29 Aug 2023 09:48:49
It’s only been 3 game weeks and already we’ve seen a huge spread in refereeing standards for decisions on penalties, red cards and fouls.

Wolves v united - Onana dangerously wipes out the wolves player in the box with no contact on the ball. No foul given.

Spurs v Brentford - Van De Ven makes a clearance in the box and kicks through the Brentford attacker while making the challenge. No foul given.

Liverpool v Newcastle - VVD makes a challenge on Isaak, getting the ball but kicking through Isaak to make it.

It’s all very well pundits, ex refs and other fans “explaining” why the VVD challenge is a red card, but the issue for fans is the rules seem to change on a weekly basis and depending on who the ref officials are at a given game.

I’m not saying refs are out to get us (although it can feel that way! ) but the lack of consistency is shocking after only 3 weeks of games.

1.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 09:55:30
Well said Keith.

2.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 10:00:26
Navy in the game itself, the rules were not being applied properly on both teams. Jolignton fould Endo twice and Macca once in succession and the ref swallowed his cards. Tonali stopped Macca in his tracks as he was baring down on their final 3rd. No card.

Joelington committed 7 fouls according to the stats and again, no card. Newcastle were kicking the ball away, the same thing Trent got booked for and nothing happened to any of them. Did the ex ref's and pundits address all this? Of course not. The refs may not be out to get us (even tho for some, that's debatable at this point) BUT their incompetence will hurt all clubs at the end of the day.

3.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 10:05:30
I often have a small bet on certain players to get booked. Milner and Can were two of my favourites. Diego Costa another. I also fancy Anthony Gordon to get a card but I'm glad I didn't bother on Sunday. I'd have been more miffed had I had a bet, as well.

4.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 10:17:43
Inconsistency is a big problem but I think the ref was heavily influenced by the crowd/ backroom staff on Sunday.

Trent got fouled and kicked the ball away, petulant but a booking. The newcastle bench went mad and he produced the card.
Trent fouls gordon, technically should of been a second yellow. But gordon goes down looking for it so glad the ref got to the right decision (not sending him off over the two offences) but in completely the wrong manner.

VVD, it's a red, how carra can say it's not denying a goal scoring oppurutnity blew my mind.

However, Gordon kicked the ball away, no yellow, think Joelinton did it too, no yellow. He also waved the imaginary card which we have seen others booked for this season.

As soon as the crowd got irate he buckled and that's why I was surprised Trent didn't walk. Although I wonder if he got word that leading up to the first yellow it was a clear foul. We have seen ref's try even it up in the past when they make an error.

One thing that needs to change though is managers and how they react to decisions. ETH claimed Onana wasn't a penalty, stevie wonder could of called that one. Likewise, VVD was a clear red once he gave the foul, but Klopp comes out and says he disagrees. It jsut adds to the fire and sometimes they do get it right and should be acknowledged for doing so, even if it goes agaisnt you.

5.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 10:18:45
I was gobsmacked at the free licence that Joelinton was given to run round and kick Liverpool players whenever he liked.
Then you throw in the whole situation around the Trent booking and I came to the conclusion that nobody can be that incompetent.
That leaves the undesirable conclusion of clear bias, also worth bearing in mind that Klopp had a run in with this dull tart of a referee before.
If they want the refereeing situation to improve, they need to bring in accountability for referees. VAR needs to be completely revamped personnel wise or ditched as it's proving to be equally as incompetent/ biased.
The Premier League has some of the best teams, players, managers and coaches in the world. Yet they rely on referees the majority of which don't appear to be fit for purpose or are clearly biased.
You don't see Formula 1 teams relying on dodgy back street mechanics, do you?

6.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 10:27:35
The problem is VAR is de facto being used to reinforce poor decisions under this 'clear and obvious error' rule because refs are only interested in protecting each other. Rather than it being used to get some degree of consistency across games.

I get that people don't want to wait for the VAR officials to look at 14 slow-mo replays, and then the ref to watch 11 more on the pitch side monitor for a decision, but some of the decisions, like Onana, are mind-bogglingly easy to get right. And yet the ref gets it wrong and VAR doesn't intervene because it's apparently not a 'clear and obvious error' to either miss or ignore a goalkeeper cleaning an opposition forward out.

7.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 11:05:14
"Conclusion that nobody can be that incompetent".

Oh yes, he can be that incompetent, Flash. We've seen this guy before.

Remember the Villa game at Anfield last season where he not only failed to send Mings off for raking his studs on Gakpo's chest, leaving stud marks on his chest looking like Gakpo just went a couple of rounds wit Logan from the X-Men?

Yes, he (and I can list others) can be that incompetent. I do agree that the crowd and the crowd noise got to him and he was quaking in his boots hence, he lacked the courage to dish out the cards their players' actions deserved.

8.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:26:15
Throw Luke Shaw and Connor Gallagher in that list as well Rigsby ?.

9.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 12:34:59
Dont you have anything positive to say about the referees @Olired. These are your own words on other matters :)

10.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:03:42
Good call on Luke Shaw, thomas and I'll bear Connor Gallagher in mind.
Cheers.

11.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:13:34
@Habibi, like Oli, I’m very positive that the current generation of referees are useless.

12.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:15:16
Refereeing in general is becoming a bit of an issue due to declining standards, but that klootzak we had on Sunday and at least one other should have their performances assessed and harsh questions should be asked of them.
It won't happen as the whole outfit is more interested in keeping things in house than being honest and transparent about it.
The hierarchy needs a good sweeping out until it's fit for purpose.

13.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 14:40:25
WDW, that's great mae. Are you also very positive that some of the players we are linked to are also very useless :)

14.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 15:27:17
@Habibi, don't you have anything positive to say about your team's performances this season like Man City? Aren't they are off to a flyer with 9 points out of 9? Surely, you must be chuffed to bits about that.

15.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 15:27:43
FlashTheRed, "Klootzak"? You speak Dutch, my G?

16.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 16:48:46
I have a Dutch friend Oli and he calls me that all the time!
Should I be questioning the term "friend" on this occasion?
He also slings in "kut" and "elkel" which I thought at first were complimentary.

17.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 20:44:58
Liverpool lives in Harry's head rent-free even when he loves city lmao.

18.) 29 Aug 2023
29 Aug 2023 23:37:15
@Habibi, I’m very positive that some of the players Liverpool are linked to - good, bad or indifferent - are fairy stories made up by sad sacks with no life away from a keyboard, if that helps.