Decent ref,I never forget him going up to Hermann H during a warmup and giving each other a slap on the back, never knew why,a bit of previous don't know....always seemed to get on with the players and was more than able to keep up..RIP .
He was in the news recently regarding his rare disease. Far too young, he came across as a great man. R. I. P.
Let's not rewrite history regarding his refereeing. You would think it was Ian Taylor being sent off and not Alan Shearer.
You mean the second yellow card where Captain Elbows finally actually got booked for elbowing someone?
Rennie was a great ref. Had the occasional stinker - show me a ref who hasn't - but was never biased, controlled the game well and didn't take any shit.
He was in the news recently regarding his rare disease. Far too young, he came across as a great man. R. I. P.
Let's not rewrite history regarding his refereeing. You would think it was Ian Taylor being sent off and not Alan Shearer.
I remember that well. This was a time when Shearer was England captain, untouchable to referees and he took full advantage of it. Barely a week went by when he wasn’t elbowing someone. I was pleased when Rennie was the one who finally sent him off.
Sad news, an outstanding referee, we could have done with more officials of his calibre in recent seasons.
One of the few to rarely leave me feeling bewildered at decisions (not that I always agreed with him).
Deserved a great deal of respect for his career (for non-Newcastle fans especially, but not only, the Shearer sending off).
I always thought (going back to the Biblical origins of his name) that there must have been interesting discussions about why he was named Uriah, as his "Hittite" namesake didn't end well.
His decision-making was on a par with any other referee. But what made him stand out was the way he handled players. It was no coincidence that there seemed to be fewer "boiling points" in games he refereed.
Rather shocked by this as he had been reported to be starting as University Chancellor for Sheffield Hallam last month. He was a lot more active and community spirited, outside of refereeing. He really went for it in that relatively short lifespan. RIP. Here's an extract from his BBC interview from April;
"Tall in stature and a kick-boxing and aikido expert, protesting players rapidly discovered he was more than comfortable standing his ground during arguments.
A magistrate in Sheffield since 1996, he has campaigned for issues such as improving equality and inclusion in sport, supporting mental health and tackling deprivation.
Rennie was on the verge of starting a new role as Sheffield Hallam University chancellor when he was admitted to Northern General Hospital in October.
"I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed," he says.
"They kept me in hospital until February, they found a nodule pushing on my spine and it was a rare neurological condition so it's not something they can operate on.
"I have had to learn to move all over again, I'm retraining my legs."
...
He studied for an MBA at the university during his refereeing career and received an honorary doctorate in 2023 for his work with sport and local communities."
Comments
Let's not rewrite history regarding his refereeing. You would think it was Ian Taylor being sent off and not Alan Shearer.
Rennie was a great ref. Had the occasional stinker - show me a ref who hasn't - but was never biased, controlled the game well and didn't take any shit.
Rest in peace
One of the few to rarely leave me feeling bewildered at decisions (not that I always agreed with him).
Deserved a great deal of respect for his career (for non-Newcastle fans especially, but not only, the Shearer sending off).
I always thought (going back to the Biblical origins of his name) that there must have been interesting discussions about why he was named Uriah, as his "Hittite" namesake didn't end well.
RIP
An important figure in the game in England. RIP.
"Tall in stature and a kick-boxing and aikido expert, protesting players rapidly discovered he was more than comfortable standing his ground during arguments.
A magistrate in Sheffield since 1996, he has campaigned for issues such as improving equality and inclusion in sport, supporting mental health and tackling deprivation.
Rennie was on the verge of starting a new role as Sheffield Hallam University chancellor when he was admitted to Northern General Hospital in October.
"I spent a month laid on my back and another four months sitting in bed," he says.
"They kept me in hospital until February, they found a nodule pushing on my spine and it was a rare neurological condition so it's not something they can operate on.
"I have had to learn to move all over again, I'm retraining my legs."
...
He studied for an MBA at the university during his refereeing career and received an honorary doctorate in 2023 for his work with sport and local communities."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crm3zzpyz43o