The penalty call on Rashford

Rashford goes down easily. Demichelis was being stupid and nowadays it's probably a penalty, but it's one of the things I dislike about football these days.

Are you joking? That would've been a penalty 10-15-20 years ago. If someone runs into you like that the momentum takes you over, it's not a dive!
 
The worst part about all of that is how he's too fecking cowardly to break up the big huddle of players who are fighting with each other. Is there a referee as weak and scared as Oliver in the league?

I had a feeling Oliver was going to be a bit of a bottler even during his 1st season in the Prem. I was at OT against Fulham to see him just get crushed under the pressure when we all held our breath after Carrick slid in from behind on the bald scouse tw@t in the box. Not giving that penalty worked out great for us that night and kept us in pole position for the title, I've always felt he'd bottle it again though and we might not benefit next time.
 
Yaya Toure had pleaded for a penalty just a minute before. He and Carrick were wrestling each other, who fouled who first was not clear and thus no free kick or penalty. I believe that incident was still in his mind and he didn't want to give us one because he was unsure if that incident was one.

He bottled it basically.
The incident where Yaya grabbed Carrick around the neck?
 
Rashford goes down easily. Demichelis was being stupid and nowadays it's probably a penalty, but it's one of the things I dislike about football these days.

No he fecking didn't.
 
The standard of refereeing in England has been terrible for many years and there's not many 'good' refs to choose from for a Manchester Derby.
 
We can be all calm and ruefully look back now, but that could easily have ended our realistic league season, in one bottle job call.

As others have stated, the way the ref held back when there was a melee in front of him was amazing. Though I suppose being a 5ft 6 weiner, you'd have to be quite brave to wade into tonnes of muscled 6ft athletes all jostling.

This was something Howard Webb was exceptional at, as he had the physical force to be reckoned with, and rozzer experience!
 
Will forever love Lingard for his part in that scuffle.
Was just about to mention that. He might not be at the required level, but I like his passion - also seems to be adopting a spokesman role as of late (his name keeps popping up in Guardian quotes.)
 
It was a penalty. He was nowhere near the ball and there was more than enough contact.
 
Watch quiet a lot of football and the standard of refs in the premier league has dropped massively. Some shocking decisions have been made this season l, and I'm not just talking in the United games.

You can argue bad referring calls even each other out through out the season but that doesn't wash with me! When everyone in the stadium sees one thing and the officials something completely different, it's not good enough.

A. There's no sort of repercussions for refs being bad, unless they make a catalogue of catastrophic errors for several weeks they will ref again the following weekend.
B. Not enough good refs are promoted from the lower leagues. Some current premier league refs should not be allowed anywhere near a football pitch, yet because they are on the PL roaster of refs they will continue to ref in the PL until they retire!
 
As others have stated, the way the ref held back when there was a melee in front of him was amazing. Though I suppose being a 5ft 6 weiner, you'd have to be quite brave to wade into tonnes of muscled 6ft athletes all jostling.

This was something Howard Webb was exceptional at, as he had the physical force to be reckoned with, and rozzer experience!
Always loved this clip of Collina
 
It wasn't given, it didn't end up being costly, so it ultimately doesn't matter.

There was also a lot of talk of Smalling deserving a red card too. I think it would have been ridiculously harsh for him to have been sent off for the foul which was given as a booking (which was a bit soft, and no City player was booked for stopping United counter attacks in the first half with worse challenges than Smalling's) and the foul which was adjudged to have been enough for a 2nd yellow. A centre half seeing red for making two very ordinary fouls would just be stupid. Smalling stepped out of the defence in both cases and Carrick dropped in, so we had numbers back. I don't believe either foul prevented a major opportunity for Aguero. If Smalling should have been sent off, then every player who commits two fouls should be sent off.
 
definite pen ,usually in these cases I can at least see why a decision goes against my opinion but for me this is clear cut ,disappointed when shearer said it wasn't but at least savage agrees with me ;).
 
Ref had a great viewpoint, and it was an obvious penalty. I don't quite know how he didn't give it.

I'm not questioning the man's integrity, but I do wonder how it is possible that in a sport that has so many shady club-owners and agents and such, and has such money revolving in it, that there has to my recollection never ever been a high-profile case of a referee being bribed. With the peanuts money they make they would seem like soft targets, like judges in boxing.

It has almost certainly happened at one time or another.
 
Ref had a great viewpoint, and it was an obvious penalty. I don't quite know how he didn't give it.

I'm not questioning the man's integrity, but I do wonder how it is possible that in a sport that has so many shady club-owners and agents and such, and has such money revolving in it, that there has to my recollection never ever been a high-profile case of a referee being bribed. With the peanuts money they make they would seem like soft targets, like judges in boxing.

It has almost certainly happened at one time or another.
Definite penalty. Clear as felking day. I am not questioning his integrity either. Definitely not. He is just a moral coward, that's all.
 
Yeah, he had the body language of a man looking for his ding-dongs and coming up emtpy.
 
Ref had a great viewpoint, and it was an obvious penalty. I don't quite know how he didn't give it.

I'm not questioning the man's integrity, but I do wonder how it is possible that in a sport that has so many shady club-owners and agents and such, and has such money revolving in it, that there has to my recollection never ever been a high-profile case of a referee being bribed. With the peanuts money they make they would seem like soft targets, like judges in boxing.

It has almost certainly happened at one time or another.
It's happened I'm sure. Think Italy.
 
Yeah, you're right, Collina was expressly mentioned in a phone call from Moggi, the latter complaining he was "too objective".
 
Can someone put up a gif of a camera view behind the goal as the tacke happens and the referee is in the background. It shows the ref lifting his hand up for a moment to blow the whistle, but then changes his mind.

What changed his mind?
Probably Rashford's dive.

The worst part about all of that is how he's too fecking cowardly to break up the big huddle of players who are fighting with each other.
Why the hell should he? And how would you break it up? Do you think it's easy? The man is a football referee, not a bouncer. Your point is utterly absurd.
 
About 50 to 100k, right? That is good money. But every team any major league has a player they pay that to on a weekly basis. They are soft targets.
 
Probably Rashford's dive.

Hey, you went on the internet and said something stupid to wind people up. Well done you!

Why the hell should he? And how would you break it up? Do you think it's easy? The man is a football referee, not a bouncer. Your point is utterly absurd.

Same reason as every other ref does in that situation... because it's his job?
 
There's absolutely no doubt about that penalty. Even most City fans agree about that. Of course, some say that it's not a penalty because "he went down after the contact". Well, duh? Was he supposed to go down before the contact? :D He tried to make a step after the contact, but was halfway down by then and there was no way to stay on his feet there. He was bumped way off balance and couldn't possibly keep doing what he was in the process on doing.

But there isn't a penalty decision (or any other matter in the universe), no matter how obvious, that 100% of people agree with. So this one is probably as unanimous as it's possible to get.
 
Probably Rashford's dive.

Why the hell should he? And how would you break it up? Do you think it's easy? The man is a football referee, not a bouncer. Your point is utterly absurd.

Except every other referee seems to do it. Calm down son, pick someone to have a fight with that has time for your petulant peacocking.
 
Except every other referee seems to do it. Calm down son, pick someone to have a fight with that has time for your petulant peacocking.

Actually as a referee you are advised to stay out of any melee until it breaks up so you can observe what is taking place. It isn't the referees job to break that up.
 
What made me laugh was Alan "it's a physical game" Shearer saying it was no pen. Anyone who saw that gobby prick play will know there was no bigger ref-baiter in PL history. He would have hounded Oliver for the rest of the game had he been in Rashford's place. HOUNDED.
 
What made me laugh was Alan "it's a physical game" Shearer saying it was no pen. Anyone who saw that prick play will know there was no bigger ref-baiter in PL history. He would have hounded Oliver for the rest of the game had he been in Rashford's place. HOUNDED.
Also if you drew a line down his head it'd look like an arse.
 
A mate of mine is genuinely a former City season ticket holder (despite being from, and living near Durham all his life), and is also a referee at a semi-pro level.

Even he - as the most pro-City, anti-United man I've ever met conceded it was a nailed on penalty.

Total bottle job by the ref.
 
Actually as a referee you are advised to stay out of any melee until it breaks up so you can observe what is taking place. It isn't the referees job to break that up.

Well, that's me proven wrong. Happens quite often though to be fair.