No - I'm not talking about the Hi Vizzers (although they will get a mention ). It took the referee, what seemed like seven days to eventually produce a yellow card for Oldham. There were at least 3 'pull backs' on our players which went unpunished.When I say 'pull backs', I mean cheating. - and yet he gave their No.7 a card, very soon after coming on as a sub - when he made a genuine, if awful, attempt to get the ball. He could have been shown a bit of leniency - but the referee was as poor as some of the defending on display.
The referee at Chesterfield was probably worse than the one for the Oldham game. In the first half he allowed a lot of fouls and cheating to go unpunished. Although most of this was from Chesterfield, there were a few offences by the Gills' players that should have received a card. Egan and Ehmer should have been booked for challenges - with Max lucky to get away with one of the most deliberate handball I 've seen for a long while. ( the ref 'missed' it ). So - you'll be asking why I am complaining. If the referee was bad for both sides, then things even themselves out ! Well, in my mind two wrongs don't make a right. It just means that the referee was twice ad bad as he shouldn't have been - even by half ( if you understand my equations ). The worst decision he got wrong was the 'challenge' that Herd ( Chesterfield ), made on McGlashan. Never mind a mere yellow card - I would have had the player arrested for the assault. McGlashan received the ball just inside our half as we were about to make a quick break. Herd went over to McGlashan. He tried to tackle him - but McGlashan had just about 'beaten' him - and you could see that he was going to go clear and race on towards their goal. At this point Herd made a desperate lunge to try to stop McGlashan - and succeeded - illegally ! It would have been bad enough if Herd had stuck out a leg to trip over McGlashan - but - NO - he deliberately raised his right arm and dug the elbow into McGlashan's neck and sent him spralling. There was nothing to do with football in this 'challenge'. I don't care that it was only around the half way line - and that other defenders were available -- what, to produce a gun or a flame thrower to stop McGlashan ? This incident warranted a red card.
Absolutely agree, he was horrific for both teams. Absolutely no bottle to make any decisions, the free kick to Mcglashan, the ref initially ignored it!!! Dean Saunders was allowed to walk on the pitch and have a go at him without any retribution, I seem to remember Edinburgh getting a one match ban for this at Yeovil last year even though that was after the game. There captain, Sam morsy, wasn't interested in playing football at all yesterday, he was there solely to wind Dack up which the referee should have cut out early on when he dragged him down off the ball, not even a single word in his ear though so it carried on all game, credit to Bradley for remaining calm. The referees at this level are simply terrible, something has to be done to improve the consistency.
Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse after the Scunthorpe game - we get a gutless _ _ _ _ ( I'll give you a clue - the answer can be found within the letters of our Tuesday night opponents ). Yes - The Gills were poor today - but the referee was diabolical. Any other referee wouldn't just have booked 6 of their players - but would have sent off 2 or 3 of them. You have to feel pity for Josh Wright for his red card on Tuesday - when you consider that his 'offence' was nothing compared with the disgraceful assault on Loft - when he got sent flying into the night sky - and talking about assaults - why did the referee not book Southend players for 'burying' our defenders into the advertising hoardings ? I know we got a lucky win on Tuesday, and today we were poor - but it doesn't help the players if they feel that the referee isn't going to give some protection. And as for the linesman on the GRS side of the ground - when will they get it into their thick heads that a basic requirement of the job is to be in line with the last defender - that way they may be able to actually 'see an offside.'
The worst was when he did not send off the number22 when he tripped Dack outside the box for a second yellow card. Brown new he got lucky and quickly took him off.
Terrible match, we were poor without question, but Southend were no better, I will admit that they played to a plan, and that was a plan to stop the opposition playing anything that might have been akin to football. That was the worst display of anti- football that I have seen for many years at Priestfield a typical Phil Brown (a poor mans Sam Allardyce) team. Huge lumps of muscle with zero finesse and a tendency to kick lumps of anyone who actually tried to run past them, not that we tried that often! How they kept 11 players on the field is a complete mystery 3 two footed assaults (all worse than Wrights on Tuesday). But if you visit the Southend site they are also complaining about the ref saying he gave them nothing! We can agree that he was terrrible. But a third of the season has gone and we are top, we won't be staying there if this weeks performances become the norm but I will still enjoy whilst it lasts.
It's starting to ruin games entirely. Josh Wright is banned for 3 games for what was a cler yellow, yet as you say the referee for some reason that only he must know, doesnt issue a 2nd yellow to number 22 on saturday and he gets to be subbed off and misses no matches! The worst thing about it is that he doesn't have to explain himself, they never do. So noth managers and players have to explain themselves after every game, yet referees never have to, they are somehow above the law and as such have become the most arrogant, out of touch and ignorant set of individuals in the world.
Shocking, woeful, myopic, biased, indecisive, intransigent, tardy, indifferent, unintelligent.....let's see how many adjectives we can come up with to describe the referees of late. And yep, as I've posted elsewhere.....'Even when they're wrong, they're right'. If they're this bad in league one, God help the teams and fans in league two. They should not be above the law and I believe marked by both manager's in terms of performance. If below a certain score, investigated and 'red carded' for a few games without pay. That would, I feel, be a step in the right direction. All games are filmed nowadays, so its not as if the evidence is not there.
I think we can add ARROGANT to the list. In more 'fallout' from what happens in the life of Mourhino, I need to correct the title of this thread. That esteemed referee, Mark Halsey [ the referee for our play-off final v Man City ], ( it was never 5 minutes of 'stoppage time ), - has the breath taking arrogance to say that referees should not be criticised ! Do they never make mistakes ? Of course they do ! -- Mourinho makes mistakes and is expected to apologise - fair enough - but if a referee makes a mistake, he doesn't even need to make any comment on the circumstances - let alone an apology. Who does Halsey think he is ? He knows that it was never 5 minutes of 'stoppage time', at the end of our match ( I timed every conceivable 'stoppage', and struggled to make it 3 minutes ). Did we get any apology ? No ! If a player or manager (etc), breaks the rules - they should be punished. I'm not suggesting that a referee should be punished if they make a mistake - but they should have the common decency to admit as much - instead of claiming to be infallible. If you have any sympathy for the referee, I might suggest you speak to Josh Wright or Doug Loft after our last two games.
No sympathy for referees at all. They chose their job....if they get it wrong then they should be prepared to take the flak.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34638706 So you (Josh Wright), make a fairly genuine attempt to win the ball - well inside the opponents' half - and you get a red card and banned for three games ! Yet - you (Coloccini), completely 'take out' an opposing striker in your own penalty area - and are free to carry on playing after only a one match ban. Well they do say that the law is an ass - and we all know who are the donkeys who apply its' letter !
Sadly....no it's not beyond belief. One rule for the prima donnas and one rule for the financially downtrodden masses who make up the 'grass roots' of football. I'm sure that BRB could take this to the next few levels.....and he'd be right. :-(
Sadly in my rules with today's modern game, not many players would be left on the pitch. By that i don't mean the player that commits the foul, if a grown physically fit athletic man feels the need to roll about and go down like a sack of potatoes like a baby in nappies then he deserves to be sent off! Of all the rules in football, the feigning of injury or the amateur dramatics of a foul needs to be stamped on, but in today's pampers world the days of Vinney Jones giving you a good nutcracker is of a bygone era, along with a good ole Bremner & Keegan handbags at dawn. Where's Charlie Lee when you need him, you at least knew you got taken out when he was around
just one more moan - then, (maybe), I'll give it a rest. Today, Walsall were well worth their win - ( despite a poor error from Nelson, allowing himself to be beaten at his near post - and despite Jackson giving the home side a real treat when he failed to clear the ball for their 2nd goal - and despite McGlashan---- well, I'm not sure what the hell he was doing). Walsall are the best side we've met in L1 this season - and if they play like this every week they'll deserve their promotion........................ Now for the moan. I'll just remind everyone what Josh Wright 'did' to 'deserve' his red card. Remember - his 'offence' was nowhere near our penalty area - yet the Walsall defender who eventually pulled down Dack for our penalty, ( the defender had two attempts in quick succession ), didn't even get a yellow card - when a straight red is (supposedly), mandatory for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity. Did the referee forget the rules ?..........and it was a shame that the Gills forgot how to play football after going 2-0 up ! What is it with us and the inability to hold on to a two goal lead ?
I agree with most of what you've said Always. Looking on the walsall forum you would think the referee gave us everything, they are saying how we was the most biased ref they've ever seen, gave us 2 goals etc, what?! Where was the yellow (at least) for the foul on Dack? They were given 2 goal kicks which were the most obvious corners I've ever seen, both occasssions they were backs against the wall and we were getting closer to scoring, and I can't even talk about the foul on Dack at the end, unbelievable. I very much lost it at that point, as I did with their idiot keeper deciding to goad us at the end. On the game, yes they are a good side, but I thought we had an equal measure of the game albeit in a different way (our football isn't as pretty) but we deserved a draw from the game, if only we would shoot on the edge of the box. On their goals, I though Nels could have saved the first, I think he should have claimed the cross for the 2nd, and what was most of the defence doing for the 3rd. We have to defend better at key moments if we are to stay up the top.
I forgot to mention we should have hat at least 1 penalty for hand ball in the 2nd half. Apparently it's a 'natural movement' when your hands are above your head doing the YMCA and the ball hits you. But yea Walsall fans, the ref was on our side, I hate braindead brummies
Just got to bounce back from this setback. Not holding onto a 2 goal lead is frustrating, Burton seem to be able to keep going (despite and inferior goal difference) and Coventry are breathing down our necks. I believe that the next game against Bury will be pivotal and we need to get back to winning ways and boss those that come to our backyard......unlike the game against Southend. Oh....I almost forgot. Really good to see Cody back on the score sheet.
Watched the highlights and looked to me like their second goal was handball, but then my eyes are not improving with age
