Michael Oliver

Mike Smalling

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Mixed bag yesterday, he was fantastic on the ball and brought a calming presence, but he got glided past on a few occasions by Liverpool players which could be exploited in future games.
To be fair, I think most referees are supposed to be glided past. If they are in the way, it can influence the game.
 

Rooney in Paris

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I was taught by a very experienced Ref, all I kept in my top pocket was a tissue, yellow card in right shorts pocket, red in my back pocket, you had to make a conscious decision to use either.
I agree on the consistency too, he has set a bench mark, but we both know that his next game may or may not show the inconsistencies shown in this one.
It sounds like you are/are going to be a poor ref.
I thought that he had a good game till Dalot incident. But the incident was shocking, first time in over 20 years of watching football that I see a player getting two yellows for the same dissent. When he gave the second booking, I thought that Dalot clapped or anything like that, but no, he actually did nothing after getting the first booking.

United should definitely look at whatever tools they have to appeal this, and even if it is an unprecedented move, to ask the league to not send Oliver again in United's matches.
To an extent I agree, but the issue is that the Dalot incident paints the whole performance with a completely different brush. When Nuñez got booked for elbowing Evans in the chest (a bookable offence, all good there), he then goes on to boot the ball away, and then clap sarcastically at the linesman - that's an additional 2 yellow card offences. During the game, Salah also booted the ball away on one occasion, and waved an imaginary yellow card in the Dalot incident (2 additional bookable moments for him). If he doesn't give Dalot that second yellow, you can maybe argue that he's been somewhat consistent in letting those situations go (even though Dalot gets booked for dissent). The fact that out of those 5 situations (the 2 for Nuñez, the 2 for Salah, and the additional one for Dalot) he chooses the most innocuous one to sanction, which happens to be about 5 seconds after the 1st yellow, just gives the overall game a completely different perspective.

I mean I'm not surprised. A game at Anfield reffed by Oliver without a pen or a red seems entirely unlikely, so it's par for the course. He objectively referees us in a different way than he does other teams, it's kinda insane.
 

bstb3

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Dreamt Gallagher on SKY.

I’d forgotten how angry Oliver made me, Gallagher brings it all back.

He’s always been useless and just backs refs regardless but this is pathetic.

A decent presenter calls him up on it. Properly. Tw@t x2

https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1736715660883902715?s=20
It's a waste of time that show. Gallacher is clearly only there to defend. He says it's what the referees are told do, Oliver had to do it. So the presenter, and fair play to him, clearly calls him out on the Nunez inconsistency and Gallacher does all he can to worm out of answering because he claims he can't win.... well that's because the two cases show different outcomes for the same offence and can't both be correct Dermot. Yet he can't bring himself to say Oliver got it wrong..."but its hard, wah". He's as spineless as the guy in the middle was frankly. If he's just going to dodge clear cases of errors / inconsistency then what's the point?

The presenter really should have doubled down. "So, Dermot, given what you said that referees are told to do, was the Nunez single booking correct, and if so why?" but they let him off, again. I know they have to keep a relationship, but it doesn't help anything.
 

Zlatan 7

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It sounds like you are/are going to be a poor ref.

To an extent I agree, but the issue is that the Dalot incident paints the whole performance with a completely different brush. When Nuñez got booked for elbowing Evans in the chest (a bookable offence, all good there), he then goes on to boot the ball away, and then clap sarcastically at the linesman - that's an additional 2 yellow card offences. During the game, Salah also booted the ball away on one occasion, and waved an imaginary yellow card in the Dalot incident (2 additional bookable moments for him). If he doesn't give Dalot that second yellow, you can maybe argue that he's been somewhat consistent in letting those situations go (even though Dalot gets booked for dissent). The fact that out of those 5 situations (the 2 for Nuñez, the 2 for Salah, and the additional one for Dalot) he chooses the most innocuous one to sanction, which happens to be about 5 seconds after the 1st yellow, just gives the overall game a completely different perspective.

I mean I'm not surprised. A game at Anfield reffed by Oliver without a pen or a red seems entirely unlikely, so it's par for the course. He objectively referees us in a different way than he does other teams, it's kinda insane.
I agree with all you said but I think Nunez got booked for kicking the ball away, I’m sure I remember Oliver pointing at where he kicked it and shrugging
 

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Having watched the replay Dalot gets a yellow for dissent for waving his arms about a decision that doesn't go our way. Happens all the time in football, multiple times a game, I saw Garnacho do it previously but no yellow card.

He is carded for "dissent" OK, very harsh but OK.

Dalot then shows more frustration by swinging his arm a second or two after... not directed to the ref, doesn't run up to the ref, doesn't even shout at the ref but still gets a second yellow & red. For me it's not a coincidence, it's a clear and obvious mistake by Oliver, it's far too harsh a punishment. I can't believe he's even allowed to referee in the PL given his allegiance to Newcastle and working for the UAE, it's actually a joke.
 

Rooney in Paris

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I agree with all you said but I think Nunez got booked for kicking the ball away, I’m sure I remember Oliver pointing at where he kicked it and shrugging
Ah right, didn't know - fundamentally doesn't really change what I said, apart from the fact that the elbowing was a yellow card offence and he therefore bottled that.
 

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It's a waste of time that show. Gallacher is clearly only there to defend. He says it's what the referees are told do, Oliver had to do it. So the presenter, and fair play to him, clearly calls him out on the Nunez inconsistency and Gallacher does all he can to worm out of answering because he claims he can't win.... well that's because the two cases show different outcomes for the same offence and can't both be correct Dermot. Yet he can't bring himself to say Oliver got it wrong..."but its hard, wah". He's as spineless as the guy in the middle was frankly. If he's just going to dodge clear cases of errors / inconsistency then what's the point?

The presenter really should have doubled down. "So, Dermot, given what you said that referees are told to do, was the Nunez single booking correct, and if so why?" but they let him off, again. I know they have to keep a relationship, but it doesn't help anything.
The fact he is talking about winning rather than being objective tells you everything you need to know about his motivations.
 

Mike Smalling

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blocked in our location. What does he say?
Haven't watched the clip either, but got these quotes off Reddit:

"It's so so difficult because this is not an exact science.

"On the one hand, you say to me I don't want two yellow cards for Dalot, but two minutes later you say you want a yellow for Salah and three for Nunez.

"I have nowhere to go. Whichever way I jump, you will say I'm wrong.

"In the current climate the referee has no choice. I get that United fans will call for Nunez to be sent off but the referee didn't choose to do it."
Is he being purposefully obtuse?
 

Oranges038

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Dreamt Gallagher on SKY.

I’d forgotten how angry Oliver made me, Gallagher brings it all back.

He’s always been useless and just backs refs regardless but this is pathetic.

A decent presenter calls him up on it. Properly. Tw@t x2

https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1736715660883902715?s=20
Haha.

Starts bringing black and white and colour tvs into argument to justify it. Says Dalot's is right, but refuses to answer the same question about Nunez.

He's a tool, it's about consistency, if he was right to send Dalot off, then Nunez should have walked as well.
 

bstb3

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Expected, Dermot is a disgrace.
It's impressive in the space of two sentences. "In the current climate the referee has no choice". "..but the referee didn't choose to do it". Er...has anyone suggested Donepezil?
 

lex talionis

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The double booking on Dalot for the same reaction was absurd. Unless Dalot said something like “you daft cock-sucker” the second yellow was completely out of order.
 

Rado_N

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Whoever made the decision to bring ex referees into the broadcast business should be killed. Painfully.
 

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Sorry, anyone defending Oliver for the first dissent card on Dalot is just flat-out wrong. Period. Compared to the other dissent card he handed out, the infraction was mild and normal behavior during the course of a game. It wasn't time wasting, which is what kicking the ball away falls under. But it was also inconsistent with the way Oliver handled similar "dissent" throughout the course of the game. So to say, "It was dissent, so Dalot deserved the card," is ignoring the rest of the match. Then for Oliver to then turn around and give a second card for the same sequence of events, just laughable.

The ref's association should come out and say something. Oliver screwed up the call in the first place, which led to Dalot complaining. He has no business reffing games at all.
 

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The obvious pre determined position of these officials renders them absolutely pointless as pundits. Its a sad little club that's set up to protect each other and that's why standards have fallen so low.
 

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Why didn't VAR look at the Nunez challenge? For me he's not looking at the ball, lead with his elbow with the sole intention of taking out Evans.

Should've arguably seen red for that, and if not for that, should've been at least yellow carded for looking like Ian Huntley, the shithouse
 

Mike Smalling

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Why didn't VAR look at the Nunez challenge? For me he's not looking at the ball, lead with his elbow with the sole intention of taking out Evans.

Should've arguably seen red for that, and if not for that, should've been at least yellow carded for looking like Ian Huntley, the shithouse
That’s asking a lot.
 

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Why didn't VAR look at the Nunez challenge? For me he's not looking at the ball, lead with his elbow with the sole intention of taking out Evans.

Should've arguably seen red for that, and if not for that, should've been at least yellow carded for looking like Ian Huntley, the shithouse
How would we know if VAR looked or talked to Oliver?
 

Rooney in Paris

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How would we know if VAR looked or talked to Oliver?
It's usually mentioned when there's been a VAR check, nothing was mentioned here. Could have been all the same, we don't know for sure, you are right. I think it would have been a harsh red either way, but the elbowing was at the least a yellow card in itself, considering it was followed by booting the ball away and the sarcastic clapping, there was enough for a red (by Oliver's standards) in that sequence. But it's not like Oliver has consistent standards either way, so whatever.
 

Pscholes18

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Any professional ref today with Oliver's resume would of given Dalot a yellow for his initial outburst which I have no problem with. After his second throwing of his arm, said ref would of had a talk with him and tell him to stfu otherwise it's a second. Any ref other than this cnut who hates Utd. Reminds of Mascherano <sp> at OT.
 

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There's no way he sends him off if it's not the 93rd minute. He just thinks that because it's so late on in the game he can get away it. Absolute coward.
 

90 + 5min

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Dreamt Gallagher on SKY.

I’d forgotten how angry Oliver made me, Gallagher brings it all back.

He’s always been useless and just backs refs regardless but this is pathetic.

A decent presenter calls him up on it. Properly. Tw@t x2

https://x.com/SkySportsPL/status/1736715660883902715?s=20
What do people expect? They are all mates and defend each other. Have you seen any referee going full Roy Keane on another and tell it for what it is?

This is Oliver thread so I want go into that discussion but how this inconsistency always seem to be negative toward us if beyond anything.
 

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This is Oliver thread so I want go into that discussion but how this inconsistency always seem to be negative toward us if beyond anything.
He hates us. We probably made him cry when he was a kid, winning multiple trophies. Now he is in a position of power to take some revenge of sorts.
 

bstb3

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There's no way he sends him off if it's not the 93rd minute. He just thinks that because it's so late on in the game he can get away it. Absolute coward.
There is an element of that yes, effectively stat padding as a Ref at that point. "Look at me, I stood up for us against dissent and did what we are supposed to do". The sad fact is that if an assessor is watching he probably got a tick for it, too.
 
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blocked in our location. What does he say?
That there were two separate offences and under current guidelines re dissent, Oliver had no option but to treat as two cards.

Then called on Nunez and flipped it back on the presenter “you don’t want two yellows but you want three?”. Can’t believe presenter didn’t say “hang on Dermot, that’s double standards by Oliver and you”.

Boys Club.

W@nkers
What do people expect? They are all mates and defend each other. Have you seen any referee going full Roy Keane on another and tell it for what it is?

This is Oliver thread so I want go into that discussion but how this inconsistency always seem to be negative toward us if beyond anything.
I expect him to say “under the letter of the law and the stronger interpretation this season, I can see why he gave two yellows… I’d have expected him to give other players cards too though, for example Nunez for screaming at the linesman/mocking the officials or for Salah waving a pretend yellow card”.

Then we’d think the current rules are useless but have some consistency.

Last season and this is ridiculous now, it’s not just similar situations being reffed differently, it’s almost identical situations reffed differently and (bar Onana) all negatively for us.

Sancho pen last year, Rashford pen (twice?), Casemiro, the Carroll scissors tackle, Romero, yesterday off the top of my head
 

DavelinaJolie

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It's a waste of time that show. Gallacher is clearly only there to defend. He says it's what the referees are told do, Oliver had to do it. So the presenter, and fair play to him, clearly calls him out on the Nunez inconsistency and Gallacher does all he can to worm out of answering because he claims he can't win.... well that's because the two cases show different outcomes for the same offence and can't both be correct Dermot. Yet he can't bring himself to say Oliver got it wrong..."but its hard, wah". He's as spineless as the guy in the middle was frankly. If he's just going to dodge clear cases of errors / inconsistency then what's the point?

The presenter really should have doubled down. "So, Dermot, given what you said that referees are told to do, was the Nunez single booking correct, and if so why?" but they let him off, again. I know they have to keep a relationship, but it doesn't help anything.
Exactly.

The question isn't which is the right set of decisions, it's why aren't they consistent. If Dalot's sending off is legitimate then why was Nunez only shown a Yellow. If Nunez's yellow is legitimate why is Dalot shown two?

Gallacher finding himself there saying he can't win perfectly displays that there's inconsistency in the decisions that he can't simply explain to defend the Dalot sending off. If those inconsistencies aren't there he isn't being caught in the middle of the decisions.
 

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FujiVice

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Dermot Gallagher is such a fraud he fakes his own accent. How can you trust a man like that
 

morree

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He is lucky they didn't score in those last minutes, if they did i'm sure he would get hammered for that stupid sending off.
 

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Oliver gives the impression that he thinks he's the most important man on the pitch. The impression he gives me is that he's a arsewipe.
 

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If Dalot deserved a red card, then.Nunez did the same in the first half. I do not see much difference in the two situations.