I agree that touchline tech and replays could be useful, but they still won't solve everything. For example: RVP vs Barca - He was offside, and sent off entirely due to the ref's judgement. Imo the ref was wrong, but a replay won't change his mind. Rooney elbow vs Wigan - Clattenburg reviewed the replay and told the FA he thought he'd made the right decision. Luiz foul vs Utd - Atkinson was 6 yards away with a perfect view of the foul. How's a replay going to change his decision? Berbatov penalty vs Liverpool - All the replay showed was that there was contact between Agger and Berbatov. It didn't give any greater insight into the extent of the contact. I honestly only see technology helping in deciding things like offside, and even then it's not always 100% clear (as in the case of Messi's goal vs Arsenal). The problem with refs being inconsistent is also exacerbated by the fans, players and managers being inconsistent. According to the letter of the law: Rooney should have been sent off for the elbow vs Wigan, and everyone slates the ref for cutting him a break, having a word and not sending him off. Carragher should have been sent off for the lunge vs United, some people slate the ref but some praise him for not ruining the flow of the game RVP should have been yellow carded for not stopping with the whistle, but everyone slates the ref for not cutting him a break, having a word and not sending him off. Ultimately, I think most fans don't want the ref to apply the absolute strict letter of the law in all cases - last night being a prime example. But as soon as you move away from a strict interpretation, it just becomes a mess of opinions, and no matter what the refs do, technology or not, they are going to get criticised.
Who quite ironically came out with one of the most sporting touches off all time - catching the ball when pretty cert to score from a cross with a player down injured. Can't remember the dets, v Everton was it?
Definitely agree with that. If I was the Utd captain (yeah, right!) anyone approaching the ref would get told to get back in position and focus on the game. Di Canio was a proper Jekyll and Hyde. Banned for shoving the ref over one season, he won the FIFA fair play award two seasons later. They don't make 'em like that any more.
I remember with shame the incident with Andy D'Urso when 6 Utd players surrounded him at OT. To SAF's credit I believe he was sorry over the incident as were Stam and Keane. Anyway it should not happen again. Only the captain should approach the ref if necessary and with dignity. Also this nonsense of coaches going to the ref at half time and after the match most stop.
I think ref's need to use common sense rather than stick to the letter of the law - 'referee's discretion' is in the rule book also. To be honest, the ref against Barca was a total bell end, long before ludicrous decision to send off RVP. Early on in the game Daniel Alves brought down Nasri with a scissor challenge and it went unpunished, yet then four Arsenal players were booked for nothing challenges and whilst both Narsi and Fabregas were being repeatedly blocked off and obstructed. I don't really like to think about ref's being biased, but the one last night was poor at best. In the end, we got beaten, but we were actually defending quite well at 1-1 and the game was opening up at the start of the second half......until the ref made his biggest cock up of the evening.
This is exactly the sort of comment us chelsea fans got slaughtered for 2 years ago and believe me were were much better against barca and had a lot more go against us than you lot last night. Perhaps now it can be agreed that a. chelsea's performance against Barca was superb that year and b. we were robbed of a consecutive final appearance.
You shouldn't be with footbal as a whole, Just Aesenal's football. Are Barca fans disillusioned by a defiate penalty and a definate goal at the emirates not given?? Add those two goals to the tally and the score would have been more realistic. You were never in the tie, Barca scored all 4 goals yesterday ffs, sending off was dodgy, but messi was clearly taken down in the box and the same ref waved play on, not the actions of a "paid off ref" now is it, or the fact he let a lot of Arsenal tackles go too in the foirst half. Yes the sending off wasn't great, but if the two players chasing VP heard the whistle so did he.
I 100% agree that technology can't help interpretation by officials. Look at the sending off of the player who caught the pitch invader wearing a mankini, the stewards couldn't catch him so a player did, tackled him down and then the ref sent the player for violent conduct? we need Goal line, Off side, and retro bans for violent slievenes and deliberate cheaters
You've obviously never played football as a striker. 1 second passed between the whistle and the shot, the ammount of fans who bring whistles in a constantly setting them off is distraction enough, you're always told to shoot first and check later. If he had hoofed the ball into the crowd in frustration then fair enough, that was not the case though was it
Get over it, they were debabable decisions anyways werent they? Inter actually paid a ref off in the final against liverpool a fair time ago, milan got back into europe after being "Connvicted of cheating" and won it, there are two real examples of corruption in football
Aberdeen got beat by Porto in the Uefa cup final in the 80's i think. Ref of that game came out a few years ago and admitted he had been paid off.
25 yards out, put through on goal and RVP shoots an awkward ball with what he calls his chocolate leg. Leave it out! Who is he trying to kid. He's making a fool of himself and stupid people who cannot think for themselves. VP will 100% of the time take the ball onto his left and run into the area. Typical blame culture attitude of RVP and Wenger that it is everyone elses fault except taking some responsibility for their actions.
**** you shelf side - you're talking bollocks and you know it. If that had been a spurs player last night you'd be up in ****ing arms about it. So save us the sanctimonious bullshit eh?
That the same chocolate leg that scored that cracking volley in the carling cup final, or the same leg that hit the volley against wolves. http://arsenalist.com/video/?id=xhggjj No more than 10 yards out, Adrianno tracks his run and doesn't have a look at the linesman untill after the shot
Reaowwww! Touchy little bitch ain't we? Stop making excuses and take it like a man you plank - you were outplayed, outgunned and outclassed by far superior opposition and only have your ****-allseeingeye manager to blame. Perhaps I should just leave you to hate the world as everyone's against you and you were robbed Or, perhaps you've reacted the way you have because deep down you agree with me. Shame you've been brainwashed by Wenger Barcelona Team Statistics Arsenal 3 Goals 1 1 1st Half Goals 0 12 Shots on Target 0 5 Shots off Target 0 3 Blocked Shots 0 5 Corners 2 8 Fouls 19 8 Offsides 4 0 Yellow Cards 3 0 Red Cards 1 90.3 Passing Success 71.9 26 Tackles 25 80.8 Tackles Success 44 76.1 Possession 23.9 69.2 Territorial Advantage 30.8
Listen, we got beaten last night. I said straight away that Barca ****ing mauled us and it could have been 5 or 6. Not making any excuses for it, they were the better team. But the red card was ****ing ludicrous and any fan who says otherwise is a ****wit, because they know if it had been one of their players they would have been spitting feathers. You might not like Arsenal,fair enough, but don't act like some kind of sanctimonious prick and defending the ref, because he was a **** and trying to justify his decision makes you look like a **** too
