After watching the Arse/Manure game and seeing quite clearly that the penalty awarded to manure for the foul on Rooney was a joke, I firmly believe it's time to introduce camera's into the decision making, I don't blame the ref on this occasion, but bad decisions can ruin a clubs chances sometimes of survival, I'm not saying go to the camera for every decision the ref makes, but if he's not 100% certain, hey, what's wrong with checking upstairs? it happens in Rugby and cricket.
I'm never really convinced with cameras. I know that it helps with the iffy decisions but where should it stop? I find that since its introduction to cricket that Umpires tend to rely on it too much and I think the same can be said for Rugby, particularly League in Australia. Do you start to use cameras for offside? How many times is this wrong (either way)? I have a radical suggestion for offside - scrap it. Its a negative feature of the game and no offsides should bring about more excitment and probably more goals.
Some good points ballard, and I certainly don't advocate cameras for offside decisions, no point having linesmen then, but sometimes a penalty can be given wrongly, or not given when it should have been given, if I was the ref in the game I mentioned and had the opportunity to see the replay, I would have awarded the arse with a free kick and given Rooney a yellow card for diving.
I didn't actually get to see the highlights Brian but have heard that it was a dodgy decision. Also I think I read that the ref(Wiley) has given Manure a penalty in each of his last 7 games at Old Trafford(or at least something pretty amazing! Trevor
I don't see why they can't give the 4th official a monitor so that he can see the same instant replays from 4 different angles immediately after the incident, the same ones that we see on TV. There's always a natural delay of a couple of minutes anyway between a decision being given and a penalty or free kick being taken so it wouldn't delay the game any more than it already is. As long as they don't start using it for everything (i.e. throw-ins etc.) I think it would only improve the game by cutting out Rooney/Pires type antics. I also don't understand how/why the FA can charge Van Nistelrooy with an incident post match, on the basis of video evidence, that went unnoticed by the myopic ref during the game but they can't/won't lay a charge on Rooney for diving or Rio for taking out Ljundberg. What's the difference? All were bookable offences, all were unseen by the official and yet only RvN's infringement didn't have an effect on the outcome of the game and that's the one they choose to punish. It stinks. Though I suppose it's to be expected following the :- Beckham: "I deliberately fouled him." F.A.: " There's not enough evidence to charge David Beckham" WHAT?????? nonsense.
I don't see what all the fuss is about. If the ref had not given the penalty for the foul on Rooney he would have given the one for the obvious foul on Ronaldo a short time after. The jerk Wenger only sees what he wants to see. Why is it that we hear very little from him while Arsenal are often committing the most atrocious fouls in the league as evidenced by their disaplinary record since he has been in charge? He is a whiner who ruins home grown talent. Quite frankly I am sick and tired of the way Arsenal and Chelsea have chosen to try and buy teams. At least Manure's core is home grown talent.
Oh yeah, add Liverpool to that list. You can't tell me that there is not home grown talent that is not as good or better than some of these fairys from overseas who complain everytime they get tackled. The answer is to have a european league where the top 3 clubs from England, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal etc. can play and leave the rest of the clubs to compete on a more or less even footing at home.
Its an excellent point Brian. I agee with Robs 4th official having moniters and being in touch with the referee through microphones as cricket officials are. I do blame the referee because he bottled it. He has given 8 penalties in his last 8 Manure home games. Rio and Van nostrils should have been sent off. As per the laws of the game. Can you imagine Fergie then. Wenger of course wouldn't have seen a thing. Agree with the point about Chelski trying to buy a team. Arsenal however mainly buy almost unknown players that become superstars. To me that speaks volumes for Wengers nous, spotting talent that he can mould.
My thoughts on camera's, a musing by the NEWORLEANSHAMMER. Having spent the last seven years of my life in the USA, and having been involved in many a drunken 'debate' with ex-pats and Americans about US sports and the global appeal/religion of Football (the one that involves feet) I have come to a few conclusions. 1. American Football is a game based around affiliation, i.e. your state, city, collage, fav. player. The game itself isn't worth anything. Nobody watches NFL Europe, even though owned by the NFL and designed for off-season viewing by (you guessed it) Americans. 2. Although American football is a truely horrific spectical, Baseball is far worse. I watched my first game ever last week, the mighty Boston taking on the far mightier (?) Yankees in a 7th game decider (for any of you who maybe unversed in US sports, they like to make ties a best of 5 or 7 series, as to sell more beer) . All I can say is WTF is that S#!T about? WORST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!! Never have I been so board in all my life. 3. Football (Soccer) is the game. It envolves everything human, including the prospect of human error, and should never resort to camera replays. Do we really want a microphone attached to the 4th official while he walks into the middle of the pich and proclaims Rooney dived over the tannoys? HELL NO!!!!!!!! It is very rare a team wins through errors alone, its like the old saying- you create your own luck. We all love this game and our underachieving team enough to seek out like-minded people from all over the world every day. Lets not change it, because it's perfect in an inperfect way. There is only one thing left to say- UP THE HAMMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be sitting in Finn McCools watching my first televised game of the season tomorrow, relishing every second of the beautiful game. Its not life and death, its more important!