27 Dec 2023 21:42:28
So once again I’d like to thank the refs for confirming, when it comes to handball in the penalty box the proximity rule only applies unless it’s Man City.

If you’re playing Man City it doesn’t matter how close you are when the ball is smashed at your hand. They get the penalty.

Thanks for clearing that up.

1.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 21:52:45
Appalling decision. City only get those ones. Wonder how much cash they paid for it.

2.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 21:57:54
Can’t stand anything about City horrible team, horrible players horrible manager.

3.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 22:12:19
It’s sickening when you look at the pens we don’t get compared to the ones they do.

That being said Pickford has let Everton down tonight. Woefully out of position for the first, should’ve saved the pen and the third goal was comedy Pickford at its finest.

4.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 22:28:42
City leave me cold. Horrible, soulless, plastic club - the footballing equivalent of fake tan.

5.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 22:30:55
Shocker! VAR couldn't find a basis to penalise a blatant City handball against Everton couple of years ago, but today, right in your face, that was given as a handball! What happened last week when Odegaard impersonated LeBron James?
Thank you, PGMOL!

6.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 22:53:52
Calm down lads, refs need pocket change too, cost of living crisis and all that.

7.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 23:18:32
Not sure how the cost of living crisis affects Paul Tierney, he only spends his money on pot noodles, Tescos value lager, Kleenex and one handed reading material.

8.) 27 Dec 2023
27 Dec 2023 23:30:04
Chill everyone
I’m sure a reasonable explanation is in store

Perhaps the movement of the hand was in the ‘wrong’ direction, the distance between hand and body was ‘too far away’, the hands were not in a ‘natural’ position or maybe the brown envelops were slipped into the ‘right’ pockets

Choose any of the above and live on until the next incident when a new rule will be invented again.

9.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 00:24:09
The powers-that-be are going to need to be a little more subtle about helping City win the title again. These kinds of decisions are making the underlying plan a bit too obvious.

10.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 00:38:48
They pick and choose who gets what decisions, that’s what VAR has brought.

11.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 01:03:17
Even as a kid I had respect for Fergie's Man United, almost jealousy of Wengers Arsenal, Jose's Chelsea were a ruthless winning machine. Ranieri's Foxes became so many peoples second team, even Mancini's City were a hell of a group. But this Guardiola City side are so hollow and empty.

I get that sportswashing is killing football and City with PSG are the forefront of it, which unfortunately has made the Premier League become the French League, this season Liverpool and Arsenal are playing for second place.

Don't get me wrong City have bought some fantastic players and have a top manager, but the help from the refs is getting too much. I've always put it down to sheer incompetence, but the past two seasons are starting to show there are shenanigans going on.

12.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 01:11:26
@VV who knew that Paul Tierney had such a sophisticated pallet, I thought he settled for the blood of young virgins.

13.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 08:48:49
IMO, It is the lack of consistency that is the problem here and the PGMOL does not help itself at all cos they are too busy trying to shift the goalposts in a bid to protect it's refs whenever they make mistakes regardless of the situation.

For me, both the Onana and Odegaard penalties are actually penalties under the rules in each situation. The problem is that whenever they screw up like the Odegaard one, they will create an interpretation within the law to explain the absurd. However the next week in the same situation, a pen will be given and when people complain about as to why one was not given for the same situation or slightly different one, they will then create another interpretation within that law to protect the ref again with their allies in the media giving them cover. Rinse, Repeat.

That is why people don't know what the handball rule is cos they keep changing on a weekly basis to survive the weekend, IMO.

14.) 28 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 11:47:16
I still it down to utter incompetence. Especially those operating VAR and the complete lack of understanding in the game.
Unfortunately, each decision is mildly different from another and therefore too many variables come in to play.
What it has made me do though is to accept the ref's decision more often. They've got a hard job keeping up with play and seeing things in real time. Don't get me wrong, some of their decisions are still wrong, I just have learned to accept it. Football in the lower leagues is so much more fun (ie the EFL) without VAR and players/ fans just get on with it without anywhere near as much moaning after games.

15.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 16:14:24
How can a lines man be called an assistant ref when they only give throw ins and corners and off sides ( then that goes to var) How many time has a lines man been right next to a foul and not put up his flag to indicate the foul. When I played the lines men that's what they were called (no sexual equality rules then ) they were part of making decisions on the game and it made the game easy for all involved now var does that so why do we need lines men. I feel it is like watching play station football not the game i grew up with and loved .

16.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 18:48:34
Ref pointed for a corner and then was told by the linesman that it was a penalty, Coote in VAR with the quickest VAR check in history! No checking the screen for the ref which I thought was protocol for handballs but hey we can’t have City dropping points! If that’s a handball then you have to question some of the ones not given.

17.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 17:13:58
Tell me that there is corruption in football without telling me that there is corruption in football!

18.) 29 Dec 2023
28 Dec 2023 18:00:09
100% agree Oli, both were penalties and you would be fuming if your team wasn’t awarded either! You’ve nailed it with regard to PGMOL and there bull brigade trying to convince fans black is white when they make a gaff and so nobody knows what way the rules are going to be interpreted. Everyone keeps coming out with the rules are the problem for everything and the refs hands are tied but it’s clearly the application of VAR which is the problem and not VAR itself! Let’s not forget that VAR was brought in from the start to help refs make better decisions because they were making howlers and sending off wrong players etc…why anyone is surprised that having the same clowns operating VaR is no better is beyond me!