Referees’ Performances | 2024/2025

I've watched football for seven decades and I defy anyone to distinguish between a ref making a mistake and a ref not applying the LotG as they are written. If VAR is not permitted to blow down the ref's ear when he has not seen something and the lino is puffing like a fuckin' steam engine trying to keep up and there is a game changing incident, what is the fuckin' use of VAR.
It's bollocks mate, look at the Grealish handball in the final a couple of years ago, it happened right in front of where I was and I said to my lad we're getting screwed here.....game carried on and stopped 30ish seconds later by VAR via the refs ear piece.

There's no excuse for VAR not doing the same for the Henderson handball and allowing Atwell to view it.

I can much as he's a twat the ref not seeing it in real time from the angle he was at, the liner is 'in shot' and as such should have seen & flagged but withstanding all that it's all on VAR....they can't even hide behind that going away from goal lie with a restart of a throw in!!!
 
My initial thoughts were the same. The ref is in charge of the game. He should have been advised to go to the screen, and if not why not? Bent as fuck they are.

It's all a problem of protocol. IFAB issues a protocol which raises so many game management issues that PGMOL has to issue their own protocol which raises new game management issues.

They should just leave well alone a simple game that has operated pretty well for more than a century (aside from a few real howlers) with reasonably simple rules.
 
They have been using VAR to manipulate results since Day 1. We are constantly on the wrong end of all 50/50 decisions. If the Cup Final had been against the scouse cunts, we would have been listening to it all summer. Attwell was proven bent v BHA three/four years ago and should never have refereed another City game. What happens? He does us over Big Time at the swamp (which could have cost us a treble) and again the final. Corrupt as fuck.
 
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Whether it's incompetence or corruption (in any of its guises) VAR has failed, yet again, at a cost to City. But before VAR the Refs for the same reasons made decisions against City.

In this case had there been no VAR we'd be in the same position. As neither Ref or Linesman saw anything wrong. VAR isnt the problem. Using the same group of people (incompetent or corrupt) managed by the same people (with an organisation bias to protect each other) to Ref and operate VAR is the problem.
 
Whether it's incompetence or corruption (in any of its guises) VAR has failed, yet again, at a cost to City. But before VAR the Refs for the same reasons made decisions against City.

In this case had there been no VAR we'd be in the same position. As neither Ref or Linesman saw anything wrong. VAR isnt the problem. Using the same group of people (incompetent or corrupt) managed by the same people (with an organisation bias to protect each other) to Ref and operate VAR is the problem.

Naah. The problem is that trying to provide certainty on decisions in a fast-moving game is doomed to failure.

It doesn't matter whether you have VAR or not. Either the on field officials will occasionally make subjective mistakes, or the VAR will wrongly apply the literal wording of rules (which are increasingly being written so specifically to cover all eventualities objectively, but will never be able to) to decisions which, by their very nature, are subjective and much more nuanced than can be resolved by dictat.

It's one great big mess at the moment. Neither one thing nor the other.

And, at the end of the day, the only real question is whether the increase in accuracy is worth the damage to the game experience. Because it is the game experience that will determination the success of the sport in the future, moreso in my opinion, than a 100% record on decisions.

But, guess what, that too is a subjective decision.
 
Naah. The problem is that trying to provide certainty on decisions in a fast-moving game is doomed to failure
100%, it's never going to be perfect and as you say alot of decisions (including this one) are subjective. But when the decision goes against what nearly everyone in the game thinks is wrong, and two people got to see it repeated, slowed down and from every angle get it wrong then there is an issue with them (either competency or corruption). VAR is supposed to help improve decision making and I believe it does, but the issue is not with VAR or the Technology, it's with (as always) those making the decisions.
 
Sometimes not all consequences are seem or heard by everyone and especially to the general public. I used to manage 80 people, the amount of whingeing that went on was unreal. Why have they got away with this or that when I haven't etc. What often is said in public is not always what is said in private and peoples actions and reactions are very much the opposite when it comes to having a quiet word in the office from full earshot of everyone else.
That's true ,but justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done as the old saying has it .I think this is particularly important where there are so many people involved ,for the sake of"good order and discipline " as my old boss used to say.
 
It's bollocks mate, look at the Grealish handball in the final a couple of years ago, it happened right in front of where I was and I said to my lad we're getting screwed here.....game carried on and stopped 30ish seconds later by VAR via the refs ear piece.

There's no excuse for VAR not doing the same for the Henderson handball and allowing Atwell to view it.

I can much as he's a twat the ref not seeing it in real time from the angle he was at, the liner is 'in shot' and as such should have seen & flagged but withstanding all that it's all on VAR....they can't even hide behind that going away from goal lie with a restart of a throw in!!!
This is where you realise that the game is manipulated. They don't want to be the one where anyone not supporting a City outcome will be shrieking that the game has been spoiled by the sending off. My take on the game being spoiled is where referees re-interpret the LotG to fit the preferred outcome. Jack's 'handball' and Henderson's denial of a goal scoring opportunity were instances that were they to happen again the outcome would be different.
 
Kicking things off with the Gillet’s performance in the Community Shield:

I thought he was poor. Let the rags foul Doku with impunity, effectively ignored two leg breaking challenges in the first half, missed some pretty obvious corners for us (especially that Doku shot), and only gave our players yellows (though, Bernie deserved one, as much I was happy to see him putting in the challenge on that **** Garnacho), despite United continually fouling ours to stops counters and repeatedly kicking the ball away after the whistle had gone. Oh, and ignoring Martinez leaving his boot or elbow in on ours in the box.

Not the worst officiating we have had, by any means, but he was still shite.
Gillet VAR performance just cost us the FA cup.
 
Gillet VAR performance just cost us the FA cup.
He's 4th official at the Forest game, near enough a demotion but stops him fucking up while the handball is still in everyone's memory.

Atwell gets the reward of VAR at the swamp with our ref from midweek in the middle.

Other thing I noted was England who is usually on perma VAR for dips games gets his thank you as he's reffing the dips game.
 
He's 4th official at the Forest game, near enough a demotion but stops him fucking up while the handball is still in everyone's memory.

Atwell gets the reward of VAR at the swamp with our ref from midweek in the middle.

Other thing I noted was England who is usually on perma VAR for dips games gets his thank you as he's reffing the dips game.
Dippers England and Barrott get to witness their team lift the trophy. Which is nice...
 
The villa sending off, no problem with it per se but direction and distance were way further out than ours in the final. They are just making Gillett’s look more and more like corruption over incompetence when using as a bench mark for dgso decisions.
 

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