Autocratic approach of football authorities fed down from FIFA, will eventually be challenged. With modern technology it is only time before they have to relent and use as much technology as is available AND AT THE TIME, not retrospectively. Many sports do this. The arguments against in terms of fragmentation of the game are IMO far outweighed by justice being done and being done immediately, when fairness can be applied. This will result in less managers feeling the need to speak out about crucial decisions, which influence trophies and titles. How long is it before a club sticks its neck out, probably one backed by the squillionaires, and goes to court over officiating which costs them millions?
I bet the FA are made up with Rodgers' comments. It means they can throw the book at him and quietly ignore the linesman's huge ****up (seriously, the pitch lines weren't a clue?). At worst, he'll (the linesman) be dropped for the next two games then normal service resumed. Doesn't help us.
No saint the poster trails a liturgy of supposed wrongs done to Celtic - based upon 1 single ground. Now that to me does not indicate criticism rather another way of prolonging the problem
The wider argument is accepted. Favoritism in one form or another has always existed in and out of football. Yes you did hit a very raw nerve with me. One thing Liverpool as a city has always managed to do is keep religion and football as 2 separate issues and I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that it stays that way. To me a plague be on both of the houses of Celtic and Rangers they are as bad as each other. I rejoice in the fact that when Liverpool score it matters not what foot the fella next to me kicks with we celebrate together. It's that one issue alone that I cannot countenance and luckily the majority of Redmen and Toffees agree. So, if I got your meaning wrong then I apologise. If I didn't then you now understand where I'm coming from and why.
Dave he has made valid points as to the traits of referees past and present in Scotland, Celtic have had to play at a disadvantage due to officials links to Rangers and the protestant church for decades, ok Rodgers wasn't talking about religion but he implied bias which is wrong for whatever reason, religion included. But at least his windows won't get smashed like Hugh Dallas's did.
Page, as a club we have nailed our colours to the flag of the 96 as the major symbol of our stand against injustice. Now I'll hold firm to that until justice is achieved (or as close to it as we can get!). But I can't accept cries of injustice from either Celtic or Rangers when the whole being of those clubs is wrapped in the continuation of a sectarian divide. If you glory in your separateness then you don't overcome injustice you perpetuate it.
Talking of linos (and tbf to Mason, THE horrendous decision was the lino's, not his) is Sian massey the only one who seems to get them 100% spot-on? She should be given a ref's post for some Prem games. **** the gender malarkey, if she's good enough and all that, because I'm convinced that lino yesterday bottled it against the home ground fans (as many a ref - especially Atkinson and Webb -are prone to do), yet she calls what her good eyesight sees rather than thinking about the decision. And that what this all needs - officials who call what they see and what is obvious, and DON'T do a Phil Dowd and think themselves out of the right call and how popular they want to be with the crowd.
I ain't arguing about sectarianism all I'm saying is that favouritism and bias by officials shouldn't be tolerated whether its based on religion or locality as Rodgers alleged.
I thought he was right to say what he said about the ref. He will probably get banned for it but it had to be said because the players were hard done by and he was just pointing that out.
BR pre-Chelsea press conference: [video=youtube;yORqPwqpw50]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yORqPwqpw50[/video]
Got to ask what the hell the FA were doing appointing a ref from just down the road. Asking for controversy. Fine if there are no contentious incidents, but when has that ever happened in a football game. Over 100 years ago the SFA brought a foreign ref in to officiate at an OF game. Mistakes were made but were accepted. They never repeated the experiment. FA must surely have realised what they were doing. I suspect it comes from the arrogance of football Authorities in that they think that no one has the right to question their decisions. Which is of course bollox. Spain has suffered from this for a long time. Barca is the more well known example, but speak to fans of Atletico Madrid over officiating at Madrid derbies. Real meaning Royal, King and Francos club. AM suffered badly. Old habits and all that.
The FA have took their next step of asking BR to "explain comments concerning his criticism of referee Lee Mason". Rodgers already said this at his press conference: "I certainly wasn't questioning the integrity of referees," Rodgers said. "It was more than logical [to question] having a referee from that part of the world [get] a game in Manchester." BR should ask the FA to explain the offside rule to him.
The Football Association has asked Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers to explain his post-match comments about referee Lee Mason following the game with Manchester City. The Reds led at the Etihad through a Philippe Coutinho opener but by half-time, Vincent Kompany and Alvaro Negredo had struck to put Manuel Pellegrini's hosts on course for a 2-1 Premier League victory. Liverpool were aggrieved early on when Raheem Sterling sprang the offside trap with yards to spare only to be flagged, and Rodgers was also irked by Joleon Lescott's late shirt-tug on Luis Suarez going unpunished. In the wake of a defeat that left Liverpool fourth, Rodgers questioned the wisdom of assigning Bolton official Lee Mason to the fixture and called the officiating performance 'horrendous.' But, when asked whether a pending FA charge was of concern, Rodgers said: "I was only speaking openly and honestly, after the game. I think the FA and the referees' association know that I'm someone that engages in supporting the referees. "I'm not one that is berating referees after games, I'm always respectful and I ask my staff to be respectful, on the pitch we're never chasing fourth officials or anything on a match day. I've had a number of referees in here to help and support what they do. "I was only speaking open and honestly, after the game. I think the FA and the referees' association know that I'm someone that engages in supporting the referees." Brendan Rodgers "I think they know that when I come out and make a statement like I did yesterday, it was obviously emotional after the game of course, but it was something that I will speak honestly on. As I said, whatever action they will take, they will decide. "I have to speak on behalf of the supporters of the club, a club that has an emotional investment for many, many millions of people throughout the world. As the manager I represent them, and I'm sure where they were throughout the world yesterday they would have been asking the questions on the decision-making, which I repeat I didn't think was so good, after the game. "In terms of geography, it wasn't the case at all, I certainly wasn't questioning the integrity of the referees. As I said before, I fully understand the job, it was more the logic of it, in terms of having a referee from that particular part of the world refereeing a game in Manchester, I wouldn't suspect that Mike Dean from the Wirral has refereed many games for Liverpool over the years." The FA's rule E3 (1) outlaws "comments about match officials which imply bias, attack the officials' integrity or which are personally offensive in nature." ------------ I thought it was pretty obvious what he was saying myself but the FA obv dont get it
I think he's been quite about what he was saying in today's press conference but the FA were always going to ask him to explain him self to them.
I'm sure he will be asking something along those lines but he also needs to be careful otherwise he could end up in more trouble.
To be honest I don't get what all the fuss is about... Manager questions FA on wisdom of having a ref from near manchester referefing a manchester city game. I seem to remember the ref for an FA cup final being changed for similar reasons a few years back...think it was the Liverpool v west ham final and the original ref was from merseyside and was swapped to avoid any hint of biase ...but then again that was the FA's decision and the ref for the city game was a prem decision
