View Full Version : Ref for Everton v Man Utd game has been changed to...guess who
Craig_H
16-04-09, 02:52 PM
http://img379.imageshack.us/img379/927/000v.jpg
Yep. I know. No, i'm not making this up. You couldnt.
Changed? Who was it originally?
This is getting beyond a joke. Why don't we just cancel all football and the FA/PL just hand out the medals and trophies to Manchester United on an annual basis, for fucks sake.
Joe King
16-04-09, 02:58 PM
You cannot be serious. Mr 'four minutes' added on for no reason against Villa.
This is just getting ridiculous now.
Craig_H
16-04-09, 02:58 PM
Was originally meant to be Steve Bennett.
Any reason given as to why he's been changed mate?
Craig_H
16-04-09, 03:01 PM
Any reason given as to why he's been changed mate?
You want the official reason or the real one? :D
Joe King
16-04-09, 03:01 PM
Was originally meant to be Steve Bennett.
Much of a muchness. I would have preferred Alan Wiley
You want the official reason or the real one? :D
The official please mate. :D
Craig_H
16-04-09, 03:03 PM
The official please mate. :D
Bennett is 'injured'
Bennett is 'injured'
:handshake: Probably got ear ache after Fergie gave him a call.
Joe King
16-04-09, 03:24 PM
Probably got his arse shined after allowing Benayoun to score against Fulham.
Scratch
16-04-09, 03:25 PM
Ref changed about 3 days ago i though, genuine injury, and Riley was next on the list. Christ, we like to make a mountain out of anything united related on here :)
Craig_H
16-04-09, 03:38 PM
Nice how it worked out for them, what with their favourite ref being 'next on the list', eh?
Who's third on the list, Alex Ferguson?
Scratch
16-04-09, 03:49 PM
Nice how it worked out for them, what with their favourite ref being 'next on the list', eh?
Who's third on the list, Alex Ferguson?
So blame Bennett, not the FA ??
Craig_H
16-04-09, 08:11 PM
Who's blaming Bennett? Presumably the FA puts the list together, including the 1st choice and 2nd choice officials.
So i consider them to play quite a big part in deciding match referees.
Neil Young
16-04-09, 09:55 PM
Bennett is just as bad
:handshake:
They're both abysmal.
Montana
16-04-09, 10:00 PM
For supposedly the best in the league in the world we have the worst bunch of referees around.
Neil Young
16-04-09, 10:05 PM
For supposedly the best in the league in the world we have the worst bunch of referees around.
It certainly seems that way but I suppose most of us see more of them than we see of refs elsewhere so we're going to be far more aware of their errors and general weaknesses.
I can't stand Bennett or Riley. And I don't think much of Walton either. I don't mind Webb too much. Or Wiley.
There's a poem in there somewhere.
I like Wiley, Clattenburg (while he was still around - will he ever come back?) and Mike Dean, don't mind Foy....don't think much of Webb and cannot abide Styles, Riley, Bennett, Dowd or Halsey.
Who was the one that gave the goal for Reading that never happened?
Joe King
16-04-09, 10:37 PM
Who was the one that gave the goal for Reading that never happened?
Stuart Atwell
Neil Young
16-04-09, 10:37 PM
I like Wiley, Clattenburg (while he was still around - will he ever come back?) and Mike Dean, don't mind Foy....don't think much of Webb and cannot abide Styles, Riley, Bennett, Dowd or Halsey.
I don't know Foy. I'd forgotten about Clattenburg - what's happened to him? Has Abramovich had him put under his patio?
I'd forgotten about Halsey and Dowd and I totally agree. Styles is bad but not, I think, as bad as most on your list.
Joe King
16-04-09, 10:38 PM
Moyes concerned by Riley choice for FA semi [AFP] (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jG5OuOGbdqu52EcQnWG3Bl6NHuGg)
Everton manager David Moyes admits he is concerned by the Football Association's decision to appoint Mike Riley as referee for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United at Wembley.
Riley is a late replacement for Steve Bennett, who has withdrawn due to illness, but Moyes has had several disagreements with Riley over his decisions in Everton matches and raised the suggestion that the official could be a United fan.
Riley upset Moyes in 2003 when he awarded a controversial penalty to United in the final game of the season that cost Everton a place in the UEFA Cup. He also sent off Tim Cahill in the 2-0 league defeat against Liverpool in September.
"A member of the press asked me if Mike Riley is a Manchester United supporter - I think that is something you would need to bring up with the FA," Moyes told Everton's website.
"It is something that one or two managers would have something to say about. It is the FA's appointment; it was originally supposed to be Steve Bennett.
"If you (the press) are saying that Mike Riley is a Manchester United supporter, you would hope the FA would look at that."
The FA responded by giving Riley their full back. "All our referees are fair, unbiased and objective," the spokesman said. "Mike Riley is one of our top officials and we are 100 percent confident he will do a good job on Sunday."
Joe King
16-04-09, 10:40 PM
Clattenburg will be back next season
Neil Young
16-04-09, 10:42 PM
Moyes concerned by Riley choice for FA semi [AFP] (http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jG5OuOGbdqu52EcQnWG3Bl6NHuGg)
Everton manager David Moyes admits he is concerned by the Football Association's decision to appoint Mike Riley as referee for Sunday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United at Wembley.
Riley is a late replacement for Steve Bennett, who has withdrawn due to illness, but Moyes has had several disagreements with Riley over his decisions in Everton matches and raised the suggestion that the official could be a United fan.
Riley upset Moyes in 2003 when he awarded a controversial penalty to United in the final game of the season that cost Everton a place in the UEFA Cup. He also sent off Tim Cahill in the 2-0 league defeat against Liverpool in September.
"A member of the press asked me if Mike Riley is a Manchester United supporter - I think that is something you would need to bring up with the FA," Moyes told Everton's website.
"It is something that one or two managers would have something to say about. It is the FA's appointment; it was originally supposed to be Steve Bennett.
"If you (the press) are saying that Mike Riley is a Manchester United supporter, you would hope the FA would look at that."
The FA responded by giving Riley their full back. "All our referees are fair, unbiased and objective," the spokesman said. "Mike Riley is one of our top officials and we are 100 percent confident he will fix it for on Sunday."
I've started to really like Everton today.
Craig_H
16-04-09, 11:41 PM
Whether Riley's a manc fan, an incompetent ref or whatever, you have to wonder why the FA choose to put themselves in this position, time and time again.
Maybe Riley's perfectly impartial, but they KNOW questions are going to be asked and suspicions raised, so why appoint him for this game? Why him?
You can avoid all the problems by just appointing someone else.
I think they basically devise a list of their top officials for each match, in which Riley's often top of :rolleyes:.
Craig_H
16-04-09, 11:57 PM
They're idiots though, because it's obviously asking for trouble.
Scratch
17-04-09, 07:11 AM
Not really, they'd be asking for more trouble if they over looked him in favour of someone else, cos then they'd bascially be admitting that Riley may not be completely neutral.
PC Plod
17-04-09, 08:14 AM
Stretford Mike? FFS.
Not really, they'd be asking for more trouble if they over looked him in favour of someone else, cos then they'd bascially be admitting that Riley may not be completely neutral.
Why would the fact that Riley had been ‘overlooked’ even have to be an issue? It wouldn’t. There are loads of other refs. They could’ve just replaced Bennett with, say, Halsey, and there’d be no problem.
As it is, the hapless FA have created a situation out of nothing when it could so easily have been avoided.
Mike Riley FFS.
Craig_H
17-04-09, 11:59 AM
Not really, they'd be asking for more trouble if they over looked him in favour of someone else, cos then they'd bascially be admitting that Riley may not be completely neutral.
It wouldnt need to be made public that they'd overlooked him. They choose the ref, and the 2nd choice - so just dont put Riley on it. Not difficult.
It's a bit like when a player leaves a trailing leg in the box, and a forward goes over it. Maybe a pen, maybe not - but why put yourself in that position in the first place?
Neil Young
17-04-09, 12:02 PM
It may not have to be made public but imagine the problems that would ensue if it got out that the FA had gone against their own rules and not picked the next referee on the list.
Either way they got themselves in a fix and the only solution is for them to admit what is bleeding obvious to the rest of us - Mike Riley is not good enough.
Joe King
17-04-09, 12:05 PM
Basically all this unwanted pressure will be on Mike Riley on Saturday and hopefully it will pay dividends - there won't be any penalties to United and just the one added minute so Fergie can't look at his ridiculous watch. Hate it when he does that.
Craig_H
17-04-09, 12:19 PM
It may not have to be made public but imagine the problems that would ensue if it got out that the FA had gone against their own rules and not picked the next referee on the list.
Either way they got themselves in a fix and the only solution is for them to admit what is bleeding obvious to the rest of us - Mike Riley is not good enough.
What i meant though, is why would Riley have even been PLACED as the next referee on the list?
Mancs 2 favourite refs are the first two on the list? :haha: Why would anyone even contemplate doing that? :rash:
I always thought there was some process whereby managers/clubs could anonymously ask for some officials not to be considered for games. I guess possibly Everton did complain and he got the job anyway.
I like Wiley, Clattenburg (while he was still around - will he ever come back?) and Mike Dean, don't mind Foy....don't think much of Webb and cannot abide Styles, Riley, Bennett, Dowd or Halsey.
I actually think the refereeing in the PL stands up to any other I see in Spain, Italy or European competition. It is a difficult job and I think that a combination of the fact it is not easy to attract really top people and institutional weakness at FAs around Europe which tends to undermine any sort of consistency across a season means that the standard is not particularly high anywhere.
What I will say though is that watching the odd South American match makes you understand that our refs are much better than you think.
EwarWoo
19-04-09, 01:15 AM
Someone posted an interesting article the other day on another board. I don't have the source but unfortunately:
An investigation of the past five seasons shows that United have won 71 per cent of their Premier League matches under Riley, the most recent of which was the last-gasp 3-2 win against Aston Villa when Federico Macheda scored on his debut.
United lead the way in the 'Big Four' race winning 71 per cent of games in which Riley has refereed. Chelsea come in second with a high 65 win percentage with Liverpool in third and Arsenal fourth.
Big Four under Mike Riley over the last 5 years
Arsenal 58%
Chelsea 65%
Liverpool 60%
Man Utd 71%
Riley has often been associated with controversial penalty decisions but he has not given one in a Red Devils game since 2006-07.
Indeed, despite him famously awarding the spot-kick that helped end Arsenal's record unbeaten run at 49 games, it is The Gunners who have benefited most from Riley penalty awards since 2004, with four.
Big Four Penalties under Mike Riley last 5 seasons
Arsenal For 4 ; Against 3
Chelsea For 2; Against 1
Liverpool For 1 Against 2
Man Utd For 2 Against 1
It was actually posted as an attack on Riley, however the stats seem to show despite all perceptions he's reasonably fair.
Compared to form the % of wins add up except maybe Arsenal have got a bit more unlucky than they should.
Craig_H
19-04-09, 02:34 PM
It's not just penalty decisions though, is it?
Villa got fuck-all out of him at Old Trafford, every single 50/50 went the mancs way.
As for our penalty at Old Trafford - even Helen Keller would have seen it as a pen, there's no way Riley could've NOT given it.
Joe King
19-04-09, 06:11 PM
Every 50/50 so far has gone to United.
The pen today was a stonewaller IMO so maybe Riley had Moyes' remarks in his mind.
However everything else went to the Mancs. There was a spell in extra-time when he gave the Mancs some unbelievable decisions.
Joe King
19-04-09, 07:22 PM
I'm thinking back to when Cahill could have been one on one with Foster (potential England keeper :haha: ) and I didn't see anything wrong.
The pen today was a stonewaller IMO so maybe Riley had Moyes' remarks in his mind.
As soon as that was brought up about Riley and the Mancs, my first thoughts were about how it could go against them.
He's in a no win situation.
When I was watching games as a kid, you wouldn't even know anything about the ref, not even a name and if you did, it wouldn't really count for anything.
I'm thinking back to when Cahill could have been one on one with Foster (potential England keeper :haha: ) and I didn't see anything wrong.
Yep that and some dire corner/goal kick decisions. Plus every single 50-50.
Joe King
19-04-09, 07:29 PM
Yep that and some dire corner/goal kick decisions. Plus every single 50-50.
Yep, Fellaini, despite being unbelievably clumsy at times was unfortunate for the majority with that dirty cunt and the merking prick winning the decisions.
The pen today was a stonewaller IMO so maybe Riley had Moyes' remarks in his mind.
However everything else went to the Mancs. There was a spell in extra-time when he gave the Mancs some unbelievable decisions.
To be honest I thought he was doing well enough until the penalty decision. Then he did what all referees seem to do when they think they fucked up - namely giving all decisions to the team they worry they might have wronged.
To be honest I thought he was doing well enough until the penalty decision. Then he did what all referees seem to do when they think they fucked up - namely giving all decisions to the team they worry they might have wronged.
:handshake:
It appears so blatant when refs do that.
Craig_H
19-04-09, 08:17 PM
The pen today was a stonewaller IMO so maybe Riley had Moyes' remarks in his mind.
However everything else went to the Mancs. There was a spell in extra-time when he gave the Mancs some unbelievable decisions.
Moyes played a blinder saying what he did to the media - i'm sure that if he hadnt said that, Riley would've given it as a pen.
Neil Young
19-04-09, 10:24 PM
I didn't watch the game but none of what I've read here surprises me about Riley. I don't think he deliberately makes bad decisions because of bias; I think he's just poor at dealing with pressure and that's why if he's one of the best in the country then we're very badly served (dww's point about refs elsewhere notwithstanding).
I don't really think Moyes deserves any praise for putting him under even more pressure even though I'm glad it seems to have had the desired result.
Craig_H
19-04-09, 10:36 PM
If Riley messes up decisions when under pressure, and Moyes comments put him under pressure, then indirectly, Moyes is responsible for Riley not giving the peno :D
Neil Young
20-04-09, 08:14 AM
Well, yes, I pretty much said that. Still, that doesn't make it a good thing really. More bad decisions - no matter who benefits - simply make things worse.
Also we can look at it from the point of view of our own self-interest. Given that it looks a pretty clear penalty and that all media coverage is saying it was, alongside comments from the likes of Ferdinand ("Referees won't give us penalties"), then domestic referees now might feel a little pressure to give them more marginal ones than before. So while it may have thwarted them in the Cup it could help them in the League. Then again it may not so there's no point worrying about it.
Craig_H
20-04-09, 02:12 PM
So really, what Rafa needs to do now is come out and pinpoint the notion of refs now leaning towards giving them a peno, to 'make up' for the Riley decision.
Basically, just keep up the idea that any ref who gives them a penalty is doing it for wrong reasons :D
Neil Young
20-04-09, 03:16 PM
:haha:
I'm admitting defeat on this. :handshake:
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