Post-match thoughts v Liverpool

kirsikka

UTC Legend
So here we were, the final of our matches against the contenders in quick succession but still with a depleted squad. It meant the same team started, but then there wasn’t any choice. Let’s not allow recent outstanding results to gloss over the fact that still meant we had a CM at right back and a winger playing as a striker.

This was a match between the Champions elect and the form team in the division on an unbeaten run. We may not be competing for the same end of season result, Champions League being our best realistic outcome and even that would take some results from here. However, it was still a top of the table clash. Check Liverpool fans beforehand and they knew they were in for a tough match.

Rant alert: Some people don’t want to read about ref moans or the special treatment some clubs get. If that’s you, skip past the section between ************** because I’m about the unleash the mother of all rants and you don’t want to read it.

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Which is why the big talking point of the day is sadly the PGMOL and whoever appoints the officials. Once again making themselves the story rather than the football. Which is tragic when you consider the match up that could have taken place.

Let’s get something clear – a year or two back Darren England absolutely ballsed up when he was the VAR official of a Liverpool match. He incorrectly disallowed a Liverpool goal. As a result he has been kept away from refereeing their matches ever since.

As an aside, has the VAR who incorrectly disallowed Dango’s goal against Newcastle (confirmed as a complete cock up by everyone else who saw it including the PGMOL) been kept away from AFCB matches since? No. Thought not. There’s the one rule for some and another rule for others right in your face.

Back to today. We (and Fulham) used to repeatedly get all the new refs who they wanted to try in the PL for their first or second matches. Suffering from officials nervous and inexperienced at this level as they bumbled their way through their PL trial. The reasoning was always that there’s less at stake in such games, which never rang true to me since I always think the bottom of the table is a bigger and more stressful struggle.

At some point the PGMOL and PL were going to have to give Darren England another Liverpool match. They could wait for a dead rubber where not a lot is on the line and ease him back into things. Or, they could give him a pressure match where Liverpool’s title charge is potentially under thread and simply say “We dare you to give any single decision against Liverpool today”.

That’s what happened. That’s what we witnessed. That’s the complete clusterfuck of an outcome that we saw.

In a way, I almost find it hard to blame the ref as he was given a complete hospital pass by his bosses. He simply had to give them every decision, even the 70-30s where they had no business getting them, as otherwise he knew the sycophantic Liverpool fawning media we witness on a weekly basis would tear him apart.

This season has been refreshing in more ways than in the results we’ve achieved. There have been clangers from officials but there have also been occasions, for the first time ever since we got promoted up here over ten seasons ago, that we’ve actually been given some decisions against Sky Six teams.

Not having the official tilt the game in favour of the Entitled Six every time we play them has made the games much more of a contest. Something to enjoy rather than endure. Normally, because of the officiating, the matches agsinst those teams are the ones I look forward to the least in a season. Not because we’re more likely to lose – I’m an AFCB supporter ffs, hardly hunting football glory in life – but because the matches are fundamentally unfair.

Some of the displays down the years have bordered on the scandalous and today’s is right up there with the very worst.

No doubt because the outcome was what the PL would want for their tv deals and because all those ex-Liverpool player pundits will steamroll over it we won’t hear a peep about it. But make no mistake, the decision to appoint England as the ref for this match was not an oversight, not an accident and not a natural progression of rehabilitating his relationship with Liverpool. It was a dirty and corrupt decision to force a ref into a corner where he could only possibly favour one team and it was a despicable watch.

The worst thing about it is it’s been done in plain sight but because we’re the victim it will be ignored. Enjoy your dirty title Liverpool. You probably would have won it anyway but, as far as I’m concerned, this one will always have a * against it after today.
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Welcome back to the match related stuff. I’ll try not to get too much into the officials again but there are places where it can’t be avoided.

The first half I would term our display as a little more withdrawn than normal. Obviously very aware of their pace in attack, we didn’t push them so high. For example, there was little sign of Huijsen stepping into midfield to give us that extra man because of the risk of the breaks.

A more cautious approach can make sense at times and, to be fair, we still caused them some problems. In fact, looking at the half as a whole they had more attempts on goal but we carved out the better chances. On another day, they’d have to count themselves lucky to go in level never mind ahead.

One thing I noticed was Kerkez, in his live trial for a transfer, was standing well off Salah when he had the ball. I understand the concern about his pace and trickery so giving yourself room to react can help but I thought he gave him too much respect.

He should have been in his face, aggressively causing him issues to try and nullify him. Instead, time after time when he got on the ball he had space to pick his pass or take whatever action he wanted and Kerkez wasn’t close enough to stop it.

It wouldn’t cost us until the second half but I thought it was a pattern set in the first.

The first real danger to either goal came from Semenyo feinting one way then the other and finally blasted the ball against the post from an angle. On another day that goes in and everything is different. There was an element like that about quite a few incidents out there today.

No onto the man in the middle. He’d already set his stall out by giving repeated soft free kicks to them but ignoring every single incident in the other direction. Then a ball came over the top into our area. Gakpo was running onto it, Cook tries to beat him there but in the process Gakpo’s heel clips Cook and he collapses. Not a moment’s hesitation from the man in blue. No thinking, just an instant reflex penalty awarded. Given what’s gone before with this ref, what were the chances of VAR doing the right thing and intervening? Exactly, none.

It was a shocking decision but one that the media love-in for the oh-so-hilarious cheeky SCouse chappies (Great sense of humour. Honestly. Just ask them. They tell everyone) will sidestep. No point tarnishing the Big Show when it means one of their favourites look set on getting the title.

Utterly ridiculous. The spot kick was despatched but, really, it was 1-0 to the referee.

Clearly, it was back to business as usual when it came to officials and playing the Sky Six again. A real shame.

Still, at least we didn’t turtle. A swift move saw Semenyo draw the defenders and then play Kerkez in and his cross was met expertly by Brooks for a quality goal.

Remember when I said it was one of those days? VAR got involved and disallowed it for a marginal offside. Probably right so I don’t really have complaints there but it backs up what I already said about it being one of those days.

In the end, halftime came with a few chances for either side but no major saves from either keeper. The difference being the man in blue.

We came out after the break aggrieved and fired up but things wouldn’t come off for us. Dango and Kluivert got in each others way when both were in for a free header. Then a goal bound Kluivert volley hit an unawares Liverpool defender just in front of the goal. It was almost comical.

It was a much more snarling, in your face approach to play in the second period. No sitting back at all and we were by far the better team. We just couldn’t finish.

I mentioned Kerkez standing off defensively but the other side of his game was also on display. The hard running crazy fullback he promised when he joined, a constant thorn in their side going forward.

Meanwhile the man in blue continued his wild inconsistencies. Huijsen tried and failed to stop a breakaway with a foul but the advantage was played and the move developed. When it broke down, he went back to book the Spaniard. Fair enough. Except when the exact same thing happened in the first half and Brooks was cleaned out in an effort to stop a breakaway, the ref played the advantage and when it broke down... did nothing.

It’s this constant tilting throughout the whole match that ruined it. A potentially epic match up destroyed by putting the worst possible candidate in charge of it. A man terrified of doing anything that would upset Liverpool.

Another example... the already booked Mac Allister took a wild kick at the ball but completely missed it and instead booted Brooks, also halting another breakaway. Surely a second yellow card? No. A stern talking to instead also known as a “Big Six Pass” to sub the player so the ref wouldn’t have to be at risk of sending off a Liverpool player. It was horrific and embarrassing to watch.

Shortly afterwards Dango won the ball back cleanly from Jones, who theatrically collapsed, and we were breaking three on two but... Yes. You guessed it. The ref pulled it back for a free kick. The commentator and pundit on my coverage were laughing at the decision it was that bad.

Laugh all you want when you’re a neutral. When you support the team being robbed then it’s infuriating.

(continued below...)
 
I could go on with more like that but I think we all know what was happening now and the script the ref was adhering to. To say I was fuming is an understatement.

Still we kept on trying and pushing. Tavs, now on for Brooks, ran with the ball and curled a a peach of a shot against the inside of the post. Must have been about 5mm from a goal. Still, the ball bounced across goal and into the path of the man in the hottest steak of his career. Justin Kluivert with an open goal at his mercy but somehow his recent form deserted him and he sliced it wide.

We paid the price shortly afterwards when a Liverpool break saw them find Salah at the back post. With Kerkez sitting off him as he had all afternoon, he had all the time in the world to whip the ball into the far corner for 2-0.

Even then, the man in blue still wasn’t 100% confident his mission was complete. AFCB had the ball in a promising position with their players not defensively set, although one was one the floor clutching his backside. The ref stopped play. Presumably he believes that Liverpool player thinks with his **************** and so it was a head injury.

I’m genuinely struggling to think of a more biased referring performance that I’ve ever seen for a team playing away from home. I know you sometimes get shockers when a home crowd gets to a ref but away... it was extraordinary. Bad. Bad. Bad.

Bad for the match. Bad for title race. Bad for the league. Bad in every sense.

And that was that. We had chances to make a game of it but couldn’t take them. Still, we should be proud that we gave them a game when the refereeing display was on a level last seen in Escape To Victory.



Selected Player Watch

------ Kerkez ------
Defensively not at his best but I think he might have been under instruction to stand so far off Salah to try and negate him nicking it past and running onto it. So not sure he can be faulted for that. Offensively very good. Energy levels off the scale.

------ Kluivert ------
Not his most effective game after storming it of late. That missed rebound will haunt him as, at 1-1, it was anyone’s game but we were the ones with momentum.

------ Huijsen ------
A couple of sloppy moments of distribution aside, he continued to show his class. I think he’s somehow performing at a level slightly above Zabs at the moment and that seems incredible to say.

------ Cook ------
I feel bad for him as he was playing out of position against a very mobile front line but holding his own and yet his afternoon was ruined by a shocking ref decision we’ll all remember for decades to come.

------ Semenyo ------
One of those days for him. Looked dangerous throughout and could easily have scored a hattrick but it never quite came off.



AI and Tactics Watch

Did Liverpool come here and boss us? No. And that’s down to AI.

It’s hard to separate what was happening with the official from the action as he got involved in so many ridiculous ways. How does a manager legislate for that? Yet, the team stuck to the task gamely. The changes AI made tactically at halftime were effective as we pinned them back and should have scored.

The one criticism I have is over the respect shown to Salah which I think might have come from the coaching team. I understand the reasoning but I think it played into his hands. He so often had so much time and space on the ball.

That aside, let’s take a step back and recognise it was the same players having to put in a shift yet again and they delivered yet again. We may not have got a result but if that same game was replayed with a ref who wasn’t cowering at the prospect of giving any decision against Liverpool then I think we’d have at least got a draw out of that.

It could have been one of the matches of the season. Such a shame.

All in all, A Tale of Two Situations. One, a ref who was physically unable to offend the opposition. The other, a team who both spurned chances and were repeatedly unlucky.

Today doesn’t decide our season. That’s in the next run when we’ll go into games as the favourite. Get back some of the injured, keep up our levels of intensity and go after each and every team the same as we went after Newcastle, Forest and Liverpool and I predict this season will have a very happy ending.

Onwards to the next one. I never want to have to think about today’s match again but I suspect it will be hard to banish the spectre of Darren England. He really was that bad.
 
Firstly, I thought we gave a very good account of ourselves against what is arguably the best team in the world at the moment.

It is so frustrating that the game was ruined by the referee and I agree that it is more evidence of the disrespect we are shown by PGMOL that he was given this game.

It clearly wasn’t a penalty but it was his overall performance that was so infuriating. Inconsistent decisions in Liverpool’s favour, ridiculous application of the advantage rule and just not a strong enough referee for such a big game.

People say the PL is the best league in the world but we absolutely do not have the best referees. If Real Madrid’s president wants our refs in La Liga I will pay for the airfare myself.
 
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Scouse lads on train talking about a handball by Trent the ref & VAR missed. Don’t recall that - anyone?
Yes a long cross (Dango I think) went across the box in front of North Stand and was shepherded by TAA before he cleared.

I wasn’t close enough to see but there was an instant reaction from all in the North Stand which is an indication normally.

Ref made a point of telling the Bmth players it had been looked at by doing that strange hand motion they do and then pointing at the spot where it happened.
 
Yes a long cross (Dango I think) went across the box in front of North Stand and was shepherded by TAA before he cleared.

I wasn’t close enough to see but there was an instant reaction from all in the North Stand which is an indication normally.

Ref made a point of telling the Bmth players it had been looked at by doing that strange hand motion they do and then pointing at the spot where it happened.
 

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It's a shame that goals are the only things that ensure points...but that's how football is and always has been and we didn't get any playing against the defence that are best at preventing goals !

Penalties...given in error or not given in error are the most annoying stat...closely seconded by offside given or not given in error.

When you get 'big club bias' entering the equation it makes you question why you are so enraptured by this sport !

I've been to local non- league today...and much is wrong with the sport at this level too when it comes to decisions and players pressuring referees..we had the best one available in Devon and Cornwall today ..but the poor tw@t was castigated mercilessly by the usual gaggle of village - idiots apprentices...even though we won....I gave our manager some sh*t at the end..he was sent off by the ref at half time for continually striding onto the pitch towards the ref whenever he didn't agree with a decision.

He said to me ..."oh you again..f√ck me why the f√ck are you lecturing me again you cocky little b@stard "
"Well" said I "..".you and your behaviour are jeopardising our chance of winning this league..so you need to wind your neck in "..
" you are a brilliant coach but spoil it by berating refs for the full 95 minutes. and now another ban is imminent with us 3 points behind the leaders and we have to play them twice with you absent for the away game "

Too much hostility towards refs at the top end...is filtering down to the grass roots of the game..and it ain't good Batman !
The hostility towards VAR though is fully justifiable...they have the means to improve things and do not for reasons known to them...and big club bias is surely part of that !
 

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