By Tony Attwood
It was refreshing to hear the Match of the Day commentators be unequivocal in their condemnation of the referee for the Wolverhampton match, although it was a shame that their review, like the BBC radio review before it, failed to pick up on a key point.
When a player makes a mistake – as indeed the referee felt had happened for the sending off of Myles Lewis-Skelly’ – the player suffers by being sent off and then getting a suspension. But what happens when the referee makes an utterly gross and indeed unacceptable mistake – as every single commentator I have heard agrees happened?
Does the referee get suspended as the player would?
Well, as far as I can see the answer is no – nothing whatsoever happens to the referee. He gets to carry on with that match, gets selected again the following week, and keeps his salary. He is not debarred from refereeing several games as a player is debarred from playing when he makes a major mistake. In fact, absolutely nothing happens to him at all.
Now surely one must wonder why this is so. Why, when a player makes a bad tackle, is he a) sent off and b) debarred from playing for three games, when in a situation in which the referee makes an appalling error, nothing happens at all? The referee in fact gets away with his error twice.
First, he carries on refereeing that match, and second, he is not penalised in terms of missing subsequent matches – he just carries on as if nothing had happened.
Thus once again we can see that the prime reason for the existence of PGMO is to protect the referees from this, that and everything else, and to keep PGMO running.
As we have seen, we have referees in the Premier League who virtually never see any home wins but only see draws and away wins. In fact so strong is their anti-home team tendency that the game is hardly worth playing since we know the home team won’t win. We saw exactly this in the draw with Aston Villa. Untold looked at the referee and noted that he virtually never oversees home wins, and lo and behold there was not a home win.
If we look in percentage terms and only include referees who have seen at least 10 Premier League games this season, we find that for Jonathan Moss 64% are home wins. But for Andrew Marriner 69% are away wins. In short, you can have a very clear idea of what the result will be for any match by looking at which referee you have.
This is of course not how it should be, any more than a player such as Lewis Skelly should be sent off for what in every other circumstance in every other match is a yellow card offence.
Now in the question of referees who constantly oversee matches with the same type of result, the answer is easy – they should be withdrawn from the league and have a retraining regime to undergo until such time as they are able to deliver a balanced performance.
But in the case of the sending-off in the Arsenal match this weekend, that decision was so out of order, the referee should be stood down, just as players are forcibly stood down when they are sent off. To allow the current situation to continue would be utterly bonkers.
However it will continue because, well, the PGMO are either utterly bonkers or continuously biased.
Yet it is worse than this. This long-running overall bias of referees which is revealed in the tables of the number of results of a particular type should lead to the clubs withdrawing their support for PGMO and setting up a completely new system.
After all, it is the Premier League that pays PGMO wages, so they need to be the ones acting. If they don’t the question we must be asking is, “why not?”
As we all know, the problem is they are self governing.
From Referees on VAR duty judging referees on the field, to ex referees judging referees they have employed and vouched for.
If Webb endlessly criticises referees, (as he would surely be doing if he were neutral) he would in effect be criticising himself, as it is he that oversees their appointment and ‘a hem’ their training.
Then we have ex referees judging their mates, employed by SKY Sports, who most certainly have a vested interest in maintaining the idea that the Premier League is ‘the best in the World’, so by definition cannot possibly have a bunch of incompetent imbeciles running and refereeing the game.
And as we see today, the PGMOL are already doubling down in their support of the officials, claiming the tackle was ‘high and extremely late’. Really?
It was a trip. Cynical a well deserving of a yellow. But high and extremely late? What a joke.
Not only is there zero hope of any reprimand for any of the officials, I believe one, Darren England, is again already on VAR duty today.
Despite all todays criticism, tomorrow we will witness the whitewash on SKY in it’s full glory.
Tony,
“why not?” indeed. I’ve asked the question here several times. If the playing field is not level, then: Which clubs or individuals benefit? Which clubs or individuals have influence in the Premier League? Points lost in the league equates to revenue lost at season’s end. The smaller clubs would certainly be financially strapped by losing a place or two in the table because of dodgy officiating. For the bigger clubs it is Europe and recruitment that are most affected. Or, in Arsenal’s case, the Title. I’m not saying the money is insignificant but bigger clubs are better able to handle a dip in revenue. The Public doesn’t know if clubs are complaining about the PGMOL. They don’t release statements and the press doesn’t cover it. I don’t know how this is acceptable in the best league in the biggest sport in the world. As I asked earlier, which clubs or individuals benefit? Certainly not AFC.
Arsenal won the three points yesterday despite the Red. However, for a squad stretched thin by injury and illness, the three game suspension will further hurt the cause. Isn’t that the point. Defenders of Oliver and the refs claim he sent off a Wolves player as well. But the call was a 2nd yellow for a foul more cynical tackle Lewis-Skelly’s. One game suspension instead of three. And Oliver will continue along undaunted. And AFC will see Mr. Oliver again this season I’m sure. When he can inflict the most damage.
Sorry but this must be one of the dimmest articles I have ever read. I don’t like this ref but to start banning refs for mistakes is beyond stupid. As is comparing stats re outcomes of ref matches.
Being such a slave to statistics is facile and ignorant
Test
Sky has now focussed in on the PGMOL statement that Oliver and his family have been threatened, with the matter being reported to the police.
Clearly, any such threats cannot be justified or condoned, but it is notable that the statement has given Redknapp and Carragher the excuse to condemn all criticism of referee decisions, and to offer gushing opinions about how Oliver is the best referee in England etc. etc.
The likelihood is that it will be insinuated that Arsenal supporters are at fault, with the implication that the club should disown any complaint and refrain from appealing the decision.
It is quite nauseating
John L
Yep, saw it on line.(I tried to post something earlier but it didn’t go up. I think because it had a link)
Almost every comment condemns Oliver, the PGMOL and SKY as a joke.
The theme was, if the referees and the PGMOL were not so incompetent and could at least be held to account maybe people wouldn’t get quite so wound up.
It doesn’t make it right but they all have to take some responsibility for the dire standards we have to tolerate, and SKY constantly supporting them, along with many other sections of the media, simply makes matters worse.
I said SKY would turn this on it’s head and that is exactly what they have started to do.
Mark my words, by tomorrow afternoon it will be all Arsenals fault.
John L
In fact as you will see at the bottom of the comment I posted at 6.39 I had already said it would happen:
“Despite all todays criticism, tomorrow we will witness the whitewash on SKY in it’s full glory.”
Didn’t think it would start today, but hey, that’s SKY for you. All bought and paid for by the PGMOL
Hearing Gallagher turning himself inside out to justify Olivers decision should be hilarious.
i see the media have fallen out of supporting spurs.
So we are weakened again by the PGMOL as we go into two matches of great importance. Obviously Man City but also the second match against Newcastle which just happens to be Oliver’s confessed club. Thus reducing the already small chance that we have of getting to Wembley.
Of course Webb would be well aware of the situation just as he was when he put Gillett on Var for Saliba’s red card prior to Gillett’s Liverpool team .
Just too many coincidences for it to be complacency.
I think Andrew that two things have always been apparent from your comments. One is you don’t like Untold Arsenal and one is you don’t like statistics. Now most people, and I think all normal people, would then stop reading Untold Arsenal. To carry on reading and indeed commenting is weird. We are just about the only football site that does focus strongly on statistics in regard to referees – even though they are published, so you have plenty of other places to go. And yet you persist in coming here. That is weird.
Why do those PIGMOB refs hate us so ? Who is to blame for all their undisguised hatred ?
1. Arsene Wenger ?
2, Piers Morgan ?
3. The present PM ?
4. The former Labour leader ?
5. Others ? eg . Untolders ? Former Arsenal players ? Former players of other clubs ?
What manner of punishment should be meeted out to these crooks ?
1. Tar and feathering
2, The stocks , and rotten fruits ?
3. Lashing with cat o’nine tails ?
4. Jail time ?
5. Others …….( use you imagination !)
Season ticket at MAn Utd?