I didn't say that refereeing was perfect, or that his performance was great - far from it, it was inconsistent and the incident in question was mind boggling.
My point was that refereeing is just as accurate or incompetent across the board for all teams and yet all supporters hysterically conclude that any judicial error has to be perceived as collusion and premeditated corruption.
I don't think it is across the board for all teams. Whether it's narrative-based or some kind of weird PGMOL perceptions, some teams and players get whistled dofferently. Fans of every team in the country think Joelinton and Newcastle or Yates and Forest get away with murder every week. It's not mass paranoia. Fans of every team in the country think Liverpool and Chelsea get very soft penalties. Fans of every team in the country think that woolwich get away with obstruction fouls on set pieces.
None of those are paranoia or coincidence. It's the reality of what is happening.
When I watch us, every week I see refs let our opponent get away with the same types of hacks in duels, especially in the wide areas in a mid block. I'm not paranoid, it's become some kind of officiating culture with our team atm.
Referees have to try to see every event and judge whether it is a legal application of any of the (often frequently changing) laws of the game - at a frantic pace in a game conducted by talented actors who cheat on a constant basis to gain advantage or con the referee.
Look at the mufc v Everton game with the last minute penalty shout, Young's dive was hysterically funny and a blatant dive, and yet a cause of pundit anguish as he had been touched and had an almost irrelevant tug on his shirt. That took multiple views and tedious debate and yet is an example of what refs have to try and analyse in an instant hundreds of times every game.
They do have a very tough job and players cheating all the time doesn't help.
Will always happen and I think most fans understand that.
Referees would look a lot more competent if VAR could tell the 4th official to take off players seen cheating for a 10 minutes sin binning and yellow card - using the subs board method, as players would have to stop diving, time wasting, pulling shirts, fuckery in the box at every corner etc
I would also do it without stopping the game, and if the player delayed coming off, then change it to a red. Second offence, red card.
100%. If the VAR can fuck this "clear and obvious error" bullshit off and just be an extra ref who has the advantage of video to get the right whistle, they could actually punish and remove a lot of the cheating and controversial calls.
I'm just not 100% convinced they really want to cut out controversial calls. I think it's part of the product for the Premier League brand.
Trossard, Jota and Cucuracha have to start each game on a ten minute binning for being odious little shit bags.
100%