QuoteAnother thing, again this is all irrelevant at this stage, but did you notice that the $hel$ ended fairly abruptly - was there any injury time? The other two matches were still being played and the $hel$ match was over.
It is just as well that Pats and Shels drew. For, if a win against Bohs tonight would have won the league, the referee Mr. Stokes would have a lot to answer for.
I know I could be dismissed as being a whinger for saying this, but after seeing his performance tonight, it is hard not to be cynical.
It seemed to me and several others around me that he was sent down to Cork tonight to do a job. His penalty was not even excusable as a bad decision.
1. Michael Devine won the ball before making contact with the player coming in, so it should not have even been a free.
2. He connected with the ball and the player outside the penalty area. If it was inside the penalty area, Devine would have used his hands.
I know that I went on a lot this season about the standard of reffing. But now I think the club has to analyse what else it can get right to go forward. Upping the standard of refereeing is the next main objective, IMO.
Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere - Martin Luther King Jnr.
Another thing, again this is all irrelevant at this stage, but did you notice that the $hel$ ended fairly abruptly - was there any injury time? The other two matches were still being played and the $hel$ match was over.
Yeah I wondered about that. I HATE conspiracy theorising cause it sounds like being a sore loser, but the 4th official at the City match signalled just 1 minute injury time at the end of the first half, despite three lengthy stoppages in the half. And then the ref went on the play what seemed like about 40 seconds. The players were livid. Danny Murphy is not normally the most polite when he feels wronged, but on this occasion I thought his hi-lites would catch fire.
Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere - Martin Luther King Jnr.
Only 1 sub came on in the above match (30 seconds added time) and the physios were hardly on at all. Where was the injury time gonna come from ?Originally Posted by dancinpants
I probably would tell ye if RTE beamed the match live to my desk here at work in the states, thats why I was wondering!!!
Well as you did not indicate your location... how was I to know?
Oh **** yeah - sorry!
Lads, that was the worst reffering that I ever saw in my life.I think their should be a nutrual ref at every game. A Dublin ref again. They should pick a ref from like Galway or Kildare a something like that. I bet Bohs wouldn't of let a Cork ref do it would they? I'm certin City are going to win league once and forall next season. Fair play to them anyway. Great fight back. Does anyone know wen the Setena Cup kicks-off?
the penalty was a joke.after seeing it again on the tv i still can't for the life of me see how it was a penalty.another few bad decisions throughout the game as well left me fuming.
something has to be done about the standard of refeering in this country.
shels wer robbed as well tonight because of the ref.
shelbourne deserved the title it over the course of the season to be fair.they've been top since the start.i wont be a sour grape and say well done.
Life isn't all beer and football...some of us haven't touched a football in months
As I wrote in one of my articles tonight in FourFiveOne, for the big games why not fly English, Scottish or Welsh referees over here. For about €50 a piece for their flight you're guaranteed fairness.
What does everybody else think? Surely it has to be the way forward.
Football is life. The rest is mere detail...
its an idea but shouldn't there be guaranteed fairness in all games not just the big 1s.surely there are some more refs from outside of dublin.it sounds suspect to have a dublin ref refeering a dublin team.does this happen any where else?
Life isn't all beer and football...some of us haven't touched a football in months
That referee was a disgrace. I was right beside the "penalty" incident. Even if it was a penalty (which it wasnt) it was outside the box.
Pat Dolan who was very praiseworthy of Shels said that a couple of weeks ago after the Derry game he went to the ref (Stokes) to shake his hand. He refused to shake Dolans hand.
BTW How could tou have a dublin ref for that game, when the team we are playing are from Dublin and the only other team who are in championship contention are another Dublin team.
Its not professional. Its not right. Its doesnt look right and it as sure as hell does not look professional.
Twenty years ive followed City and that has to be the worst performance by a ref ive seen. We had Comical Ali. Now its time for Comical Ref.
In England the officials have to live at least 100 miles away from both teams that are playing the match.
There would NEVER be the situation that you get in this league with a dub ref officiating a match with a dub team involved.
Also, Mr Kelly would no way have been allowed to ref the $h€l$ game with the situation, ie Cork could win the league if $h€l$ lose, in England.
The FAI is just a joke. Plain and simple.
Football is life. The rest is mere detail...
Perhaps but the fact that there is a shortage of referees is probably the real reason for it. Your points are nonetheless valid. As regards the earlier posting about imported refs, the FAI actually did that for Cup Finals around 50 years ago.
I only saw a few minutes of the $hels game on TV3, but McKeon seemd to have been just as bad. Cahill was taken down for a definite penalty and got nothing, and Byrne scored a perfectly good goal, which was disallowed for interference with the keeper, but it was a SPA player who got into a tangle with his own keeper!
It has to be said though, that Stokes reached the absolute nadir of incompetence, ineptitude and downright stupidity. He has to bethe centre of attention in every game he refs
It was a shameful performance and this league is going to have another full crisis soon if there is not a serious effort to do somethng about the likes of this guy.
I suppose you get used to poor performances, but isn't Stokes the guy who didn't give Flynny a peno in Tolka and who gave at least two late and very soft penos against City in away games last season (Derry and Longford)?
That goes beyond incompetent and into the realm of bias and cheating.
He should never ref a City game again.
Sorry to the young kids around me last night for all the cursing and abuse aimed at that man - I'm usually much quieter.
He gave a penalty against us up in the first Longford away game, when he was the only person in the entire county who saw the "incident" or even knew what it was. He has also refused to shake Dolan's hand before and if I'm not mistaken he has given a penalty against us in virtually every game we have had to play under him.
Funnily enough, he missed a blatent penalty in the 1st half, when one of the Boh defenders, maybe Oman, clearly handled the ball. It was soon after Colin was deemed not to be fouled just inside the area, Woodsy crossed the ball the keeper didn't get to it and the defender put his palm down to deflect it across the goalmouth.
Last edited by patsh; 20/11/2004 at 10:12 AM.
Thats exactly what my dad said whem i met him after the match. We had to split up as we coudnt find two seats next to each other. I was at one end of the ground he was at the other. The penalty that was given wasnt a penalty - it happened right under my nose. Didnt see the city incident but my father was up there. He said it was a blatant penalty.
Lads I have a letter written to the Eircom league with these and other arguments, and I am asking for a reply to explain why not adopt the obvious practices suggested here to achieve competence, fairness and the perception of fairness.
Problem is, I can't find a postal address for them anywhere on the net.
Can any of you wise young people help please?
Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere - Martin Luther King Jnr.
Name Address & Telephone Number Info Web Email
Eircom National League
80 Merrion sq,
Dublin
(01) 7037575
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