Respect the ref, only when they respect everyone.

[ted1965]

It seems sometimes you don’t get what you deserve and today was a perfect example we deserved at least a point and while we came out on the wrong side of the result we certainly can take a lot from today. Though once again today proved that referees do and always will favour certain clubs and the respect the ref campaign would hold up a lot better if referees actually officiated games in an even handed way.

We are constantly told they want to take the cheating out of football well they could start by taking the star struck referees out of the game those officials who are so terrified of the backlash from the likes of Ferguson and his media friends if they actually referee games on what they see and not on what they are supposed to ignore simply to keep themselves from being lambasted by the managers of the big clubs.

We put everything into it today, got at United from the off and should have scored within the first few minutes. We harried and closed them down and never allowed them to settle as we had at Old Trafford. Though it seemed no matter what we did the referee was determined to protect them from our rugged approach, why there wasn’t one really bad foul in the game we played hard but fair. That is how football should be played, it’s meant to be a mans game and yet the prima donnas reacted to tackles like it was illegal for anyone to actually contest a ball with them. Rooney threw out an elbow, which had it been Fuller I guarantee he would have been walking down the tunnel in disgrace but because it’s Rooney the efficacies conveniently turned their heads and hoped it wouldn’t be mentioned again. Ronaldo petulantly lashes out and is he punished as he should be for such behaviour, no of course not had it been a player in red and white the card would have given the referee scorch marks on his pocket in his haste to get it out.

I can take losing, it’s part of football and today was a game I thought we’d lose but when you walk away believing that refereeing decisions or his lack of balls to make the right ones costs you something where the side have put everything in and got scant reward for a superb effort it sticks in the throat and gives the respect the ref campaign another afternoon where you simply wince and say respect him I would rather hang him from the goalposts.

Well done lads you gave it your all and we deserved something and but for another gutless referee we would have got something.

[tazi]

I'm just worried that this result will deflate those brave souls that were deserving of a point.

Draw today and it's heads up, lose and i fear the opposite.

I truly hope those lads come out with even more heart and determination against West Ham.

[fradleyhomes]

Spot on, the refs are worse in the prem league than in the championship,why?
Because of teams such as L'pool and Manure, they intimidate refs and the refs are scared.

Refs in this league deserve NO RESPECT

[GazMcNicol]

Can't help but feel so dis-heartened about this.
I'm generally enjoying our time in the prem, but days like this with the piss-poor refs display just make me wish (in a way) that we weren't here.

[BristolMick]

The thing is it is hard enough for the smaller clubs to beat the big cash rich glamour corporations without refereeing bias.

If the FA had any balls (pissing in the wind then!) one of the things that they would say to referees at the start of every season would be that they would be watching every game for inconsistencies that favour the big clubs. They would compare fouls awarded against fouls not awarded, bookings given against bookings not given, and if any bias in favour of the big clubs was discovered...in other words any referees were found to be "star struck"..they would be suspended from refereeing for 12 months.

Based on our FA's track record I wouldn't mind betting that there is such a directive already out there but it is the exact reverse of this!

BM

[bunnyscfc]

I don't often say this as I' ref quite a few games meself. But sorry, Chris Foy is simply a cheat. I don't need bad language to describe this man, as the word cheat is summat I feel that in sport, is the ultimate putdown.

Notice how for EVERY single decision he was right on the spot. geat positioning throughout - Ronaldo's kick, the Rooney elbow, and the worst 2 of all: the imaginary free kick on half time to them on the edge of our box and Fuller's non-collision with VD Sar - he was right on top of them all.

So, he's either blind, which he clearly isn't, or either wholly incompetent. Well, he isn't, as he obviously is clued-up enough to get himself right on top of where the action is.

Thus, if he isn't incompetent he must be a cheat. And if the FA do not hand out red post-match reds to Ronaldo and Rooney, so are they, too.

[powchirper]

Stoke player questions a decision=booking
shit player screams his disgust at a decision=explanation why it was given

I am watching it again now on ff and getting more and more wound up as the match goes on, this man cheated us today plain and simple.

The Rooney incident beggars belief as the liner and ref were within spitting distance of the assault.

[AlliG]

On the way out I commented that to have had a chance today, we needed the referee to at least show the pretence of neutrality.

There is absolutely no doubt that if the positions had been reversed, the red cards would have been out for Wilko and Faye while the ref was still running towards the incidents. Yet because it was Ronaldo and Rooney, the referee did a "Wenger".

I also find it unbelievable that Rooney can subject the referee to 90 minutes of foul mouthed abuse with apparent impunity. Perhaps Ric could ask him for lessons in how to give the ref a hard time withoout getting booked.

[apb1]

Dec 26, 2008 22:58:07 GMT @powchirper said:

Stoke player questions a decision=booking
shit player screams his disgust at a decision=explanation why it was given

Nail on head

[Northy]

Respect is earned, not ordered to be given by a bunch of men behind a desk.
Foy is too jelly spined to ref a game with a top 4 club involved.

[sidibegoalmachine]

is there anywhere i can make a complaint?