Tottenham Hotspur 2 Liverpool 2 (Dec 19 2021)

[tlw content 17,102]

 

 

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

I don’t know what to feel about this one. It’s a decent point under the circumstances, the performance was quite good for the most part but on the balance of chances Spurs deserved something from the game. All that being said, we were absolutely fucking robbed by the officials so it’s hard to really think about anything else. 

 

Everything that happened in this game is skewed by Tierney and the VAR monkey failing to send Harry Kane off early on. If they do their job it’s a completely different game. It’s easy to have a go at Tierney and believe me I will, but the bigger problem here is Kavanagh on VAR. Tierney’s performance is bad, Kavanagh’s is fucking scandalous. 

 

I can always make allowances for the on field official as he only ever gets one look at an incident and it’s at normal speed. Sometimes one look should be all he needs (like the Jota penalty, which I’ll get to shortly) but with incidents like the Kane tackle it can be difficult to know exactly what happened. He might not have had a great view of whether Kane caught Robbo or not, or how high it was, or whether he got the ball first.  I can live with refs not being sure on first view and producing a yellow. After all, that’s what VAR is for. 

 

Kavanagh has access to as many replays as he needs from numerous angles. How the fuck is he looking at that and not telling Tierney it’s a red and to go and look at the monitor? Honestly, it’s mind boggling that a fully qualified, professional referee is looking at that and not saying “red card”. I don’t actually know how it’s possible to be honest, when literally everybody else who sees it knows it’s the textbook definition of out of control, high, endangering an opponent. It ticks every box. Listen to every pundit and it's unanimous. There are no dissenting voices, yet someone who is paid to do this somehow gets it wrong? As I say, I don't know how that is even possible.

 

Kane catches Robbo in the shin with his studs, at full force. He’s running at full speed and launches himself. Kavanagh apparently said the difference between this and the Robbo red card that came later was the amount of force involved. Seriously, he needs sacking immediately because if he’s telling the truth he’s incompetent, and if he’s lying then he’s dishonest. Force? Kane has a running jump and has his full weight behind it, whereas Robbo takes a wild swing from a standing start. There's no comparison. 

 

Thankfully Robbo saw it coming and ensured his foot wasn’t planted so he avoided serious injury. That’s not relevant though. Or at least it shouldn't be. Kavanagh has apparently used that as justification for it not being a red, which again is absolutely scandalous and to me amounts to a sackable offence. A player doesn’t need to be injured for it to be a sending off.

 

Being England captain probably helped Kane but I don’t think it’s just that, as the lad who fouled Jota for the ‘non penalty’ isn’t England captain but he got away scot free too. This is just Tierney being shit and Kavanagh just going with the outcome he wants rather than just doing his job without personal bias. 

 

 

This is just a teaser, click here to view the full report

 

Please note that Match Reports are only available to website subscribers. Subscriptions cost just £2 a month (you need to register first) and can be purchased here. 

[Rushies tash 2,807]

Great report Dave, and spot on about Kavanagh. There's a link on another thread to an article in the Independent, and the lead photo is a picture of Robbo scoring and being booted in the face by Emerson-Royal, who was already on a booking (I was wondering later on where he'd got that mark over his eye from). Something else 'missed' by the useless cunt on VAR.

[Total Longo 3,653]

Spot on Dave. I was angry before kick off, livid for a lot of the game itself and i'm still angry about it now. Jurgen saying "i have no problems with other referee's, only you" to Tierney was quite telling too. 

[bigal 257]

Yeah spot on all round though I'd be harsher on Keita whose passing was crap and bottling was unforgivable.

I was ranting about Tierney but you're right, it's Kavanagh who should be under the spotlight. That game should have been very different because he's either corrupt or a totally incompetent Raab-like tit.

[Redlewie 75]

Spot on with the lot there.

 

When you have 2 people looking at the same incident, there is always the chance of differing opinion, a good example being City pen last week, I thought it wasn't, a mate thought it was and you could argue all day. Yesterday though, there were 2 incidents that were unambiguous, every single person watching with benefit of replays thought a red card and a pen. 100% no doubt.

 

I know Shearer was more pissed off about the Newcastle one, also scandalous, but it was good to hear him speak so strongly about it and use the word "incompetent ".

[Pete 2,033]

Dirty, diving, cheating, spineless cunts. 

[frankie 23]

Great report. Thought Naby was really poor in the first half but we know what happens when Fab is missing. Loved that Klopp was still going for the three points playing with 10 men. Furious with the incompetent officials but this line (Klopp may have stormed the pitch and beat the shit out of Tierney if that had happened) made me laugh out loud. Liverpool and Chelsea were screwed over yesterday while full strength City motored on. The integrity of the league is being damaged.  

[rb14 1,901]

It's quite absurd to suggest that there's not something going on here. Unquestionably the Kane-off and penno would have been given to the red OR blue mancs. The Robbo-off, as you rightly say, only adds insult to injury.

 

Nothing will be done. Tierney won't be held to account and Kavanagh less so. Which suggests to me that the problem lies beyond the pair of them. 

 

Arguably the biggest crime of all, is that they had a lovely relaxing two week break beforehand, whereas we most certainly did not. 

 

Great report Dave. Deeply accurate. 

[rb14 1,901]

2 minutes ago, frankie said:

The integrity of the league is being damaged. 

 

Sorry to break this to you, but that ship sailed a long time ago. 

[dockers_strike 4,131]

Great report Dave. As you say, the game could have been a win, loss and as it turned out, a draw.

 

I think we were robbed yet again by the officials. It seems to me that many times, the on field officials abdicate all but the 'major' decisions to VAR while VAR very much depends on who is doing the review. Many times, they dont want to overrule the match officials but I cant get my head round the shocking decisions in this game.

 

To a man virtually, everyone involved in the game has said Kane's a red card and Jota should have had a stonewall pen. Hacket, Clattenburg, hacks in the print media and all the Sky pundits.

[Marcas 74]

The thing that bugs the shit out of me is there is zero accountability. They can make any decision they fucking like and no matter how bad/incompetent/bent it is there’s no microphone waved under their nose asking for explanations. Yes the referee has to do a report but what’s Tierney gonna say about refusing the pen? “In my judgement…” blah fucking blah and that’ll be the end of it. Where is the accountability? Who is going to take that prick to one side and say “here lad, you fucked that one up, don’t do it again or your toast.”? And as for that ballbag on VAR….

[KMD7 9,479]

Great report, really looking forward to the podcast.

[Fiona Southworth 10]

Great report Dave agree with it all especially the bits about Kane ! 

[Arnaud 955]

Totally agree with every words. Mo might be a bit tired. What’s wrong with Hendo ?

[The Midnight Rambler 1,920]

Nice one dave, spot on as per usual. 

[DaveT 703]

Spot on.

Let’s also not forget the failure to send off Cresswell after 5 minutes at West Ham for that shocking challenge on Henderson. 
And that Tierney is the same bent cunt who blew for half time five seconds before the end of the MINIMUM amount of added time, with Mane chasing a through ball on United’s goal

[deiseach 3,859]

This is why I don't watch Liverpool on the telly part the umpteenth. I don't think my blood pressure would cope. What really boils my piss is how there will be no consequences for the officials. They'll close ranks then quietly admit after the posse has moved on, with much use of the passive voice, how 'mistakes were made' and 'lessons will be learned'. You can see it today on Ref Watch where Dermot Gallagher repeatedly says Kane was 'lucky', as if the decision was made by rolling the dice, which it might well have been:

 

 

Rory Smith nails the overall frustration with officialdom:

 

Going back to the Ref Watch, kudos to Rob Wotton for asking the question that was on everyone's mind, i.e. why should there be a difference between a tackle which ploughs through your ankle or through your leg bone.@dave uwill no doubt put such perceptiveness down to his recent increase in scalp real estate.

[dockers_strike 4,131]

1 hour ago, Arnaud said:

Totally agree with every words. Mo might be a bit tired. What’s wrong with Hendo ?

According to Jurgen, he had a cold not covid.

[Bobby Hundreds 10,445]

Kavanagh should be banned from any Liverpool or Everton games. His bias shaped the game he as good as match fixed. The refs being untouchable and unquestioned is obscene. A manager should be able to say exactly how he feels snd not be fined the facts will prove if they have a point or not.

[Peter Cormack 174]

Great report Dave, more balanced than I could be. Kane’s interview revealed the true man…..an absolute whopper.

[Reckoner 2,221]

Alan Shearer should have been asked about England captains getting preferential treatment. I remember v Leicester when he head butted Neil Lennon close to a World Cup, told the FA if he got banned he wouldn’t play for England. 

 

[Captain Howdy 1,912]

9 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

Alan Shearer should have been asked about England captains getting preferential treatment. I remember v Leicester when he head butted Neil Lennon close to a World Cup, told the FA if he got banned he wouldn’t play for England. 

 

He was and he said they did. Don’t know what more he can do in fairness.

and it wasn’t a headbutt it was a kick.

[Reckoner 2,221]

6 minutes ago, Captain Howdy said:

He was and he said they did. Don’t know what more he can do in fairness.

and it wasn’t a headbutt it was a kick.

He should apologise for being a corrupt twat

[Frank Dacey 408]

12 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

Alan Shearer should have been asked about England captains getting preferential treatment. I remember v Leicester when he head butted Neil Lennon close to a World Cup, told the FA if he got banned he wouldn’t play for England. Maybe similar things going on here.

 

Shearer was asked that question MOTD 2 and grinned rather knowingly. The full clip is on BBC sport website. I watched Tierney and Kavanagh a fair bit when I was watching Championship games and thought they were two of the better referees at that level (not a high bar, admittedly) so I was quite pleased when they got promoted on to the elite list. Watching them know, they give me the impression of  two people who are content that they have 'made it'. They've not improved at all and in fact have actually got worse. All the evidence is that once on that elite list it's almost impossible to get kicked off it. Look how long it took to get Lee Mason off it. The result is that Tierney, Kavanagh and the likes of Attwell from last week are not going to be dropped and held accountable. The real villain of the piece is Mike Riley who selects, persists and protects these people.

[Captain Howdy 1,912]

8 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

He should apologise for being a corrupt twat

Righto