24 Feb 2025 11:16:38
{Ed's Note - BlueJohnUns has posted a new article entitled, Everton v Manchester United Review

1.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 13:36:32
Take a look at Cucurella's hold on Belgarde late into Villa Chelsea game. It was 100X worse than the slight pulls on Young's jersey and it wasn't even looked at by VAR. The fact is that holding to a lesser or greater extent is ubiquitous in the EPL, virtually all over the pitch. Refs have to determine whether a hold is significant. The problem is that Young literally threw himself to the floor in an exaggerated belly flop, a tendency we are all aware of from his time at United. It was so unnatural and deliberate as to make the reaction to the holding so disproportionate as to establish a clear case that the pulling was insignificant. If the refs give that as a penalty they're going to be awarding a penalty or a free kick on virtually every corner or cross into the penalty area. Maybe they should but until they issue clear guidance that all jersey pulling will result in a free kick there will always be an element of subjectivity. Over-dramatizing contacts in order to gain an advantage in what is after all a contact sport is also part of the dark arts and also needs to be penalized, as were Young and Everton this weekend.

As for the time taken to award the goal. Yes, it was too long, but there were a number of issues to consider, particularly whether the player who reached to push the ball forwards to Beto actually touched the ball. If he had then it would have been offside. The goal was properly confirmed.

{Ed025's Note - it was a poor decision on the pen for me Shawthing, yes young did embellish it a bit mate but the fact is he was pulled back by the shirt stopping a goal scoring opportunity, the ref awarded it originally then was advised to look at it again by VAR, the problem was that the angles the shown him did not conclusively deem the offence, other angles did but were not shown, if the ref was so sure he should have booked AY which would have resulted in him being sent off...but he never, he kow-towed to the idiots at Stockley park who are stealing a living imo..

2.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 13:48:49
Ed025 come on fella. Awarding a penalty like that would mean 10 penalties a game. I get that it went against your side but really and truly there's not a hope there was enough contact to put him off. You're sort of defining football as a non-contact sport which it is not.

{Ed025's Note - but shirt pulling is a foul Don, yes im a blue mate and at times have tinted specs, but are you trying to tell me his shirt was not tugged?...because if it was it was a pen..

3.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 14:11:47
Sorry ed it was not a penalty, you simply can't give that. seriously if that's s penalty there's 30 every game. plus they never even looked at the offside. That's more worrying.

{Ed025's Note - come on Nick, if someones shirt is pulled in the area then yes there should be 30 pens given, just the same as if 30 kicked legs is, the only way to clean up the game is to give these decisions mate..

4.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 14:21:45
Never a pen. The absolute slightest of touches and Young throws himself tragically to the ground in comedy gold style. Too funny to be a penalty. ???.

{Ed025's Note - embellished a bit yes Fizz, but a tug of the shirt is a foul mate, nailed on pen for me my friend..

5.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:05:18
Ed25 should Maguire of had one for the small tug from Tarkowski?

Main reason the pen will have been overturned is Young’s reputation for taking a dive imo.

{Ed025's Note - the difference is Caolan is that the ref made his decision mate, he got tag teamed by slab head and De s****, and only VAR being tossers who are trying to justify their existence it should have been upheld..

6.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:10:42
I think we get away with one if I'm honest. I don't think it's a penalty personally but the way the game is played and refereed now I'm surprised it was overturned. Essentially the whole system and standard of reffing is so poor, we've become a really poor league. I find it hard to get excited in football now (Following United is the main and obvious reason currently) because you do not know what decisions will be made or not made. If it's not a pen then it's a dive and a booking? Same with Jota for Liverpool the other day but neither get yellows? I saw a Lino flag for offside this weekend when I thought they were meant to let game go and the replay showed it would have been very close. Might have even been the United game?!

And everyone is blaming VAR, the ref could still have stuck with his decision to give it, he doesn't have to go with their advise and there is the biggest problem, VAR is there to assist not dictate. Just think the whole thing is a shambles. Never seem to hear about these problems in Europe though?

{Ed025's Note - spot on Ports mate..

7.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:18:59
Can’t give a pen for that. Slight tug on his shirt and Young throws himself on the ground. There’s all manner of jostling and grabbing in the box when a cross comes in. The second you start giving penalties for minimal contact like that, the game is devalued.

It’s VAR doing its job. Ref makes a decision on the field. VAR shows that the level of contact did not cause the player to fall like he did. Ref gets a chance to see it too, and makes a better decision. De Leigt holds Young’s shirt. Instead of trying to get on the end of the cross, Young throws himself to the ground. He’s not making an honest attempt to score. Young is trying to con the ref into giving a pen.

{Ed025's Note - i think you answered your own question there Danny, it was a tug which is a foul mate..

8.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:33:12
It was minimal contact that Young used to try and cheat a pen. An obvious dive, recognised by both VAR and the ref when he got to see the replay.

{Ed025's Note - contact is contact Danny, just like "but ref i only kicked him a little bit"...or "judge i only shot him once".. :)

9.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:39:52
Ed. actually no. The standard according to the commentators I was listening to suggest that there has to be something more than minimal contact or tugging. There is some subjectivity and Young's melodramatic dive tipped the scales in our favor. That angle alone was enough, though I agree, had he not acted it out, it was highly likely it would have been overturned. Much worse is not penalized. The whole issue is a minefield.

{Ed025's Note - maybe if they hit him with an axe it may have been given mate.. :)

10.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 15:55:19
I believe it was a penalty. Both De Ligt and Maguire had a tug at Young. Yes, he made a meal of it and maybe that had a major influence on the referee. It was a goal-scoring opportunity. Had the incident happened outside the box, he would have given a free kick. We got out of jail.

11.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 16:09:57
The whole thing is a bit of a joke.
When you consider the amount of holding that goes on in the box for Young to go down like he did was a joke (always loved a dive), then again would the ref have even seen it if he stays on his feet!
Shawthing, I agree there was a lot of debate around what amount of tug constituted enough to warrent a penalty. sheer lack of inconsistency and being open to interpretation.
Did I think it was enough for a penalty, probably not. Would I have been calling for it in the other box, probably. Once given, did I think there was enough to over turn it (clear and obvious error), no.
All round a joke.

12.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 16:21:03
I am 8000 miles away, have not seen it. But as soon as I heard it was Ashley Young I knew he would have fallen dramatically on the floor with a minimal if any touch at all, never got them for United . Must have been the Goodison sniper. Leopard never changes its spots. Therefore never a penalty.

13.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 16:24:47
If this is any other team other than United this is swept aside as soon as the whistle is blown.

14.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 16:25:10
Now Ed let’s be honest, we know the contact was completely minimal and young took a tumble because he wouldn’t get to the ball. The same as Harry in your box. If you give one, you should give the other.

Btw I’m not saying I wouldn’t be screaming for a pen if it was the other way around. But I can see why it wasn’t given, and like I said youngs reputation has cost him there more than anything.

{Ed025's Note - our tinted glasses will obviously see different things Caolan, but for me a foul is a foul mate..but im bound to say that.. :)

15.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 16:53:07
It's a penalty. Despite his ridiculous swandive.

If the shoe was on the other foot, we would be crying. We had Maguire offside a couple of weeks ago, now luck with the penalty decision.

Evens it out a bit given the amount of crappy decisions that we have been on the end of. Swings and roundabouts but still a pen.

We got away with one the other day V Everton. Worst I've ever seen us play, ever.

{Ed025's Note - as it turns out Angel i think we are both safe so it did not make that much of a difference mate, but decisions like that can mean the difference between staying up and being relegated, it could cost a manager his job and cost the team on the receiving end millions..

16.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 18:00:28
I hate the expression that contact is contact and the player is ‘entitled to go down’. What a load of bolloxology! Have some pride and fight for the goal. Make the player drag you back rather than ‘feeling contact and the ‘entitlement’ to swallow dive’. He was the same with us, prior to playing for us and hasn’t changed. Pathetic.

17.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 18:09:06
For me it wasn’t a penalty, but that is based on 99% of similar gentle shirt pulls in the area not being given as a penalty. Letter of the Law would say yes, but only if all future pulls will result in penalties. As this won’t happen it wasn’t a penalty, based on what has gone before and will in the future.

18.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 18:10:09
Never a penalty Ed025, but probably not enough to overrule the ref's decision either imo, even with Ashley doing what Ashley does best.

{Ed025's Note - its such a grey area Noucamp, how is the amount of contact defined?, leave that to the ref for me mate, no need for the Stockley park sewer rats to get involved at all..they are just trying to justify their existence..

19.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 19:15:36
I think the fair thing is to consider how we would feel to be on this end of a decision like this.

I thought it was a penalty, young dived sure but if two players are pulling his shirt he’s entitled to “win” a penalty based on our naivety.

We got away with one and most know that to be true.

{Ed025's Note - absolutely UR..

20.) 24 Feb 2025
24 Feb 2025 21:42:36
UR you also need to look at it from the other side too then. Put Garnacho in Youngs place with his shirt being slightly tugged by Branthwaite and then doing the most ridiculously over the top dive seen for some time. How would Everton fans have seen it then? I’m pretty sure they would see it as most of us are now.

It wasn’t enough for him to go down, let alone like he’d been shot. If that penalty is given then 30 a game should be as mentioned above. That will never happen though so neither should this one.