Big Decisions

[saif]

abigsmurf, I know you are a chelsea fan and this is now off-topic as it was a few years ago but....
The Luis Garcia goal was given cos the ref thought it went over the line (as do all but Chelsea fans). If the ref had not given it (and the ref said so himself) he would have given a penalty and sent Cech (who had just Schumachered Baros) a red card.

This time, Gerrard and Benitez did not say Chelsea cheated, they lambasted Styles (again as has everyone except Chelsea fans) for some awful decisions and it would be quite difficult for the FA to slap either with disrepute charges as a) they have not said that much really and b) EVERYONE, including the FA and Styles has said that a huge cock up has been made!
Anfirld IS an intimidating ground - that is due to the fans - not the players harrassing the ref (although they do - just not as much as certain other teams).

Sorry abigsmurf, but what exactly should Gerrard do? The "good chance" had been cleared and then the ref blew. He probably should not have done but they were hardly bearing down on goal?!

[parkinho]

Poor decision cost Liverpool 2 points yesterday, but Benitez didn't seem too upset the week before when a poor decision helped them beat Villa. Or what about last season when they got a pen away at Shef Utd?

I have read a lot over the last few days advocating the use of technology to aid/replace officials in some instances, and for me I would definitely be in favour of goal-line technology in the near future. It would only take a matter of seconds to see whether or not the ball has crossed the line and with current equipment there can be no doubt as to the correct decision.

On the bright side, at least Styles gave us plenty to talk about. Without him the only thing to talk about would be another dire match between Liverpool and Chelsea....

[hudson]

the only thing to talk about would be another dire match between Liverpool and Chelsea....

or how Tevez missed a sitter from 4 inches

[abigsmurf]

This time, Gerrard and Benitez did not say Chelsea cheated, they lambasted Styles (again as has everyone except Chelsea fans) for some awful decisions and it would be quite difficult for the FA to slap either with disrepute charges as a) they have not said that much really and b) EVERYONE, including the FA and Styles has said that a huge cock up has been made!
Anfirld IS an intimidating ground - that is due to the fans - not the players harrassing the ref (although they do - just not as much as certain other teams).

Sorry abigsmurf, but what exactly should Gerrard do? The "good chance" had been cleared and then the ref blew. He probably should not have done but they were hardly bearing down on goal?!

The cheated thing I got from a sensationalist headline in some free london paper but he did imply Chelsea were the ones to blame: "I felt as if the referee didn't play well today. There was a lot of pressure from Chelsea players and, eventually, he cracked."

[saif]

Off Topic
Implied. He is entitled to say that as all except Chelsea fans (see a common thred here?) think that the Chelsea team are doing exactly what Kean'e Man Utd made their own skill a few years back by constantly (and that is the important word) going to the ref.Something a hardcore element of the fans also do which is why they forced the retirement of a top euro ref after he (fairly) sent a Chelsea player off.

I have defended Chelsea a lot in my time as I think that a lot of people give them a lot of stick for no real reason and the fact that most of their "flaws" are hardly unique to them. In this case, even the Chelsea players have said they were very lucky.

[abigsmurf]

I'm sure he quit because of a death threat (these aren't uncommon, refs aren't liked much) and not because of a certain match fixing scandal that was going on at this time. There was no way he could've seen what drogba did from where he was and he was perfectly entitled to go for a ball that wasn't in the keeper's hands.

After he quit it was revealed that there WAS a conversation between Anders Frisk and Rijkaard.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/4420769.stm

[saif]

I don't follow Chelsea so I don't know how common death threats are

This is all off-topic now so we may as well stop the chat here as the "big decision" has been discussed.

Cheers, Saif.

[saif]

Chelsea goal - no quotes. It wa clearly onside!
Scholes second yellow - he should have got sent off. Simple as. You can't caution someone and THEN talk to him.
Ronaldo dive - good decision. These things need to happen more.
Anymore?

[toythatkills]

Chelsea goal - no quotes. It wa clearly onside!
Scholes second yellow - he should have got sent off. Simple as. You can't caution someone and THEN talk to him.

Chelseas goal, yeah, definately onside. It can only have been given offside because the assistant referee isn't actually familiar with the offside rule. It would have looked offside to anyone that didn't know the rule inside out (Mark Hughes, I noticed, fell into that trap), but you'd expect a bloody linesman to!

Scholes, warning was fair enough, I thought. He was booked for punching the ball away wasn't he? So warning him after a foul seemed OK to me.

[Rossco]

You can warn people as much as you want until they commit a foul thats worthy of a booking.

[saif]

A booking is a caution. In my opinion, that means don't **** about again. He then was late (from behind) which was worthy of a booking.

I am shocked that any football pro would think that Chelsea one was offside. He was so obviously behind the ball - that is not even a new element to it but one of the very basic principles of offside.

[Rossco]

Yeh it means dont **** about as if you do anything thats in the referee's opinion to be worthy of a yellow again then you'll get it, and subsequently a red too. So obviously the ref didn't deem it to be worth another booking.

[abigsmurf]

Scholes has been getting away with poor tackles for ages. He's dangerous and refs should be harsher on him. It annoys me when Andy Gray goes "ho ho ho thats our boy scholes for you" when he does the kind of tackles that can end careers.

[saif]

It is true. He has a media reputation at odds with the rep he seems to have with most fans of the game. It seems that people do not regularly spot the fact he is late AND dirty.

[abigsmurf]

Ferguson is complaining that Ronaldo is being targeted by refs now. TBH he's got away with lots in the past season and it seems they're not being blinkered by his 'beautiful' football now. His habbit of going down whenever someone wins the ball off of him when he does his famous stepover is annoying.