Dogawful Officiating

[Boey_Jarton]

1 hour ago, KingArthur said:

 

You don't get it.

I am taking stuff that has happened in the past, to prove people have selective memory when it comes to fouls. Every football fan thinks ref is against their team and bent and corrupt. It is just boring thing to use as an excuse.
 

You can think refs are not systematically corrupt whilst also thinking yesterday's game was poorly refereed and cost us a win.

 

The Schar incident is fair to call out, as on balance I think it's a penalty,  but EPL refs consistently enforce the rule that you can clatter the attacker once they shoot wide. The Gordon decision simply lacks any mitigation and is baffling. 

[Interpolic]

4 hours ago, KingArthur said:

It all evens out in the long term

 

I hate this phrase re refereeing. It clearly doesn't. It would be the world's biggest coincidence if it did. 

 

Wolves got about 10 outrageous decisions against them a couple of seasons back, did they then get 10 such decisions in their favour?

 

No, because these things don't magically even themselves out. It's a cop-out that excuses bad decisions to say that they do. 

[gbandit]

It’s an utter garbage phrase used because everyone gets bad and good decisions. However, there is an incredible inequality to the volume of good and bad decisions so almost everything in football and in life “never evens out”. Some people get absolutely fucked over in their lives from day one with unlucky events and some people breeze through from day one with lucky events. It doesn’t even out 

[Interpolic]

3 minutes ago, gbandit said:

It’s an utter garbage phrase used because everyone gets bad and good decisions. However, there is an incredible inequality to the volume of good and bad decisions so almost everything in football and in life “never evens out”. Some people get absolutely fucked over in their lives from day one with unlucky events and some people breeze through from day one with lucky events. It doesn’t even out 

 

 

To think refs aren't affected by the pressure exerted on them is beyond naive as well. Make an awful call against Wolves and nobody gives a fuck, do the same against Liverpool and you're at the centre of a national inquest for many weeks. That's without the natural human biases that are undoubtedly there too. 

[KingArthur]

31 minutes ago, Boey_Jarton said:

You can think refs are not systematically corrupt whilst also thinking yesterday's game was poorly refereed and cost us a win.

 

The Schar incident is fair to call out, as on balance I think it's a penalty,  but EPL refs consistently enforce the rule that you can clatter the attacker once they shoot wide. The Gordon decision simply lacks any mitigation and is baffling. 

I agree refs make mistakes. But they are not always in favor of other teams. People say yesterday was ”worst refereeing ever” when couple years ago when won v Arsenal 1-0, there were 2 red cards not shown that should have. But we won so no one cares anymore. 

[KingArthur]

15 minutes ago, Interpolic said:

 

I hate this phrase re refereeing. It clearly doesn't. It would be the world's biggest coincidence if it did. 

 

Wolves got about 10 outrageous decisions against them a couple of seasons back, did they then get 10 such decisions in their favour?

 

No, because these things don't magically even themselves out. It's a cop-out that excuses bad decisions to say that they do. 

They didnt, but most likely in the last 50 years they have had outrageous decisions going in their favor. 
 

Especially with VAR the home advantage / home refereeing of bigger teams is not so meaningful anymore. VAR makes it easier to give penalty at OT etc. 

[GEFAFWISP]

3 minutes ago, KingArthur said:

They didnt, but most likely in the last 50 years they have had outrageous decisions going in their favor. 
 

Especially with VAR the home advantage / home refereeing of bigger teams is not so meaningful anymore. VAR makes it easier to give penalty at OT etc. 

This is a new low for human cognition.

[KingArthur]

23 minutes ago, gbandit said:

It’s an utter garbage phrase used because everyone gets bad and good decisions. However, there is an incredible inequality to the volume of good and bad decisions so almost everything in football and in life “never evens out”. Some people get absolutely fucked over in their lives from day one with unlucky events and some people breeze through from day one with lucky events. It doesn’t even out 

Ok lets say it doesnt even out. 
 

Which are the teams benefiting from this injustice?

 

Cause whichever fan forum I look into, they think THEIR team is being shafted by the ref. Liverpool and Arsenal fans are the worst in that. But here people are saying bigger teams are the ones getting the decisions. To my knowledge it is always other teams and especially the ones you hate/your rivals that ref likes
 

Aston Villa got a horrible decision that cost them millions last season. I think their fans think we always get the calls etc. 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by KingArthur

[KingArthur]

1 minute ago, GEFAFWISP said:

This is a new low for human cognition.

It really isnt. If there is no conspiracy against any team, then mistakes will even out in the long term. Of course those teams that attack more get more penalties etc. For example we have been getting more calls under Howe than under Bruce I would guess. Some of them clearly wrong, but that happens. 

[Begbie]

Think they need to check Peter Banks accounts and garden, and have a check where he reives the money from. Noone cant be as bad and inconsistent as he is unless he has a weird diagnose..

 

[GEFAFWISP]

1 minute ago, KingArthur said:

It really isnt. If there is no conspiracy against any team, then mistakes will even out in the long term. Of course those teams that attack more get more penalties etc. For example we have been getting more calls under Howe than under Bruce I would guess. Some of them clearly wrong, but that happens. 

Yikes. All injustice is equalised eventually so crack on...

 

We are Newcastle fans on a Newcastle forum. Might be a good reason as to why generally there's a focus on Newcastle, mad idea I know but I couldn't give a fuck about Arsenal or Liverpool and external trends when directly talking directly about a direct impact of a decision made in one game.

[duo]

Just re-watched the pull on Barnes by James - thought first time it was a foul, even more convinced re-watching it.  Absolutely incompetent the refs in our league.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by duo

[Craig]

For me it's not the VAR decision that was the problem yesterday, we were so dominant and then for some reason the referee decided to suddenly give everything to them, it felt unbelievable fixed, commentators were saying how do Chelsea get back into this game as we were outplaying them completely, then suddenly every time there was any contact they got a freekick while the referee waved away everything that should have gone our way. If the challenge on Palmer was a freekick we should have had at least 3 penalties, no wonder Barnes was throwing himself to the ground so much, the referee had been given free kicks to Chelsea all game for similar. I'm at the point where there is little doubt in my mind referees are deciding to influence games, who knows why and for what reason but no one can convince me otherwise. If Chelsea had done something to get back into that game, then oh well that's football, but they didn't, they were handed it. I'm done with it, this and the number of games being played is too much for me. I'm taking a break from football, who knows if I'll be assed to watch a game again.

Who would have thought it I'ld make it through the Mike Ashley era for this to break me. Controversy and constant noise gets views and clicks, but not mine anymore.

 

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by Craig

[gbandit]

7 minutes ago, KingArthur said:

Ok lets say it doesnt even out. 
 

Which are the teams benefiting from this injustice?

 

Cause whichever fan forum I look into, they think THEIR team is being shafted by the ref. Liverpool and Arsenal fans are the worst in that. But here people are saying bigger teams are the ones getting the decisions. To my knowledge it is always other teams and especially the ones you hate/your rivals that ref likes
 

Aston Villa got a horrible decision that cost them millions last season. I think their fans think we always get the calls etc. 

 

 

 

Honestly man, you’re not helping yourself. Liverpool and Man United have historically got more biased decisions in their favour than any other club, by a significant margin. As IP says, this is likely down to the massive media scrutiny for these clubs and power that the cartel clubs hold over the league. Referees will feel a conscious or sub-conscious desire to not make decisions that are controversial against those clubs because it means they’ll be hauled over the coals more. You screw over a Wolves or a Brentford or a Burnley and there’s no media focus and no power from those clubs. This is simple stuff man 

[KingArthur]

Just now, GEFAFWISP said:

Yikes. All injustice is equalised eventually so crack on...

 

We are Newcastle fans on a Newcastle forum. Might be a good reason as to why generally there's a focus on Newcastle, mad idea I know but I couldn't give a fuck about Arsenal or Liverpool and external trends when directly talking directly about a direct impact of a decision made in one game.

Yea, I know where we are. Mad idea that other teams fans think exactly like people here, that ref is bent against their team when they dont win? 
 

In football, I think we get wrong decisions that benefit us and ones that cost us. Because that happens constantly and refs make a lot of mistakes, it is pretty much the norm nowadays. So I think saying ”we lost bc of the ref” when we miss 3-4 good chances is not very smart. 
 

In life in general, injustice doesnt even out. 

[duo]

VAR is the problem as they can use it to manipulate results to suit them.  With no accountability.  

 

For example:

 

Xavi's tackle on VVD is the mirror of Garnacho on Ramsey. 

 

Only Difference - one was to a Liverpool player. 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by duo

[GEFAFWISP]

1 minute ago, KingArthur said:

Yea, I know where we are. Mad idea that other teams fans think exactly like people here, that ref is bent against their team when they dont win? 
 

In football, I think we get wrong decisions that benefit us and ones that cost us. Because that happens constantly and refs make a lot of mistakes, it is pretty much the norm nowadays. So I think saying ”we lost bc of the ref” when we miss 3-4 good chances is not very smart. 
 

In life in general, injustice doesnt even out. 

That ignores context and game state, even if so e of the chances should've been converted you can point to many smaller and large decisions that were poor during the game, this does happen to other teams, but it did happen to Newcastle yesterday specifically.

 

In football in general, injustice doesn't even out.

 

Systems are imbalanced and chaotic, football isn't any different. Also haves and have nots exist. That dubious pen Wolves got 60 years ago sorts it all out though.

[KingArthur]

2 minutes ago, gbandit said:

Honestly man, you’re not helping yourself. Liverpool and Man United have historically got more biased decisions in their favour than any other club, by a significant margin. As IP says, this is likely down to the massive media scrutiny for these clubs and power that the cartel clubs hold over the league. Referees will feel a conscious or sub-conscious desire to not make decisions that are controversial against those clubs because it means they’ll be hauled over the coals more. You screw over a Wolves or a Brentford or a Burnley and there’s no media focus and no power from those clubs. This is simple stuff man 

Honestly you are missing the point. I dont care if Liverpool or Man United have factually gotten decisions. It is the feeling in EVERY fan base that THEIR team is being shafted by ref. 
 

Yesterday I listened to few Chelsea fans complaining how ref didnt give them anything. Here I read that ref was giving them every call. It is just getting boring that when your team doesnt win, blame the ref. 

[jonny1403]

6 minutes ago, duo said:

Just re-watched the pull on Barnes by James - thought first time it was a foul, even more convinced re-watching it.  Absolutely incompetent the refs in our league.

 

 

 

I struggle to care about this one tbh. It was in the 90th minute and wouldn’t have been a pen. It would have had no

impact on the result 

[gbandit]

1 minute ago, KingArthur said:

Honestly you are missing the point. I dont care if Liverpool or Man United have factually gotten decisions. It is the feeling in EVERY fan base that THEIR team is being shafted by ref. 
 

Yesterday I listened to few Chelsea fans complaining how ref didnt give them anything. Here I read that ref was giving them every call. It is just getting boring that when your team doesnt win, blame the ref. 

There’s a Chelsea fan that’s posted on our board saying they massively got away with the penalty call on Gordon. 90%+ of football fans know that’s a penalty. Just give yourself a rest, it’s a Sunday. Have a Fårikål and a Lapskaus and call it quits 

[Smal]

just seen Ballard’s tackle on MOTD that was only given a yellow

 

the officials in this country are absolutely hopeless

[KingArthur]

4 minutes ago, GEFAFWISP said:

That ignores context and game state, even if so e of the chances should've been converted you can point to many smaller and large decisions that were poor during the game, this does happen to other teams, but it did happen to Newcastle yesterday specifically.

 

In football in general, injustice doesn't even out.

 

Systems are imbalanced and chaotic, football isn't any different. Also haves and have nots exist. That dubious pen Wolves got 60 years ago sorts it all out though.

Fans being biased is a fact though? So when we here write we are being done by refs you accept that it is quite biased opinion? Yesterday might be done by them, and some other game decisions went in our favour. Like this season already. 
 

There are million mistakes done in a game. ManU (IIRC) a while back scored from a corner that wasnt a corner. Refs fault? Well it is easier to blame him than say we defended the corner poorly. 
 

And for me, mistakes even out cause I have seen us getting ridiculous red cards and many times red cards or penalties not given against us for some reason. 
 

Because every team complains about the ref, except the one who is winning the title. They always think ref was ok. 

[Hanshithispantz]

 

 

[Interpolic]

13 minutes ago, Craig said:

For me it's not the VAR decision that was the problem yesterday, we were so dominant and then for some reason the referee decided to suddenly give everything to them, it felt unbelievable fixed, commentators were saying how do Chelsea get back into this game as we were outplaying them completely, then suddenly every time there was any contact they got a freekick while the referee waved away everything that should have gone our way.

 

 often the focus is naturally on the big decisions but when the ref starts giving all of the marginal decisions one way then that is a major disadvantage for the other side. Can completely change the flow of the game. 

 

These "small" marginal decisions being repeatedly given one way are an even worse example of bias imo as the ref can do that in the knowledge he will likely face zero scrutiny for it. 

 

That's what the ref was doing yesterday, judging the decisions with my own eyes so I can only put that down to some bias at play or otherwise a total lack of competence, or a bit of both. 

[Interpolic]

8 minutes ago, KingArthur said:

And for me, mistakes even out cause I have seen us getting ridiculous red cards and many times red cards or penalties not given against us for some reason. 

 

Do you keep a tally chart somewhere, otherwise I can't understand your confidence that the decisions even out exactly for every side in world football?