Ref Watch City Games - 2023/24

[Rory Bluelow]

I'm sure that Ortega agrees with you about the flow of the match and probably very much appreciated the studs to the chest and face that Havertz gave him when the forward had absolutely zero chance of getting to the ball and slide into his had feet first in the first half.

I was amazed the ref let that go. It was cynical and calculated. I was surprised how physical Arsenal were. Even more surprised at 5 mins injury time though !

 

[Paladin]

I was amazed the ref let that go. It was cynical and calculated. I was surprised how physical Arsenal were. Even more surprised at 5 mins injury time though !

Agree about the foul by the snide Havertz. If he was genuinely going for the ball, what was the reason he lifted his feet higher after being beaten to the ball? Was it that his feet naturally deflected upwards? Possible. Was it that he deliberately raised his feet to make contact with Ortega's body? Very, very probable. A calculated manoeuvre, as you say.

I remember the poor guy last year, who was caught by an ice skate blade on his neck. The guy who did it had a history of making fouls in a way that could have looked like an innocent accident. But when these types of challenges follow you around, you have to question whether there is something more sinister in the motives.

 

[Damanino]

so did Pep call out the ref or he didnt even mention how he missed multiple clear yellows?

 

[freshie]

 

[Paladin]

A very level headed response from Akanji. It's bizarre that they can apply the laws differently for different games. Gallagher will be on soon to say what a great game Taylor had, and how he expertly managed the game by showing a low tolerance to minor infringements, which helped the flow and kept all eleven players on the pitch.

We all noticed the goal kick time wasting tactic in the first half. Why Taylor ran out of patience after 80+ minutes is a mystery.

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

It was a good example of a ref influencing the outcome of a game instead of simply applying the rules.
At least 3 Arsenal players should have been yellow carded for the fouls on Bernie, Kev & Ortega & then it’s a different situation for those Arsenal players for the rest of the game & also gives the City players a weak link to attack.
Not booking the Arsenal players gave them protection to foul & wrestle for the rest of the game & gave them a pretty obvious advantage.

the acid test of course is would the same have happened if it was City doing the fouling? And we all know the answer

 

[Phil1]

the acid test of course is would the same have happened if it was City doing the fouling? And we all know the answer

That was my biggest bugbear. I’ve no doubts whatsoever that Taylor would have made it clear to both sides that he was willing to let the game go and will try to keep his card in his pocket.
Unfortunately for us we didn’t take advantage of it whilst Arsenal did. After the third or fourth blatant yellow not being given to them I was dying for one of our players to do something similar just to see if he was going to be even.
The second half he let us get away with a couple but nothing that was on par with what Arsenal had been doing.
So in the end it looked like he was heavily biased whereas I think we missed a trick by not going through them like they did with us.

 

[Iassel]

Pretty clear Taylor decided he didn’t want to book anyone too early ‘to give the game a chance’ but having ignored a few obvious yellows he made a rod for his own back by having to let things go later on

 

[bluemanchester]

In the second half we were breaking out of our half down the right and le arse committed 3 fouls in the space of ten seconds. Taylor blew for the 3rd, probably reluctantly. Not seen it on any reruns, not bothering to watch it again, so hope my memory is correct.
Questions for the staticians on here, when did City commit 20 fouls and not receive one yellow card, not including time wasting yellows.
Second question, have any team committed 20 fouls at the swamp, ferals, Rwanda fields or white shit lane and not received a yellow. To make it easier just look from when football started in 1992.
;-)

 

[hertsblue]

This weekend it seemed every PL game went back to over the top amounts of added time. Arsenal with their known constant time wasting and feigning injuries were allowed ro do so with a laughable 2 minutes only added on in the first half and despite finally booking their keeper late on ( note he had no issue booking Eddy after 30 mins last season), acknowledged the time wasting going on and then only added a laughable 5 minutes.
Of all the refs and most are simply shit with a very dodgy few, this guy is one i distrust most as we have seen him officiate us differently to the rules over the years.
How the club has not called him out yet is baffling and so we continue to get him for key games in which he either fucks us over or makes his own rules up.

 

[freshie]

It worked though, no? No malicious or out of control challenges from either side. 22 men battling for a game of football and being allowed to do so.

Apart from all the cynical fouls committed by Arsenal that went unpunished it was great

 

[2bluejacko]

They kicked f**k out of us and got away with it every time cos of that rag t**t

 

[kaz7]

They kicked f**k out of us and got away with it every time cos of that rag t**t

I like you

 

[nmc]

Taylor clearly has a couple of modes to his refereeing and he selects as he feels appropriate. Sometimes he books everyone and deliberately creates chaos in a game…. At other times he’s passive and allows teams to foul at will - anyone remember Tanganga for Spurs in the first game of the season a few years ago - committed nearly a dozen fouls and had three final warnings - if he’d raped a nun that day Taylor would have cleared him. Taylor is a very strange fucker and a shit ref. He’s put some incredibly shit performances in over the years but seems exempt from criticism in the media - probably because he’s a Rag.

 

[Don Karleone]

In the second half we were breaking out of our half down the right and le arse committed 3 fouls in the space of ten seconds. Taylor blew for the 3rd, probably reluctantly. Not seen it on any reruns, not bothering to watch it again, so hope my memory is correct.
Questions for the staticians on here, when did City commit 20 fouls and not receive one yellow card, not including time wasting yellows.
Second question, have any team committed 20 fouls at the swamp, ferals, Rwanda fields or white shit lane and not received a yellow. To make it easier just look from when football started in 1992.
;-)

 

[Blue Mist]

The first 2 fouls, both bookable, are by the same player.
Can anyone explain why no card was shown ?
Certain posters are always on this thread defending the corrupt bastards. I'd like to see them explain this one.

 

[SebastianBlue]

And only one actual officially recorded foul was called for that sequence.

They had 20 fouls officially recorded (of probably 30 committed). We had 9 recorded (of probably 10 committed).

We had 73% of possession. They had 27%.

They received 2 yellows, both for time wasting.

Any PGMOL apologists want to explain how that makes sense?

 

[halfcenturyup]

And only one actual officially recorded foul was called for that sequence.

They had 20 fouls officially recorded (of probably 30 committed). We had 9 recorded (of probably 10 committed).

We had 73% of possession. They had 27%.

They received 2 yellows, both for time wasting.

Any PGMOL apologists want to explain how that makes sense?

I'm not a PGMOL apologist at all as you know, but I tried a while ago to explain what I think happened.

To summarise, he expected a game between two evenly matched teams playing the same sort of game, so he decided before the game to let things go in the expectation that he could do the same, consistently with both teams. His problem was that he didn't read the game. It was clear pretty quickly that it wasn't City vs Arsenal of last year, it was akin to City vs Brentford. He didn't realise that quickly enough, if at all, and so he mismanaged the game. Probably why he handles games either well, when he gets it right, or loses control of so many games, when he doesn't. Not understanding a game isn't a good look for a referee.

I don't believe for a minute that he was out to "get" City. That job is done. The PL has its title race and will have now to the end of the season. No need any more.

 

[Blue Mist]

I'm not a PGMOL apologist at all as you know, but I tried a while ago to explain what I think happened.

To summarise, he expected a game between two evenly matched teams playing the same sort of game, so he decided before the game to let things go in the expectation that he could do the same, consistently with both teams. His problem was that he didn't read the game. It was clear pretty quickly that it wasn't City vs Arsenal of last year, it was akin to City vs Brentford. He didn't realise that quickly enough, if at all, and so he mismanaged the game. Probably why he handles games either well, when he gets it right, or loses control of so many games, when he doesn't. Not understanding a game isn't a good look for a referee.

I don't believe for a minute that he was out to "get" City. That job is done. The PL has its title race and will have now to the end of the season. No need any more.

I accept what you are saying, he expected a free flowing game but if a top referee cannot change his pre match thoughts, he should not be refereeing. That clip above, the same player commits 2 fouls. Neither resulted in a free kick. There was no obvious advantage after the first but I will accept he wanted the game to flow. After the second foul, its a free kick and a yellow. All day every day.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

This weekend it seemed every PL game went back to over the top amounts of added time. Arsenal with their known constant time wasting and feigning injuries were allowed ro do so with a laughable 2 minutes only added on in the first half and despite finally booking their keeper late on ( note he had no issue booking Eddy after 30 mins last season), acknowledged the time wasting going on and then only added a laughable 5 minutes.
Of all the refs and most are simply shit with a very dodgy few, this guy is one i distrust most as we have seen him officiate us differently to the rules over the years.
How the club has not called him out yet is baffling and so we continue to get him for key games in which he either fucks us over or makes his own rules up.

This guy arrives at The Etihad with a pre-planned mental script and proceeds apace with yet another variation of the LotG depending on what score would be most preferable. On Sunday the preferred outcome was clearly MCFC getting nomore than 0-0 and that scoreline was maintained by refusing to book people for 'robust' fouls. For shame, he couldn't book Bernie for what was a stonewall yellah 'cos he'd let Havertz go feet first on Ortega, he'd allowed Haaland to be battered for ninety minutes, and I did consider City rather lucky that at the end of that ten second spell in the second half where three bookable fouls terminated finally with a free kick! Yer right, hb, this fellah farts about the pitch with a wry smile on his face in full knowledge that there's nowt anybody can raise other than getting a rather insincere and meaningless apology from Howie Redshirt a fortnight later. Meanwhile, the FA lay into the Forest team for calling out Tierney post-match for the most schoolboy error. Thousands of pounds 'nicked' off Forest, and Tierney? Well, he carries on as usual until the next clanger, and when the team on the receiving end complain vociferously the swivell-eyed thieves at the FA see another multi-thousand pound fine and the perpetrator prepares for his next screw over! And don't mention refereeing excellence to Vinny!