Referee Watch With SFC Ref 4th May Thursday, 4th May 2023 20:26 by SFC Ref Our resident man in the middle runs his eye over the Premier League fixtures from the last week and gives his verdict, plus of course your chance to test your own knowledge of the rules of the game. The last few weeks has been a mixed set for VAR, with last weekends games having a few controversial decisions from VAR, but some of the previous weeks having decent performers from VAR and the officials. As we’ve also had a set of midweek games since the last referee watch, but from the highlights I saw to those games there want any real major controversies from VAR and a fairly easy set of games for them. Although it doesn’t look like this matchweek will be the same with a lot more for VAR and us to have a look at… Crystal Palace VS West Ham (Craig Pawson) This game certainly would’ve been a great one to watch as a neutral, with it have many twists and turns, and many goals to change the momentum’s of the game. Although for Pawson and VAR it was a fairly quiet one, with 6 of the 7 goals having no real controversies around them, but the same can’t be said for the Palace penalty… As it was given on field by Pawson, and VAR just simply backed the decision. As there is contact from the West Ham defenders arm onto the Palace attacker, but is that really enough for him to go down, especially with it being a pen? As for the angles VAR was given at the time, I can understand why it wasn’t overturned as the arm is on the attacker, but really it’s no where near enough for the striker to go down, and should’ve been simply a play on, and I’m sure if Pawson had then VAR wouldn’t have intervened there either. So I wouldn’t necessarily say it was a completely wrong decision from VAR and Pawson, but it was certainly a soft penalty and really if we want to put an end to simulation, shouldn’t have been given.
So overall a mixed game for Pawson and VAR, not having too much to deal with, a majority of which they did well on, but there still was a “debatable” decision they gave for the Palace penalty. Brentford VS Forest (Peter Bankes) If it wasn’t for Thursday, this result would’ve probably been a great one, with Brentford getting a good comeback win to keep Forest down in the relegation scrap. But it was a pretty quiet one for VAR, with the only important check from them being required in the last few minutes for the Brentford winner. As the build up to the goal were all perfectly fine, but it was the shot and whether a Brentford forward was blocking the line of sight for Navas. And after seeing the replays, he certainly was blocking the line of sight, but that was irrelevant as after the VAR check it showed him to be onside and therefore the goal rightfully stood. Brighton VS Wolves (David Coote) But still, it was a fairly easy game for VAR, as other than having to check the first two Seagull goals, both with close offsides, but both with the goalscorers being onside so the goal’s rightfully standing. But the other 4 goals were also all perfectly fine, with no controversies around them at all, with nothing else for VAR or Coote to look at. Bournemouth VS Leeds (Chris Kavanagh) A fairly easy game for VAR and Kavanagh to manage, with not too much to look at throughout the 90 minute where Bournemouth thrashed Leeds to pretty much secure their safety in the prem. Although there was an early check for a handball, to see whether it was inside or out of the box, which as the replays showed was clearly outside hence why a free kick was awarded, rather than a penalty. But other than that there wasn’t too much more for VAR to look at with all 5 goals being perfectly fine and no other major controversies. So a fairly easy but still good game from VAR and Kavanagh. Fulham VS Man City (Simon Hooper) Well this was a very important game for City, who went top of the table for the first time in ages after their 2-1 win over Fulham. As this was a game that didn’t have loads, but still a bit for VAR to look at, with a penalty given to City as well as 2 half shouts for ones from Fulham. As Man City are awarded an early penalty to open the scoring to the game, for what was a clear foul where the city lad is clearly looking for it, but is still a pen. But Fulham also had 2 shouts for penalties, with one being a half shout for a supposed foul from Ederson on a Fulham striker, but nothing was awarded by Hooper, and as the replays show, Ederson did get a clear hand on the ball so VAR and Hooper were right to award nothing. And then they had another one for a supposed foul by Walker, but as the replays show it’s rather the Fulham player that goes into Walker and leans off of him, so is never a foul and penalty to Fulham and Hooper was spot on to wave away the appeals, although the Fulham striker was lucky to get away without any punishment for the dissent he showed afterwards in my books. So overall a great game from Hooper and VAR who from what I saw got all their major decisions correct and the outcomes were all spot on. So a good game for the officials.
Man United VS Aston Villa (Jarred Gillett) Not too much to look at for this game, with the scoreline having a lot in common for how much VAR had to deal with. As Gillett and VAR didn’t have too much to deal with, as there was a close offside call for Fernandes’s goal, but as the replays showed he was onside, so the goal rightfully stood. Outside of that, there wasn’t too much to look at other than a half shout for a penalty for Man U, for a supposed foul on Rashford, but as the replays showed Rashford was going into the defender just as much as the defender was pressing him, and Rashford went down far too easily for it to have been a valid penalty shout. So a fairly relaxed game from VAR and Gillett, but still a decent performance from the officials getting all the major decisions they had, given the correct outcomes to. Liverpool VS Spurs (Paul Tierney) This game wasn’t the busiest for VAR, but it certainly was for Tierney, especially with the two clowns that are Klopp and Mason in the dugouts, calling for any cautionable offence being a red, and acting like 5 year olds when Tierney waved away any pathetic simulations from their players for an attempt to get a penalty. As how Klopp reacted towards the 4th official after getting the 4th goal is just pathetic and really should be further punished for how much of a right idiot that jerk was being. As for VAR, there wasn’t too much to look at as there wasn’t too much controversy around any of the 7 goals, but there was over a supposed red for each team. One for a Spurs forwards late tackle, where nothing was awarded (which was a mistake from Tierney as it was at least a foul and cautioning), and one for a high foot from a Liverpool forward. In my books, the studs werent high enough for a red for the spurs lad, but for the Liverpool lads red, how high his foot is and how it makes direct contact onto the spurs lads head, in my book that is a red and VAR should’ve at least sent Tierney to the monitor for that incident. But for the rest of the game I think VAR got their major decisions spot on, as any of those penalty shouts from either team were just pathetic and VAR was right to not give any. So overall a mixed game from VAR and Tierney, as they both did get a majority of their decisions right, but Tierney should’ve given a cautioning for the spurs lad and a red for the Liverpool one, in which VAR should’ve at least sent Tierney to the monitor for the Liverpool lads red. So a mixed game from VAR and Tierney.
But for how pathetic Klopp was and his accusations on Tierney, really the FA need to do something there as this is just getting to levels of patheticness beyond belief, and is even worse with this clown setting examples for the younger kids watching. So hopefully somethings done about this idiot. Leicester VS Everton (Michael Oliver) Oliver was in the middle for this game, one which would be a major decider in who’d be going down with us (which I’ve got my money on being Everton and Leeds). And this game was one in which him and VAR really couldn’t afford to mess up in, which in my books he didn’t. As there were two penalties he awarded, with one on both sides of the pitch for a blatant handball from Kiegan and a stupid push from the Leicester defender, both of which I don’t think anyone could have any complaints about, and ones in which VAR rightfully backed. Outside of them he seemed to manage the game well from what I saw, with not too many mistakes and certainly no major ones with any major consequences. So overall a great game from Oliver and VAR. Arsenal VS Chelsea (Robert Jones) This was an important game for Arsenal, as they had to win it to keep their title challenging hopes alive, which after their 3-1 victory over Chelsea, the hope still remains. But for Jones and VAR it was a fairly decent game for them to officiate, with no real controversies around any of the 4 goals, and no other major events coming from this game. Although it did have one very close goal line decision, but as the replays show, the goal line tech got it spot on again, although for some reason fans weren’t complaining about this only being decided by a few millimetres… But still a good game for Jones and VAR dealing well with everything they faced from what I saw. Weekly conclusion + LOTG quiz We had a fair few midweek games during last week, none of which really did seem to have much controversy around them, with no major VAR howlers from the games I saw. But this matchweek hasn’t been as good, but at the same time hasn’t been the worst, with just 1/2 VAR mistakes coming from this matchweek, with only 1 being a blatant mistake. As the soft penalty against West Ham for Palace is one where I do think they messed up on, but isn’t a howler and at the very least there is contact and a pull, just not enough really for a penalty. Which is why in my view VAR should’ve at least sent the ref to the monitor to watch the replay of the incident again. But the one howler they did have was Jota not getting sent off for Liverpool, for what was a blatant red for practically all refs, fans, players etc that weren’t scousers. So again it’s not the perfect matchweek from VAR, but I still am seeing an improvement, and 1 howler from the many decisions they faced, isn’t the worst officiating whatsoever in my view. So a fair, but still room for improvement, week from VAR and the prem’s officials. And now for this gameweeks questions, which like usual, I’ll post the answers to just before the next post is done… Q1= A game goes to kicks from the penalty spot (aka a penalty shoot out). A Team A player, who was cautioned during the regular time of the game, goes to take a penalty, scores, but afterwards acts in a provocative manner towards the Team B goalie. What do you do now? Q2= Team A have kick off, you blow your whilst and signal for the game to restart, the Team A player taking it taps the ball, but it doesn’t move, and then touches it again when kicking it. What do you give now? Q3= With the ball in play inside the defender's penalty area, having challenged for the ball fairly the defender's footwear comes off. The ball breaks to an attacking player who shoots towards goal where upon you can see that the ball is clearly going to enter the net. At this the defender picks up their boot from the floor and throws it towards the ball. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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