PGMOL can shove their apology where the sun doesn't shine. If I make mistakes at work our customers usually end up claiming compensation through an ombudsman. This is no different as these errors decide titles. top 4, relegation, peoples' jobs, and ultimately there are financial consequences as well.
People laugh at us for having conspiracy theories against the referees but it's just so blatant now, they're not even trying to hide it. Just to add Maddison was a disgrace as well for his constant attempts at trying to get our players booked. He was fully in the referee's face time after time.
Don’t think conspiracy. Just rank officiating. Even ignoring the var stuff. The general levels and decision making is poor. I have some sort of sympathy for some. The rule makers have made handball so complicated that don’t think the refs are fully aware why to give anymore. But they just seem to not understand the flow of the game. Anyone’s that’s played football can tell the difference between a dangerous tackle and a slightly mistimes or unfortunate looking one. Take the ones few years ago, the twckle on Elliott was never a red but because of the consequence was given. Same happened to Son before that. Ones today. Jota booked coda guy tripped over his own leg. Bissouna falls over in his own corner under no contact. If that had been in the box on a forward, was never going to be a pen but referees and linesmen fall for defenders falling over every time even though they say that allowing more physical challenges go now. Robertson goes up for a header while Porro is watching him not the ball and jumps into him then holds his face. A foul and yellow. Referees are trying to referee from a book it seems rather than actually applying any kind of common sense to things. Alison booked for the ball being out of ply for 10 seconds. Tomayasu being sent off few weeks ago for having ball in his hands for 6 seconds when it was havertz who had it in his hands for 20 seconds before that.
I think of ref decisions and var like spelling and spell checker. If you didn’t have spellchecker you’d take time over typing. But because you have it you get sloppy knowing something in background to fix things. Think same happens with refereeing. They know they don’t have to pay too much attention and get it right because someone in background will fix it. However they have such weird logic of what is ‘clear and obvious’ that half the time they don’t overturn because they think it’s not a clear error - despite fact if you asked someone they’d say it was just wrong. then they go and get involved in decisions where they slow things down and make a slightly mistimed tackle look like a horror one by freeze framing things.
Yet Trent was booked for throwing a ball back, while Foulinton for Newcastle committed 23 fouls without getting a yellow, and spent the entire game running around waving imaginary cards.
Have we ever won a game with so many contentious decisions going our way? Not talking about games when the other team have a goal disallowed that shouldn't have been or one wrong decision but rather a catalogue of opposition getting booked unfairly while our players don't get booked at all etc
The way the VAR just gave the ref a still image of the Jones challenge is despicable. He's deceived the ref there. I honestly just don't know what to make of it all. You can forgive individual errors, but what has happened so far this season is just unbelievable.
To be honest the whole sending ref to screen is pointless anyway. I’m no psychologist but I’d imagine if you’ve given a decision then got someone in your ear who have looked at a relay saying I think you should have another look at this then you’ve already put doubt in the refs mind that they got the decision wrong. You’ve given a decision in real time but told by someone else who has had time and multiply replays and angles you may be wrong, you’re gonna run over there and go with what they say even if you’re not sure. It’s far easier to change decision to what they say. If going to use var, they may as well just tell the ref he’s wrong and get it changed at straight away as 99% of time gets changed anyway. Be far quicker and easier.
The reason I've been opposed to VAR since before its introduction is that most footballing decisions are subjective, and the best it can do is supply a little more info to the person making the decision. In this case it actually deprived him of info by failing to show the build-up properly. It was highly selective in the footage it showed him. VAR was hailed as eliminating incorrect decisions but imo it wasn't ever going to be able to do that. Subjectivity will always be a big factor in the game, and thinking we could overcome that was ridiculous. For that reason I usually accept that bad decisions are a part of the game. However the Diaz goal was clearly onside and getting that wrong is utterly indefensible.
Think the only one I can remember ever having the balls to stand his ground was Marriner a few seasons back at Fulham against us: he said no pen for Fulham, VAR called him to look at the screen and he said 'Nah, I was right - no pen'. What got me today about the Jones sending-off was the so-called 'clear and obvious error' concept: there is no ****ing way on God's green earth that the ref didn't see that original challenge and Jones bounce off the top of the ball and catch his shin. Is he seriously trying to pretend that he was shown something there that he didn't see in the first place?
Very difficult to score against a red double decker parked up in front of the goal but we got there in the end and our celebration wasn’t a patch on the celebration Klopp and the lads did when they drew at home against West Brom in Klopp’s first season init
So latest is that the var thought the goal had been given. So it did a check, apparently did draw the lines (despite no one seeing it) and confirmed check complete. If that is the case, why are var not stopping it as well as spurs lined up to take the offside free kick to say hold on what’s going on? We said it’s a goal. They’re in constant dialogue with the referees You know what wojkd have cleared this up right away? Hearing the var and referees making their decision
I think I've only ever seen one instance where a ref looked at the screen and said "No, I'm sticking with my original decision".
You must be easily pleased if you were impressed by that performance today. Just relief after being gifted the points by luck and official incompetence I suppose.
