**Official** English Football Season 2023/24

[Skipper Pup]

Has anyone watched the Champions League lately ever? The refereeing is horrible, just one horse**** handball after another.

I watch two games a week and then a handful of knockout games, have for the last 3-4 years. It's much better officiating than the prem. Even if you don't agree with the interpretations at least they are consistent.

I don't think that's even true. We send plenty and I think there's a quota for how many you can send too. If you watch the Champions League, you find English refs popping up all over the place.

I think the refs are ok, but when you ask them to use technology, that's when they come unstuck. It was the same with cricket for a while.

I'd be interested if you have the stats. I recall it being a big deal at the last World Cup cause there was only the 1 English referee. From memory only Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver were involved in last years Champions League. Neither of them had matches after the R16.

 

[Molehill]

I watch two games a week and then a handful of knockout games, have for the last 3-4 years. It's much better officiating than the prem. Even if you don't agree with the interpretations at least they are consistent.

I'd be interested if you have the stats. I recall it being a big deal at the last World Cup cause there was only the 1 English referee. From memory only Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver were involved in last years Champions League. Neither of them had matches after the R16.

I'm not sure they are always consistent, and I wouldn't expect it either, you're always going to get inconsistencies, football is a contentious game. But what you shouldn't get is just basic wrong decisions like Saturday.

English refs are somewhat limited by knockout games in the Champions League when English teams are involved in more than half of them.

 

[Socerer 01]

Anthony Taylor was the ref for the Europa league last season and we all know how well that turned out to be

 

[Molehill]

Anthony Taylor was the ref for the Europa league last season and we all know how well that turned out to be

Thought he did a good job under the circumstances - other than the fact he should've sent off both benches.

 

[GIMH]

If you guys think Prem refs are bad then you mustn't watch the EFL (and why would you)

And if us EFL dwellers think our refs are bad, we should remember how bad they are in the Conference

A Halifax fan assured me that Conference North refs were better than Conference, though, so my sliding scale ends there.

 

[Tom Flint]

My local side are in the isthmian league south. Tbh the refs performances aren't noticeably terrible. I genuinely think there isn't much between them in fact I prefer the way they ref the game as they allow a few more stronger tackles and don't get the card out quickly for getting stuck in. You see a lot less play acting too compared to the prem

 

[GIMH]

My local side are in the isthmian league south. Tbh the refs performances aren't noticeably terrible. I genuinely think there isn't much between them in fact I prefer the way they ref the game as they allow a few more stronger tackles and don't get the card out quickly for getting stuck in. You see a lot less play acting too compared to the prem

Conference is not like this at all sadly. Time wasting is endemic (not sure where they are with with the new injury time guidelines), cynical fouling and diving eschew every stereotype because they are ever-present, especially from the smaller teams.

Also no consistency. It was possibly the worst thing about being down there.

 

[Pothas]

Yeah last time I went to a national league game there was time wasting going on from pretty much the first minute.

 

[Pothas]

On VAR I sort of get used to it when I am watching on TV but whenever I go to a game I am reminded of how utterly terrible it really is. Went yesterday and it was a perfect example. I might just about be able to accept all the delays if they had spotted the absolutely blatant penalty we should have had. It was a keeper committing the foul though so obviously they don't count.

 

[Molehill]

Yeah, I find League 1 bad enough. Pleased to say we got on the right side of some questionable decisions on Saturday, but plenty of times we've not. You just want some consistency, but it's not even close.

 

[Furball]

It begs the question as to why the linesman raised his flag so quickly when they're instructed to leave them down if its close...

He didn't.

 

[Furball]

Anyone wanting Champions League refs obviously hasn't had to endure being refereed by that **** Lahoz. Had the misfortune of attending two games where he reffed, guy is a bellend of the highest order.

Thank **** he's retired.

 

[Molehill]

I see Barca are in trouble for making payments to a ref. I think a certain Champions League game involving them and Chelsea might want a little more investigation under the circumstances.

If Liverpool want to question sporting integrity, suggest they ignore the incompetent buffoons at PGMOL and go after the real crooked cheats.

 

[Aidan11]

Francis Lee, who played for Man City and England in the 60s & 70s hs died aged 79.

I still remember him and Norman Hunter having a right barney on the field and carried on even when they both got sent off.

 

[wpdavid]

Francis Lee, who played for Man City and England in the 60s & 70s hs died aged 79.

I still remember him and Norman Hunter having a right barney on the field and carried on even when they both got sent off.

Yeah, that was in his Derby County days, when they were both old enough to know better. Perhaps most remembered for Barry Davies' 'look at his face' commentary after he banged one in from 20+ yards for Derby. Possibly against City, come to think of it. Vale.

EDIT
Yes, here it is.

 

[Niall]

This was obviously a woeful decision (and what on earth was this refereeing team doing in Saudi Arabia on Thursday night is another question which needs answering), but it's funny that until Liverpool get a tough one, we're all kind of ok with it.

Was it not the UAE?

 

[Skipper Pup]

Anyone wanting Champions League refs obviously hasn't had to endure being refereed by that **** Lahoz. Had the misfortune of attending two games where he reffed, guy is a bellend of the highest order.

Thank **** he's retired.

He was a La Liga ref too. Absolute tosser

 

[Howe_zat]

This headline tickled me


Apparently some people are now just 'the error officials'

 

[sledger]

Lol @ the VAR audio

 

[Pothas]

Keenly waiting for the @Furball thoughts on Lampard.