Officials

Is the prem title going to won by the team that gets the most decisions?

Yet another blatant penalty not given last night.

What I dont understand is, if Silva dived, why was he not booked?

Is it not now time for referees to be made to give interviews to explain some of these"mistakes". Seems it is always the same few who are embroiled in these controversies.

I agree with both of you - I can see no reason at all that a ref cannot issue a statement as to why he took a decision
In Silva's case his reaction to the touch was out of all proportion to the contact - a yellow in my opinion and if players started getting a few of them it might curb their instincts to cheat

anicoll5 wrote:I agree with both of you - I can see no reason at all that a ref cannot issue a statement as to why he took a decision
In Silva's case his reaction to the touch was out of all proportion to the contact - a yellow in my opinion and if players started getting a few of them it might curb their instincts to cheat

So what do we do with defenders Nic?
They get away with blue murder every week, whilst not condoning it, is it any wonder skilful players
go over with the wind? I mean Suarez falls over all over the pitch.

It would have taken maybe 15 seconds for the fourth official to check the Ade offside on screen - I know we saw it on the TV in about that time - in fact the only bloke in the whole audience who did not see what we saw was Chris Foy

And I entirely agree it is absurb to criticise a referee for what he saw, or did not see, in a split second.

I never saw the Shawcross handball til it was rerun on slo mo - the commentators said zip until they saw it on replay - so why is Foy supposed to be so perfect ?

anicoll5 wrote:It would have taken maybe 15 seconds for the fourth official to check the Ade offside on screen - I know we saw it on the TV in about that time - in fact the only bloke in the whole audience who did not see what we saw was Chris Foy

And I entirely agree it is absurb to criticise a referee for what he saw, or did not see, in a split second.

I never saw the Shawcross handball til it was rerun on slo mo - the commentators said zip until they saw it on replay - so why is Foy supposed to be so perfect ?

his not Nic, but he made several mistakes, not just in this game, lets face it, he is a poor ref.

RvP has been commendably honest in saying he does go over when he is touched - on the basis that he wants to make sure the referee is in no doubt a foul has been committed

Trouble is it is still cheating

Article from today's Telegraph . . . .

Henry Winter: referees need to talk more or controversies will run and run
Tottenham Hotspur had an important visitor to their Chigwell training ground last week, a referee who addressed Harry Redknapp’s men, explaining how officials’ jobs were becoming ever more difficult because of the ever-quickening pace of the Premier League.
By Henry Winter
6:00AM GMT 13 Dec 2011

Phil Dowd showed them statistics of how far refs were running to keep up with players, even exceeding them with a top distance of 13.5 km including almost 2 km of “high-intensity runs’’. Tottenham Hotspur players privately noted how the graph highlighting the increase in player speed, season on season, resembled a plane taking off.

According to Premier League figures, the top running speed of players is now 34.6 kph, up almost 2 kph in 12 months, a huge rise. Referees peaked at 33.1, a constant for two seasons. Refs risk being left behind by players, some of whom like Spurs’ Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Kyle Walker are real fliers.

Within five days, Redknapp and his players were being enraged by officials, any sense of goodwill fostered by Tuesday’s talk evaporating on Sunday in the Britannia. Yet the costly errors made by Chris Foy and his assistants were as much to do with poor decision-making as any lagging behind during counter-attacks.

Foy somehow ignored Ryan Shawcross using his arm to clear Younes Kaboul’s goalbound header. Emmanuel Adebayor then thought he had scored but was wrongly adjudged offside by the assistant referee Robert Pollock, whose name is probably rhyming slang where Redknapp comes from.

Events at the Britannia simply confirm that greater dialogue is required between teams and officials, managers and authorities. Ignore the Armageddon headlines. No crisis yet envelops English refereeing, as the global respect towards Howard Webb and his ilk attests. All mistakes are honest ones. Spurs had a shocking first half as did Foy in the second. All parties must simply work together to ensure a sensitive situation does not deteriorate.

Tentative talks are ongoing about the possibility of referees spending more time at training grounds, attempting to nurture mutual respect. Referees would learn what annoys players, including the pernickety schoolmaster-style of running a game.

In turn, players might better understand the laws and the intense pressure on referees, also appreciating the complexity of making a cold-eyed decision in a heated atmosphere. The growing curse of simulation could also be discussed. A referee’s life would be so much easier if players didn’t dive, feign injury or wave imaginary cards.

Most clubs, and certainly their fans, believe referees are against them. Yet the old cliché that decisions even themselves out in time, if not necessarily over a season, is reflected in the recollection of Spurs’ previous visit to the Britannia on Aug 21, 2010.

Foy was again the referee, again involved in controversy, sparking more calls for goal-line technology when Jonathan Walters’ header seemed to have crossed the line before being blocked by Peter Crouch, then of Spurs.

It was four minutes from time, with Stoke City trailing 2-1, but Foy waved play on, infuriating Tony Pulis and his players. “Of course there should be goal-line technology,’’ said Walters. “There’s a lot of money riding on every point and the difference that could make to us at the end of the season could be massive.’’ Now it is Spurs ruing Foy’s follies.

The mantra from the Football Association is that “referees get more right than wrong”, which is reassuring, and performances such as Mike Dean’s at West Brom on Saturday have drawn praise in the refereeing community. A squall of controversy over Dean booking Graham Dorrans for diving petered out after replays showed the West Brom player made a meal of a challenge.

Dean had to make an instant decision. Media pundits have access to replays. Even then, indecision can reign: the legitimacy of Luis Suárez’s winning of a penalty for Liverpool against West Brom is still unclear after repeated viewings.

The FA, commendably, is taking steps to drag the game into the 21st century, nudging an initially reluctant Fifa into experimenting with goal-line technology, yet such incidents remain relatively rare for all the frustration seeping through Walters, Frank Lampard and company.

Fifa’s long-term concern revolves around how video replays can assist with subjective decisions, yet offside is surely an objective call now. TV monitors can confirm it within seconds as proven with the Adebayor case.

So what’s to be done? First, referees should explain decisions to TV after matches, clearing up any confusion over interpretation of the rules and dampening any media fires. Jay Spearing’s dismissal against Fulham angered Liverpool fans but Kevin Friend applied the laws in the post-Eduardo world; in leaving the ground, Spearing risked endangering Mousa Dembele, even if he did take ball before man.

Second, the introduction of sin-bins would allow referees some room to manoeuvre between yellow and a red; certainly Kaboul did not deserve a second yellow and his marching orders at Stoke.

Third, given the proliferation of cameras inside grounds, the time may arrive when each manager is allowed two appeals per game, referring an incident to an official in front of a TV monitor in the stands. That might mollify managers while not overly disrupting a game that thrives on its flow.

Fourth, assistant referees – linesmen in old money – should become full time. Players and managers alike admit to substantial concerns about the quality of those running the line. Last month, Rio Ferdinand’s challenge on Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa was a masterpiece of interception but the assistant John Flynn persuaded Mike Jones to award a penalty. Cue outrage.

“The standard of assistant is high,’’ argues the Premier League, praising offside calls in particular. “Last season’s ProZone data shows they got over 99 per cent of offsides right, up six per cent over last two seasons. ProZone analysed over 12,000 offside decisions in the 2010-2011 Premier League for that 99 per cent figure. ProZone is better than TV replay.’’ With all due respect to ProZone, the idea of assistants being almost perfect defies belief. Ask Adebayor.

Fifth, officials should be based from next year at St George’s Park, the FA’s National Football Centre near Burton upon Trent; it would be a refereeing hub, with numbers and quality swelled by fast-tracked former players. Not all ex-pros are millionaires flitting between golf courses and television studios. The Professional Footballers’ Association could easily provide a list of those who would follow in the footsteps of Steve Baines.

One of the most thoughtful ex-pros on Twitter, James Scowcroft, observed on @scowy1975 that the refereeing talent pool would be improved by those who have “more understanding of the game. Don’t think many players would have sent off Kaboul”. True. All sides need to talk.

I don't agre Dave - Foy is a highly experienced referee who has handled probably hundreds of games perfectly well - simply because he misses a handball that I missed or takes the word of his lino that Ade was offside does not make him a poor referee

Tbh he is one of the better referees - unlike Webb he does not crave the limelight

Thing is though Nic he didn't miss a handball he missed 4 all of which were crucial to the end result. Add to that the other fouls he missed and the fact that he allowed a player an illegal aid (Towel stitched in shirt) and you see how appalling he was. As for being obe of the better referees well I don't think Spurs or Chelsea, both of whose managers have severely criticised him this season would agree.

Talking of limelight, did you see Clattenburg point to the spot last night for Chelski, looked like a praying mantis!!

A towel stitched in his shirt is an illegal aid Seebee ?

Where is that from ? A towel stitched in a football shirt is an abomination, a sin against the mighty goddess football who we worship, a crime against the spirit of the game, a detestable device.............

But an illegal aid ? surely not !

He has got an eye for the camera has Mr Clattenberg - one of the games more unpredictable characters

anicoll5 wrote:A towel stitched in his shirt is an illegal aid Seebee ?

Where is that from ? A towel stitched in a football shirt is an abomination, a sin against the mighty goddess football who we worship, a crime against the spirit of the game, a detestable device.............

But an illegal aid ? surely not !

Rather go back to the old days of Wimbledon, they just kicked you in the air.
Stoke using all manner of methods to detract from the fact they dont play much passing football,
lets look at the facts.

1. goalkeeper that takes the ball from one side of the goalmouth to the other, then takes a lifetime to actually kick it.
2. shortening the pitch to squeeze and limit players the space to entertain, which is what we all pay a small fortune to see
3. illegal drying of the ball to throw the ball longer, therefore denying even more time of the ball on the grass

And before anyone says that they play to their strengths because they dont have the money to buy top players, both Swansea and Norwich try to play the game the right way, even with their limited resources.

Premiership rules say that towels can only be used if both teams agree. I can't believe any team playing Stoke would agree and the fact that it is hidden under a players shirt suggests to me that they did not have any such agreement. They are apparantly going to be investigated by the authorities and all this suggests to me that it was illegal.

anicoll5 wrote:He has got an eye for the camera has Mr Clattenberg - one of the games more unpredictable characters

Imagine if the Cricket umpire Billy Bowden was a footbal ref ? Now that would make the game more entertaining . . . . .

[color=darkblue]Here's one for you guys .....


You're all gonna love this one ....


22nd December

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (8pm)

Referee: H Webb
Assistants: D Cann, M Mullarkey
Fourth Official: C Foy

ArnieArdiles wrote:[color=darkblue]Here's one for you guys .....


You're all gonna love this one ....


22nd December

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea (8pm)

Referee: H Webb
Assistants: D Cann, M Mullarkey
Fourth Official: C Foy

Cough, splutter, but according to Nic, they will only be looking to see if Modric cheats!!
Maybe they will actually pay more attention during the game and the linesman isnt texting his bird
instead of watching to see if anyone is onside.

Howard Webb ? My sincere condolences - mind you it may be the day that Chels feels the lash of his random decision making - you just never know with Howard