Referees’ Performances | 2024/2025

[meltonblue]

Or blatant cheats

Yeah or that. I doubt it though, they wouldn’t have given the penalty. Personally just think they’re incompetent.

 

[tallest floodlights]

If these are the best officials we've got we are fucked.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

I don’t blame Atwell for it, there’s no way from his position he can see if it’s outside the box or not. The linesman would have been much better placed to see it.

VAR didn’t dig him out of anything either, they just made themselves look incompetent.

So why didn't the game re-start with a free kick to City? Red card or not it was proven handball. What was the conversation between Atwell and his pals in the VAR team? This is just more corruption in plain sight.

 

[richardtheref]

Henderson gained an advantage by cheating and was allowed to get away with it by VAR who just happened to have an ex Palace youth player involved in the decision making process.

The same ex player who wasn't allowed to officiate in the semi final because of his palace connections.
Mind you years ago I was allowed to ref a man city ladies fa cup game even though they were fully aware I was a city season ticket holder at the time

 

[meltonblue]

So why didn't the game re-start with a free kick to City? Red card or not it was proven handball. What was the conversation between Atwell and his pals in the VAR team? This is just more corruption in plain sight.

That’s as per the current rules, VAR can’t intervene just to give a free kick.

 

[Allnightlong]

The same ex player who wasn't allowed to officiate in the semi final because of his palace connections.
Mind you years ago I was allowed to ref a man city ladies fa cup game even though they were fully aware I was a city season ticket holder at the time

This kind of info makes it all even worse!! I know there are bigger things going on in the world but this has proper pissed me off!

 

[Blueboy73]

The same ex player who wasn't allowed to officiate in the semi final because of his palace connections.
Mind you years ago I was allowed to ref a man city ladies fa cup game even though they were fully aware I was a city season ticket holder at the time

I didn't realise Cann wasn't allowed near the semi final for this reason.
Makes it even worse when he's allowed to be involved in the final and is front and centre in allowing a player who just happens to play for the team he is affiliated to to remain on the pitch when he should have been sent off.

 

[Bowyers Sausages]

An ex Palace youth player was sat in the VAR control room.
When you take this into consideration, was it really because they didn't understand the rules?

And iirc he was also the linesman in the Rashford offside goal at OT…

 

[Blueboy73]

So why didn't the game re-start with a free kick to City? Red card or not it was proven handball. What was the conversation between Atwell and his pals in the VAR team? This is just more corruption in plain sight.

We'll never know what was said because Red Howard and his cronies won't let us as paying customers hear how the decision making process is made.
Conversations are broadcast in Cricket and Rugby for transparency.
The same transparency doesn't exist in football.
All we get is a patronising bullshit riddled statement concocted post match to try and gaslight us into believing they aren't corrupt, incompetent or both.
Like you said corruption in plain sight.

 

[Blueboy73]

And iirc he was also the linesman in the Rashford offside goal at OT…

He was but to be fair that was on Attwell.
Cann was asked if Fishfingers had touched the ball, Cann said he didn't and Attwell wrongly allowed the goal.
As per usual City just took it.

 

[Blue_eyes]

We lost against to an quite average team because we couldn't muster enough pressure or momentum to get the ball in the onion bag simple as that really. We cant keep harping on about refs. Plenty of time to equalise we just didn't have the class.

Posters have every right to complain about the ref yesterday, he and var were shit and this is the refs performance thread.

If you insist on keep complaining how shit we are(which we all know), then take it to the City are shit thread.

Its no good harping on about City being shit in the ref is shit thread.

 

[Postman Pep]

Yeah or that. I doubt it though, they wouldn’t have given the penalty. Personally just think they’re incompetent.

Or somewhere in between. Incompetence is a cheap get out for explaining the non red for Henderson. They were playing the occasion and clearly looking for a justification to 'not ruin the spectacle' and made up some bullshit reasoning.

Funnily enough it was the shenanigans around the penalty that pushed me more into tinfoil mode. Firstly I imagine it looked like a stonewaller from his positioning so he had no choice but to give it .... can't make it too obvious :-)

I thought the VAR check went on too long. If you are looking for something "clear and obvious" to change an on field decision surely there is no need for such a level of scrutiny. In the cold light of day that is nothing out of the ordinary but I was already on high alert due to a decision that was unquestionably out of the ordinary.

What sent me over the edge was the extra delay once the check was cleared. Might not have been that long but it was long enough to have me screaming "let him take it ffs" at the tele. Not an excuse for Marmoush missing or us losing the game but there is absolutely no need for him to do that beyond ... well you know.

 

[cheekybids]

Attwell has always been a useless fuckwit

I disagree, I think PGMOL find him very useful, in fact he seems to be the go to referee as he’s the perfect foil of he’s incompetent. Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

 

[Bluekiwi]

I haven't watched any of the game, only seen still photos of Henderson's handball.
My question is this " What happened immediately after the incident? Did play stop or did play simply continue?

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

I haven't watched any of the game, only seen still photos of Henderson's handball.
My question is this " What happened immediately after the incident? Did play stop or did play simply continue?

Play was halted for a lengthy VAR check.

 

[cheekybids]

He got the gig because he does his master's bidding. He might be a laughing stock with fans, but he's favoured by PGMOL and the FA because he does what they tell him to do. He doesn't do stupid things like give controversial decisions against establishment clubs (United, Liverpool etc.)

He should be nowhere near the PL. He shouldn't be doing the cup final when it's contested by one of the teams he has cheated in the past.

There’s also been no media shitstorm. PGMOL & the media want him to referee the occasion, failure to do so would see him face punishment, relentless criticism & his career change direction. I think we all know if he’d applied the LOTG he would have faced the wrath of the media.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

I haven't watched any of the game, only seen still photos of Henderson's handball.
My question is this " What happened immediately after the incident? Did play stop or did play simply continue?

I think the ball went out pretty quickly and then it stopped for a VAR check.

Incidentally, and just to sum up the FA on this, I just went to their official Youtube channel to check the highlights of the final, and this complete red card cock up wasn't considered important enough to include in their highlights video. Funny that. Nor did it appear in their 'key moments' video. So it turns out us, every pundit and all of the media are just kidding ourselves. It was just a minor moment that had no impact on the game whatsoever.

Burying the evidence of their incompetence.

ETA: Actually, the City channel shows the full play. They clear it and I'd guess (because it's cut) that it just goes to VAR at the next stoppage.



Hell, even the Palace Youtube channel shows it. But the FA too cowardly as usual.

 

[halfcenturyup]

Martin Samuel :)

What a fabulous day — this was something different, something wonderful

For Crystal Palace, this FA Cup final victory was about a well run club defying the odds and finally getting a little bit of the gravy that seasons the modern game — Wembley gravy, Euro gravy

www.thetimes.com

"Palace executed their counterattacking game-plan more than City delivered theirs.

The alternate view, of course, is that Palace got away with one because a key decision went in their favour. And to some extent it’s true, it did. Once the Football Association decided to award the biggest match in their calendar to the poorest referee on the Premier League roster – plus some rather ungifted assistants – there was always a chance this could happen. Having hosted the White Horse Final, and the Matthews Final, the Stuart Attwell Final really cannot have come as too much of a surprise.

Last week, Attwell saw a chap get his jaw broken by the jab of an elbow and didn’t consider it greatly untoward so the prevention of a goalscoring opportunity by a goalkeeper’s deliberate handball outside the penalty area was hardly going to pique his curiosity. So it proved. When Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson misjudged his margins dealing with the onrushing Erling Haaland, there was every chance of a Manchester City equaliser.

Henderson had come too far, to the edge of his area, but the ball hadn’t kicked on as expected. Now he was stranded, unable to handle, out of position, Haaland about to nick the ball around him. Panicking he swung an arm and wafted the ball away to his left, Haaland now without opportunity, danger momentarily averted. Attwell, of course, did nothing. His VAR, Michael Salisbury, sprung into action at the next break in play. Maybe the VAR’s VAR, Jarred Gillett, had a shufti too. They might as well have asked Curly, Larry and Moe. All came to the conclusion that Attwell’s initial mistake was spot-on. And then, as is the fashion for Howard Webb’s PGMOL, it was time to light the gas.

The evidence before you is wrong. Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, not around my eyes, 1-2-3, you’re back in the room. You didn’t see a deliberate handball to prevent a goalscoring opportunity. The player with 275 goals in 339 club matches – plus 40 in 41 internationals – was never going to score from there. He was running away from goal, not towards it. He would have had to hit a shot marginally across his body. He never does that. No player does. It’s impossible. How could anyone consider such a thing?

"The direction in which Erling Haaland was going made it possible, but not an obvious goal scoring opportunity,” said Professional Gaslighting Match Officials Ltd. Obvious? What’s obvious got to do with it? Who decides obviousness? Could Haaland have scored? Sounds like a yes. Was it handball? Definitely. Then it’s a red card."

 

[fierydan]

Chris Foy,retired PL referee on the radio yesterday said VAR concentrated on where the ball went after the handball.They thought this made it a possible goal scoring opportunity.
That is a red herring,where the handball occurred is where you judge whether it is a goal scoring opportunity and that was almost centre of the goal.

 

[fierydan]

So why didn't the game re-start with a free kick to City? Red card or not it was proven handball. What was the conversation between Atwell and his pals in the VAR team? This is just more corruption in plain sight.

VAR can only get involved in this if they recommend a red card.
No red card,no free kick.