The Ref and Cort's injury

[Lakeland Potter]

I've been watching football for over 50 years and tonight was the first time I can remember seeing a player injured badly enough to be taken off on a stretcher where the ref has not even bothered to come over to see how he is. I don't think the ref could even be arsed to walk over the halfway line so, basically, he never got within 40 yards of the injured Cort. He seemed far more interested in making sure he kept an eye on the spot where a Preston freekick was to be taken at the restart.

I hope the ref's assessor took note of this because the bloke should never ref a match at this level again.

PS - any news on Cort's injury? Looked like a break or a dislocated ankle to me. I hope it wasn't as bad as it looked.

[bayernoatcake]

That was a disgrace! Had me fuming. I liked the incident where Chris Brown caught the ball and a foul was given after he caught the ball. Surely that's handball?

[Davef]

Absolutely agree. One of the most shameful things I've seen in over 30 years watching football.

Not one Stoke player shook his hand at the end of the game as well.

Good on them for that.

[Admin]

I've already posted this on another thread... but I feel so strongly about it...

There is no point whatsoever in trying to blame the referee for tonight's defeat. We handed a poor team a two goal lead and then we squandered enough clear-cut chances to win TWO games. We have no one to blame but ourselves - though it was just one of those nights.

However, that does not excuse this utterly incompetent and cheating referee from getting it with both barrels. He was disgraceful from start to finish and it is hard to recall such a shocking display of officiating from one man in one game.

His refusal to send off the player who was already on a yellow card and who cynically scythed down Ricardo Fuller just before half-time was shameful cowardice at best and, it has to be said, cheating at worst. He KNEW he had top send the player off but he didn't do it. Of course, the referee showed no such leniency to ANY Stoke player who committed a similar foul in the second half!

Even worse though was leaving a clearly injured Leon Cort to writhe in agony while he allowed the game to continue. This from the same referee who earlier in the game stopped a Stoke attack so that a Preston player, who was sitting up and not looing too distressed, could receive treatment.

Even as BOTH sets of physios administered treatment and the stretcher was called for, this disgusting excuse for a referee stood 70 yards away and made no attempt to see if Cort was okay - the bloke could have been fighting for his life and this prick wouldn't have cared! Even as Cort was stretchered off he couldn't walk a few yards to see how he was.

The referee is simply beneath contempt.

[r10ryx]

we never get refs that r any gd...

[fishty]

I suspect he didn't fancy the abuse he would have inevitably got from the Stokies. Dumbfounding bit of refereeing.

[mountain1863]

alot of the ref's actions tonight got on my tits....that for one bayern i saw that two he awarded himself the freekick in my eyes ref blew after the tackle that fuller got clattered in the far corner 2nd half fuller got clattered first half their players made some harsh challenges from behind with no reprocushions stoke made some sloppy tackles and got booked.....shame we have to blame our missed chances for the loss tho.....even though the ref was a big factor in the outcome....

[mumf14]

Fornside.....We should all email the F.A and seek clarification on what a ref is supposed to do.

Then explain what happened...

[mountain1863]

smudge ya got there before i did echo all those thoughts above....literally

[Lakeland Potter]

Smudge the Preston player for whom the ref stopped play was not sitting up he was on his feet - but crouched with bent knees - it should have been obvious to everyone in the stadium that he was not seriously injured. But the cretin with the whistle just had to blow up so our attack was stifled.

You get used to incompetant refs but this was the worst I have seen for a long while - certainly the worst since Hall in the game against Coventry at the Brit.

[frosty]

any news on cort yet?

[bayernoatcake]

He was totally inept-I'd love to see what the refereeing assesor has written and if he agrees. Only to see if us (the fans) are singing of the same hymn sheet as to what a complete jobs worth of a referee is.

[Davef]

mumf

Technically I believe the referee is well within his rights to do what that official did tonight, but it should be the decent thing to do for the referee to go over and enquire about the well being of a player, especially in Leon's case where he was clearly injured, seriously enough in fact for the game to be stopped for some five minutes and then to be stretchered off.

The arsehole couldn't get over to Calum Davidson quick enough could he, so what excuse could he possibly have for not showing similar concern to Leon Cort?

The reason is clear. He knew he'd fucked up and didn't have the balls to come down to that end of the pitch because he knew full well that he'd incur the wrath of the Stoke support.

He's nothing more than a spineless coward.

[TheWiseMaster]

One of the worst refereeing performances I have ever seen

Unforgivable how he left Cort to lie unattended - I will be emailing the referees panel

I have to say also that not too many of Cort's colleagues made much of an effort to check on his welfare? ???

[mountain1863]

porkin came over when he came on thats the only player i saw....

[Deleted]

It's the dumbfuck FA's incompetence for putting a very inexperienced man in charge on night when there were no Prem games why did this happen?

[bayernoatcake]

They had to play on! And after I guess You just leave the physio to it but when he was on the stretcher they should of gone up to him imo.

[mumf14]

Well ....If there was a video of this incident I suggest that the club send a soddin copy of it to Lancaster gate and get this prick demoted to non-league football as soon as possible.

[Deleted]

To be honest mumf he stepped up from non league and I guess he has to learn but I am sure the Stoke match of all matches tonight needed a more experienced ref? Though as suggested by others its no excuse for our inability to find the net tonight or even defend set pieces of which you would of thought a TP team could do blind folded.

[mark71]

I can't believe what I saw tonight. He made Rob Styles look competent.

[Pretty Little Boother]

What was the ref's name?

[Deleted]

Michael Oliver from Northumberland.

I think he must have been bullied at school

[r10ryx]

he's goin to get bullied now... by all us stokies... lets go track him down

[slangking]

I hope the football league will look closely at this game and the flood of money on Preston to win it prior to it, it is all too much of a co-incidence, Preston were being bet on like they couldn't lose on Betfair, odds well underneath those being offered by bookmakers, as regular bookmakers soon cotton on to scams such as this and limit bets there is UNDOUBTEDLY something extremely fishy about this match.

[Morganghost]

Im absolutely disgusted by the ref's performance last night, the way he 'lingered' round the Preston players whille Cort lay there for a good 5 minutes, i wouldnt be suprised if there was something fishy going on there, also no scoreboard at Deepdale, no indication of injury time at the end of the second half.

[FullerMagic]

Appointing a 22-year old , wet behind the ears ref in a fiery Championship game.

Absolutely disgraceful

[knowles]

It was indeed a disgrace the way the 'treated' Cort. He was obviously in a lot of pain yet the ref paid no attention.

As you have all mentioned when Davidson was crouching and Fuller was going on one of his runs along the touchline, the ref stopped play.

It appeared as though Fuller was brought down in the area at the end of the first half (although Fuller's antics hardly encourage a ref to help him out!)

When Fuller was brought down on the half way line it was a clear bookable offence, whereas Whelan challenges in the air for a ball and gets booked. There was another bad challenge in the second half by a Preston player (on Pugh?!) which also deserved a booking

It was a woeful display, although where were our players to look after Cort's welfare? Only Parkin trotted over to the stretcher and patted him.

Fair play to the PNE physios who helped out Dave in attending him.

Fingers crossed the scans today are positive!

[richardparker]

It's nearly all been said about the ref, apart from his part in a betting scandal.
If he was part of one, then the Stoke attack was in on it too, for the number of chances they squandered!
The stretcher people took an eternity to get on there to get Leon off the pitch. Were they waiting to be called on by the Ref or were they completely incompetent too. What galled me more than anything though was that after 10 or so minutes of lying there and then being carried off, no one thought to put a blanket over him. That's basic First Aid that even the unintelligent should be able to grasp.

[GeordieDave]

Agree. An act of cowardice. Simple as that. He didnt fancy being within chucking/spitting/shouting distance of 2000 angry Stokies.

[RAF]

Betting Scam?
That just makes us sound like a bunch of sore losing wankers.
As said above Lawrence, Sidebe et al would have had to be in on it aswell.

H ???