The "Freeola Customer Forum" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
This is rediculous! I can't even go two-whole-weeks without realising another refereeing error which has got me off and going on another one of my ever-endless rants you guys seem to hate reading so-much! To add even more, once again, this has very little to do with my Premiership club, Man United, as it does the entire proffesion of Football, as it stands today.
If only a notable figure from the Football Association were to visit these very forums, if, even, just once each week... Then, perhaps, he would sit-up and realise that referees today are not doing their jobs well enough, and that something seriously does need to be done, NOW....
If only...
Anyway. To get back to the whole point, reason and "purpose" of this post [(sorry, I've been watching the Matrix Trilogy a fair bit lately!], yes, I did see something else this weekend that really sparked me off for this. And, it did come in the Live, Ford Super Sunday clash between top-of-the-table run-away leaders Arsenal and fourth-place-chasing Newcastle, at St.James Park. For an edge-of-your-seat fixture like the one it was, surprisingly, I don't think this referee had too bad a game, compared with the standards they've all been setting, all-season-long. With all the pressure and possibilities surrounding this game, he seemed to deal rather well whenever descision time next rolled around.
To tell you the truth, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Maybe the game wasn't quite all it was hyped-up to be, in the end, but, for a referee to go so-little wrong (for once!)... 'Surely, it cannot last the full 90 minutes???', I thought to myself....
But - of course - it didn't. We were almost there... The seconds were ticking-away with minutes soon passing; the game was almost over... And then, Ashley Cole goes down and aggrevates-further a knee problem he picked up earlier in the game.
It wasn't a dive; clearly, there was a fair bit of contact. And no, I do not believe the offending Geordie-boy should've been dismissed, either. I only had to keep my eye on the clock - for all of the 2-minutes-plus he was rolling around in agony for!
Yes, a "typical Arsenal player" you might say (even though, Cole is one of those Englishmen Arséne Wenger appears to have heard so-little about). The scoreline read 0-0 and I doubt an extra 120-seconds would've really been sufficient time for one-side to break the deadlock, in stoppage time, but, for all the pain he was clearly in, struggling to return to his feet; for ALL the given duration of 'time-added-on' he managed to consume with his on-the-floor antics, to me, it would've made a lot more sense had the England full-back simply been removed from the field of play - if, even, temporarily - so he could be diagnosed fit-enough to carry-on (or not) while the main game was allowed to continue, with crowd of 50-odd-thousand people a lot happier about it.
Whether Arsenal would've only been left with ten-men or not is pretty much irrelivent when the remaining duration of the game can be eaten-away while they try to sort it all out, on the pitch.
I can't understand why the ref' just let them carry-on though...
Again, by no means am I accusing Ashley Cole of play-acting of any such kind, but, as I'm sure you'll know anyway, our Premier League is full of the kind of leg-flicking, tantrum-throwing foreigners who really know how to make a Jan Koller mountain from a Michael Owen mole-hill. Yes, Arsenal do have several of their own - and, so does just about every other club [Cristiano Ronaldo]. But, that's just part of my point: There's always gonna be the chance of this kind of situation cropping up again - and again, and again and again, even! And, when it gets to the kind of scale to which we saw on Sunday, you know something has to be done.
If I were in-charge of the Premier League Refereeing Association (or, whoever it is who makes all the rules), the very first new rule I would introduce would be thus:
"Any player(s) injured during the run of play who are at first deemed unable as to return to their feet individualy and immediatly continue his participation in the match should instantly be removed from the pitch and taken to where they can be full-assessed off-the-field."
"And, if any player is to interfere with the removal of the injured party (or parties) they should be punished and dealt with in the appropriate way (yellow card)."
Referees need enough help as it is. One of FIFA's main reasons behind the descision not to introduce a video-replay system (similar to what they have in Rugby matches) is because they feel it would interrupt the flow of a game too strongly, given the average number of times we are likely to see such incidents flare-up within a top-flight fixture. And, tell me; what is happening each time an Ashley Cole is left unable to get-up in the middle of the field?
Exactly!
Whether or not they'll actually do something about this one is beyond me. They haven't done anything about the last few problems we've seen as a disease under the skin of our once-beautiful game, so I guess I'm not expecting any miracles... It doesn't appear to have had the vast media-coverage like the others either. But, in-time, I'm sure it will, and all will be realised....
Next time something this happens (which, believe me, it will!), I just hope the man in-charge has got the sense and courage to get the problem off the pitch straight-away so we can all enjoy some more top-quality football with a little less hassle!
(...And, I hope it happens to Thierry Henry!! ;D)
If only a notable figure from the Football Association were to visit these very forums, if, even, just once each week... Then, perhaps, he would sit-up and realise that referees today are not doing their jobs well enough, and that something seriously does need to be done, NOW....
If only...
Anyway. To get back to the whole point, reason and "purpose" of this post [(sorry, I've been watching the Matrix Trilogy a fair bit lately!], yes, I did see something else this weekend that really sparked me off for this. And, it did come in the Live, Ford Super Sunday clash between top-of-the-table run-away leaders Arsenal and fourth-place-chasing Newcastle, at St.James Park. For an edge-of-your-seat fixture like the one it was, surprisingly, I don't think this referee had too bad a game, compared with the standards they've all been setting, all-season-long. With all the pressure and possibilities surrounding this game, he seemed to deal rather well whenever descision time next rolled around.
To tell you the truth, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Maybe the game wasn't quite all it was hyped-up to be, in the end, but, for a referee to go so-little wrong (for once!)... 'Surely, it cannot last the full 90 minutes???', I thought to myself....
But - of course - it didn't. We were almost there... The seconds were ticking-away with minutes soon passing; the game was almost over... And then, Ashley Cole goes down and aggrevates-further a knee problem he picked up earlier in the game.
It wasn't a dive; clearly, there was a fair bit of contact. And no, I do not believe the offending Geordie-boy should've been dismissed, either. I only had to keep my eye on the clock - for all of the 2-minutes-plus he was rolling around in agony for!
Yes, a "typical Arsenal player" you might say (even though, Cole is one of those Englishmen Arséne Wenger appears to have heard so-little about). The scoreline read 0-0 and I doubt an extra 120-seconds would've really been sufficient time for one-side to break the deadlock, in stoppage time, but, for all the pain he was clearly in, struggling to return to his feet; for ALL the given duration of 'time-added-on' he managed to consume with his on-the-floor antics, to me, it would've made a lot more sense had the England full-back simply been removed from the field of play - if, even, temporarily - so he could be diagnosed fit-enough to carry-on (or not) while the main game was allowed to continue, with crowd of 50-odd-thousand people a lot happier about it.
Whether Arsenal would've only been left with ten-men or not is pretty much irrelivent when the remaining duration of the game can be eaten-away while they try to sort it all out, on the pitch.
I can't understand why the ref' just let them carry-on though...
Again, by no means am I accusing Ashley Cole of play-acting of any such kind, but, as I'm sure you'll know anyway, our Premier League is full of the kind of leg-flicking, tantrum-throwing foreigners who really know how to make a Jan Koller mountain from a Michael Owen mole-hill. Yes, Arsenal do have several of their own - and, so does just about every other club [Cristiano Ronaldo]. But, that's just part of my point: There's always gonna be the chance of this kind of situation cropping up again - and again, and again and again, even! And, when it gets to the kind of scale to which we saw on Sunday, you know something has to be done.
If I were in-charge of the Premier League Refereeing Association (or, whoever it is who makes all the rules), the very first new rule I would introduce would be thus:
"Any player(s) injured during the run of play who are at first deemed unable as to return to their feet individualy and immediatly continue his participation in the match should instantly be removed from the pitch and taken to where they can be full-assessed off-the-field."
"And, if any player is to interfere with the removal of the injured party (or parties) they should be punished and dealt with in the appropriate way (yellow card)."
Referees need enough help as it is. One of FIFA's main reasons behind the descision not to introduce a video-replay system (similar to what they have in Rugby matches) is because they feel it would interrupt the flow of a game too strongly, given the average number of times we are likely to see such incidents flare-up within a top-flight fixture. And, tell me; what is happening each time an Ashley Cole is left unable to get-up in the middle of the field?
Exactly!
Whether or not they'll actually do something about this one is beyond me. They haven't done anything about the last few problems we've seen as a disease under the skin of our once-beautiful game, so I guess I'm not expecting any miracles... It doesn't appear to have had the vast media-coverage like the others either. But, in-time, I'm sure it will, and all will be realised....
Next time something this happens (which, believe me, it will!), I just hope the man in-charge has got the sense and courage to get the problem off the pitch straight-away so we can all enjoy some more top-quality football with a little less hassle!
(...And, I hope it happens to Thierry Henry!! ;D)
I'll be honest, I stopped reading half way through.
The whole overuse of bold, italics, underlining and speech marks is totally off-putting.
It screws up what my head is reading - it emphasises parts that don't need emphasised.
Gah.
The whole overuse of bold, italics, underlining and speech marks is totally off-putting.
It screws up what my head is reading - it emphasises parts that don't need emphasised.
Gah.
This is rediculous! I can't even go two-whole-weeks without realising another refereeing error which has got me off and going on another one of my ever-endless rants you guys seem to hate reading so-much! To add even more, once again, this has very little to do with my Premiership club, Man United, as it does the entire proffesion of Football, as it stands today.
If only a notable figure from the Football Association were to visit these very forums, if, even, just once each week... Then, perhaps, he would sit-up and realise that referees today are not doing their jobs well enough, and that something seriously does need to be done, NOW....
If only...
Anyway. To get back to the whole point, reason and "purpose" of this post [(sorry, I've been watching the Matrix Trilogy a fair bit lately!], yes, I did see something else this weekend that really sparked me off for this. And, it did come in the Live, Ford Super Sunday clash between top-of-the-table run-away leaders Arsenal and fourth-place-chasing Newcastle, at St.James Park. For an edge-of-your-seat fixture like the one it was, surprisingly, I don't think this referee had too bad a game, compared with the standards they've all been setting, all-season-long. With all the pressure and possibilities surrounding this game, he seemed to deal rather well whenever descision time next rolled around.
To tell you the truth, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Maybe the game wasn't quite all it was hyped-up to be, in the end, but, for a referee to go so-little wrong (for once!)... 'Surely, it cannot last the full 90 minutes???', I thought to myself....
But - of course - it didn't. We were almost there... The seconds were ticking-away with minutes soon passing; the game was almost over... And then, Ashley Cole goes down and aggrevates-further a knee problem he picked up earlier in the game.
It wasn't a dive; clearly, there was a fair bit of contact. And no, I do not believe the offending Geordie-boy should've been dismissed, either. I only had to keep my eye on the clock - for all of the 2-minutes-plus he was rolling around in agony for!
Yes, a "typical Arsenal player" you might say (even though, Cole is one of those Englishmen Arséne Wenger appears to have heard so-little about). The scoreline read 0-0 and I doubt an extra 120-seconds would've really been sufficient time for one-side to break the deadlock, in stoppage time, but, for all the pain he was clearly in, struggling to return to his feet; for ALL the given duration of 'time-added-on' he managed to consume with his on-the-floor antics, to me, it would've made a lot more sense had the England full-back simply been removed from the field of play - if, even, temporarily - so he could be diagnosed fit-enough to carry-on (or not) while the main game was allowed to continue, with crowd of 50-odd-thousand people a lot happier about it.
Whether Arsenal would've only been left with ten-men or not is pretty much irrelivent when the remaining duration of the game can be eaten-away while they try to sort it all out, on the pitch.
I can't understand why the ref' just let them carry-on though...
Again, by no means am I accusing Ashley Cole of play-acting of any such kind, but, as I'm sure you'll know anyway, our Premier League is full of the kind of leg-flicking, tantrum-throwing foreigners who really know how to make a Jan Koller mountain from a Michael Owen mole-hill. Yes, Arsenal do have several of their own - and, so does just about every other club [Cristiano Ronaldo]. But, that's just part of my point: There's always gonna be the chance of this kind of situation cropping up again - and again, and again and again, even! And, when it gets to the kind of scale to which we saw on Sunday, you know something has to be done.
If I were in-charge of the Premier League Refereeing Association (or, whoever it is who makes all the rules), the very first new rule I would introduce would be thus:
"Any player(s) injured during the run of play who are at first deemed unable as to return to their feet individualy and immediatly continue his participation in the match should instantly be removed from the pitch and taken to where they can be full-assessed off-the-field."
"And, if any player is to interfere with the removal of the injured party (or parties) they should be punished and dealt with in the appropriate way (yellow card)."
Referees need enough help as it is. One of FIFA's main reasons behind the descision not to introduce a video-replay system (similar to what they have in Rugby matches) is because they feel it would interrupt the flow of a game too strongly, given the average number of times we are likely to see such incidents flare-up within a top-flight fixture. And, tell me; what is happening each time an Ashley Cole is left unable to get-up in the middle of the field?
Exactly!
Whether or not they'll actually do something about this one is beyond me. They haven't done anything about the last few problems we've seen as a disease under the skin of our once-beautiful game, so I guess I'm not expecting any miracles... It doesn't appear to have had the vast media-coverage like the others either. But, in-time, I'm sure it will, and all will be realised....
Next time something this happens (which, believe me, it will!), I just hope the man in-charge has got the sense and courage to get the problem off the pitch straight-away so we can all enjoy some more top-quality football with a little less hassle!
(...And, I hope it happens to Thierry Henry!! ;D)
If only a notable figure from the Football Association were to visit these very forums, if, even, just once each week... Then, perhaps, he would sit-up and realise that referees today are not doing their jobs well enough, and that something seriously does need to be done, NOW....
If only...
Anyway. To get back to the whole point, reason and "purpose" of this post [(sorry, I've been watching the Matrix Trilogy a fair bit lately!], yes, I did see something else this weekend that really sparked me off for this. And, it did come in the Live, Ford Super Sunday clash between top-of-the-table run-away leaders Arsenal and fourth-place-chasing Newcastle, at St.James Park. For an edge-of-your-seat fixture like the one it was, surprisingly, I don't think this referee had too bad a game, compared with the standards they've all been setting, all-season-long. With all the pressure and possibilities surrounding this game, he seemed to deal rather well whenever descision time next rolled around.
To tell you the truth, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Maybe the game wasn't quite all it was hyped-up to be, in the end, but, for a referee to go so-little wrong (for once!)... 'Surely, it cannot last the full 90 minutes???', I thought to myself....
But - of course - it didn't. We were almost there... The seconds were ticking-away with minutes soon passing; the game was almost over... And then, Ashley Cole goes down and aggrevates-further a knee problem he picked up earlier in the game.
It wasn't a dive; clearly, there was a fair bit of contact. And no, I do not believe the offending Geordie-boy should've been dismissed, either. I only had to keep my eye on the clock - for all of the 2-minutes-plus he was rolling around in agony for!
Yes, a "typical Arsenal player" you might say (even though, Cole is one of those Englishmen Arséne Wenger appears to have heard so-little about). The scoreline read 0-0 and I doubt an extra 120-seconds would've really been sufficient time for one-side to break the deadlock, in stoppage time, but, for all the pain he was clearly in, struggling to return to his feet; for ALL the given duration of 'time-added-on' he managed to consume with his on-the-floor antics, to me, it would've made a lot more sense had the England full-back simply been removed from the field of play - if, even, temporarily - so he could be diagnosed fit-enough to carry-on (or not) while the main game was allowed to continue, with crowd of 50-odd-thousand people a lot happier about it.
Whether Arsenal would've only been left with ten-men or not is pretty much irrelivent when the remaining duration of the game can be eaten-away while they try to sort it all out, on the pitch.
I can't understand why the ref' just let them carry-on though...
Again, by no means am I accusing Ashley Cole of play-acting of any such kind, but, as I'm sure you'll know anyway, our Premier League is full of the kind of leg-flicking, tantrum-throwing foreigners who really know how to make a Jan Koller mountain from a Michael Owen mole-hill. Yes, Arsenal do have several of their own - and, so does just about every other club [Cristiano Ronaldo]. But, that's just part of my point: There's always gonna be the chance of this kind of situation cropping up again - and again, and again and again, even! And, when it gets to the kind of scale to which we saw on Sunday, you know something has to be done.
If I were in-charge of the Premier League Refereeing Association (or, whoever it is who makes all the rules), the very first new rule I would introduce would be thus:
"Any player(s) injured during the run of play who are at first deemed unable as to return to their feet individualy and immediatly continue his participation in the match should instantly be removed from the pitch and taken to where they can be full-assessed off-the-field."
"And, if any player is to interfere with the removal of the injured party (or parties) they should be punished and dealt with in the appropriate way (yellow card)."
Referees need enough help as it is. One of FIFA's main reasons behind the descision not to introduce a video-replay system (similar to what they have in Rugby matches) is because they feel it would interrupt the flow of a game too strongly, given the average number of times we are likely to see such incidents flare-up within a top-flight fixture. And, tell me; what is happening each time an Ashley Cole is left unable to get-up in the middle of the field?
Exactly!
Whether or not they'll actually do something about this one is beyond me. They haven't done anything about the last few problems we've seen as a disease under the skin of our once-beautiful game, so I guess I'm not expecting any miracles... It doesn't appear to have had the vast media-coverage like the others either. But, in-time, I'm sure it will, and all will be realised....
Next time something this happens (which, believe me, it will!), I just hope the man in-charge has got the sense and courage to get the problem off the pitch straight-away so we can all enjoy some more top-quality football with a little less hassle!
(...And, I hope it happens to Thierry Henry!! ;D)