Ongoing Soccer Thread

[Swear Engine]

but in every premiership weekend there is what? maybe one contentious goal line decision (if that)? it would take maybe 20 seconds for footage to be reviewed and a decision to be given to the ref so using these ballpark figures you're looking at an average holdup of 2 seconds per game. when you factor in that when you get a disputed goalline decision one team or the other tends to whine at the ref for half a minute or so, you'd actually be saving time!

if there's any doubt even having reviewed footage, the decision goes in favour of the defence, obviously.

i'm not saying get a video ref on for all disputed decisions - seeing as pretty much every decision a ref makes is disputed by someone these days that would lead to games lasting 6 hours, and with stuff like fouls/penalties/yellow and red cards there is a large grey area that video review wouldn't help with, but with goalline decisions it's simply did/didn't it cross the line (and if for some reason we can't tell, it's not a goal).

Agree with everything you say about the use of technology here. I don't agree with the likes of Redknapp who wants it brought in for penalty shouts etc. Decisions which are about opinions should be left to the ref, that's what he's there for (although sometimes you wonder). But only for use on goal line shouts which aren't about opinion. If there's any doubt at all then as you say the benefit of the doubt has to go with the defending team. But surely to do away with such horrible mistakes as the Reading 'goal' and the one Roy Carroll dragged back from 2 yards behind the line at Old Trafford a couple of seasons ago it has to be brought in. There's so much at stake that it seems crazy not to use the technology.
I'm glad they didn't have it a few years ago though when Everton were let off one that definitely crossed our line away to Bolton who later in the season were relegated below us on goal difference if memory serves, that 'goal' would've sent us down instead...

 

[GeoffLacey]

Barcelona are currently 3-1 up at Madrid and I encourage everyone to find a way of watching. Quite frankly, some of the stuff I've seen tonight is the most beautiful football I've ever seen

 

[BelgoSuisse]

4-2 now.

 

[GeoffLacey]

That was sick. 5-2. This is special

 

[S93]

Best game in ages imo.
Messi isnt human...

 

[GeoffLacey]

6-2. My lord

 

[S93]

wtf?!??!!? Real conceding 6 at home?!?!?!?!??!
Barcelona have to be the best in the world atm.

 

[BelgoSuisse]

6-2. By Piqué. both central defenders from Barcelona scored tonight...

 

[GeoffLacey]

Superb. Congrats Barca. I feel genuinely sorry for any football fan who did not witness that game. Forget about world's best, if they win the Champs League they have a good shout about the best team to ever ever played the game. Certainly, they are playing the best football I have seen in my lifetime. Wonderful, just wonderful

 

[beardyian]

Superb. Congrats Barca. I feel genuinely sorry for any football fan who did not witness that game. Forget about world's best, if they win the Champs League they have a good shout about the best team to ever ever played the game. Certainly, they are playing the best football I have seen in my lifetime. Wonderful, just wonderful

It was a complete masterclass of football.

When it went to 2-1 i actually joked this could end up 5-5, didn't realise i was almost there.


Sevilla & Villarreal up next, they are going to have to go some to beat that game

 

[Swear Engine]

Maybe they should win another Champions League or World Club Challenge before we start piling the laurels on them. Destroying Real is one thing, beating a team that can actually defend is quite another. In some ways i hope they get a result at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday because Barca v Utd/Arse would be a good final. On the other hand i'd quite like to see two English clubs in the Final again. It's nice to see them regain their touch but i'm not at all surprised... what was it i referred to Real as in an earlier post... the bloated corpse of the club that was once Real Madrid or something like that. Anyway, great to see Barca stuff Real.....wonder if Ronaldo is regretting moving there for next season?

 

[Gesshoo]

but in every premiership weekend there is what? maybe one contentious goal line decision (if that)? it would take maybe 20 seconds for footage to be reviewed and a decision to be given to the ref so using these ballpark figures you're looking at an average holdup of 2 seconds per game. when you factor in that when you get a disputed goalline decision one team or the other tends to whine at the ref for half a minute or so, you'd actually be saving time!

if there's any doubt even having reviewed footage, the decision goes in favour of the defence, obviously.

i'm not saying get a video ref on for all disputed decisions - seeing as pretty much every decision a ref makes is disputed by someone these days that would lead to games lasting 6 hours, and with stuff like fouls/penalties/yellow and red cards there is a large grey area that video review wouldn't help with, but with goalline decisions it's simply did/didn't it cross the line (and if for some reason we can't tell, it's not a goal).

It seems crazy to me that you can have a billion dollar game like football played all over the world where we rely on 4 officials to cover every decision, only one of whom is on the pitch during the game.

Then you take a game like Gaelic Football or Hurling, which is practically an amateur game only played in ireland, yet they have 2 officials standing right next to the goal at each end of the park to make those critical decisions about goals and points.

In football we have 2 officials whose job is to decide if the ball is out of play on the sideline, but not on the goal line! Which is more important?

What would be so hard to have two extra officials, one in each penalty area, whose job was to only cover those critical decisions - goals, penalties, etc.? They would NEVER leave the penalty area. The ref could cover the rest of the pitch. As for the 4th official who needs him?

 

[BelgoSuisse]

Maybe they should win another Champions League or World Club Challenge before we start piling the laurels on them. Destroying Real is one thing, beating a team that can actually defend is quite another.

Well, with a Spanish referee, Chelsea would have finished the match with only 8 or 9 players on the field last Tuesday. With the German guy that was in charge, they could get away with the level of fouls needed to stop the high speed passing game that makes Barça so strong. Whether the attacking or the defending team prevails depends a lot on what limit referees put on what an acceptable physical challenge is.

 

[Crystal Blue]

Howard Webb would of made sure that game didn't finish 0-0
Speaking of which, if I am correct, I do believe old Webby is refereeing the Reading v Birmingham City game today. Happy days.

 

[Swear Engine]

Well, with a Spanish referee, Chelsea would have finished the match with only 8 or 9 players on the field last Tuesday. With the German guy that was in charge, they could get away with the level of fouls needed to stop the high speed passing game that makes Barça so strong. Whether the attacking or the defending team prevails depends a lot on what limit referees put on what an acceptable physical challenge is.

Watch the game again. I defy you to show me where Chelsea did anything wrong other than challenge strongly for the ball. Barcelona's crying in the days after the game does them no credit at all. Going to Chelsea and winning (which i believe they're more than capable of doing if they stop crying and rolling round on the floor) would serve them better. To suggest that Chelsea's approach was over-physical is quite frankly ridiculous. Any rough stuff was a two way street. Dani Alves wouldn't dreammmmmm of having a go at Malouda..... Xavi wouldn't dreammmmm of leaving his foot in..... come on. Man up Barca and admit that you didn't play as well as other times(like last night's great performance for instance). The level of whinging emanating from Barca and Barca-friendly press since last week is laughable. Do it where it matters, on the pitch next wednesday. And get used to the fact that unlike the majority of La Liga teams the likes of Chelsea and Man Utd won't lie down and wait to be beaten.

 

[BelgoSuisse]

Watch the game again. I defy you to show me where Chelsea did anything wrong other than challenge strongly for the ball.

By the English league standards, yes. By the Spanish league standards, no. Referees protect the artists more in Spain than in England. Look at the Madrid-Barça yesterday and all the yellow cards than were given.

I don't say one way is better than the other, just that they're different. And when UEFA chooses referees that apply the English standard for European games, they skew the competition in favor of English teams.

 

[Crystal Blue]

I don't say one way is better than the other, just that they're different. And when UEFA chooses referees that apply the English standard for European games, they skew the competition in favor of English teams.

At the business end of the competition ( Quarter-final and onwards ) UEFA put in place their top referees for these games and at the same time use a system where possible "skewing" and style of refereeing doesn't favour either team. To do what you suggest would damage UEFA's integrity and willingness for fair play beyond repair.

If like you say a Spanish referee officiated the game and Chelsea would have had two or three players sent off, then all I can say is well played UEFA.

 

[Swear Engine]

By the English league standards, yes. By the Spanish league standards, no. Referees protect the artists more in Spain than in England. Look at the Madrid-Barça yesterday and all the yellow cards than were given.

I don't say one way is better than the other, just that they're different. And when UEFA chooses referees that apply the English standard for European games, they skew the competition in favor of English teams.

So the other 80% of the time when they don't appoint referees who apply what you call the English standard they skew it the other way?

I don't condone foul play but football is a contact sport. It is possible to touch opponents without giving away a freekick. I hate the way a lot of football has become where a player feels contact goes to ground completely unnecessarily and appeals then the ref gives him a freekick.
That's not football.
By all means protect the flair players.... but tackling is also a skill. That needs protecting too. It's a massive part of the game. If players forget, or aren't taught how to tackle properly then that makes the game more dangerous for the flair players. Mistimed or clumsy challenges account for far more injuries than hard but fair ones.

Even with a referee who applied the Spanish refereeing standards i don't believe Chelsea would've finished with any less than 10. Maybe Ballack would've gone but so would Alves. Like i said i think the tough tackling was much more even than you do. Barca are no saints.

 

[Swear Engine]

At the business end of the competition ( Quarter-final and onwards ) UEFA put in place their top referees for these games and at the same time use a system where possible "skewing" and style of refereeing doesn't favour either team. To do what you suggest would damage UEFA's integrity and willingness for fair play beyond repair.

If like you say a Spanish referee officiated the game and Chelsea would have had two or three players sent off, then all I can say is well played UEFA.

I think the German ref had a good game. He allowed the game to flow as much as possible without letting the tackling go over the top. It was just a classic case of the team who were expected to win not doing so, then finding a convenient excuse for why.

 

[BelgoSuisse]

Ok, in the Barça-Chelsea game, the referee gave 3 or 4 verbal warnings to Chelsea players before actually using a yellow card. In Spain, this would have yellow cards from the start. Than the Chelsea players would most likely not have been expelled, they would have toned down they aggression a little, which would have allowed the Barça player some more space to express they technical superiority.

Football is a contact sport no doubt. How much of a contact sport depends on the country where you play. In England or germany, it's that a lot more than in Spain. Entirely because of the way referees take borderline decisions. True story.

I do think Spanish games are a lot more pleasant to watch and UEFA is stupid in letting Northern Europe referees set the standard. But that's just a question of taste I guess.

 

[BelgoSuisse]

I think the German ref had a good game. He allowed the game to flow as much as possible without letting the tackling go over the top. It was just a classic case of the team who were expected to win not doing so, then finding a convenient excuse for why.

I do agree he had a very good game by English standards.

I also known Spanish standards, and by those, he let the game turn into a fist fight.

 

[Crystal Blue]

I think the German ref had a good game. He allowed the game to flow as much as possible without letting the tackling go over the top. It was just a classic case of the team who were expected to win not doing so, then finding a convenient excuse for why.

It was definitely a contrast of styles and mentality which is often the case in a two legged affair. Being that Barcelona are full of flair and imagination and were playing at home, Chelsea more or less had to go there with a game plan in mind to try and snuff out the dangers that inevitably arise against such opposition in their own back yard.

Chelsea were indeed physical and it could be argued, what decent English team isn't. Fast and physical is pretty much what the premiership is at the moment but it does also include it's fair share of flair players and tends to incorporate both in a successful way.

Everyone would much rather have watched a game where both teams came out with guns blazing and attacking each others goal at all costs but it can't always be like that. Also as mentioned by others, it might well be that the overall quality of the opposition played a part in the result of the game, time will tell I guess. The very great teams will more often than not rise to the top regardless of the style of the opposition and having two stabs at it doesn't hurt.

 

[Crystal Blue]

Barca's quarter-final first leg at home against Bayern was refereed by an English referee and Barca won that game 4-0. Two players from each team were booked. It seems to me that the quality of the opposition had more to do with that result than the style or standard of the referee and his assistants.

 

[Irexes]

gg Brum

 

[Dorkus Malorkus]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA