Standard of Referees (Sponsored by Steven Reid)

[PynchonForest]

What is the f***ing point in linesman these days. They've got the easiest job in the world...

Hmm, attacking player looked offside there... better keep the flag down until the ball has been cleared and then put it up. If the ball isn't cleared, might as well keep it down in case he scores and VAR can decide.

Hmmm, balls gone out... I know, I'll look at the ref, wait for him to pick it then flag the same way.

Eek, saw a clear foul there... better ignore that and hope the ref saw it - if he didn't it probably wasn't a foul.

Useless twats.

First, I hated running lines (I rarely do these days because I lack pace now). It sucks. Second, you have to understand there is a concerted effort to replace linesmen with technology, and that is in it's first stages. They will be using tech in conjunction with real people at this World Cup. This is not some one off thing. The reliance on technology is going to increase. This means, at some point soon, linesmen will disapear from football matches at the highest levels in certain countries. Probably the top 6 or 7 Euro leagues, MLS, China maybe. At some point you will probably be able to buy referee surveillance kits that will cover a field with one person controlling them from an armchair pitchside maybe? The interesting thing will be how they change on field officials. I think you will see two, 3, maybe even 4 on field at some point in time in the Prem. I think it will be two to minimize interpretative conflict. And VAR is here to stay, of course. Cue Robert Zimmerman...........

 

[Gyros Peter]

First, I hated running lines (I rarely do these days because I lack pace now). It sucks. Second, you have to understand there is a concerted effort to replace linesmen with technology, and that is in it's first stages. They will be using tech in conjunction with real people at this World Cup. This is not some one off thing. The reliance on technology is going to increase. This means, at some point soon, linesmen will disapear from football matches at the highest levels in certain countries. Probably the top 6 or 7 Euro leagues, MLS, China maybe. At some point you will probably be able to buy referee surveillance kits that will cover a field with one person controlling them from an armchair pitchside maybe? The interesting thing will be how they change on field officials. I think you will see two, 3, maybe even 4 on field at some point in time in the Prem. I think it will be two to minimize interpretative conflict. And VAR is here to stay, of course. Cue Robert Zimmerman...........

I understand there is a concerted effort to replace them and wish they'd just get on with doing it cos they're currently doing nothing but annoy me.

 

[Trents]

Ever since hawk-eye came into tennis 15 years ago there has been the question as to why can't it be used in football. It still took another 10 years for fifa to pull thier finger out and have it tell the ref if the ball is over the goal line or not. It can absolutely be used on all lines on the pitch. Throw in or corner/goal kick.

The only thing lino could still help with is confirming who the ball came off last before crossing the relevant line.

 

[adam09]

The only thing lino could still help with is confirming who the ball came off last before crossing the relevant line.

Ha... ha... ha!

 

[Captain Sinister]

I had a minor rant with the linesman who was running the line in front of the LBC.
A ball was played up field by Forest, and intercepted by Kulusevski half way inside the Spur's half.
He clearly used his hand to control the ball.
The linesman didn't wave his flag, but the ref eventually blew up and we got the free kick.
I asked the lino why he hadn't flagged and he turned to face me, and pointed to his head-set microphone to tell me he had alerted the ref using the mike.
I yelled at him "How do we, the spectators know you have done that? Surely waving your flag alerts the ref, the players and the crowd and therefore cuts down on the flack coming from the fans, who have no idea you have spotted the infringement?".
He simply shrugged his shoulders.
Then, in the 2nd half, Kulusevski played a through ball and Son, I think (and clearly offside, ran onto the ball to be met by the out-rushing Henderson. No other Spur's player was close enough to get to the ball, but Son raced on, and Hendo bravely stood his ground to block the shot.
Only when Son hit the shot did lino raise his flag.
My point here is that Hendo had no need to put himself at risk, and could have been injured had there been a collision, and Son had no need to waste energy with a futile run.
Why do the linos not flag when it is clear the offside player starts to go for the ball?
The ref yesterday was, frankly, poor.
And the lino was poor as well.

 

[Flaggers]

Weak referee tonight. Happy to let Mitrovic do as he pleased and get away with a couple of reckless "challenges" . Totally ineffective at stopping Fulham wasting time at goal kicks and throw ins.

And the BC linesman was making it up as he went along.

We've not had a good PL ref down here yet.

 

[garibaldi]

Awful ref. I think he realised at HT he should have sent Cook off, because 2nd half he was corrupt.

 

[Timothy Pope]

Awful ref. I think he realised at HT he should have sent Cook off, because 2nd half he was corrupt.

Just second half?
It was the 75th minute before he gave us a foul for anything that wasn’t a rugby tackle.

He was that corrupt he’s been approached by Conservative party HQ to run at the next election

 

[Lee]

What do linesman actually do these days? is there actually a need for them? All both did was make hilariously late calls all game

 

[Flaggers]

What do linesman actually do these days? is there actually a need for them? All both did was make hilariously late calls all game

The one on BC side would have been funny if it wasn't so pathetic

 

[Statto]

He is definitely on the lenient side in terms of allowing more overly physical things to go with less punishment than other refs.

Personally I actually prefer his style compared to a lot of the other refs who are a lot more picky with niggly fouls and give out more yellows, but that's as much a matter of opinion as anything else.

Maybe they just train them differently in Aus. It certainly makes the game flow more and he also seems to have the respect of the players generally a bit more than some refs too.

Personally I didn't think the Cook one was a red card. It was outside the area (though this shouldn't matter) and Boly was coming across to cover, though Cook had caught Willian up enough to foul him obviously, he also had plenty of work to do to make it a goalscoring opportunity. Think the ref got that one right.

Fulham were a niggly little side even last season so it's not surprising these antics are happening still, the time wasting especially, and a fair amount of challenges on the borderline-aggressive side (which a lenient ref will probably ignore and a strict one will give a yellow for), think at one point one of theirs pushed Boly out of the way like he was a schoolkid, which given his size shows how physical that contact was. But then, football isn't a touch sport, there's a certain level of contact required, even if you're not allowed to haul other players around like in rugby.

None of the above criticisms are wrong though.

 

[psycho]

I thought Mitrovic was very clever for their first, making the block on Yates and going down after it so it looked accidental or as if Yates had charged into him. Never going to meet the threshold for VAR to overturn. I honestly don't know what Yates could have possibly done about it, and he made a great effort to get back in and head it away. Only a zonal defence could have prevented that goal it seems to me.

 

[Any Time Now]

I think it was a clear foul from Mitrovic, I can understand the referee maybe not seeing it in real time but with the existence of VAR it seems ridiculous that he wasn't advised to go and take a look on the screen. Clear obstruction

 

[Erik]

One of the ongoing complaints I see here is how many teams are very good at pushing the boundaries and getting away with it. Masters of the sneaky dark arts.

Most of those teams have Premiership experience.

We need to learn it. And fast.

 

[adam09]

Not been impressed by most of the refs this season. Wildly inconsistent.

Cook was lucky I think but as with previous games, the ref has then spent the rest of the game 'making up' for it by refusing to give a number of blatant fouls our way.

More pull backs unpunished. Reed I think it was took Yates down in the first half when we had a great chance to break on the right hand side with an overload, no yellow card. Their number 2 on a yellow, pulls LoB back, should have walked. Another team 'time wasting' against and again, warning after warning and not one yellow card.

Mitrovic could have had 4 yellow cards. Ref needed to grow a pair.

I just want consistency in general. As an example - Forest make 10 fouls per game and have 20 yellow cards. Man City makes 8 fouls per game - 5 yellow cards. They are allowed to break play up to stop opponents attacking and don't get a yellow card for it. John Stones did it 3 or 4 times earlier. You see Fabinho and van Dijk do it constantly for Liverpool as well and get away with it constantly.

Make your mind up. Either it's a yellow first or second time for everbody or it's not.

 

[PynchonForest]

I don't think Mitrovic's block was a foul. Players have a right to be somewhere, and he didn't really change his trajectory much to perform the "block". What we need to be is more intelligent on how we perceive these things before they happen. And that is a by product of being drilled on the training ground about tendencies on set pieces. Now, outside of that, the ref was poor. He's Australian. How do you think that league is? I mean, I don't watch it, but I would guess it's quite physical, based upon how the Australian team plays. We didn't lose because of Gillet, but his foul recog was, at times, shockingly poor. He definitely missed a few cards. Anyhow, going back to being drilled on the training ground, we have to get our shit together on set pieces very quickly. I've been watching how we defend and it's not good, how we set up. To go back to another point, Cooper needs to hire one or two more coaches. We don't have a fitness coach. WE don't have a set piece specialist. These are fairly standard fare these days. Cooper needs to surround himself with a few more guys who have a clue. Quickly.

 

[Forest65]

I just want to see the first player in a match standing 2 yards from a free kick carded. Absolutely nothig is done about it, otherwise bring back Pearce a blast it staight in the nuts. Mitrovic did it all game, but did hold his hands up as if he wasn't doing anything, so that must make it alright.

 

[Raymondo Ponte']

Refs are frustrating especially when we're struggling.

Been going on fer years.

 

[PynchonForest]

I just want to see the first player in a match standing 2 yards from a free kick carded. Absolutely nothig is done about it, otherwise bring back Pearce a blast it staight in the nuts. Mitrovic did it all game, but did hold his hands up as if he wasn't doing anything, so that must make it alright.

Agreed on this bullshit of standing in front of the ball on free kicks. Basically, the team that fouled is being favoured. This is fundamentally backwards. I know a couple of FIFA refs and asked them a few years ago about why certain things were being changed, and the reply was "they want to get gamesmanship out of the game" And yet this crap is allowed. You win a free kick 45 yards out from goal and your only good pass is sideways or backwards? This is completely ridiculous. I even heard a commentator actually mention it yesterday.

 

[valspoodle]

Agreed on this bullshit of standing in front of the ball on free kicks. Basically, the team that fouled is being favoured. This is fundamentally backwards. I know a couple of FIFA refs and asked them a few years ago about why certain things were being changed, and the reply was "they want to get gamesmanship out of the game" And yet this crap is allowed. You win a free kick 45 yards out from goal and your only good pass is sideways or backwards? This is completely ridiculous. I even heard a commentator actually mention it yesterday.

This has been a pet peeve of mine for years. There are so many petty incidents you regularly see during games which could so easily be stamped out if refs bothered. Why they don't is one of life's mysteries.

 

[adam09]

They are more interested in booking for taking a shirt off and celebrating than helping to stamp out cheating.

Saw that Watmore lad at Boro dive twice in the first half tonight, nobody bats an eyelid at it.

That’s just the way it is these days.

 

[Statto]

Agreed on this bullshit of standing in front of the ball on free kicks. Basically, the team that fouled is being favoured. This is fundamentally backwards. I know a couple of FIFA refs and asked them a few years ago about why certain things were being changed, and the reply was "they want to get gamesmanship out of the game" And yet this crap is allowed. You win a free kick 45 yards out from goal and your only good pass is sideways or backwards? This is completely ridiculous. I even heard a commentator actually mention it yesterday.

I thought the 10 yard rule was basically no-one in a 10 yard circle from the opposition.

If they're encroaching, surely the taking team should either just not take it or make the referee aware of the encroachment?

 

[Notcher]

My per peeve is foul throws going unpunished. I'd say at least 50% of throw ins are a foul throw. Anyone that's played the game knows it's almost impossible to perform a legitimate throw to a player who is stood a couple of yards away from you as you can't manage to release it from the top of your head.

Allowing it to happen always results in it being advantageous because it allows quick throws to players that are close the thrower.

I can't remember the last time I saw a foul throw given in the professional game yet at every other level its pulled up .

 

[Lee]

Why wasn't Leno's hilarious drive punished?

 

[adam09]

My per peeve is foul throws going unpunished. I'd say at least 50% of throw ins are a foul throw. Anyone that's played the game knows it's almost impossible to perform a legitimate throw to a player who is stood a couple of yards away from you as you can't manage to release it from the top of your head.

Allowing it to happen always results in it being advantageous because it allows quick throws to players that are close the thrower.

I can't remember the last time I saw a foul throw given in the professional game yet at every other level its pulled up .

I thought the ball just had to start from behind your head and go over your head before you release it?

Aka you can release it in front of your head and angle it down.

Seems to be accepted as long as it’s a smooth arc and no extra downward thrust motion.