Very true, but City could've got a penalty from every single corner. Skrtel's wrestling with Kompany was incredibly blatant.
Funny how Roy failed to see Skrtel pulling shirts at every single set piece, and yet moaned that Sewerez should have had 2 penalties for 2 of the most blatant dives you will ever see, Goofy`s mid air star jumps are quite laughable and he should have been sent off. Typically, there is massive media outcry this morning with Sky in particular playing the `Liverpool were hard done by` cards, they really are desperate to see the Mousers succeed.
So to counter the argument that the officials were poor you've given more examples of their poor officiating?
I don't think the shirt-pulling stuff is poor officiating; it's clearly the case that refs are extremely reluctant to give penalties for it unless it is absolutely blatant to them. I have been a ref for many years, and I can absolutely assure you that this kind of shirt-tugging is extremely difficult to spot; and a ref cannot give a penalty unless he is absolutely certain that an offence has been committed. Refs don't like to give "soft" penalties, hence the general inclination on the part of all refs to simply let it happen. In any event, CB's point remains more than valid, and that 'Pool were the worst offenders for shirt-tugging. No, two wrongs do not make a right, but it is somewhat pathetic and hypercritical of Roy to come out and claim that 'Pool ought to have had two penalties for shirt-tugging, when £ity should, but the same account, have had at least six.
We undoubtedly were very guilty of shirt-pulling - or rather, Skrtel was. The fact that he didn't concede a penalty is another example of the weakness of officials in this area. I've no problem in acknowledging that City lost out due to the officiating as much as we did. Of course, City being hard done by in this regard doesn't negate the validity of Rodger's claim that we should have had a penalty. Two wrongs don't make a right is the appropriate way to look at it.
But you're not listening to my argument, Yoda. Or, if you are listening to it, you are not understanding it. Refs will rarely give a penalty for shirt-tugging. For a start, it will usually have to lead automatically to a red card. Secondly, it is very difficult to establish conclusively who the culprit is - the attacker or the defender, and refs can only award a penalty if they are in no doubt that the attacker has been impeded. Thirdly, if a ref were to give a penalty for shirt-tugging (and possibly send the defender off), he knows that he's making a rod for his own back, because he'll have set a precedent for the entire match, and will have to do the same every time a shirt is tugged, no matter how innocuous the incident. Roy with his rant is making himself look bitter and stupid.
The Football Association is to investigate Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers following his criticism of referee Lee Mason. (Headline for story on BBC Football website) The FA will throw the book at him, as I said earlier in this thread. He has, effectively, accused an official of bias, which is one of the worst offences a manager (or player) can commit. I can understand him being bitter - he genuinely believed that 'Pool is a better team than it is - but never, ever accuse an official of fixing a match.
Anyone got any idea which team Mason supports? Ref's are supposed to disclose this information when they reach a certain level, but I can't find anything reliable for him. There's some suggestion that he's a Man Utd fan, but he's taken charge of games involving them, so that's probably not the case. Would make it hard to accuse him of bias in a City v Liverpool game, though!
If i was a ref i would claim i was a Plymouth fan or something, thusly opening up the opportunity for me to be biased in any and all matches that had an impact on Spurs. I expect all the refs do this
The real question is whether Rodgers would have any complaint if a referee from Chester took charge of any of their games. It's the same argument. The next question is why referees from St Helen's and Consett hate Spurs so much, or why one from Rotherham wins more games for Man Utd than Danny Wellbeck ever has...
Was this mentioned. Mason has officiated at the Etihad before - a Carling Cup semi-final in January 2012 which Liverpool won 1-0, courtesy of a Steven Gerrard penalty. On that occasion, City's then-manager Roberto Mancini was furious with Mason for failing to punish a two-footed tackle by Glen Johnson on Lescott.
No, that hasn't been mentioned. Good spot. It further compounds the sheer stupidity of Roy's accusation that the ref was biased.
You are worrying me now Boss, the only person with that sort of encylopediac knowledge about football is Jamie Carragher, your not are you?
I would be worried, but I can say '' stevie g'' without people mistaking it for a swear word so you're safe my friend!
I wonder if I'm the only one who hates all this holding,shirt tugging and Lord knows what else....short of sexual activity between the players....when corners are taken. Surely if the refs awarded penalties and red cards this practice would stop!!!?
I'm sure you're not the only one, Smithy. However, I think it will take an edict to be handed down by the FA and to encourage refs to enforce the letter of the law with an iron hand, because you'll see a lot of penalties awarded and a lot of players walking. The main thing, however, is that extensive use will have to be made of all the available technology, and the ref will have to consult extensively with the official near the goal, because sorting out who is the major offender - the attacker or the defender - is going to cause a lot of arguments. All of this will slow the game down, which could make for some very dull games. Where do you want the balance? Fast game-play, or strict rules to be administered sternly and without fail? Perhaps a system of retrospective bans and fines for offenders would be a happy halfway house?
I wonder if a ref has actually gone into the dressing rooms and told them "I want no holding,wrestling or shirt pulling or else you take the consequences!" Then tell the managers the same thing! I suppose in both cases the ref would get the finger as he leaves!
It is very difficult to ref these incidents. I've been a ref for several years, ref'ed a few hundred games, and I can tell you, from the horse's mouth, that it is almost impossible to tell who's pulling who. Sure, sometimes it is blatant, such as when a ball falls at the feet of an attacker and he looks like he's treading water to get his foot on the ball because a defender is tugging him back, but the more common offence is the tugging that goes on as the ball comes in from the cross, when defenders tug on attackers to stop them from jumping.
Sooner they bring in a sin bin for a yellow the better. Then shirt tugging could be a 10 minute offence. If the ref missed it then the attacking side wouldn't get a penalty but a video ref could give them some comfort after the event with the offender sent to a sin bin. Not much chance for an argument either as the ref who penalises the player would be sitting in a tv room far away from the field of play. I also think that the time keeping could be taken out of the hands of the ref like in rugby. Everytime the ball goes dead the clock stops, every substitution, red, yellow card the clock stops, it would be more transparent without 'fergie' time.
