Referees' Performances | 2025/26

[Chris in London]

I'd abolish VAR in a heartbeat. It's added nothing for me and would rather take my chance with a ref's split second decision, good or bad.

For me the argument about VAR ended at the Cup final.

There was just no justification for not sending Henderson off for DOGSO when, 20 yards from his goal, he palmed the ball away from Haaland.

Assuming that the VAR official simply bottled such a game-changing decision because it was the FA cup final rather than anything more sinister, why would we want a system whereby on the biggest of occasions, they still don't get the biggest decisions right?

VAR was supposed to be limited to the game changing decisions in particular goals, red cards and penalties. What we have managed to achieve, somehow, is a system whereby in meaningless mid-table mid season fixtures they will happily chalk off a goal for being offside by a nasal hair, whereas the most blatant decisions don't get given in the very biggest matches.

So why bother?

I used to tire of dogshit decisions going against City, especially things like the penalty shouts in favour of the opposition which you just knew would never be given against Liverpool or United. But have we ended up with a system that is actually better? Seems to me we have swapped one set of bullshit rules for another.

 

[Gordyola]

I remember Big Mal getting banned for touchline coaching. This nonsense of 'technical areas' that managers, particularly Arteta & Pep, routinely ignore. Just keep the area they're allowed in to just by the dugout and they're not allowed out of there, full stop.

I think Allison got banned a few times, but then it wasnt allowed, which it is today
A lot of managers step outside the TA, Tto suggest that they should stay in the dugout is wrong surely they have the right to communicate to their players?

With respect to GK tactical injuries thats the first time I recall City being blatantly guilty yet, I see lots of incidents of players feigning injury, so that the ref has to stop the play when the opposition is gaining momentum, even cramp which is treated by a team mate so that they don't have to leave FoP which is much worse.

The GK injury / timeout could be solved very simply with either the management team being confined to dugout during the treatment or, the captain being made to leave FoP for 30 seconds as a sub for the Gk doing it

 

[.db.]

So fans moaning is a waste of breath, but the club moaning (on behalf of fans lobbying via City Matters) isn’t? Just another of your customarily disguised digs at City and/or their supporters. Bore off

Instead of getting all over excited in your reply and actually read what I said, I said lobbying the club to work with other clubs to demand an improvement of officiating in this sport. Individial fanbases and individual clubs will change fuck all, they just get laughed at. Combined fronts of clubs and fanbases along with the FSA will be listened to and taken more seriously.

But, alright then, ignore me, let’s not do that and just whinge about it all the time changing fuck all. Good one!

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

I think fans need lecturing about this and get everyone out of this Coronation Street level soap opera that never ends and goes on and on every week within every fanbase in the country who all think there’s corruption against their club and in favour of their rivals.

I’ve been saying a lot recently that moaning about individual referee decisions or performances does fuck all, other than gets other sets of fans laughing at the fanbase moaning.

What we need to do is get City Matters to lobby the club to get together with other clubs to demand an improvement of officiating in this sport. We as fans also need to get together with other sets of fans (like we did around ticketing issues) and work with the Football Supporters Association to also demand that officiating improves in this sport. Get a more combined front to get the movement going because there’s generations of evidence to show that individual fanbases moaning changes fuck all.

When the next round of City Matters meetings happen, I’m going to ask a rep to bring this up with the club. I’m also going to contact the FSA and ask them about the drive across fanbases.

Will everyone get behind that or are they just happy to continue claiming to be infuriated with the standard of officiating but never do a thing to ever change it other than their never ending soap opera threads on every fans’ forum in the country?

This is simply not something that CM would get involved in.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I've come to the conclusion we didn't the penalty in the Newcastle game because the ref wanted to save the fans the embarrassment of missing it as usual.

 

[invisibleandalone]

Smith on commentary today even said the straight leg will mean it's a red - the newcastle leg looks pretty straight to me

Absolutely ! I also didn't hear the same shit from the pundits, such as "it's not a foul, Foden got his shot off". It was instantly "well var need to look at this, very possible red card".
How can pundits have such opposite opinions on identical tackles ? Or does opinion alter depending on who is involved in the incidents ?

 

[Chris in London]

Absolutely ! I also didn't hear the same shit from the pundits, such as "it's not a foul, Foden got his shot off". It was instantly "well var need to look at this, very possible red card".
How can pundits have such opposite opinions on identical tackles ? Or does opinion alter depending on what colour shirt is involved in the incidents ?

just fixed a couple of typos for you

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

For me the argument about VAR ended at the Cup final.

There was just no justification for not sending Henderson off for DOGSO when, 20 yards from his goal, he palmed the ball away from Haaland.

Assuming that the VAR official simply bottled such a game-changing decision because it was the FA cup final rather than anything more sinister, why would we want a system whereby on the biggest of occasions, they still don't get the biggest decisions right?

VAR was supposed to be limited to the game changing decisions in particular goals, red cards and penalties. What we have managed to achieve, somehow, is a system whereby in meaningless mid-table mid season fixtures they will happily chalk off a goal for being offside by a nasal hair, whereas the most blatant decisions don't get given in the very biggest matches.

So why bother?

I used to tire of dogshit decisions going against City, especially things like the penalty shouts in favour of the opposition which you just knew would never be given against Liverpool or United. But have we ended up with a system that is actually better? Seems to me we have swapped one set of bullshit rules for another.

That Henderson handball/DGSO would have been 100% a red card had it been at the other end, and anyone who says different is kidding themselves.

The hoops they jumped through and the pundits they dragged out to justify their decision tells you everything you need to know about the way our game is being officiated. There are corrupt decisions being made week-in-week-out, and the authorities are at least complicit in the coverup, if not the acts of corruption themselves.

 

[deano ou812]

The foden one ( Newcastle) is totally baffling if ref doesn’t see it then VAR should be prompting him to go to screen,I’d go along with the cnut Pawson on VAR thinking it’s to early in the game to give it,which we hear from pundits when it’s a red card decision early doors in games ..Be interesting or should that be worryingly how he refs us tomorrow night.

 

[simon23]

We cant control a lot for things in football, yet we still manage to talk about it on here.

Dont know why so many are so scared of talking about refereeing decisions.

Too.many talk about refs instead of tge performance of the team. It's a convenient distraction and excuse

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Too.many talk about refs instead of tge performance of the team. It's a convenient distraction and excuse

Because the referee's decisions directly and indirectly influence how the team play. How is this difficult to understand?

 

[Blue Mist]

I have a question.
If a player is fouled and the offender is yellow carded, does that mean the injured player can stay on the pitch ?

If so, I've no complaints about today. Not his fault he missed the red.
No seriously, it wasnt.

 

[Gordyola]

Andy Madeley has developed into a much better ref than we saw a few seasons ago Not a lot to do today but he didn’t make it a about himself was up with play and help the game flow

 

[Gordyola]

I have a question.
If a player is fouled and the offender is yellow carded, does that mean the injured player can stay on the pitch ?

If so, I've no complaints about today. Not his fault he missed the red.
No seriously, it wasnt.

From IFAB

A player who is assessed and/or treated on the pitch must then leave the pitch, except when:

the injured player is a goalkeeper
a goalkeeper and an outfield player collide with each other and need attention
players from the same team collide and need attention
a player is injured by a foul for which the offender is shown a yellow or red card
a penalty kick has been awarded and the injured player will take the kick

 

[2bluejacko]

From IFAB

A player who is assessed and/or treated on the pitch must then leave the pitch, except when:

the injured player is a goalkeeper
a goalkeeper and an outfield player collide with each other and need attention
players from the same team collide and need attention
a player is injured by a foul for which the offender is shown a yellow or red card
a penalty kick has been awarded and the injured player will take the kick

Wow, I've learnt something new then cos me and all my row in 107 were screaming at the ref for not making him go off ... I thought once the physios had come on, the player automatically had to go off for 30 seconds

 

[.db.]

I didn’t notice the ref today apart from when Sunderland were wasting time on goal kicks from the first minute and he was shaking his head and telling them to hurry up and when he went to the screen for the red card incident.

Usually a good sign that.

 

[eyalluvitt]

I didn’t notice the ref today apart from when Sunderland were wasting time on goalies from the first minute and he was shaking his head and telling them to hurry up and when he went to the screen for the red card incident.

Usually a good sign that.

He was definitely less worse than the agenda driven drama queens we usually get lumbered with

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Wow, I've learnt something new then cos me and all my row in 107 were screaming at the ref for not making him go off ... I thought once the physios had come on, the player automatically had to go off for 30 seconds

It's only something I've seen enforced against us.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

I have a question.
If a player is fouled and the offender is yellow carded, does that mean the injured player can stay on the pitch ?

If so, I've no complaints about today. Not his fault he missed the red.
No seriously, it wasnt.

Amazing I thought he had a very good game, apart from that player not being put on the sidelines and letting their keeper have a brew before moving all the players upfield before taking a goalkick.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Wow, I've learnt something new then cos me and all my row in 107 were screaming at the ref for not making him go off ... I thought once the physios had come on, the player automatically had to go off for 30 seconds

So was 315