Referees' Performances | 2025/26

[Kippax77]

Both Taylor and Oliver appear to be above having a decision they have made overturned or considered by var. They both wave their arms on certain challenges in a game, as if to say to the var official, don’t question my call.

I'd be interested to know if Oliver has done a dippers game since Slot verbally attacked him vs Everton last season.
If not then why, and who has the power to decide this?
Just seems strange we get Taylor so fuckin often

 

[Bluesince1979]

People need to grow up a bit. You know every fan of every club thinks there is an agenda against them yeah?

The ‘foul’ on donnarumma, it happens and he’ll learn to be a little stronger. He just got it a bit wrong.
And keep reading about the handball, and why it didnt go to var, well it wasnt handball sooo…

 

[M12Blue]

That Chelsea game.....still angry about it now.
Taylor was a disgrace that day,and lived locally to Manchester.
Now after a decade.he,lives London ,but was still selected to ref this match..
I remember the days when Refs were picked locally to the match played
Now..it's a pigclub,lavish salaries,Superstar refs.all control and power
I really don't know how Blues stomach it all
Sickening to watch this tight unit exert power and control over the once beautiful game.
The players must be sick of it.

Yep and when they fall in the trap of fame, start snorting coke and take pictures of kids.

 

[flook]

People need to grow up a bit. You know every fan of every club thinks there is an agenda against them yeah?

The ‘foul’ on donnarumma, it happens and he’ll learn to be a little stronger. He just got it a bit wrong.
And keep reading about the handball, and why it didnt go to var, well it wasnt handball sooo…

Whilst Alty was definitely shit for most of the game, the two big calls were correct. There is ALWAYS holding and pushing at corners, a bit of a hold, released long (in relative terms) before the ball came across was never going to be a foul, Donearunner was weak as fuck there, and as you correctly noted, deflection off the knee onto the arm is not a penalty (since the latest in a long line of increasingly confusing handball rule updates).

The clown in charge of the rags game on the other hand......

 

[waspish]

I'd be interested to know if Oliver has done a dippers game since Slot verbally attacked him vs Everton last season.
If not then why, and who has the power to decide this?
Just seems strange we get Taylor so fuckin often

To have the media take notice you have to call out a referee live when being interviewed after a game especially to sky and bbc pep is more subtle and media then call pep out not a bad refereeing decision like some of our fans do like saying Donno should done better or be stronger! Yeah right try jumping high when having an arm wrapped around your arm!

 

[Prater70]

Twice this season we've not been able to take a corner for HT....I've yet to see it happen in any other UK game this season.

Yep, If that happens at full time the corner is always allowed to be taken.

 

[Ohrodneyrodney]

Straight as a die is Taylor, absolutely no allegiance to any Manchester club. Whatsoever.

 

[herrock]

And this is the kind of bullshit the press use to justify cheating, should amad stay on his feet more often when he dives every five minutes at the swamp, course he should but you never hear that, should the refs be stronger with the nonsense that arsenal pull at every single corner, yeah they should but you never hear that. its a foul plain and simple and the fact that we got the ridiculous excuse of well he stopped fouling him before the ball got there shows that they knew damn well it was a foul and were walking on the fly.

The fact that we won that game and pep still called out taylor shows that it was a joke of a decision among a litany of joke decision, i mean for good sake their right back had hold of doku that much im surprised he didnt get done for sexual harassment never mind a foul but as usual taylor called nothing.

He's 6ft 5, the games gone soft

 

[Tim of the Oak]

People need to grow up a bit. You know every fan of every club thinks there is an agenda against them yeah?

The ‘foul’ on donnarumma, it happens and he’ll learn to be a little stronger. He just got it a bit wrong.
And keep reading about the handball, and why it didnt go to var, well it wasnt handball sooo…

I didn’t know Anthony Taylor was on this forum.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

People need to grow up a bit. You know every fan of every club thinks there is an agenda against them yeah?

The ‘foul’ on donnarumma, it happens and he’ll learn to be a little stronger. He just got it a bit wrong.
And keep reading about the handball, and why it didnt go to var, well it wasnt handball sooo…

Very grown up. Completely wrong though.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

I'd be interested to know if Oliver has done a dippers game since Slot verbally attacked him vs Everton last season.
If not then why, and who has the power to decide this?
Just seems strange we get Taylor so fuckin often

After the match in February?

That was the last PL one last season, but he's reffed them twice this season (1-0 win away at Burnley, 1-2 defeat at home to MU).

 

[Bluesince1979]

I don’t know Anthony Taylor was on this forum.

Which bit do you disagree with ?

 

[Tim of the Oak]

Which bit do you disagree with ?

Bournemouth’s goal should have been disallowed. We should have had a penalty for handball (under current interpretations. We were fouled several times in the first half with no free kick awarded. Everyone who plays us gets a few extra seconds before half time to take a corner. Taylor had a stinker.

 

[paulchapo]

I've watched Taylor ref us numerous times over the years and when he's "On it" boy is he on it. It starts early doors with a contentious decision. From then on he plays the pantomime villain perfectly, drawing howls of outrage as he appears to give almost every decision against us.
The die was cast for this man when he refused to give a blatant red card for David Luiz wiping out Sergio when he was clean through against Chelsea at our place a few years ago.

 

[Bluesince1979]

Bournemouth’s goal should have been disallowed. We should have had a penalty for handball (under current interpretations. We were fouled several times in the first half with no free kick awarded. Everyone who plays us gets a few extra seconds before half time to take a corner. Taylor had a stinker.

It wasnt a pen, it hit his knee and flicked up onto his arm. Not a pen.

As regards to the Bournemouth goal, was donna still being held when the corner was taken? When the ball was struck? I ask out of ignorance as dont know. I want my 6’5 goaly bullying everyone in the 6 yard box

I get pissed off with modern football and the amount of fouls given for mere contact. Its a contact sport and want referees to let games flow rather than blowing his whistle every 30 seconds

 

[Gazza]

And this is the kind of bullshit the press use to justify cheating, should amad stay on his feet more often when he dives every five minutes at the swamp, course he should but you never hear that, should the refs be stronger with the nonsense that arsenal pull at every single corner, yeah they should but you never hear that. its a foul plain and simple and the fact that we got the ridiculous excuse of well he stopped fouling him before the ball got there shows that they knew damn well it was a foul and were walking on the fly.

The fact that we won that game and pep still called out taylor shows that it was a joke of a decision among a litany of joke decision, i mean for good sake their right back had hold of doku that much im surprised he didnt get done for sexual harassment never mind a foul but as usual taylor called nothing.

Correct, if he didn't want to gain advantage by linking his arm before he jumped then why did he do it?

 

[Tim of the Oak]

It wasnt a pen, it hit his knee and flicked up onto his arm. Not a pen.

As regards to the Bournemouth goal, was donna still being held when the corner was taken? When the ball was struck? I ask out of ignorance as dont know. I want my 6’5 goaly bullying everyone in the 6 yard box

I get pissed off with modern football and the amount of fouls given for mere contact. Its a contact sport and want referees to let games flow rather than blowing his whistle every 30 seconds

Thanks for the info about the pen appeal. I will have another look at it.

Yes, he was still being held when the corner was being taken so a clear foul. Maybe he should have been stronger but it’s still a foul. What benefit do we get from VAR if they can’t make the easy calls. We have to tolerate the emotion being taken out of goal celebrations so there should be a trade off, in terms of reliable decision making.

Failing to give us 3 or 4 clear fouls that would have been fairly awarded in any part of the 50 years I’m been going to City is hardly a curse of the modern game. There has to be a certain level of protection for skilful players or we might as well be watching non league.

Blowing for half time as we were about to play a corner reaffirms what paulchapo said about Taylor’s ego.!

 

[waspish]

We must be the only fan base who back a referee over donno and pep on that foul on donno! It was a foul every other goalie in the premier that would been given a foul for especially from var! Mad

 

[Blue Mist]

People need to grow up a bit. You know every fan of every club thinks there is an agenda against them yeah?

The ‘foul’ on donnarumma, it happens and he’ll learn to be a little stronger. He just got it a bit wrong.
And keep reading about the handball, and why it didnt go to var, well it wasnt handball sooo…

I'm grown up and I saw the game refereed totally differently in the second half compared to the first, especially when we made it 3-1.
I'm not talking about the penalty shout or even their goal, I'm talking about how obvious it was.

 

[Manc Born & Bred]

The interesting thing about the handball is that Taylor clearly shows that the player had his hands down by his sides and he wasn't giving a penalty. BUT the player had his arm out when the ball hit him so that is bollocks. It wasn't a penalty as the ball just about deflected from his leg onto his arm and therefore under the current laws it isn't a penalty but there is no way Taylor that deflection so what did he see as it certainly wasn't a player with his arms down as he clearly demonstrated.

On their goal, it is quite clearly a foul on Gigi. Just because he let go of him is a red herring. I doubt whether the defence of i was kicking him from pillar to post but stopped before the pass was made would stand up. It was a foul plain and simple.

As for the corner at the end of the first half, given that was was a stoppage in injury time itself then there was time to take the kick assuming that Taylor is aware that firstly whatever time is shown is a minimum of time to be added on and secondly you can add on time within added time if there is a stoppage.

He had a shit game, end of and shouldn't be anywhere near our games for a long time.