The person happiest with our 4-1 victory should have been Martin Atkinson

[World's End Stella]

as without our devastating comeback that appalling non-penalty decision might have been all over the papers and he might have found himself with some time on his hands for the next few weekends.

Quite how the useless tosser didn't give that is beyond me.

[Monty92]

as without our devastating comeback that appalling non-penalty decision might have been all over the papers and he might have found himself with some time on his hands for the next few weekends.

Quite how the useless tosser didn't give that is beyond me.

I guess he thought Dirty Sanchez went down too easily. If the ref gave a pelanty for every hand on a shoulder...and so on and so forth...

[Burney]

I guess he thought Dirty Sanchez went down too easily. If the ref gave a pelanty for every hand on a shoulder...and so on and so forth...

If the ref gave a pelanty for every hand on a shoulder... defenders would very quickly stop putting their hands on the shoulders of attackers.

As with most refereeing dilemmas, referees only have their own weakness and inconsistency to blame for any ambiguity in this area.

[Pat Vegas]

I guess he thought Dirty Sanchez went down too easily. If the ref gave a pelanty for every hand on a shoulder...and so on and so forth...

I don't think Sanchez would go down in that position unless he was pulled down.

[Norn Iron]

Shocking defending from Mustafi for their pen.

[Monty92]

If the ref gave a pelanty for every hand on a shoulder... defenders would very quickly stop putting their hands on the shoulders of attackers.

As with most refereeing dilemmas, referees only have their own weakness and inconsistency to blame for any ambiguity in this area.

Sure - I'm just explaining the ref's decision. And I think their bosses would frown upon it if they started unilaterally giving pelanties for every hand on a shoulder, so I'm not inclined to be too harsh on them.

[Monty92]

Shocking defending from Mustafi for their pen.

I think the unpredictable spin when the ball landed caught him out. Wasn't as bad as it looked.

[Burney]

Sure - I'm just explaining the ref's decision. And I think their bosses would frown upon it if they started unilaterally giving pelanties for every hand on a shoulder, so I'm not inclined to be too harsh on them.

The whole problem is that referees have always interpreted the laws of the game rather than enforced them. The fact is that the law is very clear and that there is no justification for one player to put his hands on another player at any time and that doing so should always be a foul. Only by introducing these grey areas have referees given themselves a problem.

It's a unique thing about football, actually, that habitual tolerance of illegality. It makes things flow and increases the rough and tumble, but it also makes the idea of consistent refereeing a virtual impossibility.

[Pat Vegas]

Shocking defending from Mustafi for their pen.

I liked Cech's Body Cech.

Glad the rules had changed otherwise he's probably be off.

[World's End Stella]

The whole problem is that referees have always interpreted the laws of the game rather than enforced them. The fact is that the law is very clear and that there is no justification for one player to put his hands on another player at any time and that doing so should always be a foul. Only by introducing these grey areas have referees given themselves a problem.

It's a unique thing about football, actually, that habitual tolerance of illegality. It makes things flow and increases the rough and tumble, but it also makes the idea of consistent refereeing a virtual impossibility.

Hmmm, not convinced that it is unique to football. Rugby, as an example, is filled with rule violations that are routinely tolerated, with the ball not being put in straight at the scrum being the most obvious of them. Same happens to be true in the American/Canadian sports I am familiar with. Interference in hockey, travelling in basketball being two other examples.