Referees' Performances | 2025/26

[Chris in London]

when was the last time we had an opposition player sent off and it was a real benefit to City, a correct decision that gave us an advantage in the game because i just cannot remember one which you would think is nigh on impossible for a side that has had 70% of the ball for the last 15 years

One of Arsenal's got sent off just before half time in the 2-2 game where John Stones scored a last minute equaliser. That was around October 2024. Can't remember one since.

 

[TonyColemansbagofapples]

I don't know how many, it sounds like you keep a spreadsheet with all the times its happened to Haaland though, so you can probably tell me.

I think when it happens to any player, either for us or any other team, it should be a penalty, not really sure why that's such a surprising take.

The main point is that pretty much every team, every game, can complain about decisions. People up in arms on here about a possible red card and an offside and going on about bent refs..... none of those decisions were as bad as the penalty given to Bournemouth this weekend.

Just count the number of corners and free kicks near the area we have had whilst Erling has been on the pitch and you will have your answer.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

The 2 Forest games just had poor officials where strange decisions were given. The game at the city ground could have been 9 against 10 on another day Forest could have had both Jesus and Anderson sent off whilst City could have had Dias sent off. I was surprised you didnt get a penalty in the home game my take on the Haaland one was I thought Sels tried to take his arm away and Haaland initiated the contact but the Rodri one I thought was a stonewall penalty. I have just come to accept that the officials are crap and the sooner we could get rid of var and forensic looking at decisions the better for the game .

VAR should be improving refereeing standards and decisions. The very fact that they have a screen to re-watch incidents immediately and then apply the correct rule dictates this.
Some of the ones we've seen this season are baffling.

MOTD on sunday night for example. United get a goal were Sesko's hand touches the ball over the line when any type of a handball in the build up to a goal has seen that goal disallowed for years now.
Bournemouth get a farce of a penalty.

Two easy decisions that should be overturned by VAR

Its the dickheads using it that are the problem

 

[Ivan Lentil]

I’m still angry about that Keane tackle on Doku. Haven’t played footy since school but having watched thousands of games down the years you develop an instinct for which tackles are the really dangerous ones and that was.
Doesn’t matter how high it was or wasn’t, it’s a red for dangerous play.

Almost as bad as the tackle itself is the way it further emboldens defenders to launch airborne assaults on our lads with virtual impunity. The rag got away with it at OT, this carthorse got away with it on Monday and there must be other examples that don’t readily spring to my mind.

I’ve no doubt that Moyes, the bitter ****, sent them out to injure us knowing that the refs always let players get away with gratuitous fouls against City. Their non league standard centre forward raking his studs down our centre halves’ achilles on two occasions evidenced this. He was clearly working to instructions. He should’ve been sent off too.

 

[HypnoticBlue]

Another game with a stonewall red card not given as it would benefit us, Oliver was a t**t on Monday, they’re all working under the same rules, let’s stop City. It’s a f***ing joke.

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

I’m still angry about that Keane tackle on Doku. Haven’t played footy since school but having watched thousands of games down the years you develop an instinct for which tackles are the really dangerous ones and that was.
Doesn’t matter how high it was or wasn’t, it’s a red for dangerous play.

Almost as bad as the tackle itself is the way it further emboldens defenders to launch airborne assaults on our lads with virtual impunity. The rag got away with it at OT, this carthorse got away with it on Monday and there must be other examples that don’t readily spring to my mind.

I’ve no doubt that Moyes, the bitter ****, sent them out to injure us knowing that the refs always let players get away with gratuitous fouls against City. Their non league standard centre forward raking his studs down our centre halves’ achilles on two occasions evidenced this. He was clearly working to instructions. He should’ve been sent off too.

I thought that was going to say Keane's tackle on Haaland

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Your first sentence.

It's the only way the pl can enforce its plan

The Premier League said it has a/plan for a different name on the trophy every six years.

That's what I was alluding to.

Have a look back and see how many strange decisions Leicester had the season they win the league.

 

[cp64]

VAR should be improving refereeing standards and decisions. The very fact that they have a screen to re-watch incidents immediately and then apply the correct rule dictates this.
Some of the ones we've seen this season are baffling.

MOTD on sunday night for example. United get a goal were Sesko's hand touches the ball over the line when any type of a handball in the build up to a goal has seen that goal disallowed for years now.
Bournemouth get a farce of a penalty.

Two easy decisions that should be overturned by VAR

Its the dickheads using it that are the problem

I think you are right about the use of Var but I think broadcasters are not showing all the images which are available. Have you seen any of the cash talks football podcasts as he has had several programmes on Var and has shown several decisions where Var have been very selective in images which they have shown to draw lines on decisions. So the sooner it is done away with and officials have the balls to ref what they see the better the game would be .

 

[Ivan Lentil]

I thought that was going to say Keane's tackle on Haaland

Once a **** always a ****,

 

[blue by birth]

Oliver showed himself up tonight. They should’ve had a penalty too.

But his constant being in the way is borderline fucking negligent.

What penalty.. If you mean Bernie grabbing the Everton player.. Then it couldn't be a pen as the ball wasn't in play.. Just catching up on here.. Been too pissed off to bother before now

 

[IrishBlueSince92]

I think you are right about the use of Var but I think broadcasters are not showing all the images which are available. Have you seen any of the cash talks football podcasts as he has had several programmes on Var and has shown several decisions where Var have been very selective in images which they have shown to draw lines on decisions. So the sooner it is done away with and officials have the balls to ref what they see the better the game would be .

No but I'll give it a listen. Cash talks football is it called?

 

[TonyM]

You can't have games without refs so you have to take the good and the bad imo (in every sport and at every level). That said imo England (maybe all of the UK) is a nation of fantasy in terms of heroes and villains. We are the baddies in the eyes of most because we are not a designated history club or fairy tale upcoming club, we aren't owned by jolly yanks and we haven't done enough to clear our names of a prolonged period of shit smearing. The refs are only reflecting the English culture of good natured bias as well as being ever so arrogant in their perfection despite often bouts of incompetence.

You just have to take it though. England won't change and probably shouldn't because there's good in all that too. The refs won't improve because they think they are brilliant.

We just need to be so good that we are beyond their deliberate or otherwise ability to fuck us over. Like we used to be many a time. It's up to us as a club. And as good as our recent run has been we aren't good enough to score multiple goals per match or have 2 good halves per game or not be quite monotonous in our tempo.

 

[blue by birth]

Crikey. Do Folk really see the Doku tackle as a red? Every team gets bad decisions, fact of life for every winner, there is a loser. There is no secret cult of referees out to get us, or anybody else. Lets park that theory next to a flat earth and jesus being an alien. Last night was a result of a season long theme where we lack urgency and dont kill teams off. It is not that we cant play that way, we can and do it very well, its just the players are so tactically obedient that it counts against us occasionally.

It was definitely a fucking red.. He deliberately missed the chance to get the ball and just took out Doku.. It's not the 1970's anymore.. Tackles like that are reds.. Unless it's against our players

 

[waspish]

I think you are right about the use of Var but I think broadcasters are not showing all the images which are available. Have you seen any of the cash talks football podcasts as he has had several programmes on Var and has shown several decisions where Var have been very selective in images which they have shown to draw lines on decisions. So the sooner it is done away with and officials have the balls to ref what they see the better the game would be .

The sky broadcasters have images from different angles that Var haven’t and why you see a different angle 10+ mins later showing that it wasn’t or was a pen! With this though what’s stop Carragher or Neville telling them they have a better angle that proves one way or another? Or they can keep quiet for some teams!?

 

[blue by birth]

Bernardo should have had a penalty given against him for wrestling Rohl to the ground at 3-2, so Everton can have some complaints as well

The ball wasn't in play so can't be a penalty.. We have had a few turned down for that reason too

 

[TonyM]

To be honest at youth level I've given up coaching soccer and nearly giving up coaching GAA because I'm sick shit of the nonsense on the side-line from my fellow coaches in terms of how they treat the kids in their desire to win and how they embarrass themselves with regard to referees.

As bad as referees are in terms of consistency, they are absolutely required for sport to exist and deserve our unconditional respect. Unconditional as in we accept graciously when they get lots wrong.

I don't know how refs put up with the abuse they get. I couldn't do it. And if I did I'd end up sending off more coaches than players. Pep wouldn't last 20 minutes I'd say :-)

 

[dronefromsector7G]

If Arsenal win the league we all know there should be giant asterisk next to it. They’ve had a criminal amount of decisions go their way whereas we’ve been shafted numerous times.

 

[TinFoilHat]

Us:

Referee: Michael Salisbury. Assistants: Marc Perry, Scott Ledger. Fourth official: Rob Jones. VAR: James Bell. Assistant VAR: Ian Hussin.

Arsenal:

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (pictured). Assistants: Dan Cook, Ian Hussin. Fourth official: James Bell. VAR: Darren England. Assistant VAR: Akil Howson.

Darren England on their game in VAR again.

 

[JRockBlues]

If Arsenal win the league we all know there should be giant asterisk next to it. They’ve had a criminal amount of decisions go their way whereas we’ve been shafted numerous times.

They've gone from having the joint most red cards for last season to none for this. I'm not saying there's something dodgy going on but thought I'd been transported to Billingsgate for a moment there.

 

[cp64]

No but I'll give it a listen. Cash talks football is it called?

Yes he doesn't seem to be supporter of any specific team and calls them all out for good or bad. Gives good technical analysis on aspects of games seems to have coaching qualifications. I have tried to find his specific one where he spent an hour approx on Var stating the images being portrayed by broadcaster are not real time but CGI generated and he states some of his content he has been forced to take down because the premier league have not been happy about it. I can't seem to find that episode now and I'm thinking this might be one of them.