Handball at the end?

Replays show that it did.

 

They didn’t show it during the game, but when they reviewed it after the game, it was a clear handball

 

I was up from my seat!

Where is VAR when you need it?!

 

It did but.......I’d have been steaming if that had been given against us. I thought the Ref had a decent game. Difficult game to Referee. Handled it well. I’d take something similar at Swansea when I suspect whoever Refs it will be under enormous pressure from them. Do we know who it is?

 

Shocking ref gave us nothing

 

Agreed he was appalling on the time wasting alone.

 

Well, we’ll just have to disagree. You must have been spoiled by the quality of Referees we’ve had this season!

 

You seriously can't be arguing at the time wasting he allowed surely? From the 65th minute onwards especially! And some of those fouls he gave against Dike in first half, abysmal. Especially the one where he gave it and it turned out it was kabango who trippedd himself up!! If you watch full match back maybe you'll see it different? Or who knows, if rest of us watch maybe we will

 

They were time wasting in the first haif intentionally stealing yards on the throws so ref would move them back to were they should take it from, thought they were an awful side that didn`t have the confidence to just come and football us to death had to resort to owt underhanded. It worked cos ref was a lily livered tosspot who should have the whistle rammed reight up his arris.

 

We thought this. They came for a draw and poxed a win

 

Refereeing in this day and age is a thankless task, so I'm loathe to lambast refs unless there's a good reason. The speed of the game is such that getting decisions consistently correct must be incredibly difficult. I thought certain aspects he did very well - generally let the game flow, and didn't get his cards out early which could have led to him being forced to send someone off later on. However, the time-wasting aspect is something he should have clamped down on very early. An warning after the second time and an immediate yellow card after that would have put a stop to it. No excuses for him allowing them to get away with it virtually from the first minute.

As for the handball, I've not seen the replay but I thought it was a bit of a hopeful shout at the time.

 

Definitely a handball and if we had VAR would have been given. I also think that the Challenge by Anderson may have also been given by VAR

 

I reckon everyone, or at least the majority, who went to the game will say the referee was terrible. The whole crowd were attempting to referee the game from the off, appealing every decision, berating officials, up in arms at every decision that went against us. Good. That's kind of what home advantage is.

However, the majority of decisions you were all so angry about the referee got right. I'm not saying he was perfect, no one is, but we were on the right side of the mistakes as often as the wrong side.

Could he have done better with the time wasting? Probably, but we've been guilty (and I'm looking at you here Collins) of far more blatant and prolonged time wasting on numerous occasions this season.

I thought it was a good game, well officiated, and I look forward to the away leg where we have a great chance. I just hope the referee there is as good as this one as the pressure he'll be resisting are constant incorrect appeals in Swansea's favour.

 

This is spot on.

 

Anyone who didn't like the refereeing tonight had better hide behind the sofa on Saturday. The Swansea fans will have so much aggression that they'll be crying foul for our lads "looking at them in a funny way" (one for the Monty Python fans there). The ref will be under so much pressure he's almost certain to bottle at least one big decision and give it in their favour!

 

It's a bit rich of us to moan about time wasting given the shithousery from Collins this season!