Manchester Utd v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[edgysatsuma89]

I don't know why I don't already think like this, but from now on I'm definitely taking the cd view when it comes to us away at Old Trafford. I will not let a shred of positivity possibly seep into me. We could be on a 30 game winning run and I will absolutely think we will lose from now on.

[cdbearsfan]

Problem is you'll then have the other side say "we stopped because of the whistle". How do you prove that either way every single time. One side will say one thing, the other side something else.

Yeah, I don't really think the rules were the problem today, just the overzealous twat enforcing them both incorrectly and too quickly.

[Mellin]

Absolutely gutted with the result, the wrongly disallowed goal, going down to 10 men and our abysmal performance. If the goal was allowed to stand, we'll never know if we would have gone to avoid defeat.

No  the only thing we can know for sure is that we had a 100% legitimate goal chalked off because of incompetence. Nothing else matters and trying to justify it as "maybe they'd have worked harder and won 3-1 instead" or that we should account for a decision like that is just some weird coping bullshit. The ref has fucked up and cost us but some people would rather bitch and moan at Maatsen, Emery, Martinez, etc and I have no fucking idea why.

No idea why? How about if they had turned-up and performed, we wouldn't have needed to count on the ref to make a correct call? I know you don't generally criticise the team even when we play poorly but surely you can understand folkbeing pissed-off with how we failed to turn-up first and foremost.

That's his fucking job, his sole purpose in being there is to ensure a fair game and he failed in donig so in the most spectacular fashion.

I've criticised the team plenty todaty, we were shit, Cash and Emi both fucked up massively when what we needed, at the time, was to see it through to halftime. I'll even call out Watkins for his worst performance in years for us.

My point is that none of that is more important than what happened with the ref. We'd been shit for 72 minutes, and then we took our chance and had it stolen from us from by a genuinely unacceptable decision.

This one isn't even subjective or arguable, it's just flat out wrong, he got the decision wrong (but acceptably so) and then compounded it by taking away his ability to be corrected. If he'd blown after the ball was in the net and said he thought it was a foul I'd be annoyed but I'd accept it. If VAR upheld it with some silly excuse I'd be pissed off but, after a few days I'd let it go but that's not what happened. He blew his whistle as we were in the act of scoring, meaning there's absolutely fuck all anyone can do, and as a club we can argue that it's cost us the best part of 20% of our revenue for next season.

Be frustrated at how we played sure but when players are being sold for PSR balancing reasons over the summer don't forget this fucking twat of a ref has played a huge part in that being necessary.

Fuck me. Some actual sense. Yes, we were bad. Yes, Martinez was an idiot.  But we FOUND A WAY with 10 men to score and keep them out. That is a massive positive, but it was taken from us by a ref who was desperate to blow his whistle at a precise moment when  he could've just let it ride. Why are people okay with that? Fuck being rational. I want his career on a stick

[Steve kirk]

Our bottling is happening away from Villa Park, at home we are incredibly strong, I’m trying to make my peace with it, overall it’s still been a very strong season.
UTV

[Stu]

Pretty sure everyone knows that when the ref blows play is dead. The system did nothing wrong today, the ref blowing too soon is the fuck up.

Except VAR can go back, review and override decisions.  We've even had decisions where a game has ended, only for a penalty to be reviewed and given after the final whistle. 

I agree that the under the current rules then the correct process was followed, but after seeing that today you do have to question if that is the right process.

The process is fine. The daft decision to blow the whistle was the only problem.

Blowing the whistle is part of the process. VAR is supposed to correct clear and obvious errors, it's mental that a ref blowing up for whatever means no VAR.

But anything that happens with the ball after the whistle has blown hasn't happened. Because the ball is no longer in play.

So VAR doesn't correct referees poor decisions.

[cdbearsfan]

Our bottling is happening away from Villa Park, at home we are incredibly strong, I’m trying to make my peace with it, overall it’s still been a very strong season.
UTV

Need to get a European final at Villa Park. And qualify for it, obviously.

[LeonW]

Absolutely gutted with the result, the wrongly disallowed goal, going down to 10 men and our abysmal performance. If the goal was allowed to stand, we'll never know if we would have gone to avoid defeat.

No  the only thing we can know for sure is that we had a 100% legitimate goal chalked off because of incompetence. Nothing else matters and trying to justify it as "maybe they'd have worked harder and won 3-1 instead" or that we should account for a decision like that is just some weird coping bullshit. The ref has fucked up and cost us but some people would rather bitch and moan at Maatsen, Emery, Martinez, etc and I have no fucking idea why.

No idea why? How about if they had turned-up and performed, we wouldn't have needed to count on the ref to make a correct call? I know you don't generally criticise the team even when we play poorly but surely you can understand folkbeing pissed-off with how we failed to turn-up first and foremost.

That's his fucking job, his sole purpose in being there is to ensure a fair game and he failed in donig so in the most spectacular fashion.

I've criticised the team plenty todaty, we were shit, Cash and Emi both fucked up massively when what we needed, at the time, was to see it through to halftime. I'll even call out Watkins for his worst performance in years for us.

My point is that none of that is more important than what happened with the ref. We'd been shit for 72 minutes, and then we took our chance and had it stolen from us from by a genuinely unacceptable decision.

This one isn't even subjective or arguable, it's just flat out wrong, he got the decision wrong (but acceptably so) and then compounded it by taking away his ability to be corrected. If he'd blown after the ball was in the net and said he thought it was a foul I'd be annoyed but I'd accept it. If VAR upheld it with some silly excuse I'd be pissed off but, after a few days I'd let it go but that's not what happened. He blew his whistle as we were in the act of scoring, meaning there's absolutely fuck all anyone can do, and as a club we can argue that it's cost us the best part of 20% of our revenue for next season.

Be frustrated at how we played sure but when players are being sold for PSR balancing reasons over the summer don't forget this fucking twat of a ref has played a huge part in that being necessary.

I have to say, I agree with this. As bad as we were, we still could have been 1 nil up with 20 mins to go. That might have been enough.

[aj2k77]

If we went up there needing to avoid defeat by 10 goals we'd have someone sent off after 10 seconds, lose our heads and get done 11-0. I fucking hate the place and the inadequates that follow them.

[PeterWithesShin]

Today is when VAR should prove its value, we score, ref ask VAR to review as he thinks there was a foul. VAR checks, no foul, goal stands, all worked perfectly.

And in a scenario it was a foul, VAR disallows the goal correctly.

The ref took VAR out of the equation.

[Brazilian Villain]

Already booked a hotel in Istanbul for 19-21 May next year.

I usually go with IHG, so I'll have to wait a couple of weeks. I've always wanted to visit Istanbul.

[itbrvilla]

Pretty sure everyone knows that when the ref blows play is dead. The system did nothing wrong today, the ref blowing too soon is the fuck up.

Except VAR can go back, review and override decisions.  We've even had decisions where a game has ended, only for a penalty to be reviewed and given after the final whistle. 

I agree that the under the current rules then the correct process was followed, but after seeing that today you do have to question if that is the right process.

The process is fine. The daft decision to blow the whistle was the only problem.

Blowing the whistle is part of the process. VAR is supposed to correct clear and obvious errors, it's mental that a ref blowing up for whatever means no VAR.

But anything that happens with the ball after the whistle has blown hasn't happened. Because the ball is no longer in play.

So VAR doesn't correct referees poor decisions.

how can it when he's already blown?

[ez]

Two draws against fucking Ipswich cost us. Win either of those games and this afternoons shit show would have been irrelevant.

That's it for me. I have been saying for some weeks now, that I thought we would finish 6th and the most decisive results for me were taking only 2 points from a terrible Ipswich team. I think only us & Spuds have failed to beat Ipswich this season.

That has cost us big time.

The 4 that cost us the most are these two, Bournemouth at home and Man City.

But, every club can list games of lost points.

Yes I get all that, but Forest, Man City & B'mouth are all decent teams, Ipswich have been shit all year and one of the worst Premier League teams ever.

And one point against Manchester United.

[paul_e]

One of the worst things with that appalling decision by the ref is the fact that he was 30 yards away and his view was obscured by Rogers. He basically guessed. I'm absolutely furious with the incompetent twat. And I still don't really understand why var can't put the wrong decision right just because he has blown his whistle? Why is that even a rule? The ball went into the net so the game had stopped anyway so it would have been easy for them to tell him over the radio that he had cocked it up and then instruct him to award the goal.

but as above, the argument from Man U would be that their players reacted to the whistle so it's impacted play. In this case that would clearly be bullshit but if you change the rule for ones like this then there's eventually going to be a case where it does have an impact.

We've all heard after the Forest player got hurt that ARs are told not to raise their flag for the same reason so, with all that being in the spotlight, it's an incredible lapse of judgement for the ref to blow up when he did. I don't think it's corruption, just pure incompetence, but that doesn't make much difference when it's had such a catastrophic impact on our season.

[PaulWinch again]

Our bottling is happening away from Villa Park, at home we are incredibly strong, I’m trying to make my peace with it, overall it’s still been a very strong season.
UTV

Need to get a European final at Villa Park. And qualify for it, obviously.

Olympiakos say hello.

[Chip Butty 111]

It's clear we didn't deserve anything other than a defeat. We simply didn't turn up. A mistake from Cash & some lunacy from Emi cost us. But, despite all that, we should have been 1-0 up with 15 mins to go. We'll never know how the game would have ended but a draw would have been enough.

I don't believe in any conspiracy, but it is either bias or a monumental fuck up by the ref. An error that's going to cost us £40m+. It should be the end of that ref's career but I doubt it will be.

The ref took his time on the penalty decision, and couldn't blow quick enough when Rogers robbed the goalie with the goal at his mercy. A decision that will alter the club going forward financially and deny some players of ever playing CL football. We deserved nothing today with the performance, but the fact will always remain we were done over by a horror decision.