Bring football into 21st century

Aug 20 2007 View From the Stands by Rob Jackson, Liverpool Supporter

A referee shows the red card _320

I’VE just burned all my notes. Nothing to do with matches or lighter fluid. My fingers were enough.

I really should have found an asbestos keyboard as well, as my desk is in danger from a gooey pile of smouldering plastic. I am, of course, not running any fever but burning with anger.

How many more times must utterly, laughably, cataclysmically inept and incompetent refereeing ruin a major football match before the equally abysmal authorities stir themselves to bring their game into the 21st century? Talk about the FA doing FA. And there’s nothing sweet about it.

Now one of the games of the season, which should have been won by one of the goals of the season, has been decided by a monumental cock-up by an idiot of quite colossal proportions. Yesterday some clot robbed Fulham of a goal about 10 yards over the line. What’s next? And when do we get our turn to benefit?

Frankly, I for one don’t want to win through the inadequacies of some berk in black. I just want the right decisions. And what makes it even harder to take is that the technology is there to deliver it, right now. Just like they’ve had in rugby union and league for years. Like they now have at that paragon of progressiveness, Wimbledon.

It’s not as if the ‘penalty’ was the only blot on Styles’ copybook. In fact, he’d be better if he gave books a wide berth altogether, after his blunders of Graham Pollesque proportions. What do you do for an encore, Rob? At least he’s well named.

As for the game, yes we were very good in parts, with slick one touch passing at speed. Yes, the goal was right out of the very top drawer, in both conception and execution. Yes, Chelsea’s gamesmanship is sickening. Yet our shooting would still not get Annie Oakley quaking in her boots, especially Riise’s and Kuyt’s. And until it does, we’re always going to be on a knife edge.

All in all, it’s a bit of sour end to what, given what happened at Eastlands, should have been a cracking day. I suppose we just have to look at the positives, of which there were many.

I hope Chelsea don’t win the title from LFC by three points.