Refs

[Colonel_K]

It all started with Fabregas kicking out at Dembele in the first half.

Not to mention Costa’s histrionics through out. Dembele usually a pretty calm character lashing out in the way that he does.

 

[superstaryid]

Battenburg was always on the books why do you think he's being paid so much to ref in Saudi ?

 

[Radical Rei]

This isn't exclusive to just us Southhampton got fucked over hard with that Mignolet decision a while back.
In a lot of these cases it really does make you think if that had been the other way round and if it was "insert big wealthy club here" who got tackled like that you just know the player from the "smaller club" would get red carded straight away.

The Woolwich game was symbolic of this shit no excuse for us playing poorly but the Ref may as well have just said here you have two goals Arse you deserve to win the game just because.

 

[Aleksic]

How does that stop Walker ploughing through the back of a Chelsea winger in the first half without any attempt to play the ball?

And seriously, is the only thing preventing Dier acting like a maniac how he perceives the referee dealt with a shirt tug earlier? He has no resposibility for his own actions?

Clattenberg may be a "Look at me! Look at me doing this!!!" buffoon but our indiscipline and unprofessionalism is on us, no one else

Well walker was prone to doing that occasionally. I can't remember exactly what levels of skullduggery Chelsea were up to but I do remember feeling that they were getting away with lots of fouls from the start and the ref was doing sod all.

As for Dier I think his record since shows he has good self control, but we all have our breaking point.
You are right in that our players are responsible for their actions, but I can understand why they felt they had to take things into their own hands when the ref was not doing anything.

 

[Blanchflower]

So you think that the referee not sending YOUR players off HELPED US?

We had a massive lead over you anyway. We panned you that season.

He didn't send anyone off..... how often do spurs players get involved in mass brawls? Never. Not sure Dembele has ever been sent off.

If he refs the game properly spurs win 9/10 times.

And in any case I was hinting to a wider issue than just one game. You were totally shit before and after..... "fairytale" doesn't cut it as a reason for one good season

 

[kingdawson]

He didn't send anyone off..... how often do spurs players get involved in mass brawls? Never. Not sure Dembele has ever been sent off.

If he refs the game properly spurs win 9/10 times.

And in any case I was hinting to a wider issue than just one game. You were totally shit before and after..... "fairytale" doesn't cut it as a reason for one good season

How exactly have you come to that conclusion?

 

[kingdawson]

We behaved like absolute thugs in that game if we're being totally honest. Walker throwing fucking blood on someone ffs, Lamela purposely standing on someone's hand, Dembele gauging eyes and that's not even including Dier and Masons attempts to 'tackle. Yes chelski are usually the cuntish team but on this occasion it was us that behaved like animals.

 

[asterdroid]

More ridiculous chitchat from Clattenburg:
Referee Mark Clattenburg Reveals How Terrified He Was Of Roy Keane

So he claims he wasn't skilled up enough to ref a Premier League match at the time, after working his way up through the leagues?

 

[Mockers]

There is a strong case that the state of officiating has never been better in the game. It wasn't too long ago when a Ref was so unfit he could barely keep up with the play, let alone make a right call or not.

What is very, very different is the TV coverage and the absolute dross of media analysis that is incapable, bar a handful of exceptions, to simply identify the tactical battle on the pitch. The willingness of the spectator to what to know or understand where the game is being one or lost is also alarming. We live in a world that is obsessed with accentuating the negative and pilling in on it with scorn and rage, demanding blame and shame. The majority of football analysis both half-time, post game and the days that follow is totally dominated with "was it, wasn't it" discussions with online polls all over the shop.

This type of coverage only emphasis's the ref. Most are wholly unfair comments, many are split on decisions in the studio despite watching 10 slow motion replays from multiple angles.

VAR is destroy the game. It will slow it down, there will be adverts played whilst we await a decision and fans will do a cringe whhooooooo and clap noise whilst replays (along with adverts) are shown. Players will go for drinks on the touch-line, and Foster will change his entire kit.

Agree with some of that and perhaps the officiating is technically better now than before but that doesn’t change that fact that it’s still shit.

I understand the concerns u raise about the changes VAR will bring to the Game and we don’t want an NFL type of stop start situation but I also think that is an extreme view of what COULD happen if they go down a certain path with it.

There is a happy medium to be had and other uk based sports implement it well ie tennis / rugby / cricket.

If they introduce a system that allows the captain to appeal certain key events (goals / penalty decisions / red cards) and limits that to a minimal number of usages per match that will provide the benefits of VAR without it being used excessively throughout the game.

 

[Blanchflower]

How exactly have you come to that conclusion?

Because we basically never lose a 2-0 lead under Pochettino

 

[Bazali]

me

but as a lot of people like to point out - I am very, very old

Mr Pickwick - IIRC

And I remember David Ellory, Roger Millward etc but even they couldn’t compare to Mike Dean
Cunt of the highest order imo

How about adopting Australian Rugby League and having two refs?

I think video refs will help

 

[kingdawson]

Because we basically never lose a 2-0 lead under Pochettino

So if the ref actually sent off our players we would have won?

 

[hackneyfox]

Agree - it just shows what we always suspected, that third parties were either consciously or subconsciously helping Leicester.

How did it help Leicester?
It was you who finished with 11 players instead of 7 or 8.
We ended up 11 points ahead of you, you wouldn't have caught us if you'd won this game and the next two, in fact you were never even close to us.
How many weeks were you top of the the league for, or should that read minutes not weeks?

 

[Guido 🇺🇦]

Agree with some of that and perhaps the officiating is technically better now than before but that doesn’t change that fact that it’s still shit.

I understand the concerns u raise about the changes VAR will bring to the Game and we don’t want an NFL type of stop start situation but I also think that is an extreme view of what COULD happen if they go down a certain path with it.

There is a happy medium to be had and other uk based sports implement it well ie tennis / rugby / cricket.

If they introduce a system that allows the captain to appeal certain key events (goals / penalty decisions / red cards) and limits that to a minimal number of usages per match that will provide the benefits of VAR without it being used excessively throughout the game.

Officiating IMO isn't shit, media have made it shit. A Premier League referee makes around 245 decisions per game, that's one decision every 22 seconds. Approximately 45 of these decisions are technical - whether goal-kicks, corners or throw-ins - leaving around 200 decisions to judging physical contact and disciplinary actions. Of those 200, around 35 are visible decisions where an action is taken (fouls, restarts), and 165 are non-visible, where play is allowed to continue. In total, refs make around five errors per game, meaning they are right 98% of the time. That's not shit.

Think it's wrong to compare other sports, with Cricket the breaks to review have always been in place, after each bowl and have therefore not made any material difference to the game. Rugby too has many breakdowns and opportunities to review, however there has been very strong criticism of the use of VAR, the largest one being voiced is refs are bottling decisions and are opting to defer to the Tech ref before giving a decision, which is driving people nuts as it's undermining the authority of the ref and taking the flow out of a game. Tennis could well be the only success story, there were more cases of wrong calls, especially as the game has become far faster with more powerful athletes and improved technology of the racket (balls regularly being hit 150mph for men and 120 for women), there is a limit of reaction time for the human eye. But even with Tennis, the dynamics are so different, it's a solo sport for a start, there already 8 officials, the officials have zero crowd pressure (taunts, jeers, they aren't public enemy number one and despite mistakes being made they were, never scrutinised in they way the football media focussed on the ref at the end of the game, a wrong call was shown in summary at the end of the game but rarely was it ever brought up at the end of game analysis unless it was John Mcenroe rant).

So we are looking to bring in VAR to address what is on average 2% of ref decisions that are incorrect, seems way, way over the top to me. It then gives the opportunity increase it to other decisions, trust me when VAR gets used to confirm, was it, wasn't it a penalty, the managers will then take the decision further back in the build up and blame some infringement in the build up to the goal and eventually the focus will shift here, why? Because it's contentious and causes rage, anger and "debate", on-line polls and trivia stats, clicks are what makes the world go round.

The last bit I would hate about VAR is the emotion of the game will go. No more pandemonium celebrations when a gaol is scored, just a fist pump and a simultaneous "yes", as all eyes then turn to the big screen whilst we wait patiently for VAR to do it's thing, 30 seconds has now elapsed, 60 seconds...........GOAL! The crowd clap in acknowledgement but struggle to ignite that spontaneous, wild euphoric loss of control after a goal is scored. There will be no crowed screaming for an offside, even through you know their player were onside, no jeering the ref when a red carded tackle comes flying in, what's the point of being a fan if you can't contribute to influence a game, influence the ref's decision by booing him, ironic cheers when he finally awards your side a free-kick, there will be no point to doing it because the decision will be sorted out by a review. What it is to be a supporter will change, your perceived influence gone, your roll gone, your reason to scream/rage gone, you will long for the days of shouting "Off, Off, Off" trying to get the player sent off, screaming when Dele dives in the box trying to get our side a pen.

Last of all, it will separate the game from those in the park to those in the stadium, it will feel like two different sports. However VAR will be used in the professional game, it will never be used in non-league, school or amateur club level. The laws of the game will now be different, the sport will now have two codes.

 

[hackneyfox]

He's admitting to blatant match fixing, the result should be declared null and void with both teams getting 3 points. We can never know how this will have affected the remaining games so the only thing to do would be to share the title between us and Leicester. Uefa need to get involved in this and we haven't heard the last of it.

Are you for real?
We beat you by 11 points

 

[hackneyfox]

He didn't send anyone off..... how often do spurs players get involved in mass brawls? Never. Not sure Dembele has ever been sent off.

If he refs the game properly spurs win 9/10 times.

And in any case I was hinting to a wider issue than just one game. You were totally shit before and after..... "fairytale" doesn't cut it as a reason for one good season

Don't hint, let's hear your reasoning.
Were we on drugs?

 

[Boltonspur]

How did it help Leicester?
It was you who finished with 11 players instead of 7 or 8.
We ended up 11 points ahead of you, you wouldn't have caught us if you'd won this game and the next two, in fact you were never even close to us.
How many weeks were you top of the the league for, or should that read minutes not weeks?

History book says you won it, so that’s the end of it from my point of view. Whatever suspicions anyone may have about why teams played awfully against you , & how any “neutral” fan was praying for you to win it, they are just that & sound like sour grapes. Quite how Huth got away with what he did every game is however a mystery, & the FA put an end to all this wrestling in the box at set pieces. Quite how Morgan transformed from journeyman to quickest defender in the league (for one season only) is another mystery.
Whatever it was, you had an unstoppable momentum that year. That can’t be denied. So it makes it sound fucking daft when people say Spurs “bottled it” & it undermines your achievement. Whether or not it was pure momentum, pure fluke, some Thai bloke praying the the right God, or someone with the keys to the medicine cabinet doesn’t matter any more.

What would gaul me as a Leicester fan, would be how rapidly that success melted away. You ought to have been competing again the following season but have regressed massively.

But well done for your season in the sun. No sour grapes from me.

 

[Mockers]

Officiating IMO isn't shit, media have made it shit. A Premier League referee makes around 245 decisions per game, that's one decision every 22 seconds. Approximately 45 of these decisions are technical - whether goal-kicks, corners or throw-ins - leaving around 200 decisions to judging physical contact and disciplinary actions. Of those 200, around 35 are visible decisions where an action is taken (fouls, restarts), and 165 are non-visible, where play is allowed to continue. In total, refs make around five errors per game, meaning they are right 98% of the time. That's not shit.

Think it's wrong to compare other sports, with Cricket the breaks to review have always been in place, after each bowl and have therefore not made any material difference to the game. Rugby too has many breakdowns and opportunities to review, however there has been very strong criticism of the use of VAR, the largest one being voiced is refs are bottling decisions and are opting to defer to the Tech ref before giving a decision, which is driving people nuts as it's undermining the authority of the ref and taking the flow out of a game. Tennis could well be the only success story, there were more cases of wrong calls, especially as the game has become far faster with more powerful athletes and improved technology of the racket (balls regularly being hit 150mph for men and 120 for women), there is a limit of reaction time for the human eye. But even with Tennis, the dynamics are so different, it's a solo sport for a start, there already 8 officials, the officials have zero crowd pressure (taunts, jeers, they aren't public enemy number one and despite mistakes being made they were, never scrutinised in they way the football media focussed on the ref at the end of the game, a wrong call was shown in summary at the end of the game but rarely was it ever brought up at the end of game analysis unless it was John Mcenroe rant).

So we are looking to bring in VAR to address what is on average 2% of ref decisions that are incorrect, seems way, way over the top to me. It then gives the opportunity increase it to other decisions, trust me when VAR gets used to confirm, was it, wasn't it a penalty, the managers will then take the decision further back in the build up and blame some infringement in the build up to the goal and eventually the focus will shift here, why? Because it's contentious and causes rage, anger and "debate", on-line polls and trivia stats, clicks are what makes the world go round.

The last bit I would hate about VAR is the emotion of the game will go. No more pandemonium celebrations when a gaol is scored, just a fist pump and a simultaneous "yes", as all eyes then turn to the big screen whilst we wait patiently for VAR to do it's thing, 30 seconds has now elapsed, 60 seconds...........GOAL! The crowd clap in acknowledgement but struggle to ignite that spontaneous, wild euphoric loss of control after a goal is scored. There will be no crowed screaming for an offside, even through you know their player were onside, no jeering the ref when a red carded tackle comes flying in, what's the point of being a fan if you can't contribute to influence a game, influence the ref's decision by booing him, ironic cheers when he finally awards your side a free-kick, there will be no point to doing it because the decision will be sorted out by a review. What it is to be a supporter will change, your perceived influence gone, your roll gone, your reason to scream/rage gone, you will long for the days of shouting "Off, Off, Off" trying to get the player sent off, screaming when Dele dives in the box trying to get our side a pen.

Last of all, it will separate the game from those in the park to those in the stadium, it will feel like two different sports. However VAR will be used in the professional game, it will never be used in non-league, school or amateur club level. The laws of the game will now be different, the sport will now have two codes.

Excellent post. Bit too long for me to respond to each point without making notes! But I do see ur point with a lot of that.

Personally I’d still like to see it brought in in moderation as I mention but totally accept that I could well find with hindsight that it isn’t entirely worth the trade off for the reasons you suggest.

You may well be right that it’s a matter of trying to address the 2% but in terms of big Game changing (at times even club development changing) decisions I’m sure we’ve had way more than our fair share of that 2%. At least it certainly feels that way.

 

[hackneyfox]

History book says you won it, so that’s the end of it from my point of view. Whatever suspicions anyone may have about why teams played awfully against you , & how any “neutral” fan was praying for you to win it, they are just that & sound like sour grapes. Quite how Huth got away with what he did every game is however a mystery, & the FA put an end to all this wrestling in the box at set pieces. Quite how Morgan transformed from journeyman to quickest defender in the league (for one season only) is another mystery.
Whatever it was, you had an unstoppable momentum that year. That can’t be denied. So it makes it sound fucking daft when people say Spurs “bottled it” & it undermines your achievement. Whether or not it was pure momentum, pure fluke, some Thai bloke praying the the right God, or someone with the keys to the medicine cabinet doesn’t matter any more.

What would gaul me as a Leicester fan, would be how rapidly that success melted away. You ought to have been competing again the following season but have regressed massively.

But well done for your season in the sun. No sour grapes from me.

We're not that far behind you at the moment

Do people on here seriously believe we were on drugs?
deluded if so

 

[Bagelboy]

Are you for real?
We beat you by 11 points

So it’s wasn’t a two horse race then was it.
Woolwich bottled the league.
As you said, we were never at the top. Never in a position to bottle it.
They were.
How could we bottle the league We were only relaistic challengers to you, in March wasn’t it.
What pissed me off was Chelsea players going on TV and saying they wanted you to win and they still had to play both of us. It could have come down to you needing points from your last game against them if you’d have had a couple of losses.
Then you had managers like Pulis whos team two days earlier had rolled over for Woolwich(did you see their performance at the emirates)and then pre match v Us says he owes it to Leicester and the PL to put in a great performance tonight. They then play out of their skin against us.
They saved themselves for that match.


Can’t have it both ways.
If we were never in the race for the title, which we weren’t, we couldn’t have bottled the title or came third in a two horse race.