age of 45.
Like many high-profile referees in top-flight football, Rennie has attracted criticism from within the game. In November 2006, he was mentioned in a remark by a stadium announcer, Adam Cattarall, at a Football League Championship
match between Preston North End and Crystal Palace. It was announced over the public address system as the teams came back onto the pitch after half time: "Welcome to the second half of the Uriah Rennie show". His refereeing came under criticism yet again on December 19, 2006 after Southampton
's 2-0 victory over Norwich
, with Canaries' manager Peter Grant
claiming: "It's scandalous the way he talks to players. He shows them no respect, and yet expects respect back. With this referee it's all about him. People come to watch the players and be entertained, not to watch the referee."
On 21 August 2007, The Sun
newspaper announced that Rennie had been withdrawn from the list of referees after failing the prescribed fitness tests and that he would not referee again until he passed one. These tests are re-taken after one month.
However, his failure of the tests actually turned out to be due to a hamstring injury. He made his return to active refereeing on 24 November 2007, handling the Championship match between Scunthorpe United
and Hull City
, which finished as a 2-1 away win.
Rennie was again struck by injury at the start of the 2008/2009 season. He failed to recover from this injury all season, and as a result was removed from the Select Group of referees, along with Steve Tanner and Keith Stroud in May 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1186740/GRAHAM-POLL-Bosses-gagged-ease-pressure-referees.html
In September 2010 Uriah became President of Hallam FC who are celebrating their 150th anniversary season and still play at the oldest football ground in the world, Sandygate
in Sheffield
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
, and has a Master's degree
in Business Administration and Law. He is also a magistrate
in Sheffield. He is married and has one daughter..
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee.
Career
He began refereeing in 1979 in local leagues, then operated in the Northern Premier LeagueNorthern Premier League
The Northern Premier League, is one of the regional English football leagues which sits directly below the Football Conference featuring semi-professional and amateur clubs. Geographically, the league covers all of Northern England, and the northern areas of the Midlands. Originally just one...
until 1994, at which time he was appointed to the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
List of referees.
He was given his first Premiership appointment on 23 August 1997, controlling the 2-0 away win by Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace F.C.
Crystal Palace Football Club are an English Football league club based in South Norwood, London. The team plays its home matches at Selhurst Park, where they have been based since 1924. The club currently competes in the second tier of English Football, The Championship.Crystal Palace was formed in...
at Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, goals being scored by Paul Warhurst
Paul Warhurst
Paul Warhurst is an English former football player. He was primarily as a defender, but has also played in midfield or as a striker at various points in his career...
and Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo
Attilio Lombardo is a retired football player turned manager.-Playing:...
.
In 2000, he became a FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referee.
He dealt Alan Shearer his first red card in a Newcastle v Aston Villa match in 1999, the reason for the red card was "persistent use of the elbow"
In 2001, he joined the Select Group of professional referees. Keith Hackett
Keith Hackett
Keith Stuart Hackett is an English former football referee, who began refereeing in local leagues in the Sheffield, Yorkshire, area in 1960...
, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Board
Professional Game Match Officials Board
The Professional Game Match Officials Board , and since made a Limited Liability Company , was formed when English association football referees turned professional in 2001, specifically to provide match officials for all games played in the Premier League in England...
has described him as "the fittest referee we have ever seen on the national and world scene."
He refereed the 2001 (old) Football League Division One
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Play-off Final
Final (competition)
The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided.In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between the winners of two semi-finals...
between Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
and Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, when Bolton won 3-0 with goals from Farrelly
Gareth Farrelly
Gareth Farrelly is an Irish footballer. He currently plays for Warrington Town and Paul Hastings FC ....
, Ricketts
Michael Ricketts
Michael Barrington Ricketts is an English football player who was released by Tranmere Rovers in February 2010. He played as a striker and he has been capped once by England in a friendly against the Netherlands in 2002.-Early career:...
and Gardner
Ricardo Gardner
Ricardo Gardner is a Jamaican footballer who currently plays for Bolton Wanderers. He is naturally a left winger but can also play in the centre of midfield or at left wingback.-Early career:...
. Uriah did not show a red or yellow card
Misconduct (football)
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...
at all during the match.
At the end of the 2004-05
2004-05 in English football
The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League...
season, he retired from the FIFA list, at the compulsory age of 45.
Like many high-profile referees in top-flight football, Rennie has attracted criticism from within the game. In November 2006, he was mentioned in a remark by a stadium announcer, Adam Cattarall, at a Football League Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
match between Preston North End and Crystal Palace. It was announced over the public address system as the teams came back onto the pitch after half time: "Welcome to the second half of the Uriah Rennie show". His refereeing came under criticism yet again on December 19, 2006 after Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
's 2-0 victory over Norwich
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
, with Canaries' manager Peter Grant
Peter Grant (footballer)
Peter Grant is a Scottish former footballer and was, until October 2007, manager of Norwich City. This was Grant's first role in management, but he had previously held coaching jobs at Bournemouth, West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion...
claiming: "It's scandalous the way he talks to players. He shows them no respect, and yet expects respect back. With this referee it's all about him. People come to watch the players and be entertained, not to watch the referee."
On 21 August 2007, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper announced that Rennie had been withdrawn from the list of referees after failing the prescribed fitness tests and that he would not referee again until he passed one. These tests are re-taken after one month.
However, his failure of the tests actually turned out to be due to a hamstring injury. He made his return to active refereeing on 24 November 2007, handling the Championship match between Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
and Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, which finished as a 2-1 away win.
Rennie was again struck by injury at the start of the 2008/2009 season. He failed to recover from this injury all season, and as a result was removed from the Select Group of referees, along with Steve Tanner and Keith Stroud in May 2009. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1186740/GRAHAM-POLL-Bosses-gagged-ease-pressure-referees.html
In September 2010 Uriah became President of Hallam FC who are celebrating their 150th anniversary season and still play at the oldest football ground in the world, Sandygate
Sandygate Road
Sandygate Road is a football and cricket stadium in the Sheffield suburb of Crosspool, South Yorkshire, England. It is home to Hallam F.C. and Hallam C.C....
in Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
Career statistics
| Season | Games | Total | per game | Total | per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/1998 | 27 | 102 | 3.78 | 10 | 0.37 |
| 1998/1999 | 27 | 117 | 4.34 | 7 | 0.26 |
| 1999/2000 | 28 | 96 | 3.43 | 10 | 0.36 |
| 2000/2001 | 39 | 82 | 2.10 | 8 | 0.21 |
| 2001/2002 | 34 | 86 | 2.52 | 5 | 0.15 |
| 2002/2003 | 31 | 82 | 2.65 | 10 | 0.32 |
| 2003/2004 | 24 | 79 | 3.29 | 1 | 0.04 |
| 2004/2005 | 31 | 64 | 2.06 | 2 | 0.06 |
| 2005/2006 | 44 | 94 | 2.14 | 5 | 0.11 |
| 2006/2007 | 39 | 123 | 3.15 | 5 | 0.13 |
| 2007/2008 | 21 | 59 | 2.80 | 7 | 0.33 |
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
Life outside football
He practices both kick-boxing and aikidoAikido
is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba as a synthesis of his martial studies, philosophy, and religious beliefs. Aikido is often translated as "the Way of unifying life energy" or as "the Way of harmonious spirit." Ueshiba's goal was to create an art that practitioners could use to...
, and has a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Business Administration and Law. He is also a magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
in Sheffield. He is married and has one daughter..
External links
- Uriah Rennie Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com