Yankee_Jack
Key Player
As for the penalty ... if you remember the incident with Naughton, he got a straight red for a similar challenge against Sunderland several years ago.
Referees
- Thread starter ivoralljack
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Thought Bellingham, like Kane, looked jaded and I'd have subbed him if only to get a little more rest in the event that England would go on to win..... which of course they did. I know he's a player who's shown he can produce something out of nothing but when you've still got the likes of fresh Toney and Bowen on the bench, who'd be busting a gut to earn consideration for the final, I'd have used them. Otherwise what's the point of a squad?
Now I think further England would also have the option of bringing on Ebereche Eze, Anthony Gordon, Adam Wharton (huge prospect) and TAA. The talent in their squad is insane with the likes of Rashford and Grealish not even making it.
The biggest lesson is what could happen if Southgate addressed the elephant in the room and dropped Kane for Watkins.
That last-minute goal comes because Watkins is on the front-front, in the most advanced position, and has the explosiveness and sharpness to turn Palmer's perfect pass into a goal. It was perfect #9 play.
Kane's time has passed at this level. He comes too deep and lacks the athleticism to compensate. England have so many gifted midfielders, it's not like they need him to contribute in that area of the field. Sure he can finish and he knows how to take a penalty, but he moves like a 15-year old Ford Transit on flat tyres and he's always 10 yards behind the play.
Also, if the quarter-finals proved anything it's that England have plenty of players who now know how to take a penalty.
Imagine how much better this team could be if they had a strong finisher with 25% more pace playing ahead of all those playmakers instead of behind them. Watkins passed the audition.
That last-minute goal comes because Watkins is on the front-front, in the most advanced position, and has the explosiveness and sharpness to turn Palmer's perfect pass into a goal. It was perfect #9 play.
Kane's time has passed at this level. He comes too deep and lacks the athleticism to compensate. England have so many gifted midfielders, it's not like they need him to contribute in that area of the field. Sure he can finish and he knows how to take a penalty, but he moves like a 15-year old Ford Transit on flat tyres and he's always 10 yards behind the play.
Also, if the quarter-finals proved anything it's that England have plenty of players who now know how to take a penalty.
Imagine how much better this team could be if they had a strong finisher with 25% more pace playing ahead of all those playmakers instead of behind them. Watkins passed the audition.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
In the last two games, there are two players that have excelled: Foden and Saka. There are two players that have been bland: Keane and Bellingham. In open play both are contributing little and when required to drop deep and form up Bellingham is a slow to recover. Watkins or the other #9s in the squad would do better. Against Spain, England need every player to be mobile and keep them playing the ball across their back line and keeper.
The cheats are out in force again, this time in the Olympics. Rosie Eccles, a Welsh female boxer and fancied for a medal, won her fight in a canter but was gobsmacked when the 'judges' gave the decision to her Polish opponent. Pundits and experts alike are all raging about the verdict and it wasn't the only one either as I witnessed another British boxer being shafted as well. Both decisions were scandalous and, in my opinion, so divorced from reality it can only be down to corruption rather than poor job performance. One reason that I voted for Brexit is that, in my extensive experience living abroad, the British are detested by so many 'foreigners' who lose no opportunity to put us down. Reasons? I don't know, I have no idea but I suspect that the roots originate from the war (resentment) and have been passed down the generations. I have a very plausible theory about this backed by some solid facts but this is not the place to air it.
Sick and tired of bent officials getting away with cheating as I've often posted on here. Some time back I posted about the travesty of Josh Taylor being awarded a successful defence of his world title against Jack Catterall who had easily won the fight by several clear rounds. One of the judges who awarded the fight to Taylor has been kicked out of boxing because of it but he'd done his damage and Catterall never became the world champion he deserved to be. Interesting to note that a couple of years later he decisively beat Taylor in a return fight but it was a non-title affair.
Cheating officials? I hope their balls/tits drop off!!!
Sick and tired of bent officials getting away with cheating as I've often posted on here. Some time back I posted about the travesty of Josh Taylor being awarded a successful defence of his world title against Jack Catterall who had easily won the fight by several clear rounds. One of the judges who awarded the fight to Taylor has been kicked out of boxing because of it but he'd done his damage and Catterall never became the world champion he deserved to be. Interesting to note that a couple of years later he decisively beat Taylor in a return fight but it was a non-title affair.
Cheating officials? I hope their balls/tits drop off!!!
The Blobster
Prediction Champ
Hadn't seen this post before I posted on your rant post !
It still goes on! Callum Peters an Aussie boxer was robbed in his fight with 3 of 5 judges calling it for his opponent despite Peters winning the fight and forcing an 8 count on the so-called winner. "Robbed", "Olympic boxing is bent", "Absolute joke", are just some of the comments to be found after this farce. It's about time these corrupt officials were bombed out. A stiff fine and a jail sentence for corruption would concentrate their minds.
Callum Peters an Aussie boxer was robbed in his fight with 3 of 5 judges calling it for his opponent despite Peters winning the fight and forcing an 8 count on the so-called winner. "Robbed", "Olympic boxing is bent", "Absolute joke", are just some of the comments to be found after this farce. It's about time these corrupt officials were bombed out. A stiff fine and a jail sentence for corruption would concentrate their minds.
Woke up this morning to Talk Sport (my usual alarm call) to hear the presenters, not too sure who but Alan Brazil might have been one, calling out the standard of judging in the boxing Olympics saying quite openly that it's so bad it is bordering on corruption. Some statement to make in public but, in my opinion, quite true. I firmly believe that corruption exists and the results, in many if not all, bouts are decided before the boxers even enter the ring.
So am I a conspiracy theorist? That is a resounding NO!! I have always believed in fair play and call out what I believe are dodgy decisions even when the teams I support benefit from them. I still take them though when that happens because I've been on the wrong end of them far too often. But if my opinion might be considered biased this is what former world boxing champion, Johhny Nelson, had to say about the Delicious Orie decision.
He thought that Orie's defeat was 'robbery' and said that there are so many corrupt decisions taking place, in future many young boxers will now give the Olympics a miss not wanting to be the victim of cheating judges after years of hard work trying to attain their dream. The decision infuriated thousands of boxing fans as it followed similar scandalous decisions that robbed women boxers Rosie Eccles and Charlie Davison of fights they actually won but lost in contentious circumstances thus adding to the outrage in boxing circles.
Nelson went on to say:
‘It is shocking and we have seen it before in the Olympics,’
‘Anywhere else in the world might be thinking the Brits are being sore losers. But fair is fair, and right is right. This was wrong and unfair.
‘And there is no one being held accountable, no one who can stand there and explain these things when they happen. Judges aren’t going to come out and explain. It is people hide behind officials, behind departments, instead of standing up and being counted.
‘This is killing the amateur game. If you’re a young fighter with aspirations of fighting in Los Angeles in 2028, everyone wants to be in that position. It’s historical. We are at the point where it might not even be in the Games next time. But what is happening now will not inspire anyone.
‘You want to get to the top, you want to represent your country. You want the chance to shine. And when the time comes to turn professional, it serves as a massive springboard. Fighters want to be in that position. It’s a real game changer.
‘But what happened with Delicious and Rosie had wrong written all over it. If you’re a casual observer and you see someone win when they shouldn’t have, you’ll be thinking, “I’m out of this.” Boxing has taken years to get out of this caldron of skullduggery. Things like this do us no favours at all.’
So there you have it. THE CHEATS CONTINUE TO PROSPER even in the Olympic games and, when those cheats are people who specifically have been appointed to see fair play, it grates even more. They should be banned for life and I'd give them a jail sentence for good measure.
By the way, note that these judges are accountable to no one - just like the officials in the EEC. And that doesn't work either!!
So am I a conspiracy theorist? That is a resounding NO!! I have always believed in fair play and call out what I believe are dodgy decisions even when the teams I support benefit from them. I still take them though when that happens because I've been on the wrong end of them far too often. But if my opinion might be considered biased this is what former world boxing champion, Johhny Nelson, had to say about the Delicious Orie decision.
He thought that Orie's defeat was 'robbery' and said that there are so many corrupt decisions taking place, in future many young boxers will now give the Olympics a miss not wanting to be the victim of cheating judges after years of hard work trying to attain their dream. The decision infuriated thousands of boxing fans as it followed similar scandalous decisions that robbed women boxers Rosie Eccles and Charlie Davison of fights they actually won but lost in contentious circumstances thus adding to the outrage in boxing circles.
Nelson went on to say:
‘It is shocking and we have seen it before in the Olympics,’
‘Anywhere else in the world might be thinking the Brits are being sore losers. But fair is fair, and right is right. This was wrong and unfair.
‘And there is no one being held accountable, no one who can stand there and explain these things when they happen. Judges aren’t going to come out and explain. It is people hide behind officials, behind departments, instead of standing up and being counted.
‘This is killing the amateur game. If you’re a young fighter with aspirations of fighting in Los Angeles in 2028, everyone wants to be in that position. It’s historical. We are at the point where it might not even be in the Games next time. But what is happening now will not inspire anyone.
‘You want to get to the top, you want to represent your country. You want the chance to shine. And when the time comes to turn professional, it serves as a massive springboard. Fighters want to be in that position. It’s a real game changer.
‘But what happened with Delicious and Rosie had wrong written all over it. If you’re a casual observer and you see someone win when they shouldn’t have, you’ll be thinking, “I’m out of this.” Boxing has taken years to get out of this caldron of skullduggery. Things like this do us no favours at all.’
So there you have it. THE CHEATS CONTINUE TO PROSPER even in the Olympic games and, when those cheats are people who specifically have been appointed to see fair play, it grates even more. They should be banned for life and I'd give them a jail sentence for good measure.
By the way, note that these judges are accountable to no one - just like the officials in the EEC. And that doesn't work either!!
Yet MORE!! Finally reading my morning newspaper this evening as it was delivered late, I saw the following:
"Nicola Adams won gold in Rio with Joe Joyce denied a title by SCANDALOUS judging that later cost the IBA the job of running boxing for the IOC. It is not British boxing that is desperate for reform - it is the entire amateur code of the sport....... The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC in 2023. That came after Professor Richard McLaren reported "significant" and "rampant" manipulation of results among 77 Rio bouts the IBA oversaw."
The tirade doesn't finish there. It goes on to say that certain East European boxers who are actually professional fighters are being allowed to compete at these Olympics - and there are two fighters with male DNA who will be boxing as 'women'!!
The end result is this - talented British boxers will no longer trust the fairness in the amateur game and will not be prepared to dedicate themselves to years of training and preparation only to see a set of scumbag corrupt judges cheat them of their deserved medals. Many will now take the direct path to the pro game thereby dodging the farce of bent Olympic judging. It's an absolute disgrace!
"Nicola Adams won gold in Rio with Joe Joyce denied a title by SCANDALOUS judging that later cost the IBA the job of running boxing for the IOC. It is not British boxing that is desperate for reform - it is the entire amateur code of the sport....... The IBA was stripped of recognition by the IOC in 2023. That came after Professor Richard McLaren reported "significant" and "rampant" manipulation of results among 77 Rio bouts the IBA oversaw."
The tirade doesn't finish there. It goes on to say that certain East European boxers who are actually professional fighters are being allowed to compete at these Olympics - and there are two fighters with male DNA who will be boxing as 'women'!!
The end result is this - talented British boxers will no longer trust the fairness in the amateur game and will not be prepared to dedicate themselves to years of training and preparation only to see a set of scumbag corrupt judges cheat them of their deserved medals. Many will now take the direct path to the pro game thereby dodging the farce of bent Olympic judging. It's an absolute disgrace!
Yet another football manager raging at 'incompetent' referees and this time it was Phil Parkinson of Wrexham. His team is in a really tight battle with Wycombe for the second automatic place in Division One with Birmingham almost nailed on to be champions. Wrexham drew 2-2 with Cambridge last night and I watched the game. I've always tried to call things as I honestly see them and that applies in life as well as football.
Last night I thought that Cambridge, fighting for their lives at the bottom, actually deserved a draw. They got that but they shouldn't have because, in my opinion, Wrexham were twice blatantly cheated by the officials. The first was the award of a penalty that 'never was' to Cambridge and it was so soft that ANY manager would have been incensed at being on the wrong end of it. It was a travesty.
The second incident was virtually the last action of the game when Wrexham netted from a corner only to see the linesman flag it off as he said the ball had gone out of play from the kick. Now, I was in no position to make a call on that but Parkinson was livid and swore blind that the goal was valid. I suppose he would but he knew he'd probably get a large fine for saying so particularly as he asked the referee after the game if he was actually a professional official. If he felt the ball had gone out then he wouldn't have risked a large fine for nothing I would have thought.
He feels that due to Wrexham's high profile because of their famous owners, officials are trying to grab the limelight in their games. It was also pointed out that Wrexham were awarded a fairly soft penalty themselves recently but Parkinson had the perfect response. Of the three clubs battling for auto promotion, whilst Wrexham have been awarded THREE penalties this season, Wycombe have had NINE and Brum ELEVEN. Call me cynical but I really do have my suspicions about figures like that.
Last night I thought that Cambridge, fighting for their lives at the bottom, actually deserved a draw. They got that but they shouldn't have because, in my opinion, Wrexham were twice blatantly cheated by the officials. The first was the award of a penalty that 'never was' to Cambridge and it was so soft that ANY manager would have been incensed at being on the wrong end of it. It was a travesty.
The second incident was virtually the last action of the game when Wrexham netted from a corner only to see the linesman flag it off as he said the ball had gone out of play from the kick. Now, I was in no position to make a call on that but Parkinson was livid and swore blind that the goal was valid. I suppose he would but he knew he'd probably get a large fine for saying so particularly as he asked the referee after the game if he was actually a professional official. If he felt the ball had gone out then he wouldn't have risked a large fine for nothing I would have thought.
He feels that due to Wrexham's high profile because of their famous owners, officials are trying to grab the limelight in their games. It was also pointed out that Wrexham were awarded a fairly soft penalty themselves recently but Parkinson had the perfect response. Of the three clubs battling for auto promotion, whilst Wrexham have been awarded THREE penalties this season, Wycombe have had NINE and Brum ELEVEN. Call me cynical but I really do have my suspicions about figures like that.
Yankee_Jack
Key Player
Wrexham are a Welsh club. They are going to be subject to the same bias and abuse as us.
Many, many years ago, God I feel old saying that but then I am old 
, I remember a new manager coming to us at the beginning of the season. Can't remember his name but he wasn't Welsh. A couple of months later he made a statement along the lines of that he'd been aware of us incessantly complaining about being on the wrong end of so many decisions before signing with us. He'd figured that it was just a case of the same old, same old, complaints that every club makes. But he went on to say that halfway through the season he absolutely believed we had justification.
He said that never in his entire managerial experience had he witnessed so many blatantly bad decisions such as those we'd been subjected to. Although he no more than hinted at it, probably aware of the resultant fine if he stirred the hornet's nest, it was perfectly clear that he felt it was because we were a Welsh club. Nothing much has changed.
, I remember a new manager coming to us at the beginning of the season. Can't remember his name but he wasn't Welsh. A couple of months later he made a statement along the lines of that he'd been aware of us incessantly complaining about being on the wrong end of so many decisions before signing with us. He'd figured that it was just a case of the same old, same old, complaints that every club makes. But he went on to say that halfway through the season he absolutely believed we had justification.He said that never in his entire managerial experience had he witnessed so many blatantly bad decisions such as those we'd been subjected to. Although he no more than hinted at it, probably aware of the resultant fine if he stirred the hornet's nest, it was perfectly clear that he felt it was because we were a Welsh club. Nothing much has changed.
No matter what we think about VAR, we need it in the Championship.
When it comes to Wrexham, they should've scored in the first minute of the added time when Elliot Lee had a huge chance ten yards out and only to beat the Cambridge keeper. I mean, how on earth can you miss this opportunity?
When it comes to Wrexham, they should've scored in the first minute of the added time when Elliot Lee had a huge chance ten yards out and only to beat the Cambridge keeper. I mean, how on earth can you miss this opportunity?
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And there is another thing Mr. Parksinson should think about - Wrexham are 16th in the League One for the touches in the opposition box. Wycombe and Birmingham are second and third. It makes sense that the teams that attack the opponent's box more often will be awarded more penalties.
Agree with that, CJ. During the game the commentator mentioned that Wrexham had had quite a few one goal wins. It did occur to me then that could be a factor in the low penalty count. Frankly, I don't rate Phil Parkinson any too highly and, if Wrexham do get promoted, they'll need better than him to survive in the Championship.
It is a big factor.
Is it possible that some referees have coonsious or more likely unconscious biases that might, for whatever reason, make them less favourable to Swansea, or to the Welsh clubs in general? Absolutely. But I don't believe that's a general trend.
I watched Derby v Preston yesterday and Preston had a perfectly good goal disallowed for offside. These things happens when two English clubs play each other, we are just not paying attention. If you ask e.g. Arsenal fans about the referees you'll get this:
"The proof of a bias among Premier League referees against southern teams
This century the only London teams to win the Premier League are Arsenal (twice), and Chelsea, (five times) – and now we have just found that a number of those Chelsea championships are as questionable as the titles gained by Manchester City.
So let’s pull this together. Each season at least 30% of the Premier League clubs are from London, which is not surprising since just over 30% of the English population lives in London and the south east. And yet none of the Premier League referees are from London or the south east.
22% of the population of England living the north, and yet 61% of the referees come from the north.
And now the poor PGMO is going to make an example of Arteta for speaking out about the failure of northern referees.
Well, of course they are. I mean, it is not as if anyone is trying even to suggest that refereeing is balanced and fair in the Premier League."
Cardiff and Swansea are 19th and 21st respectively in the number of touches made in the opposition box this season. Neither can expect to get awarded many penalties if they don't attack the opposition box more than they do.