Referees' Performances | 2025/26

[burning blue soul]

And according to every other team ine league so are they - rags ,AFTV, Scousers.......all say the same

If you can't see it by now, then you never will.

 

[richardtheref]

because we cant control what the refs do....neither can players/managers or clubs....

So its pointless fucking whinging about it

there you go...short enough for you?

Well we cannot affect any players performance by discussing it on a forum. So under your logic we shouldn't have a thread discussing performances or, indeed, even the team performances

 

[Blue Mist]

He attempted and succeeded in intimidating them absolutely and got in their heads - yes he did but that is different to what is being suggested by some....for instance that VAR took so long as they were deliberately (but some how failed) to try and rule our goal out vs Leeds - ie cheat

Was he bribing them with brown envelops or that the FA were somehow in cahoots wth Arsenal to make them winthe league as some people are getting at - no. Its as ludicrous as those suggesting (like Goldbridge) that the QPR game was rigged

Thank you for your answer.
Referees went to old trafford and were not honest. They favoured the rags. That is corrupt. I've said many times corruption does not have to be about money. Not getting the cup final because you acted honestly and awarded the opposition a penalty is corruption by the people at the top. If they are corrupt it soon spreads downwards.
There does seem to be bias against City, look at the bookings we get. Is that because they talk to each other and that then leads to a different standard being applied to us rather than the opposition ?
Re Arsenal. I do think that if any other team had been the first to introduce their set piece tactics they would be punished with a foul and it would have died a death.
They are refereed differently.

 

[TonyM]

If the game is to win free kicks by falling to the floor with any brief touch from an opponent (like many teams seem capable of doing) then we’ve tried that.

Doesn’t work for some reason.

If the game is to follow through on your opponent after they have played the ball time and time again without a yellow card then we can’t seem to do that either.

If you think we’re being refereed the same then I don’t know what you are watching.

Refs in England always have had bias. They favour the big teams at certain times and the underdog at others. The FA and PL have been accepting shit for years and more often than not promoting it out of their flag waving sense of national pride.

At least that's been my take for years.

Imagine being a Wolves fan these days. It'd be like being us before our current owners. No decisions in your favour ever. Or united and Liverpool almost always getting miraculous decisions in their favour forever.

I've long given up on any hope of the English game being consistently fair. And I hate seeing us waste effort on the pitch arguing with a ref. Imo anyone who says a word in protest to a ref should have a card at all levels of the game. The game is poisoned by the "ahh ref" arm in the air bravado.

You have to accept it imo and just be phenomenal. We were a few years ago. I want be totally happy till we are again.

 

[.db.]

Nothing wrong with our second goal, just like there was nothing wrong with Bournemouth’s goal against us.

Like I said for Bmouth’s goal; keepers get far too much protection as it is, they need to get in the gym and stop being such 6’4” 15 stone utter weaklings.

 

[Allnightlong]

they affect every team -not just ours

Not when the rules are not applied to both teams equally

 

[East Level 2]

For the match going supporter it is poor the communication on what is happening on var checks.

Even the outcome is often not advised on the screen. Today had Gvardiol - not offside as the only one shown.

And the decision is shown (to us in the ground) after the game has restarted so it's obvious. I don't care which player was offside I just want to know the decision.

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

Gvardiol was played onside by three defenders from the pictures I have seen it wasn’t even close. Can only imagine they were looking at Silvia’s actions on their keeper.

 

[East Level 2]

Maybe but I'm still sick of that woe-is-me panto. Oh yes I am!

Oh no you're not!!

 

[.db.]

I'm sick of the players complaining on the pitch. Or Pep. Be better at your own job and forget about others being better at their jobs.

I’m absolutely sick of this n’all.

Dias, Foden, Lewis have been especially bad for it but they’re all at it. Absolutely every decision sees Dias and Foden turn around and run at the ref asking for ‘hand ball’, ‘our ball’, ‘foul’, ‘offside’, with their arms in the air and putting on stupid crying faces. Lewis was terrible for this the other night.

We never used to do this shit.

They need to shut the fuck up, forget about the refs and just play football.

Our diving is doing my head in n’all. This week we’ve seen Doku, Marmoush, Lewis, Savinho and probably others get the ball and their first thought is ‘right I’m going to dive’.

Hate it!

It’s all proper Diego Simeone stuff.

We never used to be like this when we had years of influence from Kompany, de Jong, Vieira, then Fernandinho. There’d always be the odd player but there was no culture of being a wanker, it was always something I was really proud of with our team. That culture has gone now and we’re just a bunch of whinging divers.

 

[Ajm1985]

Doing a rewatch and I'm astounded that Gnonto got away with that kick out. How are VAR seeing that and not thinking it warrants the ref taking a look? Didn't see a replay of the DCL & Gvardiol thing either

 

[SWP's back]

I would take ref on the pitch and humam error over 5 mins of VAR and then some clown in an office still being wrong sometimes any day

Our officials are wank so VAR is ineficient.

I wouldn’t. I’ve not forgotten how much they used to help certain teams.

Anyway it’s a pointless moot discussion as it ain’t happening so it’s howling at the moon. Still, being very angry keeps some people busy/happy.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

Doing a rewatch and I'm astounded that Gnonto got away with that kick out. How are VAR seeing that and not thinking it warrants the ref taking a look? Didn't see a replay of the DCL & Gvardiol thing either

Any link?

 

[danielwood5]

Maybe. He could have just blown though for a foul. It happens all the time.

Fans of all clubs mould marginal decisions as corruption and/or cheating.

Refs are fucked anyway. If someone was to trawl back through this whole thread, it’d be 99% calling refs out.

Calling the refs corrupt is a sure fire way of fans agreeing on a partisan social media forum. There’s no positive outcome in trying to dispute that.

Simon is trying it now. I tried back in the day, but recognised that people don’t want rational debate. They want reassurance that it was a bent decision and that we’re treated differently.

As are the 19 other PL teams on their message boards.

To be fair, Simon isn't trying it now, he's just being a condescending prick without bringing any cogent arguments or well explained points of view to the discussion.
Apparently we can't criticise referees as we can't change anything about their performance but we can criticise the players or manager as, I'm assuming, he believes we magically have some sort of control or affect on them unlike the referee.

 

[Father Paul]

I’m absolutely sick of this n’all.

Dias, Foden, Lewis have been especially bad for it but they’re all at it. Absolutely every decision sees Dias and Foden turn around and run at the ref asking for ‘hand ball’, ‘our ball’, ‘foul’, ‘offside’, with their arms in the air and putting on stupid crying faces. Lewis was terrible for this the other night.

We never used to do this shit.

They need to shut the fuck up, forget about the refs and just play football.

Our diving is doing my head in n’all. This week we’ve seen Doku, Marmoush, Lewis, Savinho and probably others get the ball and their first thought is ‘right I’m going to dive’.

Hate it!

It’s all proper Diego Simeone stuff.

We never used to be like this when we had years of influence from Kompany, de Jong, Vieira, then Fernandinho. There’d always be the odd player but there was no culture of being a wanker, it was always something I was really proud of with our team. That culture has gone now and we’re just a bunch of whinging divers.

Foden scored two amazing goals and generally played well except he badly needs to attend tackle school in the evenings where he may also learn to stop moaning. As for Lewis, well best say Nothin!!

 

[waspish]

To be fair, Simon isn't trying it now, he's just being a condescending prick without bringing any cogent arguments or well explained points of view to the discussion.
Apparently we can't criticise referees as we can't change anything about their performance but we can criticise the players or manager as, I'm assuming, he believes we magically have some sort of control or affect on them unlike the referee.

Why over put him on ignore!

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

To be fair, Simon isn't trying it now, he's just being a condescending prick without bringing any cogent arguments or well explained points of view to the discussion.
Apparently we can't criticise referees as we can't change anything about their performance but we can criticise the players or manager as, I'm assuming, he believes we magically have some sort of control or affect on them unlike the referee.

Fair enough. I wasn’t trying to do that.

Fans can influence refs, especially live.

One could also suggest that, in general, player critiques are more objective than ref ones.

 

[David Silva]

Gvardiol was played onside by three defenders from the pictures I have seen it wasn’t even close. Can only imagine they were looking at Silvia’s actions on their keeper.

I’ve been thinking it is about time we employed the keeper-fouling tactics at corners that have somehow become accepted. PGMOL have made a rod for their own backs with it, but if they crack down on us if we attempt it then they would have to for our rivals, so let’s see…

 

[danielwood5]

He attempted and succeeded in intimidating them absolutely and got in their heads - yes he did but that is different to what is being suggested by some....for instance that VAR took so long as they were deliberately (but some how failed) to try and rule our goal out vs Leeds - ie cheat

Was he bribing them with brown envelops or that the FA were somehow in cahoots wth Arsenal to make them winthe league as some people are getting at - no. Its as ludicrous as those suggesting (like Goldbridge) that the QPR game was rigged

Fair play, this is actually a well thought out and reasoned point of view.
If you accept that the GPC was able to intimidate and get in refs heads which made them less likely to give decisions against his team, do you feel it more or less likely that constant negative coverage of City in the media, overanalysing of every positive decision for City, overanalysing of any negative decision against media friendly teams such as United, Liverpool, Arsenal combined with a large number of United, Liverpool and Arsenal pundits could also have an impact on refereeing decisions in games.
Do you feel that the media chasing the views and clicks of the worldwide supporters of the club's that were successful in the 80s/90s/early 2000s, which gives them a disproportionate amount of positive airtime compared to the other 17 clubs in the league, could have an affect on on-pitch refereeing decisions?
As an example, do you think the media's obsession today with goalkeepers taking a time out would have happened if Donnarumma hadn't stopped the game yesterday, do you think it would be a similar big talking point, using the words cheating/spoiling the game/etc, if the Arsenal keeper does the same thing today?
Do you feel that decisions such as the handball non-sending off in the FA Cup Final, which appeared to be made to ensure that the game was more interesting to neutrals/pundits, would be more or less likely to happen if it were Liverpool playing Crystal Palace? Or would the same decision have been made if it were say Everton or Bournemouth playing Palace?

 

[danielwood5]

I’m absolutely sick of this n’all.

Dias, Foden, Lewis have been especially bad for it but they’re all at it. Absolutely every decision sees Dias and Foden turn around and run at the ref asking for ‘hand ball’, ‘our ball’, ‘foul’, ‘offside’, with their arms in the air and putting on stupid crying faces. Lewis was terrible for this the other night.

We never used to do this shit.

They need to shut the fuck up, forget about the refs and just play football.

Our diving is doing my head in n’all. This week we’ve seen Doku, Marmoush, Lewis, Savinho and probably others get the ball and their first thought is ‘right I’m going to dive’.

Hate it!

It’s all proper Diego Simeone stuff.

We never used to be like this when we had years of influence from Kompany, de Jong, Vieira, then Fernandinho. There’d always be the odd player but there was no culture of being a wanker, it was always something I was really proud of with our team. That culture has gone now and we’re just a bunch of whinging divers.

The biggest problem is that now if a player doesn't throw themselves down theatrically the referee won't make a decision, it's been getting worse for years but it's reached a point since VAR came in that playing honestly is putting yourself at more and more of a disadvantage, particularly now that the Premier League want a more 'physical' game so a two-handed shove in the back is absolutely fine if a player doesn't flop to the floor even if it means losing possession of the ball, missing a shot or whatever. It gives teams that cheat as a tactical part of their game, like Liverpool, Arsenal, Leicester and whoever Nuno is managing these days a massive advantage.