14 Mar 2017 12:55:19
Reading some of the posts about last night, and I can't help feeling we're starting to sound like Liverpool fans. Always someone else's fault. Ref ruined it, Conté's actions were a disgrace, Hazard is a diver etc etc
I love Ander. Probably my favourite player. But he ruined the game for us last night, not the ref. He shouldn't be acting like an idiot and giving the ref an easy decision like that.
Let's take off the rose-tinted glasses. We've had our fair share of refereeing decisions go our way this season, and over many seasons. Were we complaining about those?
To hear some, you'd think it was some big conspiracy against us. Refs, the media, ex-players. They all have it in for us.
Maybe we're just not as good as we thought we were, or hoped we were. Yet. Maybe our manager makes mistakes. Maybe our players make mistakes. Let's not deflect, here.
14 Mar 2017 13:31:01
Some of the posts are over the top undoubtedly. There is no conspiraxy against United.
One thing I would point out though is that the consistency of refereeing this season is something that can be pointed to throughout the season both for and against us.
For example last night I'd say the second yellow for Herrera was harsh but he gave the ref a decision to make for committing the foul so soon after the other. Had this been isolated and not directly afterwards I doubt he'd have been booked. However, Valencia jumped in two footed at one point which was after another slide tackle foul he made on Hazard and wasn't booked for either. For me both challenges could have been a booking and the two footer gives grounds for a red. Certainly there would be less argument for those two adding up to a red compared to Herrera's.
Rojo could have been sent off two or three times this season for two footed tackles but hasn't been. Ibrahimovic has been more physical than needed a few times off the ball this season and got away with it. We could even give away a penalty everytime the opposition have a corner when Chris Smalling plays as he can't mark without hauling the shirt off the back of a player.
Last week against Bournemouth there were four potential reds in the game and the ref got every one wrong. Surman made an identical challenge to the one Shaw made 15 mins earlier which was not deemed a foul yet Surman was booked. King shoved Jones early in the first half and no foul was given but Rashford was booked for a very similar foul in the second half. Arter was booked for a challenge on Carrick then for one just as bad on Pogba was given a reprieve.
Really it can be spun either way but in my opinion we currently have a few refs who think they're as big time as some of the players are and this has led to a poorer standard of refereeing because some of the refs seem more interested in being involved in the game than actually making the correct decisions.
14 Mar 2017 14:08:41
Rj, I agree with the inconsistency point you make, mate. But that's been a problem for every team in the division, this season. You'd think we were the only team that had a decision go against us, to hear some people.
14 Mar 2017 14:36:40
The issue last night was we were continually fouling and I think the ref got fed up. Anders should have know better.
14 Mar 2017 15:54:53
The worst tackle? last nite was actually the stamp by rojo!
More blatant than mings and hardly a mention from the "experts" apart from "Mr Alan elbow Shearer".
14 Mar 2017 16:17:02
The 2nd yellow for Herrera was because of persistent fouling in all probability. Now with persistent fouling, we usually think of one player repeatedly fouling opposition players. But apparently it also encompasses the situation where one specific player is targeted by repeated fouls by different players of the opposition team, so when it looks like there's a "plan" to foul a guy consistently.
I think that is what happened last night with Hazard. He was fouled repeatedly, and I suspect Oliver made it clear to your captain Smalling that he wasn't going to allow it to happen all game and that the next player to foul Hazard was going to get booked. Unfortunately that player was Herrera.
14 Mar 2017 16:48:00
Jackson,
So now the ref is making the rules up as they go along is he? A team warning is something that happens in rugby league not in football, 'the next foul on hazard is a yellow' isn't in the laws of the game so it's absolute nonsense to suggest that's what he said as if that's ok.
I'm not claiming a conspiracy, we have had things go for us, but to suggest the ref got that right last night is a joke. Jones and Valencia should also have been sent off if Ander was a red so really we should have had 8 men, either way you look at it there was no consistency at all in the decisions made by the ref last night and that's all we ask for.
14 Mar 2017 17:49:54
So if you think about it, the ref actually helped us last night, rather than ruining it for us. We could have been playing with 8 men, after all :)
{Ed025's Note - with pogba and fellaini playing you certainly were noucamp.. :)
14 Mar 2017 18:27:04
Don't you start, Ed. It's still raw.
15 Mar 2017 09:52:00
Actually GDS, it appears to be something that referees in football are taught as well.
goo.gl/8z0pb1
On that page it's explained a bit. Hope this helps.