Refwatch...CHARLTON(H)

[RoyalBlue]

"Give a dog a bad name and hang it!"
We have had several worse refs than Graham Poll this season. Apart from the Hunt penalty call and the Sidwell incident (when allowing the advantage may have been better for Doyle but could have sparked indiscipline) ............ He was loudly abused for several correct offside decisions where the player ran back a long way from an offside position to play the ball and if he hadn't been pilloried by the press for that unfortunate lapse during the world cup, he wouldn't be so in the spotlight today. Give the guy a break!

Sparked indiscipline? From whom?!! Our players were all concentrating on Doyle breaking forward on goal and we hardly have a record of retaliation! Dreadful decision. Likewise his decision on the Hunt penalty, as confirmed by all pundits and the realtime commentary where the commentator was talking about the penalty that had just been awarded piling on the misery for Charlton, only to react with total disbelief when he had realised the pratt Poll had given a freekick.

As for the offsides that he got right - it's not his call, the decision on those is made by his assistants.

As for his 'unfortunate lapse' in the world cup, had he used the match report forms published by Official Sports (the providers of the match officials kits) he would have found it virtually impossible to issue two yellow cards to the same player without realising - the forms are actually 'Poll proof' with a box against each player's number in which you enter time of booking and the offence code.

[biscuitsrus]

Regardless of what stage the game is at, a penalty is a penalty. Regardless of whether you are 3-0 up or 6-0 down, a penalty is a penalty. He didn't give it because, in his personal opinion, he didn't think it was a penalty. The majority of us obviously think otherwise because it was one of the most blatant penalties you'll see!!

To suggest a referee didn't give it, even though he may have thought it was, is ludicrous!

Indeed. A pen is a pen and that was as blatant a pen as the one Arsenal got when they were 3-0 up here last month.

Personally thought Poll had a decent game but shirked a couple of big decisions ie the pen and poss red card for the challenge on Sidwell (and could/should have played on before taking action)

As I was saying he didnt have to give (shirked) because of the state of the game. He wanted to avoid controvesy (shirked) so what was the point in giving the pen.

Im aware of the laws of the game but Poll was in a no lose situation by not giving the pen.