I didn't watch MoTD last night - but have seen it this morning. I was staggered at the officials for the Man City v Everton game. If you haven't seen the highlights I suggest you do so - you'll be in NO doubt why football officials get such a bad press - because - despite the 'difficulty' of their job, they continue to make incredible decisions that only THEY could reach 1. Mangala ( Man City) plants a high foot in between the shoulder blades of Eto'o -NOTHING. 2. Jagielka (Everton) gently nudges (shoulder to shoulder) on Milner - PENALTY - mind boggling decision 3. Fernandho ( Man City ) almost kicks the head of Barry ( foot was 6' off the ground ) -only a yellow card - and there's me thinking it was seriously dangerous and should have been red. 4. Lampard shoves Barkley in the back - far less of an 'offence' as committed by Jagielka for the penalty that won the game - Barkley gets booked. I can appreciate that referees have a hard job - that's why they have two assistants/ fourth officials, goal line technology and officials behind the goals - as well as the ability to retrospectively punish after a game has ended, BUT I have highlighted, not ONE but FOUR awful decisions by the officialS of ONE game.(How many mistakes can we 'forgive' in each match?) The above decisions beggar belief. I bet Japanese robots could do better !
The high feet I agree completely that both should have been Red cards. On "first" viewing though I personally think the ref made the right call on both the penalty and the booking for Barkley. It's easy watching the highlights from multiple angles and at different speeds to say the ref got it wrong but it is completely different for the ref who has to make a decision quickly. Or people would complain that he slows the game up. On the view the ref gets in a match think about a game of chess, you view the board (pitch) from a raised view point and at an angle. If you tried to play it viewing the pieces down low at the height of the pieces (players) it becomes almost impossible and your judgement is just so much more difficult. I am in no way saying that ref's are perfect but they are a lot closer to it than I am. I think the reports made by ref's should be published so they can explain their decisions. It's easy to blame the ref when most of the time players are to blame for either giving the ref the opportunity to give a decision, see penalty there was no need to go through Milner as he was on a road to nowhere, The ref can only call it as he sees it at the end of the day. I am so glad this was not in reference to a Gills match official as when you bring in fan bias into the equation then most of the time the fans are wrong, even when you are sure you are right.
Anyone who has done any refereeing knows that your view is so impeded by players or just because you have to look in other directions from time to time, that you miss maybe 2 or 3% of the incidents. You just cannot get the view of multiple tv cameras. \it boils down to the extent to which you want to adopt technology to fill the gaps and would fans really tolerate the interruptions to game continuity which would still not deliver 100% correct decisions.
Gemini - I deliberately chose not to comment on referees of any match involving The Gills ( despite MANY choices available) - and I wish to add that I have no issue with either of the clubs in my OP. bristol407 I completely understand your sentiments. To a large degree I share them- because, I too have done some refereeing and appreciate just how 'difficult' it can be ---- for somebody on their own to make 'split second' judgements. In my OP I referred to dangerously high kicking by Mangala & Fernandho. I was using what I though was modern interpretation of the rules and guidelines to referees, when I stated these incidents should have attracted a red card. The height and intensity of the 'challenge' in each occasion left doubt that they were not 'accidental' --inasmuch that the player had obviously made up his mind to raise his 'tackling' foot so high. The pundits on MoTD agreed with me about the need for a red card for each 'tackle'. I feel that the referee really should not have made a mistake as to NOT send off the players. They were not incidents that involved ANY benefit of the doubt - they were seriously dangerous 'play.' Regarding the other two incidents - the referee was 'up with play' and would have had a good view of the incidents. I am amazed about the way Mr.Mariner interpreted each of them - as were the pundits on MoTD. It makes me (even more) cynical as to the way (some) referees choose to apply the rules. Some of us have perhaps too much sympathy for referees - citing difficulties of their job - that is partly why I chose incidents that imo were clear cut. Let's not forget that the referee has other officials who are their to assist in decision making - although you'll often see a linesman stick up his/her flag long after the referee has awarded a thrown in. I appreciate that (some) footballers use tactics that do not endear themselves to referees - and that, sometimes when they are fouled they are adjudged to have dived, - because of their reputation. This is probably as much a factor, as anything else, when it comes to decision making by referees, - and I suppose footballers have only themselves to blame when they are genuinely aggrieved. ............ I will continue to 'assist' the lino on the GRS side of the ground - if only to wake him up.
When you've already been booked for a foul ( which easily could have attracted a straight red ) - Huddlestone got one for a very similar 'tackle' ( albeit that he was unfortunate to actually make contact - whereas Cahill couldn't even manage that ) So the referee Chris Foy wasn't afraid to book for 'diving' - having already carded Willian & Costa -- so what was going through his mind when Cahill did better than Tom Daley, and got nothing. I stand by OP sentiments - that referees make biased decisions. edit - it's a real shame - because I had been thinking that - finally, a referee who wasn't afraid to give a card or two for cheating - then he didn't have the courage to send off a home team player.
