The ref wasn't just poor yesterday. If he'd been poor Swansea would've suffered some bad decisions too. Instead it genuinely seemed like he had money on Swansea. I was only surprised he didn't award them a pen or send one of ours off at some point. Absolute shambles.
Quote from: Ad@m on March 22, 2015, 12:12:23 PMThe ref wasn't just poor yesterday. If he'd been poor Swansea would've suffered some bad decisions too. Instead it genuinely seemed like he had money on Swansea. I was only surprised he didn't award them a pen or send one of ours off at some point. Absolute shambles. Granted their winner didn't come off one of those decisions (thankfully) but it's just piss poor. Reffing like this can cost teams points and ultimately their place in this league. Conceivably bad reffing decisions could end a club. The financial hit is too much to take for some clubs. Look at Portsmouth. They're just about still clutching to existence. We've implemented goal line tech now. We need to do more and there needs to be a consistency between refs. More clarity and a better understanding of the rules of the game. In too many aspects there appear to be shades of gray. They do say these things even themselves out. But we've suffered at the hands of a shit ref more than we've benefited this season.
Quote from: supertom on March 22, 2015, 12:17:40 PMQuote from: Ad@m on March 22, 2015, 12:12:23 PMThe ref wasn't just poor yesterday. If he'd been poor Swansea would've suffered some bad decisions too. Instead it genuinely seemed like he had money on Swansea. I was only surprised he didn't award them a pen or send one of ours off at some point. Absolute shambles. Granted their winner didn't come off one of those decisions (thankfully) but it's just piss poor. Reffing like this can cost teams points and ultimately their place in this league. Conceivably bad reffing decisions could end a club. The financial hit is too much to take for some clubs. Look at Portsmouth. They're just about still clutching to existence. We've implemented goal line tech now. We need to do more and there needs to be a consistency between refs. More clarity and a better understanding of the rules of the game. In too many aspects there appear to be shades of gray. They do say these things even themselves out. But we've suffered at the hands of a shit ref more than we've benefited this season.The goal came from the ref's inconsistency. Earlier in the 2nd half blew for a Villa Foul when Delph was breaking forward from midfield but when the Swansea player was fouled on the halfway line he went to blow but waved play on and the winger ran free and crossed for the goal.
My own, highly subjective opinion is that much of the unfairness comes from referees because they consider, or are more correctly encouraged by the FA to consider that they have virtually unlimited discretion. I moaned not long ago about the ref who put his whistle to his lips to blow for full time but when Brad Guzan bundled a clean catch and our goal was severely threatened he allowed play to continue until we had eliminated the danger. Once discretion comes into it, the mind set of each individual referee will dictate the implementation of the rules of the game. Yesterday in the thick of that referee pulling us up for the most marginal of transgressions he was allowing Swansea players to walk yards and yards down the touchline for throws and one "throw" near the end of the game was straight out of the basketball passing manual. Somebody somewhere has told officials that stealing yards and correct throw technique is no longer important. These things do not happen by accident, they creep in through the open back door of discretion. The ref yesterday made an oscar winning performance with his spray cannister but time and time again Swansea took free kicks from miles away from the supposed offences. The ugly bastard children of referees discretion are the vices of diving, "taking one for the team" and game management (aka time wasting).