Billy Talbot

They managed to persuade enough clubs that their b******s etch-a-sketch version was just as good whilst they watched how it the proper one worked for a season. That turned out well.

Just been discussed on Ref Watch. Apparently Taylor "got himself into a mess", but "got himself out of it" by blowing his whistle for absolutely no reason in order to stop Gapko from scoring because that would would have made the situation much worse. Worse for who? Absolutely no discussion about how that is a fair application of the laws or why that's a completely a*** about face way of looking at it. What a bunch of ****s.

We'd all like it if we were good enough for those d'head refs not to have f****d us over multiple times, but I think it's fair to say, on the balance of things, if they hadn't have, we'd have been more likely to win the league, so the argument that we could have made those poor decisions irrelevant by being better doesn't hold much water. It's aunties and balls stuff. Football players aren't perfect and whilst referees aren't either, it's their job, as much as it for footballers to be the best they can be, to apply the laws as fairly and objectively as they can across the season in order to provide the most level playing field that they can. This is something that they have singularly failed to do. And not for the first time either.

I would like a forward who isn't a psychodrama or a fitness worry who scores most of our goals.

He blew the whistle though. Doesn't matter for what so the goal would never have stood. Putting the ball in the net would have at least embarrassed the f***er.

IF

dyed a*** hair.

All you baldists should remember that Kloppo would also be bald if hadn't had transplants. ie He's got hair taken from his a*** crack on his head. I wonder if he dyes what's left of his a*** crack hair so it matches?

I'm not saying he'll be any good, but I don't think anyone else's record has anything to do with it. How good anyone will be will depend entirely on themselves and how well they fit, in the short term with the squad and in the longer term the club as a whole. What they've achieved before and where will only tell us a fraction of that, so comparing them with how someone else has done somewhere else is a bit meaningless. That said, whoever it is is more than likely to be a bit crap in comparison with Klopp so anyone coming up with reasons to suggest they'll be crap is bound to be right on some level.

It’s mad that the PGMOL have to be asked to do anything. They’re a company contracted to provide a service. They aren’t in charge here.

Gallagher has already done his Ref Watch thing (an hour long "special" no less) and has said with a straight face each of the pens not given weren't pens and VAR had no reason to intervene in any case. So that's gonna be their defence. Furthermore he suggested that the handball was of a nature that recently hasn't been given and that's how people want and expect the handball law to be applied. It's a line that's wearing very thin. Everyone else I've seen or heard talk about about thinks all 3 should probably have been given. The handball included. Everyone wants those types handball given for your side. Everybody. Nobody wants to hear how that's not handball if they're not given for you. Nobody is complaining if they're given against you.

Just automate it and use higher frame rate cameras.

They need to give the PGMOL the boot.

It's the idea that refs can't be subconsciously biased and they're beyond reproach which is in itself institutionally corrupt. They're human. Of course they're biased. And then it's one thing in a split second as a ref on a pitch. It's quite another when there's different angles, time and slow motion. That's doubly corrupt. VAR was supposed to help with this and not just be a safety net for mistakes. The whole "clear and obvious" thing is a just a get out clause. Then of course there's our goal at Tottenham.

Yeah, I think that's it. We're into Emperor's New Clothes territory. I'm waiting to see who is the first one with any authority to call it. Halsey tried to call it a few years ago but no-one paid any attention. It's got much worse since Webb took over. I don't think Webb is some kind of king pin or anything. Or that much worse than others, but he's great at facing down s*** decisions and protecting his fellow refs. Lying to the camera. He's the embodiment of nothing to see here. He's a SYP. That's institutionalised in him.

Yeah. That was shamefully obvious to anyone paying attention.

This was the first game we've won since we let Sven go.

2-1 psg. 2-1 dortmund. Both ties in the balance.

Make him train with a book balanced on his head.

I wouldn't have thought that, but having seen the way they reacted after the final whistle last night, I'm not so sure. They wouldn't be human if they didn't think they're already through. That's the only positive we can draw from their 3rd goal.

we were weak.

Brighton have been woeful.

Oh it should be a pen. Most of the time refs don’t give them if the see a defender get a nick on the ball though and I don’t think I’ve ever seen one like that given by VAR.

I think it’s a pen. Or at least, in those situations, pens should be given. However, I think the ref gives it thinking lamptey missed the ball and wouldn’t have given it if he saw that he did. Also not a cat in hell’s chance that VAR says that’s a pen if the ref didn’t give it. So all in all, although I think it was right outcome, the way it was derived was a clear and obvious error and VAR should have sent the ref to the screen to corroborate that he saw the defender get the ball.

Never done home ends. Have sat in the away end at Anfield years ago. Was fine. Wasn't full. Was Blackpool. Closest I've done to a home end was the "neutral" stand at the Roma QF a few years ago. That was a mix of Mastercard corporates and Roma fans. Me and and a mate. We didn't really keep our mouths shut either (him especially as he kept on pointing out it was a neutral stand. The locals didn't really think so though. Getting in and out wasn't easy and I would never do it again. Especially somewhere like that.