This Weekend's Fixtures & Watford v Chelsea

[Letters]

Add to the fact that Officials are completely untouchable and unaccountable for their 'mistakes'. They can never be questioned or called upon to explain themselves, yes they get 'demoted' to the championship, but it's only one official every couple of years, it's all for show, otherwise we would only have half the amount of officials left every season!

That

There are very few other jobs where there is zero accountability or consequence for incompetence (well, the Public Sector maybe...)
HCZ's point about refereeing not getting worse, just being under more scrutiny. There is something in that but the officiating sure as hell hasn't got better, what's the point of them being professionals if they're not any better than they were when they were amateurs?

[Globalgunner]

Breaking news

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42943628

Medicine after death...but will they pass it forward?. Seems the refs dont even know how to apply their own rules.

[Globalgunner]

......and this
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/42942808.

The berk doesnt even realise that he is only exposing himself. The rules dont say"If you feel any contact while in the box, you are okay to take a dive"

These morons are sure as hell going to embarrass themselves squarely at the WC. It goes to show that at Tottenham they are being trained to go down in the box.

[Niall_Quinn]

Neither do the rules state if there's contact it's a penalty. Mere contact counts for nothing, it has to be a foul for a penalty to be given. Not even obstruction in the box gets a penalty -
so why does mere contact warrant one? After the Lamela outrage are we going to see crickets scores as a result of strikers just running into defenders and leaping into the air? No -
it won't happen. So why was that penalty awarded? But the refs, of all people, don't seem to know the rules.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Wazza is in the studio for MNF.

[Globalgunner]

Moss is a berk and should be struck off. initially he waved off the pen. After discussing with the linesman, he still wasnt sure that Lovren did touch the ball. However, he decides to give the pen anyway, even when he is NOT sure. A pen that he initially did not want to give. Pure pubbery....or corruption.

Same thing with the 2nd pen. initially he waved it away....then gives it after the linesman waves.

[Niall_Quinn]

Moss is a berk and should be struck off. initially he waved off the pen. After discussing with the linesman, he still wasnt sure that Lovren did touch the ball. However, he decides to give the pen anyway, even when he is NOT sure. A pen that he initially did not want to give. Pure pubbery....or corruption.

Same thing with the 2nd pen. initially he waved it away....then gives it after the linesman waves.

In the last minutes of the match it was the linesman in charge and the ref was taking instruction directly from him. That's incredibly suspicious. When Moss waves away the pens, what happens to make him reconsider? Who's talking to him? Who calls it back? Either it's the guy on the sidelines, acting via the linesman, or it's the linesman himself. Or how do we know the ref's don't get instructions directly from AsiaBet.com through their earpiece? We don't, we just trust it's all above board which is pretty naive really.

Last night though was a blatant case of corruption. The linesman was bent for sure, no doubt about that at all.

In fact if Moss had been doing his job both Kane and Lamela should have been booked, and I think that meant Lamela would have been off? But he didn't apply the rules and so opened the door for the linesman and whoever was instructing him to intervene.

This will all be brushed under the carpet. Anyone who points out what they saw with their own eyes will be laughed out of the room by the donkey patrol.

[Cripps]

There's fucking state sponsored doping so don't tell me there's no corruption

[Cripps]

Neither do the rules state if there's contact it's a penalty. Mere contact counts for nothing, it has to be a foul for a penalty to be given. Not even obstruction in the box gets a penalty -
so why does mere contact warrant one? After the Lamela outrage are we going to see crickets scores as a result of strikers just running into defenders and leaping into the air? No -
it won't happen. So why was that penalty awarded? But the refs, of all people, don't seem to know the rules.

Mere contact now warrants one because of things like Sky Sports Cunts and their analysis in studios after games where they slow down incidents and zoom in on an incident and say "ahh but look he's touched him". It all started with Keys and Gray and now the likes of Neville and Carragher have carried the mantle.

I remember Andy Gray was once reviewing an incident, it was clearly not a penalty but he slowed it down and showed there was a slight touch, then said "the defenders touched him and invited the striker to go down". Keys was in shock at what he was hearing but Gray was adamant.

That's how ideas evolve. Scrutiny, analysis and debate.

It's a disease that's ruining football.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

Watford: Karnezis; Mariappa, Prodl, Holebas; Janmaat, Doucoure, Capoue, Zeegelaar; Deulofeu, Deeney, Richarlison
Subs: Bachmann, Mukena, Ndong, Pereyra, Lukebakio, Carrillo, Gray.

Chelsea: Courtois; Azpilicueta, David Luiz, Cahill; Moses, Bakayoko, Kante, Zappacosta; Willian, Hazard, Pedro.
Subs: Caballero, Rudiger, Emerson, Drinkwater, Fabregas, Hudson-Odoi, Giroud.