The Mail Bag
Penalty decisions again
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After the Aston Villa game, I was surprised that no one complained about the referee's decision not to give Victor Anichebe a penalty after he was clearly tripped up by James Milner and then mugged by Martin Laursen.
I watched the game live on Fox Soccer Channel in New York and did not know the names of the match commentators, but whoever they were, they shouted out straight away that Martin Atkinson had made the right decision. They did not change their opinions even after it was replayed several times on the TV, they actually said that he went down too easy and was looking for a penalty. I myself thought it was a penalty right away and the replays shows it was clearly a foul in the box.
This past weekend against Man City, it happened again; Michael Ball clearly fouled Ossie in the box ? not surprisingly, no penalty. There seems to be no consistency from game to game, week to week with match officiating.
The number of handballs last week by Villa players that went unpunished and again this week was astonishing. I remember seeing Robinho clearly and deliberately handle the ball and no yellow card. Ronaldo was sent off for a deliberate handball two weeks ago by Howard Webb against City and I remember Hull getting a penalty late in the game with the Boro when Geovanni was fouled, when I first saw it, I didn't think it was a foul and after watching the replays it clearly wasn't a penalty, the referee was Steve Tanner.
I've heard that Mark Halsey has given out the fewest cards of the season from the match commentators of our game against City and was a little bemused by that. Surely consistent fouling and bad tackles warrant bookings (yellow cards) does this mean that Mark Halsey only gets the matches where these events don't occur? I'm not mandating that every little thing should stop play but what happened to the rules of football? The referee is supposed to enforce the rules of football unbiased and not interfere with the outcome of the game. This clearly happened when the referee allowed extra time over the time already added on and Villa went on to score the winner.
Maybe this piece sounds like sour grapes from me, but it really isn't, I watch as many Everton matches I can and maybe I'm biased, but I see this in other non-Everton games also. I just pay more attention to our games and want us to get treated fairly, that's all.
Clearly something has to change; one referee cannot decide to play extra time, another not to book people, yet another let his linesmen make refereeing decisions and so on. The integrity of the game is being ruined. They say it is a difficult job but saying that is really a cop-out, they shouldn't be doing the job if they cannot be fair and decisive.
They seem to be getting support from Keith Hackett and the FA but to what end? I feel that if they are not going to suffer the consequences of their actions on matchday, why should they change or improve? In any walk of life, if there aren't any checks and balances the whole thing goes belly up.
I believe that there should be a referee review board and several matches each week (selected randomly like a drug test) should be examined each week by a committee of ex-footballers, managers, referees, regular people independent of the various leagues. Maybe even appoint a Commissioner to police these referees and various entities to keep to the rules and basic principles of the game of football and least of all, to keep them on their toes.
Matthew Hickey, Posted 15/12/2008 at 18:10:44
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Regarding Vic - Milner came in from the side and got the ball - no penalty.
The Osman one was certainly more of a penalty shout but it wasn?t given. Get over it. We get away with them too on occasion.
Video evidence perhaps?
Since the advent of individual matches being open to free betting and the governing bodies being beholdent to sponsors (one sponsor in particular) the game has ceased to be a game. The FA, Uefa and Fifa are not interested in the sport itself, they are interested only in the power that it gives them as individuals.
I suppose all those teams in the Italian league who were on the wrong end of decisions week-in, week-out were also considered to have an inferiority complex. Most fans want their teams to win, but most fans want to see them win in a fair and honest manner. Some clubs and their sponsors cannot afford to lose and the pressure they put on the governing bodies and therefore the Refs must be considerable.
It's not good enough, and ultimately it is those of us who love the game as well as our club who pay the price for their failures.
Also, Claire tell me another club who have been on the wrong end of so many important decisions over the last 30 years and then name me a club who have had to thank the Ref for at least five major trophies.
Why is it Moyes felt the need to approach the FA last year about the issue?
Does he need to get over it?
It was an obvious penalty.
Have you ever thought about being a ref? With your general lack of football knowledge you’d be perfect.
We keep not getting rightfully game-winning decisions at crucial games in our favour and this cost us points, a lot of points.
Where such huge amounts of money are involved there is always massive corruption and to think otherwise is niaive. We’re skint and have no input or influence hence we never get any decisions.
Remember two season ago when we were 2 up against Man U and Fergie obviously said something to the ref. From that point on the ref gave every decision Man U’s way. I’m pretty sure now Villa are threatening the sky 4 you’ll see some shocking decisions go against them too.
That said, the Blackburn game last year when Oojer assaulted Johnson is mind boggling, whereas the counter balance was when the ball hit the Watford?s defenders face and we got a pen two seasons ago.
Typical...
And Jason, above, I get bad decisions on PES...!
The ref?s in this country are really, really shite. You expect some mistakes (human error), but why is it when we can spot stuff in the stands and they are 3 yards away and can?t spot stuff?
I think other clubs also get a bad deal when it comes to decisions, so it isn?t just Everton. But the amount we get going against us is ridiculous. Ye, there will be occasions when we get one in our favour, but we?ve had far more bad decisions than good. These cost us points.
Hackett does fuck all. Refs are supposed to be monitored. They consistently have awful games, what happens? Fuck all. Hackett?s a complete waste of space.
It gets to the stage where my Dad says he won?t go to as many games because he is sick of refs ruining them. They make me so angry, them and First TransPenine Express.
Something has to be done because the standard is a farce. Sooner or later one of the refs will get filled in.
We wouldn?t mind so much if they gave interviews, explained their decisions and apologised for the ones they got wrong. But no, they?re cowards and stay away from the tv cameras. They deserve NO RESPECT, ONLY ABUSE, ESPECIALLY MIKE REILLY, WILEY, OH ACTUALLY, ALL OF THEM.
I used to think Webb was the best of a bad bunch, but even he?s turned utterly shite now. Bastards.
Remember when the goalkeepers constantly got back passes from defenders and blatantly wasted time. Somehow this was changed and back passes were eliminated except for headers. How did this happen?
I think we?ve now reached the point when the referee loses his time piece and an official match clock is posted around the stadiums for all fans to see and appoint an official timekeeper. It works for professional basketball, why wouldn?t it work for football? I remember when I played that it used to drive me mad not knowing how much time was left especially when the match was close. The clock stops when the ball goes out of play and on again when the ball comes back in play, the game would be played for ninety minutes as in the rules and everybody knows where they stand.
This gives the referee one less thing to do and in doing so he can keep his main focus on the play. This is one solution I?m know there are more areas that need addressing, but you have to have the will to do it in the first place. Football is entertainment for the masses and it makes no sense having football supporters pissed off and yelling obscenities at referees. You paid good money to attend a football match, watch football and support your team and be entertained. The bad decisions with offsides and constant fouling only ruin the spectacle.
With regard to Fellaini, that guy worries me, he?s booked a lot and I cut him some slack because he is big and awkward looking. He?s only 21 years old and he?s elbowing players in the face, I like tough play but I don?t think that was done in self defence. Football is a man's game and has a lot of give and take in it, I hope he is not a thug like Barton or Bowyer.
That?s a pretty absurd attempt to prove an point, Margaret.
No inferiority complex eh!
Thanks for the proof.
I do believe though, as in Rugby, there should be a hooter for the end of the game, instead of letting a team continue an attack and have a shot or wait until they lose possession, when the allotted time is up it blows, so none of this favouritism for the Sky 4 playing 6 minutes over when it should have been 3.
I think the biggest example of shite refereeing this season was the Baggies game, when a penalty was given then the ref was overuled by his lino who was in a impossibly position to see if the foul occurred in the box but the ref was right there and clearly saw it.
To read the garbage on here you?d think Keith Hackett owned an Everton dart board.
But then again... could you name any club in the last 30 years...... blah,blah fuckin blah.
Ciaran: with all the drama and negativity?
Not sure how you would work that in football as possession is defined differently in the two games.
The rest of the stuff about penalties is a little paranoid for me, although we have generally come out worse from decisions for and against. Don’t think there’s a conspiracy just the usual toffee luck.
COYB
How many major games have Everton won with dubious refereeing decisions? How many have they lost due to the same reason? Would our neighbours have won so many Semi Finals and Finals without the help of the referee sending opponents off or awarding dubious free kicks and penalties?
If you believe the game is fair and just then good luck to you ? I happen to disagree with that viewpoint.
Money talks.
Ask Pierluigi Collina.
I thought Twattenburg was being investigated for financial irregularities regarding his electrical business, not a betting scam.He was also in the news when his girlfriend trashed his Porsche.....
Just a couple of other points raised on this thread worthy of a response.
All the world and his dog are aware that Andy Johnson, because of his undeserved "diver" tag, didn?t get many penalties playing for us. I?ve seen two nailed on penalties not allowed in the time he?s been at Fulham when he?s been fouled, so it seems it?s the man, not the club in this particular case.
Because of TV schedules it wouldn?t be possible for a match to be stopped and then re-started every time the ball went out of play.
How did Ronaldo NOT get charged after he clearly kicked out at the Spurs defender? I saw it, did anyone else?
And did anyone else see an embarrassed Shearer when he was asked about Rooney stamping on an Aalborg player? Who can forget Shearer getting off with the outrageous kick on Neil Lennon? Don?t anyone try to tell me that there is not "one law for some, another law for others".....
Last season or the season before, we where deemed the most "robbed" / "Unlucky" with something like 14 points less!!
Hard enough crashin the top 4 without pathetic luck like ours.
The conclusion being that for every refereeing decision, there is a definitive and unanimous answer as to what the decision should have been...
A more than slightly flawed premise that ignores subjectivism....
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1 Posted 16/12/2008 at 06:31:14
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Time for Moyes to collate the questionable decisions and send them off to the governing body again. I think we can now safely say that it?s not the player being victimised (Andy Johnson) but the player wearing our beloved strip.
Gerrard falls over his own feet with no one around him and he gets the bloody penalty!