CHRIS SUTTON: Refs must show some balls and stand by their decisions

On Sep 4, 2022

You can only wonder what Howard Webb, incoming boss of the PGMOL, was thinking while watching Match of the Day.

Officials can make mistakes, but for a single Saturday to see two contenders for the worst decisions since VAR arrived in the Premier League was not a good look.

One of Webb’s immediate changes should be to drive home to the referees that they do not have to blindly follow Stockley Park’s advice when sent to their pitch-side monitors.

Howard Webb, incoming PGMOL boss, does not want referees to blindly follow VAR’s advice

You aren’t obliged to go with your VAR pal’s recommendation — show some balls and be strong enough to stand by your original decision.

Michael Oliver did that at Nottingham Forest against Bournemouth. He awarded Forest a penalty in real time for a handball by Lloyd Kelly. VAR Graham Scott disagreed and sent him to his monitor.

Oliver disregarded the advice. Rightly so, too. That was good to see and proof of why Oliver is probably the Premier League’s best referee right now.

West Ham’s goal against Chelsea was chalked off after the referee took Stockley Park’s advice

As for the howlers, let’s start with West Ham at Chelsea. Maxwel Cornet’s goal was originally awarded. Referee Andy Madley didn’t see anything wrong in real time. But VAR Jarred Gillett looked closely at Jarrod Bowen dragging his foot over Edouard Mendy in the build-up.

Was that enough to disallow it? Absolutely not. And yet, Gillett sent Madley to his pitch-side monitor, Mendy’s play-acting perhaps adding to the confusion. The referee followed Stockley Park’s advice.

It was the wrong decision. You know it, I know it. I’d love to try to play devil’s advocate and tell you why it was a foul, but I can’t. I hope David Moyes isn’t punished for his post-match comments, because that would be a double kick in the teeth for West Ham.

Andy Madley deemed Jarrod Bowen had fouled Edouard Mendy after going to the monitor

NOW THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT!

Michael Oliver gave the perfect performance when told to go to his monitor and review a penalty he had given to Nottingham Forest for handball in their 3-2 defeat by Bournemouth.

The VAR Graham Scott asked Oliver to look again, and the home fans at the City Ground feared the worst as the referee consulted the monitor.

But Oliver stood his ground and gave the spot-kick.

As for Newcastle, they were likewise robbed. The on-field decision was the own goal by Tyrick Mitchell should stand. But apparently Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita was flattened by Joe Willock.

That only happened because Mitchell pushed Willock into Guaita! The Newcastle player did not do anything wrong. And yet, VAR Lee Mason told referee Michael Salisbury to go look at his monitor.

I feel for Salisbury. This was only his sixth Premier League match but he had the experienced Mason in his ear, telling him he thinks there was a potential foul on Guaita. That’s not an easy position to be in.

Salisbury went with Mason, though I can only assume the VAR did not see the push by Mitchell on Willock. The more you watch the television replays of this incident, the stranger this decision seems.

In Brentford against Leeds, Ivan Toney won a penalty when referee Robert Jones was told by VAR David Coote that there was a foul by Luis Sinisterra. He was right — there had been and this was a worthy spot-kick.

But then when Leeds’ Crysencio Summerville was dragged down by Brentford’s Aaron Hickey in the second half, nothing happened. No VAR intervention. No visit to the monitor for Jones.

I’m not one of those who subscribes to the idea that ex-players should be involved in VAR. You don’t have to have played the game to understand it, but this smacked of a lack of consistency. That’s frustrating and it’s no wonder Jesse Marsch was outraged, albeit that the Leeds boss can take it too far with his technical area antics.

Then there was Philippe Coutinho’s disallowed goal for Aston Villa against Manchester City. This one wasn’t really on VAR Mike Dean but rather the assistant Adrian Holmes, who raised his flag for offside in the build-up.

Because of that, City’s defenders and Ederson stopped, as Coutinho proceeded to score. We’ve heard grumbles about flags staying down when players are breaking behind and the possibility of injury that comes with letting an attacking phase finish, but this was an example when it would have been right to do that.

‘Beyond terrible’: Pundits slam the VAR horror show

ALAN SHEARER

It’s beyond terrible. Players, managers and football clubs are being and have been let down. It’s been a terrible day. They’re being let down by incidents like that. It’s really awful, you work hard all week to put into practice what you’re doing on the training ground and then you’re let down by that. It’s not right.

Mike Riley wasn’t up to the job, they’ve got rid of him — though he’s still in a job until Howard Webb comes in. He’s got a big job on his hands. There have been far, far too many errors.

VAR is not the problem, it’s the people that are running it that are the problem.

Eddie Howe took it too well. You’ve seen the reaction with David Moyes, he was angry.

DANNY MURPHY

It’s actually unbelievable, it’s ridiculous.

It’s time to get some ex-pros involved, I don’t understand the reluctance to do it. It seems nonsensical not to, we’ve played the game and we understand it.

It helps if managers get angry, because it puts referees on alert and they don’t want to upset you — ask Sir Alex Ferguson.

MICHAEL OWEN

If that is a foul by Jarrod Bowen, it’s a worrying day for football.

KEITH HACKETT

VAR Lee Mason was at the centre of the controversy in the Leeds United game on Saturday. Yesterday he was back to be VAR for the Man Utd v Arsenal game. PGMOL, send him home and get a replacement in. In business we would ask: is he fit for purpose?

GARY LINEKER

I say this as a Leicester fan: these VAR decisions are sucking the life and joy out of the game.