Halsey: Referee standards have dropped to alarming levels  

Corrupt cunts. 

There were some poor refs back in the day, but with no select group, you saw them less frequently. Also far fewer games were televised, whereas now every howler is pointed out and analysed. One of the unexpected side effects of full time refs is that it becomes more difficult to sack them as they must be protected by employment law. People like Mason and Moss were allowed to carry on reffing when it was clear to all that they weren't up to it. Even now they've retired, they're still working for PGMOL.

If, as I expect, Van Dijk is banned for two games rather than one, I look forward to other players receiving similar punishments this season. Though, as with Newcastle's card waving, I doubt it.

Is there anything the club can actually do regarding the officiating issue, or is it a case that we have to let them hang themselves by their own petard?

As it does feel it getting a bit daft would anyone be at all surprised if we get a soft red given against us in the Villa game while they time waste merrily away?

Here we go again...

'Oh we got it wrong' ....too late after the event/s isn't it.

Useless twats

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66724505

44 minutes ago, an tha said:

Here we go again...

 

'Oh we got it wrong' ....too late after the event/s isn't it.

 

Useless twats

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66724505

This is getting ridiculous. 

Is that three apologies now to clubs playing Manc teams? 

8 hours ago, an tha said:

Here we go again...

 

'Oh we got it wrong' ....too late after the event/s isn't it.

 

Useless twats

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66724505

Was there ever an apology for the Mac Allister red card? I’d be interested to see a transcript of the VAR discussion for that one. 

9 hours ago, aws said:

Is that three apologies now to clubs playing Manc teams? 

And only two manc teams

Other thing is this mic'd up programme is bollocks.

They are cherry picking decisions to release selected bits from to avoid being properly mic'd up and it all in the open at the time and all the time like in rugby.

21 minutes ago, an tha said:

Other thing is this mic'd up programme is bollocks.

 

They are cherry picking decisions to release selected bits from to avoid being properly mic'd up and it all in the open at the time and all the time like in rugby.

Do you know what I hated in that sequence? That the refs in Stockley Park where calling the ref 'Brooksy'. Very unprofessional and far too matey.

2 hours ago, BeefStroganoff said:

 

Do you know what I hated in that sequence? That the refs in Stockley Park where calling the ref 'Brooksy'. Very unprofessional and far too matey.

They are mates though in many cases, like lots of people are with their work colleagues. The key here, they shouldn't be getting their mates to mark their homework. Get people who don't know these refs, you got it wrong, go and look again. Done. 

Webb seems to exclude the fact that he's basically told them all not use VAR unless somebody is dead on the pitch. When obvious errors are made and it blows up in the media he then blames the people that followed his instructions. 

24 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

They are mates though in many cases, like lots of people are with their work colleagues. The key here, they shouldn't be getting their mates to mark their homework. Get people who don't know these refs, you got it wrong, go and look again. Done. 

Thats exactly it. There should be independent refs (foreign?) or ex pros or someone in place that isn't their mates just like Dean admitted to the other week.

17 minutes ago, No2 said:

Webb seems to exclude the fact that he's basically told them all not use VAR unless somebody is dead on the pitch. When obvious errors are made and it blows up in the media he then blames the people that followed his instructions. 

Webbs Mr PR this season isn't he, he's everywhere and still doing a crap job.

Said in another thread trouble is brewing a teams is going to go off I reckon as the decisions are clearly wrong. There doesn’t have to be money changing hands for corruption, simple liking and not liking seems to be a big issue like some have said.

Don't see how it's got worse, how could it? It's been dogshit for years. Decades.

8 hours ago, goose said:

Was there ever an apology for the Mac Allister red card? I’d be interested to see a transcript of the VAR discussion for that one. 

I don't think there was, it was very much the independent board that changed the verdict, not PGMOL's view I guess.

Mike Dean even said while watching replays that Alexis caught the guy on the shin... Shows the kind of wilful ignorance of the facts we have to put up with.

I didn’t even hugely disagree with the van Dijk red. There will be similar that get a yellow but it was  hard to argue away - part of the reason we didn’t appeal I guess.

Would have been much interesting to hear the Mac Allister red as that was overturned and contentious- hearing that discussion would have been more valuable. 
 

I would also have liked to hear what went on in the Trent - Gordon three or four minutes . Why one was moving then ball was dissent the others wasn’t and why the second  incident wasn’t a yellow card. 
 

Picking some choice incidents yourself to aid transparency does the  opposite it’s like choosing your own audit - pointless and actually to me appears there’s more to hide. 

Oops, VAR check and Howard Webb has accidentally left the mic on...

Turn it off Howard, turn it off!

On 29/08/2023 at 01:27, Carvalho Diablo said:

When refs became fully professional I thought great, for 2 reasons:

 

1. They can dedicate their time to getting as fit as possible

 

2. You can sack the bastards if they're consistently shit

 

It seems like only half the memo got through.

«They can dedicate their time to getting as consistently shit as possible» must be the 50% that got through then.

After that VAR show the other night, I tweeted Michael Owen. 
 

Surprisingly, he responded…

1 hour ago, Scott_M said:

After that VAR show the other night, I tweeted Michael Owen. 
 

Surprisingly, he responded…

 

1st name terms with the poisonous dwarf eh?

2 hours ago, Carvalho Diablo said:

1st name terms with the poisonous dwarf eh?

Bit unfair to say that about a club legend. 

On 06/09/2023 at 15:45, Burgess said:

I didn’t even hugely disagree with the van Dijk red. There will be similar that get a yellow but it was  hard to argue away - part of the reason we didn’t appeal I guess.

 

Would have been much interesting to hear the Mac Allister red as that was overturned and contentious- hearing that discussion would have been more valuable. 
 

I would also have liked to hear what went on in the Trent - Gordon three or four minutes . Why one was moving then ball was dissent the others wasn’t and why the second  incident wasn’t a yellow card. 
 

Picking some choice incidents yourself to aid transparency does the  opposite it’s like choosing your own audit - pointless and actually to me appears there’s more to hide. 

That last paragraph nails it. Refs get to mark their own homework by also being the VAR and the after doubling down on poor decisions, their boss then only allows transparency on issues of his choosing. The stuff from Michael Owen is a crock of shit. Group discussion, yeah right, like if you picked one he didn't want to cover, he would anyway. No chance.