Standard of Refereeing

[Toronto Villa]

I don’t want us becoming Forest but that Merino non call for a second yellow was scandalous. I know we were 2-0 down but we are a side that has consistently shown an ability to come back in games. Against 10 men that place will become very nervous. It might not have mattered but we don’t know. Those are massive decisions in games and across a season. Getting it right matters

[Smithy]

Whilst we have applauded the decency of Emery in not calling out the sort of decisions we saw last night, I think it's reached the point where he and/or the club need to start doing so, and loudly.

It's not going to happen.  If Roger's goal-that-never-was at the end of last season didn't have the club bleating all summer about how the ref robbed this club of £100m, then we're not going to start doing it now after a poor reffing performance and a bad result.

It's shit, but bad decisions happen.  I'm more disappointed that no pundits have picked up on the Merino foul, as "consistency" is the sort of thing they normally make a big deal of, and it was most definitely a deliberate foul denying a promising attacking moment.

In the ref's defence, I will say it was probably not possible for him to see Merino holding Rogers' arm to pull him down once he was turned, and there is no facility for VAR to say "you should book him" - they can only act on straight reds - so once the foul is given and no booking is handed out, that's it.  C'est la vie.

[ChicagoLion]

Whilst we have applauded the decency of Emery in not calling out the sort of decisions we saw last night, I think it's reached the point where he and/or the club need to start doing so, and loudly.

I am with you, we should have gone to town on the OT decision and put the PGMOL on notice that we are not going to continue to eat the shit they are handing out.

[PeterWithesShin]

You know a decision genuinely is bad when loads of fans of other clubs are saying no second yellow for Merino was shocking.

[Ian.]

The first goal seems a mixed bag across fans of other clubs. All seem to agree Martinez should have been stronger, most agree the rules have definitely changed but most seem to think that goal would have been ruled out if their own team scored it!

[ROBBO]

The rules have to change to give keepers more protection at corners and the scragging that I see should lead to far more penalties being given. It's become a very ugly part of football.

[cdbearsfan]

Haven't we been complaining for years that goalkeepers get too much protection?

[OCD]

You know the ref has dropped a bollock when a manager subs the player off. As what happened with Merino, and even the commentators mentioned he had gotten lucky.

[Ian.]

Haven't we been complaining for years that goalkeepers get too much protection?

We have, but what’s changed and when and what are the laws now? It does seem a free for all in there and it’s getting quite silly with all the pulling and shoving. That Rogers booking could quite easily have lead to a second yellow when the first should have been a yellow to Reece James if anything?

[ChicagoLion]

It’s not the laws,it’s the refs allowing the laws to be broken.
You are not allowed to physically Challenge the player without the ball, you are not allowed to use your arme and hands to tackle a player.
What is happening now is allowing refs to decide who wins football matches by applying the laws when it suits them.

[lovejoy]

When Saka was getting away with it first half, I’d expect our captain to be chipping in the refs ear about it, you know, plant the seed. I didn’t see this on the coverage.

[PeterWithesShin]

While it's allowed it's up to us to learn to deal with it and do the same at our set pieces.