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Respect

Stelladrinker

Mauricio Taricco
Feb 1, 2005
2,516
152
This weekend two sets of fans went home from the F.A cup semi-finals heartbroken and two went on victorious. Unforunately that’s football, that’s what happens, there are winners and losers; it’s a game.

This weekend though, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur haven’t been beaten by Chelsea and Portsmouth, they’ve lost out to some of the worst refereeing decisions ever seen at this level of the game.

When Howard Webb denied Gabby Agbonlahor a stonewall - and I mean absolutely nailed on – penalty on Saturday and then failed to show John Terry a red card for his horrendously high lunge at James Milner he virtually handed the game to Chelsea, totally alleviating them of the need to go and win it.

Likewise Spurs had to endure Alan Wiley ruling out Peter Crouch’s perfectly legitimate equaliser and then nailing their coffin closed by awarding Pompey a penalty following a splendidly timed, ball winning challenge by Wilson Palacios.

Again it has to be said; that’s football, that’s what happens, referees are human, they make mistakes and that’s fine, or would be but for the F.A’s relentless, cramming down our throats of its respect campaign.

No more, they tell us, should players crowd referees arguing decisions, never again should managers criticise refs for those often very costly errors and as for the old terrace favourite about the man in the middle’s preferred method of self exploration, it should be banned and banished, and they’re right! Of course they’re right, but what they haven’t the gumption to fathom up there at headquarters is that respect isn’t ordered, it’s not a new car or a Chinese takeaway that you can just have delivered to your door as and when, it’s an emotion, a feeling, and to be lucky enough to receive it you have to earn it, and the way to do so is simple; just admit you were wrong! Just stand up and say, “hey, I’m sorry about that, I got that wrong.”

Just picture it Spurs fans – Wiley is interviewed on Match of the Day – “yeah, I got that wrong, from where I stood it really seemed to me that James had been impeded in his attempt to get the ball, obviously having watched the replay now I can see that that was not the case and I can only apologise, I should have given the goal.”

Quite honestly, how much more respect would you have for that man than you have now? And I’m not limiting it to TV interviews, no, no, by all means issue a statement in a press conference, have it printed in the papers, put it in writing to the club’s owner or supporters trust, even start an official referees, read only forum on the internet where they can post a report for whoever wants to read it, in fact I don’t care one bit how they get the message out, let them send up a skywriter to adorn the North London sky if they have to but just for the love of god let them stop all this stubborn insistence of their own infallibility and realise they don’t have to be Mr Referee twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week or even for any longer than ninety minutes, they can just be a person the rest of the time, a normal person who makes mistakes and says sorry and gets they old wry smile and handshake and hair ruffle that we all get when we look sheepish and then move on.

That’s how it’s done, that’s respect worthy, F.A, Referees Association, Dermot Gallagher, not this all encompassing demand for respect to be the god given right of every man you throw a whistle and a pair of cards at, because it’s not and no matter how many ad campaigns, leaflets, or seminars you throw out at us or little badges you make players where on their sleeves, it never will be.
 

mil1lion

This is the place to be
May 7, 2004
42,344
77,598
We should've won inside 90 mins though, before those decisions. In fact, the 3 Cup games before that we failed to win in the first game. We deserved to go out today. Pompey got what they deserved.
 

Adam

Active Member
Feb 23, 2004
2,556
82
Completely agree-i think the referees should have to make an official statement after every match with reference to the key decisions.

It would also be nice if the FA realised that rescinding a decision doesnt mean you are belittling the referee, just enacting justice after a human effor, which is of course acceptable on many occasions.
 

Stavrogin

Well-Known Member
Apr 17, 2004
2,361
1,475
Although I like the idea that referees own up to mistakes afterwards, it might cause more problems.

Apart from giving fodder to managers like Wenger and Ferguson and referees harming their own prospects, I think it might also help create ALTERNATE TIMELINES!

We all know that despite things not really working out for us today, had Crouch's goal stood we would have won. But whilst we talk about it and know it to be true it remains a hypothetical what if. However, if Wiley admits it, it solidifies it and we, the media and the clubs can't help trading on it - it becomes a historical fact. As much as Portsmouth technically reached the final, that would be coupled with the real confirmed knowledge that it was because of an error. An alternate reality is present.

Not good for people's mental health!
 

mil1lion

This is the place to be
May 7, 2004
42,344
77,598
Can people honestly say it would make a difference if after the game the ref admitted to the mistakes? It wouldn't make a blind bit of difference. We would still be out of the Cup. People would just say "It's all well and good admitting you were wrong, but it's cost us the game". I don't want them to admit getting things wrong. I just want them to stop getting so many bloody stupid decisions wrong.

I've said it for a while now. We have one of the best Leagues in the world, full of world class players. Why don't we have world class refs to match it?
 

JimmyG2

SC Supporter
Dec 7, 2006
15,014
20,779
There are always two versions of 'the truth. Just read the local papers of the two respective teams.

Is there any such thing as objective truth? There are only the reports of eye witnesses and these could be biased for all sorts of reasons. Eye witness accounts by fans are particularly suspect.

I see no harm in a dialogue with referees, before, during and after the game. Don't they have a virtual running commentary from the ref in Rugby and American football with reasons for decisions given in real time?

But the decision and the result still stands and players in Rugby can be punished for challenging the referee's decision. It might make referees more feeble rather than stronger and no more correct than before.

Respect for the referee is vital to the game and one of the reasons that I support Spurs for their values and traditions of fair play. This is difficult to maintain in the modern game when so much (money) is at stake.
I don't want Spurs to go down the route of disrespect for the officials and their decisions, or for their fans to do so either.

'We wuz robbed' is rightly parodied as the most pathetic cry of the beaten team, it turns them into losers as well as the defeated.
 

Krafty

Well-Known Member
May 26, 2004
4,768
2,099
Wiley was poor, but even with a spot on ref we were poor, and can blame no one but ourselves (and I'm not only talking about the players).

However, refs in general are poor and its down to their mentality. Some go into games unwilling to give a decision against the big home team, others go the other way, as Wiley did, and give everything to the underdogs because they think they will lose anyway so it wont matter if he favours them, then others swing from one bias to another depending on how many players surround them after each decision. Its a joke
 

Stelladrinker

Mauricio Taricco
Feb 1, 2005
2,516
152
It's not about whether we did or did not deserve to lose; it's about why the ref's association feel too high and mighty to ease fans in general's suffering by saying sorry when they fluff the big calls.
 
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