The dust has settled on the week-end, referees, what do you think should happen.

[jarv]

Manchester United was handed the championship on a plate by two appalling referee decisions. QPR this week-end and Fulham's non penalty last week.
Add to that QPR might get relegated because of it.
Wigan could also suffer the same fate after Chelsea's non penalty.
Finally, there is Chelsea's non penalty against Fulham. Fortunately one with no bearing on Fulham but might have on Arsenal, Spuds or newcastle. I say non penalty because captain Dan said the ref told him the fould was by Kelly. SERIOUSLY! The ref. has got to be kidding. Come to think of it, when did Clattenberg last have a good game?

So, the question is, WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT? The refs, for the most part are decent but the end of season games are clearly becoming too much responsibility. We have a few weeks left. Assuming Wolves are down, it is 2 from 4. Would you want to ref any of these games without thehelp of TECHNOLOGY. Replays are surely a must now. There has been far too many wrong calls for the status quo to continue.

Fulham played a terrific game tonight but how would we all be feeling, due to the non penalty for Chelse, if we were in the bottom 5. Not too good I suspect.

[White wizard]

Corrupt or incompetent.....you choose. The only way to get close to 100% correct decisions is video replays as in most other major sports. Athletics, horseracing et al could not function without photo finish/video replays. Before anybody howls that it holds games up or stops the flow, consider how long last nights game stopped before Lumphard took the pen. 

[MJG]

I have a question regarding people who want technology (of which I'm on the fence about), if you are going to use it for say offsides, where would you place the camera? Bearing in mind that at only one point the camera would be in line with the pitch. All other views would be at an angle. This would require the added technology of graphics to show the line of the players. This would add extra time to any challenge made about a decision.
For goalline i do not have a problem, but lets take the penalty last night..was it one?
Its clear that Kelly did not touch him, Murphy touched him and the ball but also went in two footed, or did he? Its an interpretation of a decision not fact. This si where I have a problem with it. For matters of fact no problem, for others its still going to down to the ref, ref in the stand whatever.

[rhyspabsolom]

I have a question regarding people who want technology (of which I'm on the fence about), if you are going to use it for say offsides, where would you place the camera?

Surely it would be utilising all the cameras already used for television - as with cricket - to allow inspection from many angles?

Doesn't take long to slap a line on a pitch like that.

[Berserker]

I've heard from Rugby fans that the ref keep looking at the tele screen stops the flow of the game. Murphy shouldn't have done what he did last night whether it was the reason the penalty was given, it was stupid and he could have been sent off. I agree though that refs and their officials have been bad recently, i'm not convinced it's by error though and not some other influence.

[theo]

I have a question regarding people who want technology (of which I'm on the fence about), if you are going to use it for say offsides, where would you place the camera?

Surely it would be utilising all the cameras already used for television - as with cricket - to allow inspection from many angles?

Doesn't take long to slap a line on a pitch like that.

Rhys you on here too mate? Hah, random!

Think there deffo needs to be some element of video refereeing introduced to football at least for situations in the box, but the higher and corrupt powers at FIFA will never commit to it.

[SKSW6]

Didn't Battenburg give us that dodgy pen last season at home to Blackburn which Bobby scored to make it 3-2? Seem to remember it was for a bit of tussling in the box on a corner, but could have been deemed harsh.

[rhyspabsolom]

Theeeeeeo! You seem to be stalking me, you'll be following me on twitter next. (@rhyspabsolom)

Back to the point:
It's not that bad in rugby because of the way it either definitely leads to a try or definitely doesn't. It can actually build a lot of tension and allows the fans at home to make their own assumptions as the replays are shown (always fun).
Even when it does drag on, it's a neccessary evil.

The argument of not wanting technology because it takes out the controversy of pub banter is baffling. Why would you not want the game as fair and to the laws as possible?
I think it's more of finding an appropriate way of utilising it.

We - of all people - know how useless the extra Europa officials were / are.

[BalDrick]

Thing is, he could quite easily have given a pen when the ball struck Kelly's arm (on t'other side of town that was considered a penalty earlier on).

[King_Crud]

the problem is that if there was technology for all of these decisions it would be used more and more as the ref can just refer every decision, and it would really slow the game down

[theo]

I don't think it would neccessarily end up being used for every descision, it hasnt in other sports that use video refereeing to a degree. For example in ice hockey, they only use it to see if the puck has gone over the line, and that is definitively somewhere it's needed in football. Just put cameras in the top corners of the goal, it really cant be that hard.

[MJG]

Maybe an NFL challenge type system.
2 goes for each team in each half. We would have challenged the penalty for sure. Chelsea would have challenged the Penalty shout on Lampard and the goal we scored.
One of my problems under that type of system would be the goal we scored for example.
Chelsea call a challenge and the ref sees a player blocked and disallows the goal. If Fulham then want to rechallange that Brede was fouled by Cahill because he had his arm round his waist, should we have a penalty?
Its a minefield using it for decisions like that.
The time aspect has to come into it, You could spend 5 minutes on Murphy's(or Kellys) penalty and still not be satisfied.

[BalDrick]

the problem is that if there was technology for all of these decisions it would be used more and more as the ref can just refer every decision, and it would really slow the game down

Have never understood this line of thought at all - the game would continue at its usual pace but the 4th ref, on the monitor, could radio the ref who could call play back. Of course then you get into what decisions would he be charged with reviewing but a penalty for instance clearly would, and god knows it takes long enough from the ref pointing to the spot to the actual pen being taken anyway, so can't see any time lost there. During a lull the 4th could look at things like, for instance, the Mereilles yellow, which he ought to have had a few times by then but was in fact unlucly because he didn't touch Riise when he was booked. Genuinely cannot see how the game would be any slower. Of course there'd be teething issues but if it's all in the name of levelling the playing field, worth it in the long run. There's a point for us at OT, a(nother) suspension - not to mention 70-odd minutes with 11 not 10, for Rangers, and a point for Wigan (possibly three actually) and that's just in the last few weeks. Okay Citeh are self-imploding at the moment anyway but a team will be relegated this season with a fair shout they shouldn't have been.

[Fulham1959]

I believe you need a panel of 3 TV refs, certainly in World Cup Finals.  Otherwise it's one man's decision again, albeit somewhat easier with the aid of replays.  A 3-0 or 2-1 vote would be hard to contest afterwards.

With all the money in football, the cost of doing this is hardly prohibitive and the 4th official is already there.  Maybe 2 local officials could be used (qualified refs) who ought to be without local bias, plus the 4th Official.

[rhyspabsolom]

I believe you need a panel of 3 TV refs, certainly in World Cup Finals.  Otherwise it's one man's decision again, albeit somewhat easier with the aid of replays.  A 3-0 or 2-1 vote would be hard to contest afterwards.

Unneccessary.
It's not that we're distrusting the ref.
It will still be one man's decision but one man with more time and information at his disposal.