http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25551037 Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino believes officials have treated his side unfairly this season because of their "young, friendly" image. Is there anything in this do you think. I think our bookings count has risen significantly this season so I'm not sure we are seen as a soft touch. What do we all feel?
Agree to some degree. No one really makes a song and dance about decisions favouring us. They are only interested in the 'big teams', and always will be. However, the officials are just incompetent and useless full stop. They have been for ages, and just keep getting worse.
It's fine for Pochettino to attempt to get more favourable treatment from officials, it can't hurt, but really you can't rely on referees giving you penalties, you have to make sure you win the games yourself.
"We don't want to be judged by the young, handsome players that we have. We don't want to be judged in that sense," favourite quote
Yes and no. You can't necessarily rely on penalties, but they can be preventing us scoring a goal or having an opportunity, so it can be very frustrating and be the reason for costing us points. Furthermore, some decisions, like offsides given for goals when they are onside, can't be defended. I remember at the start of the season, we had about 3 or 4 goals disallowed for offside when they weren't. The standard of officiating is just abysmal IMO.
Unfortunately, that will be the only part remembered by the mass public and media and we will probably be ridiculed by some about the 'handsome' or 'good looking' comments. It detracts from the main, important and correct point that he makes. We don't get any decisions.
Yes, we're too soft. Fergie was was worth a dozen points a season for Man U. His ferocity towards referees was amply rewarded. Imagine a ref before a game involving Man U. You'd know that any tiny perceived error would be viciously attacked with the fourth official, with you at half time and in every post-match interview. Every decision you made in favour of Man U would be correct, every other one incorrect. So what do you do? You'd favour Man U. It's human nature. I believe it was unconscious behaviour (I believe our refs are not corrupt) and perfectly understandable. Mourinho is definitely trying the same strategy; every pro Chelsea decision is correct, every other one is a travesty. Like Fergie, he does it blatantly. No balance ever. You watch him and wonder if he's mad but he carries on regardless of how stupid he looks. It's a coldly calculated way of getting referees on edge whenever they officiate a Chelsea game. You can extend the same result to the Manchester United player mob that used to form around the ref for any decision whatsoever. It works on a subconscious level to make the ref more afraid of making decisions against them. I wouldn't want MP or the players to do the same thing but it definitely works. Frankly, I don't see a solution to it bar everyone stopping criticism (and I'd like to win the lottery this weekend as well, please) or everyone doing the same thing so it all balances out (I'd hate to watch football like that). Vin
You may well be right but I never understood how Ferguson got away with it. His behaviour towards officials was frequently disgusting and he never seemed to get punished for it.
I haven't seen any footage of the game but listening to Solent on the day, they called for handball, but weren't sure at the time, then came the second one and having seen the replays at the time they called it a stonewall certainty, and that I guess is the one most are on about, without the benefit of replays it is impossible to call, nothing given, nothing can be done.
We are not too 'soft'. Its refreshing that we tend not to berate the referee when things go against us. Its something that should have no place in football. I do believe that it worked for Ferguson as Onionman says but I'm hoping that now he is gone there is something of a backlash against that sort of behaviour. Referees like Webb seem to take great delight in turning down vociferous appeals. I also disagree with AL that the standard of refereeing is appalling. The problem is that the game is so fast now and players have become very sophisticated in the art of diving or "exaggerating". I'm actually surprised at how often the referees get it right. Its sods law really, we only tend to remember the bad decisions against us. The one thing I wish they would sort out is all the pulling and pushing at corners. Fonte was rightly punished at Arsenal but his was mild compared to many such incidents. I also think there should be more retrospective action taken against the cheats.
As I just said on the match thread, I think it's a smart move here by Poch to put a little bit of gentle pressure on, particularly just before we play a physical Chelsea side.
To be honest it does not seem to matter who you are when it comes to awarding penalties or any other decisions come to that. Although no doubt there will be those that are persuaded by the term "homers" in regards to referees. I think nearly every manager out there would say something similar when it comes to penalties not awarded and about decisions not going their way.
Meh, we give as good as we get. Schneiderlin's not above a cheap tackle now and again, Wanyama certainly likes to get stuck in, Osvaldo's a nut, Lallana and Rodriguez both dive, we complain A LOT. Wouldn't say we are dirty, but MP definitely likes us to play a bit on the cynical/feisty side. The referees are terrible, but I don't think Saints have been hard done, or at least not to the point where I'd say there is bias. I hate when coaches use small club stature and referees as an excuse. But I'll cut MP slack, because yeah I think he's probably trying to use this as mind games of some sort rather than as a true complaint.
