Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers voices referee concerns

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Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has contacted referees' chief Mike Riley to express his frustration at officials' performance this season.

Rodgers was angered by a series of decisions in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.

He was also upset at the treatment his players received in the 2-1 Capital One Cup win at West Brom.

"I rang Mike Riley [on Thursday] morning. I think he was expecting me to call him a bit earlier," Rodgers said.

"Us being a sporting team, and going by the letter of the law, decisions seem to pass us by. We've had a few sendings-off, a few penalties given against us and absolutely nothing we've been given at all.

"We would hope we would get better decisions over the next few weeks."

Liverpool, who have claimed two points from their first five games in the Premier League, face Norwich at Carrow Road on Saturday followed by a Europa League Group A home game against Udinese on Thursday and a home league game against Stoke on 7 October.

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707 comments

  • Rather than Riley should he be getting in touch with Fergie at MU he is in charges of the Refs isnt he ??

  • Ref. 49
    Good point - why invite comments on this but not the properly big football story of the day ?
    Suarez = ambiguous comment with some doubt around language interpretation and colloquial use = 8 matches
    Terry = blatantly obscene and clear intention to insult and criminal charges (acquitted) = 4 matches
    Eh ?
    Surely, 8 each, or 4 each, or 20 each - stamp down hard, but be consistent

  • I think he has a point, particularly in the United game where Evans was just as guilty of a dangerous tackle as Shelvey was.

    'These things even themselves out over the season'. I'm still waiting to see some evidence on that one.

    Referees need help from technology. It is an embarrassing situation where a referee gets something wrong, yet every armchair fan can see it instantly.

  • No one expects referees to get all the decisions right but the main concerns are that there is a lack of consistency and there are far too many howling errors in critical decisions.

    There should be a great deal more transparency in how refereeing performances are assessed. These are professionals and should expect their performances to be scrutinised. There is too much arrogance by referees.

  • I've seen a few of the Liverpool games this season and to fair Rogers is right. His team is getting a lot of bad decisions against them. There were a few tasty tackles in the West Brom games last night.
    The refereeing in the Man Utd game was shocking and you'd have to say the win for Utd was a direct results of the refs decisions.

  • @59 Urz

    I don't hate United at all I just want to see consistency.

    The rules make no reference about getting the ball. Its about threatening to injure your opponent. At no point did I say Shelvey should not have been sent off but Evans should have been. His tackle was two footed and off the floor, whether he touched the ball is totally irrelevant.

    Try reading the laws CAREFULLY next time....

  • Shelvey's challenge, the way it is judged now, was always a likely red.
    However, Evans 2 footed lunge off the gound was actually worse.
    Regardless of whether you are going for the ball (so was Shelvey) it is dangerous play and auto red.

    Halsey (& his assistant) apparently missed it. The scandal is, where is the suspension from the FA for dangerous play that the ref missed?

  • There should be an independent investigation into the number of decisions that go Man United's way.

    Year on year they get the penalties, the dismissals, the free kicks and the mystery extra time when they are losing.

  • @81
    not going to argue the merits of each case, but what I found puzzling is where the FA got 8 match ban + £40k fine against 4 match ban + £220k fine from. Not very consistent.

  • @59 can you not just admit that both of them could have got a red card for the challenge....shelvey got the ball at one point, but used excessive force....evans got the ball after but jumped in two footed?

  • They say the "big" clubs get the decisions going their way. They say the decisions even themselves out over a season. No they don't. Any club, any fan, any manager will attest, even the Arsenals of this world will tell you, when you're playing ManU in the EPL you're 11 v 15 (including the officials). Don't think it's a Liverpool complaint, it applies to everyone.

  • @71 jinius
    The comments on here show Liverpool fans are less bothered about the start, than the Rafa style conspiracy that Rodgers has reveal

    So true! We can appreciate the teamwork being shown, and youngsters shining, everyone knew after the transfer window debacle that this wasn't going to be an easy season, but the signs are good (if not the results yet!) BR will prove his doubters wrong.

  • The only right place to put the blame for referee mistakes is with FIFA. Refs make mistakes and sometimes need a helping hand from a video ref.

    FIFA are totally out of touch with the modern world and technology. Video refs should have been introduced 20 years ago, but still they refuse.

    It is a disgrace that tv-viewers can watch a replay 30 seconds after the incident, but the referee cannot.

  • Re Terry vs Suarez debate, Suarez admits what he said and gets an 8 match ban. Terry denies it, gets found guilty and a 4 game ban. Are the FA saying its better to make a racial comment and lie than to make a racial.comment and tell the truth. And we expect refs to be consistent ??

  • Hmm ,didn't the Wigan manager get into trouble over a pathetic penalty decision.....against ....yes utd

  • Mike Riley gave possibly the worst decision I have ever seen against Liverpool in my life ( a non-penalty for a blatant handball against Chelsea a few years back , when he actually put the whistle to his lips and then took it away for reasons only he will ever know ) so I can't see Rodgers getting any purchase with him.

  • @14 I would agree with what BR is doing because the referee is supposed to apply the law to both teams. Evans also lead with feet up but Shelvey comes away with a straight red. In the same match, a certain Van Persie also challenged a Liverpool player studs up and gets a yellow card. In Wed's match against West Brom, Henderson was tackled after the ball was gone and the player got a telling off!!!

  • 5.

    At first I thought that, but the point is not that we shouldn't be punished, but that the punishment is equal. I don't think it has been on a few occasions.
    Even if Suarez has a bad reputation, there are times when he should have got a pen but didn't because the ref isn't remaining unbiased. A foul is still a foul regardless of the theatrics.

  • @35 Urz

    READ THE LAWS OF THE GAME!!!!

    Any tackle where excessive force is used or the player endangers his opponent is a red card. The player must be in control of his body which is why two footed lunges are UNACCEPTABLE! Evans did just that, Kompany was sent of for less against United in the FA cup last season.

    There is no hope when a referee cannot even be consistent in one incident.

  • "The strangest thing is - I don't remember him being like that at Aston Villa........."
    They probably have a after school diving club at Utd, and you know the old saying, "if you can't beat them...."

    ;)

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