Concerns should be raised. In whatever forums exist for clubs and officials to come together to discuss the refereeing I would be asking
One: Why are referees so pumped up? We heard it in the Van Dijk red and in the Onana handball just now. Referees seem breathlessly excited about making a decision. The biggest issue for me in that Newcastle game wasn’t that Brooks sent Van Dijk off, It was that he ran 30 yards screaming ‘It’s a red! it’s a red! It’s a red!’. We want referees to be calm, cool arbiters of the laws of the game. Not overexcited school kids.
Two: In light of the revelations this season that PGMOL officials are also ‘working’ freelance in UAE, as guests of the nation state that own Man City, there has to be serious questions asked about the nature of the employment situation between PGMOL and its referees. Contracting referees on a freelance basis clearly doesn’t work if those referees are also putting themselves in the position of being subject to questions about their impartiality. It might be entirely coincidental that the refereeing team make a catastrophic error, then two suspect red card decisions, in the Liverpool v Spurs game that directly benefit City, a few days after returning from refereeing an exhibition match in the UAE. But even if it is, PGMOL should not be putting themselves in that position.
It’s time for referees to get brought fully into PGMOL as full time staff, with exclusions of working freelance for other parties.
Are we sure that they are pumped up and not breathless because most of them are out of shape and thus can’t keep up? Or maybe they are excited because they see another chance to screw their favourite target.
When we lose another leage title by a point, in a season riddled with blatantly wrong decisions against us, the “I’m sorry we got it wrong” apology will more than make up for it.
I think I could run and say ‘I think that is a red card’ without sound like an overexcited kid on Christmas morning unwrapping a PlayStation 5.
Here is the audio of the Van Dijk decision.
I’m sorry but that isn’t a man calmly exercising control of the incident. For quite a while after VAR has told him they are checking the incident, Brooks continues to pant ‘It’s a red, it’s a red, He went through the man! He went through the man! It’s a red!’
And that, to me, raises a legitimate question of whether VAR would even consider an alternative assessment of the incident with the on field ref shouting adamantly about it down their earpiece.
Is there any wonder players lose it with them? Virgil has made a tackle that he probably knows is borderline, and this prick comes charging at him shouting RED CARD! RED CARD! RED CARD! and then theatrically waving it in his face like he’s the one Virgil has kicked. I’d have called him a cunt as well.
The referee should always be taking the heat out the situation, and if they are as impartial as they say they are, there is no need to be as wound up as that at the prospect of sending off a player.
Wouldn’t it be better if the referee ran over to the scene, pulled Virgil over and said in a calm but authoritative voice “Right Virgil, I’m going to give you a red card, because my interpretation of what just happened is that you went through the man to play the ball, and as the last defender that’s a red card. VAR are now going to check my decision. OK? Stand by”
Wouldn’t that be more competent, professional, and a lot less inflammatory than what we have at the moment?
This has been the way refs have reffed the game at this level for the 25 years or so that they have had the headsets so they are in a constant conversation with their assistants.
There is definitely something to be said for refs taking a beat from that phase (running to keep up with play while in continued dialogue with their assistants) and dishing out the discipline they have already discussed. But he’s not speaking like that because he’s excited to find someone to send off. Had he not thought it was a red he’d have been saying into the mic something like “no DOGSO, I think there are covering defenders” or something like that in exactly the same tone.
The way John Brooks presents himself is amateurish.
Firstly, it sounds to me like Brooks has made up his mind that it’s a red, and even though he knows VAR are checking his decision, he still continues to shout that it’s a red - on one occasion in the video. The VAR saying something like they are checking the tackle and Brooks shouts ‘No - He’s gone through the player. He’s gone through the player’.
At the point that VAR are checking, Brooks needs to shut the fuck up and let them do their job. If he isn’t overexcited at the prospect of inserting himself into a big moment, he is doing a poor job of showing that.
I know it’s a different situation, but imagine a police officer pulling you over for jumping a light. Imagine if he ran to the car shouting ‘That was a red light! It was a red light! You went through the lights! It was red’. Is that likely to control or escalate the situation?
Look at how this would be handled in Rugby. The ref would blow his whistle and calm everyone down before handing out is punishment. He would explain to the players what he saw, and what his action would be. He would then go to his video assistant and ask them to confirm what he saw was accurate and if there was anything he missed. He’d then take on board their feedback and make a final decision. He wouldn’t be shouting ‘Red Card!!!’ From thirty yards away. As a result you don’t get players telling him to fuck off and calling him a cunt as they walk off the pitch.
This is what amazed me with the 10 second double yellow against Dalot at Anfield. Surely a good official would have actually given the player space to calm down?
Yes, that’s his job. He is supposed to make his own decisions (in conjunction with his pitch side assistants with whom he is constant communication with) without input of the VAR.
He isnt saying that tot he VAR. You understand that the audio you hear is two distinct conversations, right? One that is happening on the pitch and a separate one that is happening in the booth. Brooks’ comments at that point has nothing to do with what VAR is doing and instead is responding to the players getting in his face and complaining.
We have got Hooper for the Fulham game next week…
First time he has been in charge of us since he done us at the Spurs game… Makes me wonder whether our 2-1 lead is going to be enough when Fulham get about 5 penalties awarded to them on the night…!!
If he is dealing with players complaining, then the point about escalation is even more relevant.
If I’ve got players protesting in my face I’m not going to start shouting back ‘It’s a red, it’s a red, he went through the man, it’s a red’. I’m going to stay calm, ask the players to do the same and explain that VAR is checking the decision. Brooks loses control of that situation. Virgil ends up with an extra game ban for understandably telling him to fuck off.
There is so much wrong with the way that games are refereed, it’s hard to know where to start. But part of the problem is that referees conduct themselves dreadfully. They walk on the pitch as if they are going to war. They strut and preen about. They referee in the most provocative way possible. You’ve got them fist pumping after the game, and I still haven’t forgotten one of the actually elbowing Andy Robertson in the face. No wonder players hate them.
Simple fix for this, at the next set of broadcasting rights negotiations.
Broadcasters insert a clause in the contract that requires officials to conduct post match interviews.
That’d make the crooked cunts think twice about their corrupt and bias officiating behaviour.
Not going to happen though, because it doesn’t suit the agendas of the corrupt and bias broadcasters.
Since SKY and BT added refs to the discussion pieces, looking for their observations then the refs started to become celebrities in their own heads. Gallagher would routinely support them on Monday mornings on SKY in a choreographed piece of nonsense. Webb, the uber personality then appears and calms down any poor decisions by nodding sagely to Michael Owen and making everything right. Liverpool should have had a penalty vs Arsenal. No shit Howard.
The problem with refs having celebrity status is that they believe they are bigger than the game. More important than the players. @Mascot is correct about Brooks, the posturing, the body language., the sheer fucking arrogance… He was sending off the Liverpool captain and fuck me was he pumped for it.
@Dane is correct though. Instead of making the refs into something more than the game, allow them or compel them to answer questions at full time. Their puffed out chests would soon cave in.
Refs should never be really noticed. They should be silent arbiters of the game, unless they need to speak to players or captains in certain situations. They should of course be respected.
In regards to the last line, football should follow rugby and only allow the captain to interact with the referee. Anyone else who attempts to do so should be given a yellow card instantly.
correct about Brooks, the posturing, the body language., the sheer fucking arrogance… He was sending off the Liverpool captain and fuck me was he pumped for it.
I’ve mentioned this concern before… Referees need testing for steroid abuse after each game
