Referee Watch With SFC Ref 27th February Monday, 27th Feb 2023 19:35 by SFC Ref Our resident man in the middle runs his whistle over the weekend's Premier League fixtures focusing on the defeat for Saints against Leeds United up at Elland Road. There’s been a fair bit of midweek action on again in all the European leagues, with a bit of controversy here and there, but nothing to major. But of course last weekend did have its talking points around VAR, for both the supposed correct and incorrect decisions given and all the controversies around them. Went to this game at Elland road, and don’t think I’ve seen a poorer one from both teams in a fair while! As everything was poor around this, both teams, with it being a game where the team who won weren’t good but simply less poor. Poor atmosphere with nobody wanting to create an atmosphere in the away end even with certain groups trying to do so. A poor starting 11 with both Elynousie and Niles starting even due to them being poor against Chelsea. Poor tactics, with us for some reason going to a team that hadn’t won since November and trying to play for a flipping draw, in a game we needed to win! But when we talk about things being poor that does include Bankes, who in my books was poor on both ends of the pitch, both for and against both teams! As throughout the game him and his assistants missed some blatant fouls and gave some confusing decisions! As even when Bamford got subbed he told him to go off at the nearest point, but then when Bamford ignored him, rather than correctly cautioning him for delaying the restart of play, just let him off it! Which Prowse and Lavia clearly weren’t impressed with, with Prowse going mental that Bankes just let him off and Lavia trying to shove Bamford off to speed him up, which lead to Lavia getting a cautioning! All of which was caused by a ref not doing his job and blatantly going for the easy and lazy option.
But thankfully none of these decisions were that major and didn’t have any real impact on the scoreline, with VAR having nothing really to do as there were no major controversies during this game whatsoever. So overall a poor game from Bankes, as well as both teams (although I doubt Leeds are too fussed about that!), and in my books if we do loose against Leicester next weekend it does spell the end for any survival hopes for us… A very close game in the end, and a decent watch for a Friday night game. But as a close game, was one that VAR couldn’t afford to mess up on due to the effects it could’ve had on the scoreline, which it did not do leaving a fair scoreline in the end. But of course the media won’t highlight that and will just highlight the negatives of it from this gameweek. Yet another game with very little for VAR to get involved in, as other than a pretty blatant penalty to Villa, with VAR rightfully stood by, there weren’t any major incidents or events that VAR needed to get involved in. This game had an expected result, yet it still did have a fair bit to talk about when it comes down to Pawson’s and VAR’s decisions. As it all started off with a disallowed goal for arsenal due to White pulling on the goalies arm, which impeded his ability to clear it, which is why VAR rightfully ruled out the goal. Not soo much the result that was surprising around this game, but rather the margins it was done by, with all 4 goals coming on just the last 20 minutes alone! But those margins and the result still didn’t have a lot to do with VAR, with all 4 of West Ham’s goals having no controversies around them and rightfully standing. But before any of these goals were scored, there was a shout from Forest for a penalty to them in the first half, which was turned down by Gillett and what VAR didn’t think needed overturning. Although Forest’s 10 should’ve been cautioned for his blatant dissent forward Gillett after this decision was given, but yet again a player got away with it as yet again the officials did nothing about it (which certainly shows how much of a one off that Lemina incident was!).
The one result from the weekend that went basically the exact way that many expected it to (and thankfully so for our sakes). But this game and it’s result had very little to do with VAR or Tierney, as there were a few shouts for a supposed handball against City, but it wasn’t ever one and was never gonna be given. So overall a quiet but good game for VAR and Tierney. The scoreline to this game does have a lot in relationship to what VAR and Darren England had to deal with. As this game had many close chances, shouts, incidents etc… but in the end nothing occurred and it was similar for VAR with there being no major incidents at all for it to get involved in. So a fairly relaxed and easy game for VAR and England. A game that certainly had a history of many issues and incidents, with the incident between Tuchel and Conte and all the VAR debates from the last time these two teams met. And this game may not have been at that level of incidents, but still did have a fair few for Attwell to deal with. As by what I’ve seen on MOTD there seems to have been lots of players, on both teams, going down easily to try and get their opponents booked, so Attwell was right not to bring out too many cards otherwise we really would’ve had an… “interesting” game on our hands! But for major events, there was a few, with it firstly being a little elbow from Silva on a spurs lad, and some shouts for a supposed red, but seeing how it didn’t have too much force behind it I think VAR was right to not get involved in that. But we also had another ref card incident, that being the overturned red against Chelsea. As Attwell original sent the Chelsea midfielder off, but after reviewing it on the VAR monitor, downgraded it to just a cautioning, and in my books rightfully so. As under the LOTG striking an opponent in the face is a red card for Violent conduct, offences UNLESS the force is minimal, which it was, which is why VAR and Attwell were right to simply downgrade to a cautioning for aggressive attitude. Both of Spurs’s goals though had no real controversy around them, and were both perfectly fine, so no need for VAR to get involved in ether of those two. Usually I, like many other saints fans, would want Man U to loose this game and the underdogs to come away with the cup, but with all this media’s love and nonsense around Newcastle, and how their fans were against us, I wanted it to be a right heartbreak for them Geordies, and so it was!
But this was not just a big game for those two teams but also Coote and his officiating team, as being selected for a final as an official is no different to making one as a team/player, as whilst each round passes the refs used only slims down, and the best usually gets the final. So a big day for him and his colleagues as well. But for his and VAR’s performance in the game, it was a really good game off of them. As both of Man U’s goals were perfectly valid, and other than them there weren’t really any other major incidents from the game. But still Coote controlled this game well, and him, VAR and his assistants all had a really good game and managed the final really well. Well in my books it’s been a great week for VAR and a fairly decent one for the refs this gameweek! But even then we’ve still how a clown presenting MOTD2 still criticise VAR and the officials for taking a tad bit long, but coming to the correct decision, but fair play to Glenn Murray defending VAR and saying that things are gonna take time. As that does sum up that even when VAR has gotten every major VAR decision right from all these games, they’ll still only highlight the negatives and never give the officials any credit or praise! As I myself wasn’t too impressed with Bankes in our game, and I’m sure there were a few other refs that weren’t too great this gameweek, but they still did their jobs and were all fair meaning that nobody could be blaming VAR for the results they got this gameweek. Which is why they should be given more credit for that, rather than the media just consistently looking at any little negatives it can find. Although if anyone’s got any “out there” questions to ask, could always use some of them for future quiz questions. Q1= Team A are on the attack and just outside of Team B’s box. But just whilst this is occurring the Team A goalie and the Team A Centre half are arguing inside their own box (so on the other side of the pitch to where the ball is), but this argument escalates to a point where the team A goalie intentionally strikes his teammate in the face in their box whilst the balls still in play. What happens now? Q2= Team A are on the attack. A Team A defender goes into a challenge and trips up a Team A striker in the process of going for the ball and fouls him outside the box commuting a DOGSO (denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity) offence, but you as a ref play an advantage. Due to playing the advantage Team A score. Q3= You give an offside against Team B. A Team A player goes to take the indirect free kick, and sees the keeper off of his line so has a shot on goal, and in doing so scores directly. But whilst this occurred you forgot to put your hand up to signal it being an indirect free kick. What do you do now? Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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