RATE THE REF - Tony Harrington v Manchester United

[jdrobbo]

Tony Harrington (Hartlepool) v Manchester United

How to Score
A. Decision Making (including use of advantage) - out of 25
B. Consistency - out of 25
C. Fitness and Positioning - of 25
D. Control and Authority - out of 25


Please only Rate the Ref if you attended the game and only do so, after the game has ended. Thank you

[Taffy on the wing]

Probably shocking!.........just getting it in there.

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Watched on TV
We have had some shockers this season with the full set at Forest being the most shocking
However the guy tonight was probably the best we have had this season

[addisclaret]

Watched on TV
We have had some shockers this season with the full set at Forest being the most shocking
However the guy tonight was prothrombin best we have had this season

Got to say prothrombin is the best ever autocorrect mistake I have seen

See that you beat me too it with the edit

[BurnleyFC]

He was decent, to be fair.

[xxmunkyennuixx]

A - 16
B - 15
C - 18
D - 15

Thought he was OK. Some minor decisions that you could complain about. Think McTominay should have been carded.

[Shaggy]

Was a good referee tonight. No complaints at all.

[jdrobbo]

A 18
B 22
C 16
D 22

[Roosterbooster]

I'd be happy if he reffed us every week
As long as he got new assistants- they were awful

24
23
23
25

[ervi34]

Watched on TV
We have had some shockers this season with the full set at Forest being the most shocking
However the guy tonight was probably the best we have had this season

Absolutely agree. Was not familiar with him before but have to say I had almost no complaints at all. Injury time could have been one or two minutes longer though.

[Vino blanco]

Best we’ve had for quite a while.

[Tricky Trevor]

Far better than most. He had a good night.

[expoultryboy]

Excellent

[Rowls]

Considering the opposition that was as acceptable as one can hope for in the current crop and culture of what passes for refereeing these days.

That's to say he was average and not overly biased. He made mistakes but not game-changing howlers.

It's a low bar but he passed it

A. 14
B. 12
C. 12
D. 13

[Burnleyareback2]

Best we have had, I was kind of hoping Kompany would praise him in his post match- a little Jedi mind trick on the next referee…

[Luppy]

Good game - no complaints

A - 22
B - 22
C - 20
D - 22

[ClaretTony]

A. 23
B. 23
C. 19
D. 23

Can't understand some of the low marks, best referee we've had this season and by some distance.

[Nori1958]

A. 23
B. 23
C. 19
D. 23

Can't understand some of the low marks, best referee we've had this season and by some distance.

The bars not very high to be fair

[Rowls]

Can't understand some of the low marks, best referee we've had this season and by some distance.

It's all relative. I remember thinking Roger Eli was a world beater, but (without disputing his status as a Burnley cult hero) it was chiefly because of who he followed.

[Rowls]

Can't understand some of the low marks, best referee we've had this season and by some distance.

Having looked back, there aren't any low marks.

There are high marks and there are average marks.

Nobody has marked lowly so far.

[claretdj]

The best ref we have had all season tbh, no bias n very fair I thought.

[shulgin]

Decent ref. Not intimidated by Man U shithousery. A rare treat.

[Granny WeatherWax]

Best ref all season.

[quoonbeatz]

Ref was very good tonight. Liner on the bob lord side though, good god he was absolutely woeful. Summed up by the corner he gave us which was the clearest goal kick you'll ever see.

[shulgin]

Witn that I give him
A. Decision Making (including use of advantage) - 21
B. Consistency - 23
C. Fitness and Positioning - 23
D. Control and Authority - 23

[bfcjg]

A 21
B 23
C 22
D 23

Good performance.

[dsr]

23
23
23
25

Far better than most at not giving free kicks when there was no foul.

[123EasyasBFC]

The best ref we have had all season but I can’t understand only 4 minutes added time when 2 united players where down injured second half for at least 2 minutes then all the subs, not that I I think another couple of minutes would of made a difference, United managed the game pretty well when the board went up for added time

[dsr]

Nobody was injured for 2 minutes at a stretch. Check it on the video.

[bobinho]

Having looked back, there aren't any low marks.

There are high marks and there are average marks.

Nobody has marked lowly so far.

I too looked at that, and I thought CT meant low in relation to his actual performance. This ref was very good overall, so average marks of 14-16 ish are a little puzzling to be honest. He was way better than that. I’d say 14-16 are low all things considered.

[Cirrus_Minor]

A 15
B 20
C 22
D20

Lower mark for decision making because of giving only 4 minutes added time. All the subbing and play acting from United must be at least twice that.

[Clive 1960]

The ref had a very good game to be fair .

[IanMcL]

Thought there were FKs we should have near their box but he gave nothing like that for either side. Wasn't conned.

Decent as refs go. About time.

[ashtonlongsider]

By far the best ref we've had in quite a while.

[beddie]

Didn't get everything right but overall he did very well.

[Colburn_Claret]

He was very good, such a nice change to have a game where the ref hasn't influenced the result.

[NewClaret]

Very good game. He can ref us whenever he likes!

A. Decision Making (including use of advantage) - 22
B. Consistency - 22
C. Fitness and Positioning - 22
D. Control and Authority - 24

[Bosscat]

A - 21
B - 22
C - 20
D - 22

[ClaretTony]

Having looked back, there aren't any low marks.

There are high marks and there are average marks.

Nobody has marked lowly so far.

I would say you have and I certainly don't think your ratings reflect his performance.

[Roosterbooster]

Far better than most at not giving free kicks when there was no foul.

Spot on. The assistant gave an invisible foul down in front of the Jimmy Mc. But I don't remember the ref doing it. Makes a nice change

[taio]

24
24
24
24

Very good performance

[Rowls]

I would say you have and I certainly don't think your ratings reflect his performance.

Well that's the beauty of opinions isn't it.

I've rated him with average marks because I thought he had an average game. I agree with those who say he's the best we've had this season.

The problem I have with modern refereeing is that they are almost always trying to referee through compromise and negotiation. What they ought to be doing is refereeing the game as they see it according to the laws of the game.

A good metaphor to explain what I mean is that modern refereeing is the equivalent of middle class parents trying to negotiate with a toddler having a tantrum in a supermarket instead of instilling proper discipline abd rules on their little offspring.

"OK, Alexandra if you stop screaming I'll let you put some more chocolate bars into trolley."

"Oliver darling, if you don't stop throwing the bananas at other nice shoppers you won't be able to pick your own ice cream."

Etc etc

The moment they start negotiating the rules rather than simply imposing them there is a clear incentive to act up and misbehave.

There's no denying that the "clampdown" we saw at the beginning of the season has already been demolished and abandoned.

If you're refereeing by negotiation then average is the best you can expect.

As I said in my original post - this was as good as we could expect given the "negotiating" style of refereeing. I've marked accordingly.

I'm always happy to explain my marks and discuss how I've arrived at my conclusions.

[ClaretTony]

There's no denying that the "clampdown" we saw at the beginning of the season has already been demolished and abandoned.

If you're refereeing by negotiation then average is the best you can expect.

I'd say the clampdown has very definitely not been either demolished or abandoned - we had a yellow in this game for a player waving an imaginary card.

I think your marking is way off to be honest for our Rate the Ref.

[quoonbeatz]

It was good to see him book that goon for waving a card. Wasn't even a foul that incident,the liner flagged for it having waited to see if Casemiro faked injury or not.

What was even better was the ref not falling for the dives and histrionics of Hojland and Hannibal, his only failing there that he should have booked at least one of them.

Best we've seen this season by miles.

[dsr]

Incidentally, Man United did as little time wasting as any leading side I've seen for ages. In injury time, I timed them 16 seconds to take a corner and 6 seconds to take a throw, from the ball going out. That's why the "add on loads of injury time for time wasting" directive didn't apply.

[Rowls]

I'd say the clampdown has very definitely not been either demolished or abandoned - we had a yellow in this game for a player waving an imaginary card.

I think your marking is way off to be honest for our Rate the Ref.

Well, equally I might think you are "way off" too but perhaps it would be better just to say we differ in our opinions?

I'll continue to post my marks and I'll do so with consistency.

In hindsight, I could perhaps have been more generous with his fitness and positioning.

As for the clampdown not being abandoned, their player who went off for treatment was let back onto the pitch after 20 odds seconds. It is meant to be a minimum of 30 seconds.

The time added on at the end of the game was not commensurate with the actual time taken up by players pretending to be injured, the substitutions and their minute+ goal celebration.

For sure, certain rules, like the one you mentioned, still are being enforced for the "negotiation" style of refereeing continues unabated.

To go back to the metaphor of trying to negotiate with toddlers at a supermarket, it does not mean that we will invariably have tantrums in the isles or bad performances. The toddlers might spontaneously behave themselves. It does not vindicate the authority figure's approach though

Until the culture behind refereeing changes and until the constant negotiation with players ceases, the players will continue to be the ones running the show.

[Stayingup]

It was good to see him book that goon for waving a card. Wasn't even a foul that incident,the liner flagged for it having waited to see if Casemiro faked injury or not.

What was even better was the ref not falling for the dives and histrionics of Hojland and Hannibal, his only failing there that he should have booked at least one of them.

Best we've seen this season by miles.

Did you or anyone else think he shoukd have acted on McTomineys two footed off the ground challenge in the second half?

[quoonbeatz]

If its the one I'm thinking of then no, he won the ball. Heavy challenge but that's football. Didn't look two footed either.

[dsr]

Well, equally I might think you are "way off" too but perhaps it would be better just to say we differ in our opinions?

I'll continue to post my marks and I'll do so with consistency.

In hindsight, I could perhaps have been more generous with his fitness and positioning.

As for the clampdown not being abandoned, their player who went off for treatment was let back onto the pitch after 20 odds seconds. It is meant to be a minimum of 30 seconds.

The time added on at the end of the game was not commensurate with the actual time taken up by players pretending to be injured, the substitutions and their minute+ goal celebration.

For sure, certain rules, like the one you mentioned, still are being enforced for the "negotiation" style of refereeing continues unabated.

To go back to the metaphor of trying to negotiate with toddlers at a supermarket, it does not mean that we will invariably have tantrums in the isles or bad performances. The toddlers might spontaneously behave themselves. It does not vindicate the authority figure's approach though

Until the culture behind refereeing changes and until the constant negotiation with players ceases, the players will continue to be the ones running the show.

Celebrations for first half goals are added in the first half injury time.

[Rowls]

Celebrations for first half goals are added in the first half injury time.

Yes, clearly I've made a mistake with that.

I stand by my broad point though - the majority of modern refs are attempting the referee by negotiation and, for want of a better word, appeasement.

They are ceding more and more ground to the players every year.

It seems obvious to me, but others are free to disagree.

As long as I mark refs consistently and honestly (which I always do) then it doesn't matter beyond us enjoying a discussion on here.