[Archived] Grievances

[vyeo]

In the heat of tonight's abysmal refereeing non-performance, I'm appealing to you guys out there to help collate a list of grievances we've suffered from referees this season. Can include clear penalties denied, controversial calls against us etc.

Off the top of my head:

1.) Alan Wiley - Opening day penalty call on Todd.

2.) Howard Webb - Today's shambles, handball call on Ooijer at Villa Park, non-call for Petrov's handball from Ped's freekick in the same game.

I'm sure there's more. Please add. And someone, please send to your version of football focus in the UK.

[frosty]

The penalty given against Tugay at home to Spuds was a bit dubious.

[G Somerset Rover]

The sending off part was worse!!

[Shabani]

the ref at Shef Utd, neither were penalties

Henchozs sending off v Newcastle

bolton at home, zurabs header went over the line

west ham away, the corner they scored from was a Goal Kick

[Roar of the Rover]

Chelsea's penalty at Ewood, John Terry went down to easily.

[John Howarth]

In the heat of tonight's abysmal refereeing non-performance, I'm appealing to you guys out there to help collate a list of grievances we've suffered from referees this season. Can include clear penalties denied, controversial calls against us etc.

Off the top of my head:

1.) Alan Wiley - Opening day penalty call on Todd.

2.) Howard Webb - Today's shambles, handball call on Ooijer at Villa Park, non-call for Petrov's handball from Ped's freekick in the same game.

I'm sure there's more. Please add. And someone, please send to your version of football focus in the UK.

You should never judge or mark a referee on isolated controversial decisions. A referee controls a game a game for at least 90 minutes and should always be judged on his or her overall performance. The performance of Howard Webb today in my opinion merited a mark of 7 out of 10 and I am pretty certain that the assessor's mark would not be too far away

[stuwilky]

You should never judge or mark a referee on isolated controversial decisions. A referee controls a game a game for at least 90 minutes and should always be judged on his or her overall performance. The performance of Howard Webb today in my opinion merited a mark of 7 out of 10 and I am pretty certain that the assessor's mark would not be too far away

Assessors mark out of 100.

The largest part of the "weighting" is for "application of the law"

Surely the fact that the assistant and the referee between them ignored completely Law 10 which talks about a goal being scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal must have a bearing on that mark.

[philipl]

7 out of 100 is about right.

[Mr. E]

dear God there are so many, especially from the first half of the season. I'll definitely start adding some a bit later,

but for now let me just say that without exaggerating tonight was the WORST "performance" I have ever seen in football, from all my years watching it.

1) I think it was the home win against Wigan - Benni McCarthy scored 3 goals that were ruled offside.

2) The 1-1 home draw vs Spurs - another completely unfair penalty against us to deny us the 3 points

[Fife Rover]

You should never judge or mark a referee on isolated controversial decisions. A referee controls a game a game for at least 90 minutes and should always be judged on his or her overall performance. The performance of Howard Webb today in my opinion merited a mark of 7 out of 10 and I am pretty certain that the assessor's mark would not be too far away

I actually agree with you John. All the controversy in today's match resulted directly from the wrong decisions made by the assistant ref, and which the match ref had to rely on.

[bluebruce]

1) I think it was the home win against Wigan - Benni McCarthy scored 3 goals that were ruled offside.

Don't forget, only ONE of those goals wasn't offside. We can't go complaining about offside goals that weren't allowed. If something is being sent off it ought to only include definite wrong calls. That rules out the Terry falling down easy thing too.

[roversmum]

I started doing this, but after the third match I was so disheartened I threw my notes away

I believe we've had that asst. ref before and had problems with him. Don't know about today's numerous offsides, but in my view Anton Ferdinand holding up his hand does not constitute offside

[USABlue]

First half, Matty was not offside and was clean through, even the commentators said the linesman got it right then showed the replay, stopped it at once and shut the hell up. He was level, now is it not supposed to be daylight between defender and attacker.

[Fife Rover]

First half, Matty was not offside and was clean through, even the commentators said the linesman got it right then showed the replay, stopped it at once and shut the hell up. He was level, now is it not supposed to be daylight between defender and attacker.

Well if you are right about that, then Bolton's goal at the breezeblock should have counted.

[Neil Weaver]

The penalty given against Tugay at home to Spuds was a bit dubious.

Not forgetting Mido's blatent handball that should have been a penalty for us.

[den]

Well if you are right about that, then Bolton's goal at the breezeblock should have counted.

No, it was offside Fife. Everyone admitted that.

[Martyn]

First half, Matty was not offside and was clean through, even the commentators said the linesman got it right then showed the replay, stopped it at once and shut the hell up. He was level, now is it not supposed to be daylight between defender and attacker.

I haven't seen the incedent in question on TV but I'm sure there doesn't need to be 'daylight'.

The rule states 'a player is offside if, at the moment the ball is touched or played by a team mate, he is nearer to the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the 2nd last opponent. If any part he can play football with is nearer than any part the defender can play football with he's offside.'

[vyeo]

Thanks for all who've helped triggered some unhappy memories. Here's the email i shot off to the Asian version of football focus. I wonder if it will be taken up. In any case, if anyone feels like sending this to the UK version, please please please do so!

Hi John, Macca, Shebs, Paul and crew,

I'm a long time fan of your programme, but have never written in before. Till now. The events of Saturday finally pushed me over the line; I have to air my grievances!

You probably now have an idea of which match I am talking about... Yes, its the Blackburn vs West Ham game. What terrible refereeing. I write from the position as a 14-year Blackburn fan, and never have I felt as incensed as now. This season especially, we have been at the wrong end of some incredibly inept refereeing decisions, and they have undoubtedly cost us valuable points.

Below is a rudimentary list of how inept refereeing has cost us this season, and I don't pretend that its comprehensive. There's probably more!

In no particular order then:

1.) Opening day, penalty awarded to Portsmouth and sending off of Todd, subsequently recinded.

2.) Draw at Bramall Lane against Sheffield Utd - Both penalties were dubious, especially the one called against Neill.

3.) Bolton at Ewood - Zurab's header from a corner was over the line, goal not given.

4.) Reading at Madjeski - Benni's goal wrongly ruled out

5.) Villa at Villa Park - Penalty called for handball against Ooijer, when it was clearly chest. Also, when Petrov then handled Pedersen's freekick in the box, no handball was called.

6.) Spurs at Ewood - Penalty called against Tugay and sending off, again highly dubious. Similarly, when Mido handled in the box, no penalty!

7.) Newcastle at Ewood - Sending off of Henchoz

8.) Man City at Ewood in the FA Cup - Sending off of Mokoena

9.) West Ham away - Mullin's winning goal came from a corner which should have been a goal kick.

10.) West Ham at Ewood - Need i say more? Dive by Tevez, Zamora incident (I refuse to call it a goal) and to wrap it off, sending off of Bentley who was deemed to have handled the ball despite having clearly been shoved into it by Lucash!

In this light then, I'm really really hoping that you could bring this up on your show this Tuesday night. Its really a situation akin to the Andy Johnson situation, where Everton collated incidents of him being wrongly denied penalties. Does our (Blackburn's) reputation precede us? Yes, we are not the media favourites, and yes we kicked our way out of trouble 2 seasons ago. However, in the last two seasons, we have improved far beyond that level and we have not been given the credit we're due. Besides, you don't finish 6th like we did last year if you are a bunch of cloggers. If one watches enough of Blackburn games, its clear that more often than not, we do play good passing and attacking football.

Does our reputation precede us? I'm certain it does, and its cost us dear. In yesterday's case, the refereeing was abysmal to say the least. For the second 'score' (i refuse to call it a goal), "the assistant and the referee between them icompletely ignored Law 10 of the rules of the game, which talks about a goal being scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, between the goalposts and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game has been committed previously by the team scoring the goal" (Stuwilky - I'm sorry i plagiarised your line... hope you don't mind ). Is it any surprise that Webb was the same guy who handled our game at Villa Park (see above list!)?

Is there a conspiracy against us, or are certain officials just predisposed to dislike us? (In saying this, I acknowledge that we've received 2 penalties from Rob Styles and Mike Dean against Bolton, but clearly, the wrong calls far outweigh the right calls.) Something needs to be done! Give us a voice, football focus!

Sincerely,

Victor Yeo - A very very disgruntled and unhappy blackburn fam.

[92er]

I actually agree with you John. All the controversy in today's match resulted directly from the wrong decisions made by the assistant ref, and which the match ref had to rely on.

As I have become older, I have become less critical of refs, but I do think people have been a liitle too supportive of Webb. What you suggest does not take account of Bentley's sending off as I felt the push by LN was fairly obvious, resulting in Bentley's inadvertently putting up his hand, and there was a push by Harewood on Warnock to enable him to get free before shooting across the face of the goal. And there were many other fouls by WH he didn't pick up on, including LN hauling down MGP in their penalty area in the 2nd half.

[mike at picture]

Boutros Boutros Ghali handball in the box at Ewood.

[frosty]

Just remembered that we should have had a penalty when we played Chelsea at Ewood in august - Roberts had his shirt pulled, no penalty. This was made even worse when Chelsea got given one for the exact same thing a few minutes later.

[only2garners]

How about the first goal for Arsenal at the Emirates in December, scored from a corner that never was and I'm still dubious about the third goal when Neill brought down Van Persie for a penalty - I was sure he was offside but no one ever showed a replay so I couldn't be sure.

In the interests of balance none of the three penalties at Sheffield United should have been.

[T4E]

Do we not think it's possible that every team in the land could put a similar list together?

We don't half know how to embarass ourselves, do we? Whats next - boycotting the Cup Final because its being played in London?

If you really believe the press have it in for us, why do we keep giving them reasons to eat us alive?

[HairwayToSteven]

Do we not think it's possible that every team in the land could put a similar list together?

We don't half know how to embarass ourselves, do we? Whats next - boycotting the Cup Final because its being played in London?

If you really believe the press have it in for us, why do we keep giving them reasons to eat us alive?

Here, here! It's nice to vent and curse at Howard Webb's/Devine's antics and the likes. But it is a very different thing to write a letter to the FA's and what have you.

[USABlue]

Well if you are right about that, then Bolton's goal at the breezeblock should have counted.

No not really, he was past the last defender at the time the ball was played, he moved back.