Referees' Performances | 2025/26

I got a text in the first half from my ERO, and it seems Everton had had Salisbury recently on VAR and had suggested some kind of novelty decision that appeared new to the world of football. My son thought we might have the better end of Salisbury's deliberations now that he was welded to a whistle rather than a computer. i had to disabuse offspring that he was just another shower of shite hiding behind his yellow cards. Oh, and why did Marmoush get a yellow? Wasn't he ten yards from the corner kick? I must warn fans that the clown that turns up on Wednesday will be worse.

To be fair, Marmoush purposely took a yellow because he sprinted over to stop a quick corner being taken.

But this ref was shite. I think it summed him up when the melee broke out after Henderson fouled Bernardo, he ran in with his whistle and about 15 players all ignored him and carried on anyway!

No authority aside from his whistle and it showed. Painful to suffer through him controlling a game yesterday.
 
Linesman East Stand …. Leaning on corner flag, leaning away from line on barrier, spitting.
How did he get that job. He deserved the abuse he got
Special mention to the linesman too (East stand)
First half: Doku near touchline and defender's arms are round is chest. Ball come to him and he's pushed to the floor. Linesman had a great view as did the ref, and it's play on.
Second half: Brentford player, with a couple of City players around him, tries something clever on the touchline and ends up dragging the ball over the line. Again the linesman had a good view and he gave the throw to Brentford.
 
Another performance that both sides thought was cack. All about him. The whole “come to me” shapes we was throwing shower everybody who he thought we paid to watch. Thought all three of the big marginal decisions were right mind you.
 
To be fair, Marmoush purposely took a yellow because he sprinted over to stop a quick corner being taken.

But this ref was shite. I think it summed him up when the melee broke out after Henderson fouled Bernardo, he ran in with his whistle and about 15 players all ignored him and carried on anyway!

No authority aside from his whistle and it showed. Painful to suffer through him controlling a game yesterday.
And hiding behind the cards in his pocket. We got four cards yesterday to Brentford's two, and they were the side adding summat on every tackle.
 
First half: Doku near touchline and defender's arms are round is chest. Ball come to him and he's pushed to the floor. Linesman had a great view as did the ref, and it's play on.
Second half: Brentford player, with a couple of City players around him, tries something clever on the touchline and ends up dragging the ball over the line. Again the linesman had a good view and he gave the throw to Brentford.

The channel i was watching - they said not much contact there - I thought how much contact do you want - it was like a rugby tackle
 
When did they decide football was going to change so much. There’s so much grappling, shirt pulling and pushing players off the ball (two hands into the back). I know it’s easy to be paranoid about it, but since Haaland came to the premiership this seems to have exploded. Also Doku, amongst other, regularly suffers.
 
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They love to be sticklers on the minor laws (free kick & throw-in placements, ball in quadrant for corners....), but bottle the bigger decisions.
 
When did they decide football was going to change so much. There’s so much grappling, shirt pulling and pushing players off the ball (two hands into the back). I know it’s easy to be paranoid about it, but since Haaland came to the premiership this seems to have exploded. Also Doku, amongst other, regularly suffers.
A lot of top clubs have gone for the Pulis methods and it won't change if Arsenal win the title as Arteta's thuggery will be vindicated by the same media that criticised Pulis.
 
When did they decide football was going to change so much. There’s so much grappling, shirt pulling and pushing players off the ball (two hands into the back). I know it’s easy to be paranoid about it, but since Haaland came to the premiership this seems to have exploded. Also Docu, amongst other, regularly suffers.
It hasnt changed its just not called against us, we did exactly what arsenal do at every single corner against arsenal and got called for it, twice yesterday brentford rugby tackled our players and it was ignored while doku got pulled for a shoulder charge, schade also wasnt booked for two dives and not a single person on this planet can convince me that a city player wouldnt have gone for the challenges that keane, dalot and gabriel got away for. If the refs were consistently crap it could be accepted but they arent, we are just reffed differently and yes i know some people will go its a conspiracy theory and it all evens out but its simply not the case and the same challenges are treated demonstrably different when made by us than made against us, its facts not feelings.
 
The standards are changing to help a very physical team beat City to the title. Sounds cynical but this take is not far from the truth. The wrestling at corners is ridiculous. The change this season might be accidental but I have doubts about that.
 
I can't remember the last time haaland won a free kick for being held/wrestled every time the ball is near him. It's just weird how it's not considered to be a free kick anymore. But it's usually given the other way for far less holding.

Have the refs got together and decided that the threshold for fouls on haaland is different to every other player in the league?
 
I can't remember the last time haaland won a free kick for being held/wrestled every time the ball is near him. It's just weird how it's not considered to be a free kick anymore. But it's usually given the other way for far less holding.

Have the refs got together and decided that the threshold for fouls on haaland is different to every other player in the league?
The one on him just over the halfway line in the second half I could see perfectly clearly from halfway up SS3.

Salisbury & the liner have different ideas though.
 
Could easily have given two pens against us today so I have him down as just not being terribly good, he certainly wasn’t biased against us.
This. Although the correct decisions, you know certain refs ie Oliver, Taylor, Gillett would have instantly pointed for a penalty and Var wouldn’t over rule them, citing the cop out not a clear and obvious error excuse.
 
A lot of top clubs have gone for the Pulis methods and it won't change if Arsenal win the title as Arteta's thuggery will be vindicated by the same media that criticised Pulis.

Our media must be the biggest set of sycophants and arselickers when it comes to being positive about the redshirt clubs especially. They won't criticise their tactics even when they decend to the worst examples of thuggery, time wasting, faking injuries etc. , or pointing out the negative approach so favoured by the rags !

Instead of showing a level of integrity they choose to laud the paucity of style or positivity. No wonder Arteta's disgraceful and cowardly tactics continue.

If the gooners win the PL, the mimmicry by other clubs will produce even more games of pure cross and thuggery.

Arteta will have so much to answer for in the worst ways possible.
 
So we are meant to be deliriously happy that he actually applied the rules in a couple of cases?
Aka “we got a couple of decisions that could have screwed us, so we’re happy, but we won’t admit that and just say the rules were applied correctly as we got our desired outcome.”
 
Aka “we got a couple of decisions that could have screwed us, so we’re happy, but we won’t admit that and just say the rules were applied correctly as we got our desired outcome.”

On balance, I am pretty sure we get more poor/suit decisions than we do.favourable ones.

We have witnessed some absolute horrors since the club has enjoyed success, and it doesn't feel accidental imo.
 

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