02 Nov 2026 09:21:19
So after yet another big game we are talking about decisions from the Ref/VAR.
We could speak for hours how inept they are but the thing that gets constantly ignored is players reactions and how they influence the decisions.
Isak, does exactly what football fans want. Doesn't go to ground, doesn't really protest yet is rewarded with nothing.
Then you have the polar opposite in Mac, goes to ground very theatrically, infers that he is playing up and Noni gets away Scott free! If he just raised it to the ref, I think he gets booked and walks.
The players are on a hiding to nothing, I can almost guarantee if isak goes down every man and his dog accuses him of buying it. If Mac stays up and doesn't make a big deal of the head movement pundits say he needs to be abit more 'cute'.
Then you have the Arsenal players buying free kicks left right and centre and getting exactly what they want.
Long story short it's almost impossible for a ref not to be influenced by a reaction. Player falls and grabs the ball, ref. immediately things it must be a foul. If a player doesn't complain they think 'oh nothing to see'.
The only way to fix it is VAR and the officials behind the screen being stronger. Give those decisions and players might start staying up. But continue to ignore it and we are going to get even more dark arts in the game.
Apologies for the ramblings, on my phone waiting for my car to be finished at the garage ?.
02 Nov 2026 10:19:54
Can't argue with any of that.
02 Nov 2026 10:39:46
The officials make a rod for their own back. They complain about the players diving but then give every decision when they go down and don't give it when they stay on their feet.
How that wasn't given on Isak is a mystery to me. I mean, how blatant does it need to be before pulling someone back in the box as he's about to head the ball becomes a foul?
I said in a post the other day the refs are encouraging teams to cheat. They reward it. Arsenal go down under every contact and 9 out of 10 times will get the free kick. It enables them to control games by just not allowing it to flow and having as much time as possible with the ball not in play.
Then we get the pundits saying Isak should've gone down but in the same breath criticising Macca for doing exactly that.
I think we just have to embrace it because it's not going to change. It's not how I want to see football played but as long as the refs are enabling it we have to take advantage like everyone else does.
{Ed025's Note - dont compare Macca to any other player past or present in any form of the game RSO. the guy is a serial cheating little turd mate..
02 Nov 2026 10:50:07
Penalty and a red card for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity 100%. Changes the game massively. Absolute joke of a decision.
02 Nov 2026 12:12:51
I don't like the play acting at all, but Madueke took his forehead to Macca's. He was on a yellow already! By the letter of the law, he should have got another yellow and sent off.
Players have been going down for that contact for 20 years+. You might remember Darwin Nunez pushing his forehead on Anderson vs Palace on his home debut. The massive lad Anderson was on the floor holding his face like he'd been shot. Everyone said Darwin was stupid and deserved it. Madueke did exactly the same thing yesterday.
{Ed025's Note - dont try and justify what Macca did FPF it makes you look very silly mate, most of your posts are usually quite balanced but this one challenges that view to the hilt im afraid..
02 Nov 2026 13:25:10
Fly, maccas reaction was way over the top and exactly what we call others out for. What Noni did was silly and we have seen others go for it. But because of the theatrics it nullifies the incident.
Which is the whole problem, what reaction is too much and which is too little to highlight what was wrong?
Another example is Havertz yesterday on one of Nyoni's early tackles. Nyoni is late, but havertz goes down like he's been shot. The purpose is to get the player booked and heighten the refs attention to it.
Simply, they all play the game in order to try and gain an advantage and until refs are stronger it will only worsen. But we as fans can at least call it out even when it's our own. Otherwise nothing will change.
{Ed025's Note - the first one did catch his ankle WYred and must of hurt, the second one was a bit innocuous for me..
02 Nov 2026 13:53:19
In my opinion the PGMOL love this general debate because it shifts focus off of there poor officiating. Refs have more help now than ever before and it is well within there influence to catch blatant cheating, diving, play acting etc but they fail to act. In fact they reward such cheating by awarding soft penalties and giving red cards for what would have been described as 'handbags'. As it's topical look at Isak yesterday, clear pull back and penalty but refs avoided a decision because he didn't throw himself to the ground, pundits up and down the country are now saying 'why didn't he go down and force it', in my opinion Webb should come out and say that we got it wrong, we don't want players simulating to win pens and reinforce the message that the refs will give a penalty regardless.
Simultaneously I hope there comes a day when players get sent off for simulation, blatant simulation. Players being shoved in the chest and then holding there face, dropping to the floor with the brush of a forehead honestly it's embarrassing and this is all teams including our own! We need to bring the game back to what it was, a physical battle, I'm not advocating for bad tackles or endangering players but a bit of integrity. How often do we see 6 foot athletes have a hand brush there back when there trying to clear a ball and suddenly they drop to the floor because they 'felt contact', honestly it's so infuriating to watch .games gone!!
{Ed025's Note - absolutely spot on Dow-ney, both Gabriel and Macca were both guilty of it yesterday mate..
02 Nov 2026 13:54:53
Putting your head against another's is a foul and second yellow card. That is what Madueke did. You can't just change the rules when you feel like it.
Argentine Macca being theatric after 75 minutes of Arsenal players flopping and diving around all game shouldn't really surprise anyone.
The referees have shown they are willing to reward it.
We've lost between 4 and 8 points to massive officiating errors this season and we've only played 9 games. Don't complain when Liverpool players start playing dark arts from now.
{Ed025's Note - START playing at he dark arts???, you have been as guilty as anyone at it FPF..."people who live in glass houses" and all that mate..
03 Nov 2026 11:05:43
Macca is useless when he does these antics. Arsenal are the kings of it because it is what their managers want from them.
Both are facts and truths we can all agree on.
The whataboutism is just feckless at this point.