02 Jan 2018 20:00:40
After seeing that spurs goal, I've got to agree with warnock and even arsene. Refereeing in the premier league is the poorest in the world. 1. Massive dive by son 2. Lorente not even close to being on side.
As a Referee moving up the ranks, it pains me to say, but the fa should be looking abroad and bringing the absolute best in the world into the English game.


1.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 20:09:45
Refereeing looks like easy money.

In most jobs, when you underperform, someone else takes your places. In the world of a referee, make a mistake and you are a considered competent enough to climb up the ranks until you make the Premier League. In fact, the more mistakes you make, the more likely you are to referee the big games.

Sign me up, I am equally as inept and I'm also unclear about what is onside and what is offside. I would be a cert to referee big matches by the Premier League refereeing standards.


2.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 20:20:59
I agree Benny, and more so this season, I know it's been going on a lot longer but this season is really notable to me I've been left gobsmacked by so many decisions and we're only half way through, not just decisions against Liverpool but plenty of other games in the premier league the refereeing has been abysmal it all needs a complete overhaul.


3.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 20:24:08
Whilst I appreciate the sarcasm/ irony mango, I do believe it to be a serious problem that needs looking at.
Even ignoring the dive, the linesman is stationary as it's a set piece, so it's nice and easy to see! Yet how can he physically not see the clear offside. This is the pinnacle of the game and I just can't fathom how he has not seen it. Maybe there is corruption in our game, are we to ignorant to never believe that scenario? Happens all over the world like. Maybe some referees are scared to lose their job so they never declare deteriating eye sight. I know I haven't had one eye site test on my way up, just fitness tests. Just trying to think why simple simple decisions this season is costing every team.


4.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 20:30:01
The real question is are referees getting worse or are we as supporters getting more tools to do the job then a referee themselves?
They have seconds to make a decision that can impact a game and a result. We need to find a way of helping them.
For instance, mike riley for the handball against arsenal from his perspective it’s hanball. It’s only when we look at from different angles we see he is wrong. I don’t envy them at all.


5.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:07:48
Hindsight is 20/ 20 especially when you have 3 or 4 camera angles in slow motion showing us exactly what happened. When decisions need to be made in split seconds mistakes are going to be made. Authorities and fans need to decide whether they are going to accept mistakes or allow more technology into the game and slow it down like rugby or NFL.


6.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:12:14
Ive said for a few seasonable the quality in the premier league is piddle poor. They receive too much support when they have a nightmare but equally receive very little praise when they are right. I’m not claiming to have any answers but I do think referees should be interviews after games abbf explain some of those at times baffling decisions.


7.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:19:53
Boys, it's nothing to do with technology imo. Decisions, there will always be human errors on fouls/ decisions and that's fine. We don't need technology. What we need is for the black and white stuff to be called black and white. 100% visible things, like that offside that are being missed is just pure incompetence (and or match fixing :) )
If that linesman can't see that, replace them all together with "technology"


8.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:23:50
The commentator and pundits are so poor that they never even mentioned Son blatantly throwing himself to the ground. Give him his due, Andy Gray may have been a chauvinist pig, but he never missed a trick and would have pointed that out.

True to form, if a player goes down, the referees give the free kick. They have absolutely no idea how to differentiate between a genuine tackle and a foul.


9.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:34:27
The game moves too fast for the ref and linesmen to watch the game properly.

Video ref should come into play for major decisions as it does in most sports. The prizes at stake for dodgy decisions week in week out.

I remember Ashley young diving every weekend a few years ago when united and city where fighting it out for the league, in the papers showing a blatant dive yet he kept getting the decision. So yeah I also believe the game is dodgy.


10.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:39:01
Whilst on the spurs game, not a clue why Sanchez has not got a second yellow. If that's not a reckless tackle, which means yellow card, I don't know what it. Poor state of affairs atm.


11.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 21:48:11
This may sound daft but for offsides do we needs 4 linesman, two of each half of the pitch? Would give them far more opportunity to stay in line with the action, let’s be honest the game has evolved and some players, salah for instance, linesman would struggle to keep up. (Obviously this would need a lot of funding)

As for diving/ going down easy it is almost impossible to judge. If a player goes down easy but there is contact by the letter of the law the referee can award a pen. Especially for a ref that has seconds to decide.

Don't get me wrong, wrong decisions infuriate me, but we either increase the number of officials or just accept there will be mistakes.

I can imagine a ref makes 100’s of decisions a game so by the laws of probability he is going to get at least one wrong it’s just part of the game we all love.


12.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 22:05:24
I wanted to be a ref but unfortunately I’ve got 20/ 20 vision. jokes aside, it’s a tough job and they literally have a split second to get it right. It’s only on very exceptional occasions that a decision is horrendously bad. So they have to be given the benefit of the doubt.


13.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 22:09:14
IMO, refs have a hard and frankly, a thankless job and they make mistakes cos they only have one look at a situation and make a judgement call. The problem esp. in the PL, is that there is NO standards and no accountability for refs anymore. It seems the PL is just fine with having consistently incompetent refs and they seem to like the drama this causes in the public forum so they don't bother to do a darn thing about trying to either get better training and higher standards for refereeing.

I can name 4/ 5 referees in the PL who are consistently poor in the PL near every time I see them that it is nauseating. Kevin Friend, Lee Mason, Neil Swarbrick, Mike Jones and Craig Paulson are consistently bad that it is becoming a running joke and the pundits add fuel to the fire with their pathetically skewed rhetoric. Until better standards and better training and accountability are demanded from refs/ assistants, the crap show we are being subjected to will continue.


14.) 02 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 22:33:54
Seriously if you think EPL refs are poor go watch some league 1 and league 2 matches get regularly ruined by rubbish officials. The standard there is way lower.


15.) 03 Jan 2018
02 Jan 2018 23:59:25
Sorry gents but I can’t see how the focus on officials is valid. What about the bang ordinary players, managers and coaches that earn a fortune out of the game? Match officials get paid peanuts in comparison to manage the games and take abuse from everyone for the privilege.
Where do you expect to get these robots to call every split second decision from? Attack of the clones?
Seriously fellas who else is going to put themselves up for the job? Pundits. no, Ex-players. no, people who think it’s sport to abuse officials. no, best call for
Hong Kong Pheuy
There are a lot more immoral and corrupt things in football than honest mistakes by the men in black. Sexism, homophobia, racism, jobs for the boys, gangster billionaire owners.
Rant over.


16.) 03 Jan 2018
03 Jan 2018 06:21:57
Sonofklopp

The poor decisions that refs make can cost players winners medals or even chances to play in the world cup (rep Ireland) .

The game is too fast for the refs and they need help.

If video ref was in it might encourage more people to go into referring as a lot of the pressure will be lifted as all major decisions can go to the video ref and it's the correct call with no arguing.


17.) 03 Jan 2018
03 Jan 2018 12:13:03
I get that LAVERS and players, managers and chairman make mistakes that cost their clubs also.
VAR will be interesting to see how it helps or hinders however in cricket and rugby they still get decisions wrong using it as not everything seen by tv cameras is conclusive either, example the “catch” that dismissed Stuart Broad in the 4th test was impossible to call and possibly even the player himself didn’t know whether he caught it cleanly or not.
Depends how we use it, in cricket I think they get it wrong with “umpires call” so even if the ball is glancing the stumps according to Hawkeye on an LBW referral, if the on field decision was not out then not out stands, how can that be correct if the technology says the ball would hit the stumps?
I’ll reserve judgement until we see it in action for football.