I think Liverpool should make it clear to PGMOL that there is no such thing as a clear goal scoring opportunity against us, because our goalkeeper is the best one on one that there has ever been. 
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Ref says heâs doesnt think it was a DOGSO because the attacker was 8 yards out and the rule says you either have to be further away than 9, or close than 7.
Bobby on Var
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What?
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This monthâs Match Officials Micâd Up is now out. Itâs an utter shambles.
Full throated defense for the intervention to turn the Gusto yellow into a red and then next up is the first Kovacic challenge. Despite the entire point of the show being to hear the VAR deliberation, they covered this one with Webbâs overview alone. Let that sink inâŚthey did NOT play the VAR audio on this one. Webb then went to lengths to explain that there were real differences with this challenge that would cause both the ref to only give a yellow and the VAR to be content with that, but never explained anything we could actually relate to the footage we all saw.
This was not Webb defending refs on the basis that decisions are subjective and with ones like these there will always be disagreements. This was Webb defending the first decision as right and the second one as right, despite making no serious distinction between the tackles. AND THEY DIDNT PLAY THE VAR AUDIO.
For the second one he commented that VAR would not review it because it doesnât get involved in missed yellow cards, even if they are the playerâs second. But he then explained that on reflection Oliver would probably feel like yellow was a better decision but then defended him for not wanting to over react in a big game.
Transparency is important, but as Iâve said for years, its not going to make anyone feel any better about what is under the covers. Weâre still a long way from being transparent enough, and then I think itâs going to take a whole generation of new refs to be developed in the era of accountable transparency and having that influence how they think about the decisions they have to make, before we see refs that officiate games in a way that make any sense to fans and are competent enough communicators to speak about it in ways that make sense to fans.
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[quote=âLimiescouse, post:1476, topic:660, full:trueâ]
But he then explained that on reflection Oliver would probably feel like yellow was a better decision but then defended him for not wanting to over react in a big game.
ThisâŚ
To me this is where Alpha Webb and his philosophy falls down. The man in the middle, is there to officiate, to the guidelines set down in the rulebook. He/She, is there to call a foul, or not⌠itâs not rocket science after all⌠He/She, is NOT there to bring different interpretations of that rule book, onto the pitch, and interpret them differently, as Alpha Webb has stated, depending upon how big, or important that game is - Be that to TV companies main event, 3rd round of the cup through to quarter finals, semi finals or the final itselfâŚ! A football match is a football match - If this Alpha Numpty is giving licence to the referees to officiate each game differently, based on the âglamourâ aspect of the event⌠then it is no wonder that there is sooooo much inconsistency across the gamesâŚ!
Football in this country really does feel as though it is governed by the wrong calibre of people from top to bottom. Keeping the players safe, from the red mist that descends upon opposing players, is another little small fact that seems to be ignored, far more often than it should. That is why carding a player at the right time, takes the heat out of a simmering situation - Richarlison on Thiago anybodyâŚ!
I suppose, it adds to the drama though eh⌠but what does it matter, the games are officiated by cretins who have no âfeelâ for the game itself.
To me⌠Alpha Webb is nothing more than a âThickoââŚ
and God help the PL, and all of us fans, with him in charge.
THICKO - Just to drive the point home againâŚ:0)
a slow-witted unintelligent person
/ (ËθɪkÉĘ) / nounplural thickos or thickoes. British slang a slow-witted unintelligent person: Also: thickie, thicky.
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The issue for me is the inconsistency of their rationalizations coupled with the certainty that they are just applying the laws. Iâm pretty sure Iâd be cool with it if a ref stood up and acknowledge that the laws leave lots of room for interpretation and so youâre going to end up with two different challenges that look a lot alike getting different punishments and in neither case is the ref right nor are they wrong and told we just have to deal with it.
But instead they convince themselves with post-hoc justifications for why they have this inconsistency and then condescend to everyone else that they just dont get it. One the one hand they tell us there was nothing they could do about the Diaz goal because thatâs just the protocol. Then on the other theyâve made a decision to put game management and entertainment over the application of the laws on sending off a player in the first half of a key game. Sure different officials in different games, but their leader sees no conflict between these positions. Whatever they decide is right because they are the holders of the rules and when tomorrow they want to come to a different conclusion they will and it will still be right and we still just wont get it
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Totally agree, well said.
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So hypocritical in how they seem to be saying when and where to apply the laws, they are there to apply the laws of the game not to enhance the spectacle.
Once you lose that perspective you lose what little respect you had in the first place.
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With recent events unfolding, and comments made regarding them, to me, it becomes obvious that the PGMOL are already having their strings pulled by outside influences, on the inevitable journey to being completely governed by them.
As a matter of interest⌠would be very very very interesting, to establish if these outside âPuppeteerâ parties (Arabs, TV Companies etc), had a hand in appointing their very own âPuppetâ, hence, Alpha Thicko, AKA, Howard âyes sir three bags full sirâ WebbâŚ!!
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Having read the replies to the Webb Show debacle, in my view there is a major basic question that remains unanswered.
We can talk about and recognise inconsistency, lack of transparency, lack of clarity in the laws. We can posit theories on the impact of officiating in UAE, we can discuss jet lag, incompetence, etc until the cows come homeâŚ
The unanswered question remains.
Why did Man City and Newcastle benefit from major decisions last weekend? City were beaten, but should have been down to ten men. Brighton, playing a major rival to City should be down to ten as well. Newcastle should be as well. Its not a conspiracy theory to say this. It is a well supported viewpoint.
Aside from the absolute nonsense the officials produced at Spurs, the questions requiring address at the weekend are compelling.
And I understand the points made by @Limiescouse above, frustration at lack of consistency and fudged explanationâŚbut for me the biggest question is why certain club(s), City benefit consistently whilst a certain club, Liverpool are constantly shafted.
I understand how.
No one is going to address why.
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Corruption
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I think that they realised that no form of post hoc rationalisation was going to rationalise themselves out of that one. However, it is noticeable that the only incident that they fessed up on was the Diaz goal. Everything else, the Jones Red, the Gomez non-penalty, the phantom yellow cards, were all glossed over.
The UAE thing is an obvious conflict of interest. They said they would review that but we donât know exactly who was involved and how often this was going on or, for that matter, whether this happens in other matches outside of the EPL, UEFA and FIFA competitions.
The thing is, the quality of EPL refereeing is appalling. Itâs not just our matches but generally I only watch ours as the entertainment value in other matches is shite. You can even see this in rival teams. I watched Evertonâs first game of the season and they had a perfectly good goal disallowed for god knows what logic (the opposition goal keeper fluffed up). You canât just sit down and enjoy a game for its own sake.
Iâm not sure if you have seen this Twitter account. Heâs an Arsenal fan but for the most part he seems pretty much on the ball:
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This has been a problem for as long as the game has been big business. Referees should be there to apply the rules consistently. But they see themselves as managing the game as a spectacle.
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By âspectacleâ do you mean circus freak show?
To me, it as though someone, something, somewhere, is trying to up the entertainment âshowbizâ side of the PL, while still maintaining control over the eventual outcome of the games, in their pursuit of keeping their project on course all the way to the terminus endgame.
Think WWE⌠or Big Trucks events at Wembley - All razzamatazz and glitter⌠but as âphoneyâ and âtackyâ as fuck⌠With Alpha Thicko Webb, relishing becoming the ringmaster in what is deteriorating into a circus.
Bottom-line. if you want to control the game in this country, and take it away from its centenary old core values - then, simply control the officials, and the governing body of those officials - easy peasy really
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There is something quasi-religious about them, or shade of an attitude that you find in personality cults or dictatorships.
They donât see themselves as arbiters of the rule - they are the rules. If Howard Webb says it, then thatâs the end of the matter.
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They reviewed it so hard that while the controversy was still present they let one more of that crew officiate a City game. This is just not the response of a serious organization who cares about outside perception. Webb should never have been in a position to have to defend Oliverâs refusal to send off a city player, twice, because no organization who takes CoIs seriously would have allowed him anywhere near a city game once they realized people didnt like that they were taking these other gigs on the side.
These are not difficult or complicated decisions.
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I have heard in relation to the 2nd tackle by Kovacic that VAR did not advise anything as they do not intervene? in yellow card situations.Should they not have considered that 2nd tackle on itâs own as a red card situation and in that respect intervened.To say that they(VAR) OR Oliver himself only thought it might be a yellow card and therefore didnât intervene is ridiculous.
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