Ref Watch 2022-23

[Tucker]

Thought a thread for moaning about the refs might be handy.

Have just caught up on the united vs Brighton highlights. There were some really dodgy decisions from both the referee and the VAR.

The Martinez challenge on Wellbeck was as obvious a penalty as you could get. Yet Tierney waved it away and VAR didn’t even review it.

The McTominay challenge was probably a clear red card too, yet wasn’t reviewed by VAR.

How are two different referees (one on the pitch and one in the VAR booth) getting such simple decisions so wrong?

 

[vuzp]

Thought a thread for moaning about the refs might be handy.

Have just caught up on the united vs Brighton highlights. There were some really dodgy decisions from both the referee and the VAR.

The Martinez challenge on Wellbeck was as obvious a penalty as you could get. Yet Tierney waved it away and VAR didn’t even review it.

The McTominay challenge was probably a clear red card too, yet wasn’t reviewed by VAR.

How are two different referees (one on the pitch and one in the VAR booth) getting such simple decisions so wrong?

Its referee and VAR decisions like this that really make people think its one rule for some clubs and others for the bigs clubs.
Both incredible decisions.

 

[Insomnia]

Tierney was a massive homer at old trafford the wekeend, thankfully BHA held onto the win, no thanks to the ref

 

[dirtyh]

tin hat time but of course it's one rule for the top clubs and one for everyone else, always has been and always will be. we've benefitted from a few over the years but there's a clear hierarchy of 'protection'. for the current top 6 imo....

top tier - united/liverpool - can literally get away with murder and are rarely penalised for blatant and obvious fouls (fabinho/mctominay/robertson)/penalties/cheating. officials are either corrupt or just too scared/incompetent, especially at ot/anfield.
tier 1 - scum/chavs - a level below because the obvious penalties typically get called out but rarely the fouls/cheating
tier 2 - us/city - simply by being part of the top 6 means we benefit from intermittent favourable decisions against 'lesser' clubs but aside from fernandinho being immune to bookings for obvious tactical fouls (important to make the distinction between clubs and players here) i often think city get pulled up more often than not, especially when compared to united/liverpool/scum/chavs.

as tucker has said, var check on mctominay and it's a clear red - not done. var check on martinez and clear pen even though it was clear as day to everyone it seems apart from the referee. this is where VAR was meant to cover the incompetence of the referee which to be fair, in the prem is at stratospheric levels. even if you think you made the right call, just get var to check it, costs you nothing. they need to start putting them in front of the cameras to explain these huge 'misses'.

games between the top 6 (outside of united and liverpool) are usually ok. united and liverpool are almost NEVER penalised, regardless of who they play and even in europe. i was staggered that van dijk got done on the weekend although it was pretty obvious.

great idea this thread though as am sure each week there'll be more detail to discuss....

 

[DaiT]

Were there any VAR reviews in our match on Saturday. I thought there would have been but saw nothing on the big screens. That might be normal though (not seeing them) are s that was my first live game since 2008.

 

[Marty]

Were there any VAR reviews in our match on Saturday. I thought there would have been but saw nothing on the big screens. That might be normal though (not seeing them) are s that was my first live game since 2008.

My commentator reported checks on the Sessegnon and Romero fouls that they both got booked for, but nothing else.

Of course VAR checks and reviews decisions continuously but they never asked the ref to halt the restart of play to take a closer look at things, that's where the VAR check graphic would be displayed on the screens in the stadium.

 

[Cavehillspur]

My commentator reported checks on the Sessegnon and Romero fouls that they both got booked for, but nothing else.

Of course VAR checks and reviews decisions continuously but they never asked the ref to halt the restart of play to take a closer look at things, that's where the VAR check graphic would be displayed on the screens in the stadium.

Don't think Romero got booked for that challenge, incredible lol I thought the ref was pulling out a straight red at the time.

 

[cusop]

There are two laws that to my knowledge have never changed
1. Direct Free Kick .. the opposing player cannot approach within 10 YARDS regardless of a whistle blown.

2. An indirect awarded for deliberate off the ball obstruction.

In the first case its rarely applied.

Second case never applied.
Example Harry Kane attempts to close down the keeper at weekend after he the keeper had received the ball, first saints player blocked second just plain held him.

I don't see the point of laws being there if they are never observed. And when the ref hides behind the law "when shit happens" just drives me bonkers. I refereed USA soccer, at junior level up to state level (fyi)

 

[DaiT]

My commentator reported checks on the Sessegnon and Romero fouls that they both got booked for, but nothing else.

Of course VAR checks and reviews decisions continuously but they never asked the ref to halt the restart of play to take a closer look at things, that's where the VAR check graphic would be displayed on the screens in the stadium.

Thanks for that !

 

[fridgemagnet]

Don't think Romero got booked for that challenge, incredible lol I thought the ref was pulling out a straight red at the time.

He didn't book him no, I think the ref evened that one out late on by booking Bissouma instead IMHO.

This has been one of my biggest gripes with officials in football, the official fucks something up through nothing more malicious than pure human error they give a decision that cannot be overturned then knowing they've fucked up they spend the entire match looking for ways to level it up and I think it still goes on with VAR to some degree.

 

[cwy21]

I'm glad it went our way, but good god the Premier League has the worst VAR in the world.

 

[Tucker]

I'm glad it went our way, but good god the Premier League has the worst VAR in the world.

Yeah, how they didn’t do anything about that hair pull I don’t understand. I can only conclude that it was envy from the folicaly challenged Anthony Taylor and Mike Dean.

 

[Tucker]

Buzz cut doesn’t suit Paul Tierney.

 

[ZiggySpurs]

Mike Dean column in the Mail

MIKE DEAN: I got it wrong on Romero's hair pull

www.mailplus.co.uk

 

[cwy21]

I don't get why PGMOL couldn't just say there was a mistake or have Dean put this out through their channels. Why go though a newspaper? It seems like there are so many better ways to handle this.

 

[Tucker]

Some wonky decisions this weekend. The ref in our game was pretty rubbish, but didn’t do anything egregious. He was just wildly inconsistent. Another poor performance that stood out to me was the Australian ref in the Newcastle v city game. He’s never looked anything but out of his depth in the premier league.

 

[spursfan77]

Some wonky decisions this weekend. The ref in our game was pretty rubbish, but didn’t do anything egregious. He was just wildly inconsistent. Another poor performance that stood out to me was the Australian ref in the Newcastle v city game. He’s never looked anything but out of his depth in the premier league.

Agree our ref on Saturday was poor. I thought the ref in the Newcastle game did well until the trippier episode. Officials in the chavs game were good too.

 

[Tucker]

Agree our ref on Saturday was poor. I thought the ref in the Newcastle game did well until the trippier episode. Officials in the chavs game were good too.

I thought he seemed to favour City with his decisions, and it was only VAR that stopped him gifting them the game with the red card. He missed a glaringly obvious penalty for Newcastle too.

 

[Tucker]

Some more iffy refereeing in our game yesterday. The decision for the penalty too far far too long. Four and a half minutes! You could almost forgive them for getting the right call in the end…

Until they added just four minutes of stoppage time to the first half.

 

[cwy21]

Ref wore a camera during the MLS All-Star Game against the Mexican League All-Stars. Very American I know, but some of you might find it interesting.