Our refs are so bad it’s scary

I promised myself I wasn’t going to talk about refs or VAR quite as often this season. But after another calamitous weekend for our officials I’ve cracked already. I’m sorry. They’ve had a terrible start.

I honestly can’t remember a time when we’ve had it so bad. On the opening weekend there were five glaring errors and I mentioned them in passing in my opening blog. This weekend it was nearly as bad. How long is Richard Masters going to allow this to continue?

Howard Webb has got to get a grip. If he can’t - then we’ve got to find someone who can. The greatest league in the world has everything, except competent referees. We’re becoming a laughing stock.

We’ve got top coaches from all over the world. Top players from all corners. Wonderful stadiums. Money is no object it seems, so let’s go out and recruit Europes top refs. Why not? Ours aren’t good enough.

What was going on at Fulham yesterday? Why did Darren England - in VAR - get involved at the corner that led to a pen for United? Ok, Bassey did foul Mount. But right behind that pair, Luke Shaw was holding Muniz. Both were fouls. How could England and then the hapless Chris Kavanagh punish one offence but not the other?

The Matchday centre told us one started before the other. They were right, Shaw grabbed Muniz first and we proved this on BeINSPORTS. But United got a pen. Incredible. I mean it. Absolutely incredible.

As usual Kavanagh saw nothing. He was asked to go to the monitor 1’50” after the corner. If he’d been doing his job properly he’d have stopped the kick being taken and warned everybody about holding.

England should’ve kept quiet. Why go looking for trouble? It was impossible to separate the two offences. Just leave things alone. Nobody would’ve complained.

When England was needed he was sitting on his hands. Yoro fouled Bassey from the corner that led to United’s goal. Yoro pushed Bassey. He got him out of the way by putting two hands on his back. Yoro gets a free header as a result. It’s a foul. A nailed on foul, but England decided there wasn’t ’enough of a push’. Enough of a push? Where does it say that in the laws of the game? Bassey ended up on his arse. No wonder Marco Silva lost it.

And what was Stuart Atwell thinking when he gave Brighton a pen for handball at Everton? The ball was smashed at Dewsbury-Hall from a metre - perhaps two. He was looking away and his arm was in a perfectly normal position for his body shape? Pen? What a joke. Happily, like Fernandes for United, Welbeck failed to score.

The day before I wondered why City’s James Trafford wasn’t sent-off when he handled outside his box. He was the last man. He clearly handled the ball - hand to ball, yet nothing was done. This time we were told the ball came at him from no distance and his arm was in a natural position. You can’t make this stuff up.

Of course Howard Webb will be the final arbiter and tell us ‘nothing to see here. My lads did great’. No they didn’t. They were hopeless and it doesn’t matter how many PGMOL patsies are sent out today (Monday) to offer up all sorts of excuses and stories it doesn’t change that fact. Football people know it’s simply not good enough.

A quick word about United. Does anybody think they’re making progress? And what’s wrong with Fernandes? I thought his body language was poor all day. He just doesn’t look happy to me.

I’m delighted Gyokeres is off the mark. His first was typical of what he can do. He showed power, touch and an unerring eye for goal. He’ll get 20+ this season for sure.

In the end Arsenal were good, but they took a while to get going. I expect them to keep getting better and adding Eze gives them so many more options. I’m glad I tipped them to win it.

What happpened to City? They were as bad this weekend as they were good at Wolves. Mind you - Spurs were fantastic. I’m really pleased for Thomas Frank. I said when he got the job that perhaps Spurs had finally got it right. It looks like they have.

Frank had a game plan and Spurs stuck to it rigidly. Every man did his job and it was the celebrations at the end that struck me. There seemed to be a real unity about Spurs.

As I write Nuno is still in a job, but what was he thinking when he had a go at Forest’s owner? There’s only ever one winner in these circumstances.

I’ve heard whispers that West Ham might be on the lookout for a coach again soon. Nuno? But surely not? Not after what Karen Brady said about Graham Potter when she appointed him. Remember?

After stating that ‘the right foundations are in place for further success’ she went on to say this about Potter ‘I firmly believe we have appointed not only a good man, but the right man for West Ham United to bring future trophies’.

I did question this view at the time. How Brady gets out of this mess is going to interesting. If West Ham lose at Wolves this week Potter could well be out of work again. It’s a quickie because I’m flying. See you next week.