A moment of sympathy for Manchester United who suffered Friend's refereeing

[Nick Bateman]

One offers condolences to Solsjaer & co. for having to suffer the awful Kevin Friend against Man.City as Fulham did only a week before.

The FA, in it's omnipotent wisdom decided to award the second leg to the same referee who single-handedly RUINED the previous cup match broadcast by BBC. Friend was so over zealous he awarded City a penalty and not apllying the double jeopardy dispensensation where if one awards a pen, one does not send off the offender. We have seen this common sense application of the law several times yet Kevin Friend decided to deal out the ultimate punishment as early as six minutes into the game.

The City player Gabriel Jesus theactrically threw himself to the floor being lightly  tugged by Tim Ream. Jesus must have felt he could walk on water as Friend reached for the red card, his beaming smile clearly displaying his delight at this sychophantic apostle in black.  Friend went on to award every dive and feining of injury to the home side, because we are Fulham, NOTHING in Kevin Friend's eyes in comparison to the Premier League champions backed by unlimited Arab resources.  One has to commend the BBC commentator for attempting to get excited in a game that was "killed" in the opening minutes - the man deserves a BAFTA.  But my thoughts were with the travelling Fulham fans who were cheated of a contest travelling so far to view a debacle.

Friend carried on such standards of bias against United, warning Matic for the slightest of contacts or even non-contact as if he was planning to send the most effective player off the first chance he got.  He was roundly condemned by the Sky studio panel afterwards, one including Micah Richards a former City defender.  He stated the first booking wasn't even a foul and there was no contact on the warning Friend gave in prelude to the sending off.  In a Manchester derby, he continued, you have to allow some contact.

Fulham were never given any quarter or favour from even Danny Murphy because as I said, we are Fulham and nothing in the big picture of football (sic).

But the worrying trend I am seeing is the FA are deliberately allowing refs like Friend to ruin matches, spoil entertainment, and are out-of-control under Mike Riley's stewardship.   Football is deeply broken.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Is this referee a 'Friend' of yours Nick ?

[Arthur]

Friend was so over zealous he awarded City a penalty and not apllying the double jeopardy dispensensation where if one awards a pen, one does not send off the offender.

Deliberate fouls that deny a goalscoring opportunity still incur a red card alongside the award of a penalty.

The City player Gabriel Jesus theactrically threw himself to the floor being lightly tugged by Tim Ream.

What is Ream trying to do when he tugs Jesus? Give away a penalty and receive a red card? Of course not. Ream's trying to prevent Jesus from reaching the ball without giving away a penalty and getting himself sent off. Ream's only going to hold the player for the shortest time necessary to achieve his intention.

The referee has to decide whether a goalscoring opportunity has been denied by Ream's action. The laws of the game specify neither a length of time for a player's tug nor a minimum amount of force that has to be applied; it's simply whether a goalscoring opportunity has been denied.

You could argue that you don't think that Ream denied a goalscoring opportunity with his tug on Jesus; or that Ream's contact with Jesus was accidental and not deliberate; or even that Ream's contact was not only accidental but had no impact on Jesus' ability to reach the ball - none of which would lead to a red card (nor, in the last instance, a penalty), and these are all matters of opinion. But you'll get nowhere, I'm afraid, arguing that the laws of the game allowed for Ream to stay on the pitch once the referee had decided that the foul was both deliberate and denying of a goalscoring opportunity.

[Baszab]

Well written OP - and I agree 100%

Micah Richards summed it up perfectly in the TV studio after the game on Wednesday

Rodak could easily have got to the ball before Jesus

We would still have lost .... but to ruin the game for all supporters and TV audience was unnecessary - football is part of the entertainment industry after all - the standard of refereeing is so poor atm

[Nick Bateman]

Refereeing standards in the Premier League is lower than what one sees on Hackney Marshes. Refs can "pretend" to view an incident incorrectly, and the TV commentators cover the whole show up.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Refereeing standards in the Premier League is lower than what one sees on Hackney Marshes. Refs can "pretend" to view an incident incorrectly, and the TV commentators cover the whole show up.

I agree that currently some referees are mediocre and that reflects on the way Mike Riley is failing football regarding his philosophy.
As for Hackney Marshes, I do not think many teams there have official Referees appointed to their matches due to an acute shortage of referees especially decent referees nationally.
But try informing the FA and they will look at you as if you were from another planet, where actually it is the FA who are from another planet. 

[Andy S]

Come on Ream deserved to go and the ref got it right. You don't give the referee the option

[Nick Bateman]

Refereeing standards in the Premier League is lower than what one sees on Hackney Marshes. Refs can "pretend" to view an incident incorrectly, and the TV commentators cover the whole show up.

I agree that currently some referees are mediocre and that reflects on the way Mike Riley is failing football regarding his philosophy.
As for Hackney Marshes, I do not think many teams there have official Referees appointed to their matches due to an acute shortage of referees especially decent referees nationally.
But try informing the FA and they will look at you as if you were from another planet, where actually it is the FA who are from another planet. 

That is my point. The average lay person can do a better job than these apparently highly professional officials who get it wrong in EVERY match! And VAR is becoming a farce.

Come on Ream deserved to go and the ref got it right. You don't give the referee the option

It was only 6 minutes in and Friend showed no leniency so early in the match. The penalty was sufficient punishment for Jesus' theatrical antics. Friend was chosen because he is a secret City supporter as we have seen in the last 3 Man.City games which coincidently he officiated in all and helped them. Of course every Premier League ref claims to support Darlington or some obscure lower league team. Let's at least hope we have the dubious honour to suffer their woeful antics next season.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Darlington ? yes I always thought there was something fishy about them, as they always seem to get the decisions ever since Adam first met Eve and said, " stand back I don't know how big this thing gets. "

[Whitesideup]

Refereeing standards in the Premier League is lower than what one sees on Hackney Marshes. Refs can "pretend" to view an incident incorrectly, and the TV commentators cover the whole show up.

I agree that currently some referees are mediocre and that reflects on the way Mike Riley is failing football regarding his philosophy.
As for Hackney Marshes, I do not think many teams there have official Referees appointed to their matches due to an acute shortage of referees especially decent referees nationally.
But try informing the FA and they will look at you as if you were from another planet, where actually it is the FA who are from another planet. 

That is my point. The average lay person can do a better job than these apparently highly professional officials who get it wrong in EVERY match! And VAR is becoming a farce.

Come on Ream deserved to go and the ref got it right. You don't give the referee the option

It was only 6 minutes in and Friend showed no leniency so early in the match. The penalty was sufficient punishment for Jesus' theatrical antics. Friend was chosen because he is a secret City supporter as we have seen in the last 3 Man.City games which coincidently he officiated in all and helped them. Of course every Premier League ref claims to support Darlington or some obscure lower league team. Let's at least hope we have the dubious honour to suffer their woeful antics next season.

So are you a qualified ref Mr Bateman?  To make a comment that the average lay person can do a better job ...well, to remain polite, it shows a clear lack of understanding. As Andy S clearly demonstrates, your vitriol is  totally undeserved, unwarranted .. in fact any "un" you care to mention   ....except for understandable .. which to be fair is more "under" than "un"

[Jim©]

More Bateman drivel I'm afraid. Is there a team that is less deserving of sympathy in English football over the last 25 years than Manchester United?

[MikeW]

More Bateman drivel I'm afraid. Is there a team that is less deserving of sympathy in English football over the last 25 years than Manchester United?

Hear, hear

[Nick Bateman]

For your information, I have refereed at a fairly decent standard but one doesn't wish to blow one's own trumpet. And some people are showing their age on here - Manchester United have been out-of-favour since Fergie retired (and David Gill vacated his powerful position in the FA). When Fulham are promoted you will be reminded when Kevin Friend, Anthony Taylor and their cohorts preside again and continue to spoil football.

[SP]

On a slight tangent, how fantastic was the match Pierre Luigi-Colina refereed us in the Europa League. The game flowed so freely, you literally wouldn't have known there was a ref on the pitch.

[WolverineFFC]

More Bateman drivel I'm afraid. Is there a team that is less deserving of sympathy in English football over the last 25 years than Manchester United?

Hear, hear

I would normally agree with these sentiments, but Kevin Friend was also the VAR ref for the Spurs/City match this weekend. The guy who took over 2 minutes of open play to determine there was a clear and obvious error on the Aguero penalty. Just an absurd amount of time. Could have had another goal in the time it took him to make the decision.

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[MikeTheCubed]

On a slight tangent, how fantastic was the match Pierre Luigi-Colina refereed us in the Europa League. The game flowed so freely, you literally wouldn't have known there was a ref on the pitch.

Minus a certain tracksuit-bottomed goalkeeper feigning injury for what seemed like half an hour...

[Sgt Fulham]

You lost me at the words 'Sympathy' 'Man Utd' and 'refereeing'.

[Moltobueno]

What about sending off Zinchenko for a very soft foul? Surely VAR must interfere when the referee has made a huge mistake like that, where was Friend? :022:

[toshes mate]

As regards bias then I certainly believe either it is there or the inconsistency of referees is so awful they aren't fit for purpose.  Last night Saints goalkeeper was yellow carded for a deliberate foul on Son reaching back to catch hold of his foot.   I think those who comment on referees need to understand the reality that they are probably worse now than they have ever been before (and they could be pretty crap when I first started watching (and playing) football.  Inconsistency doesn't only kill team performances.

[Penfold]

You lost me at the words 'Sympathy' 'Man Utd' and 'refereeing'.

😂