Referees mic'd up.

[The Edge]

That touches on 2 points I've been making for ages.

Firstly we do need to make it clear that, whilst we have respect for refs, that can't be allowed to evolve into them ignoring us and making poor decisions against us because it's easier than upsetting the moaning twat in the other dugout.

Secondly we are incredibly passive in how we defend and right now teams know that so they just go really aggressive against us as a way to shut us down. Again we need to show a bit more steel at times so teams realise we're not a soft touch.

It's an unpleasant truth that successful clubs in the PL era have usuallly employed the dark arts. Chelsea were the absolute masters of it during their really successful years when Abramovic was their owner. Newcastle are having a purple patch and it's no coincidence that their levels of shithousery are inextricably linked with their success. They absolutely had a plan to rattle Duran and it worked beautifully for them thanks to the piss weak referee on the day. We have really got to stop being so passive. I wouldn't want us to reach anywhere near Chelseas abhorrent levels but I would be happy for us to be a bit more like Newcastle. As the saying goes: Nice people don't win things.

[ChicagoLion]

The problem is the Dark Arts horse has bolted, unless they fail to punish Citeh, then there could be a free for all.

[adrenachrome]

The Dark Arts will persist, because the TV punters love it.

Refs will be miked up, there will be more advertising breaks, and the viewing figures will go up.

Alan Sugar had a shitty PC and a Satellite dish, and I believe he is now a Baron.

[ChicagoLion]

The Dark Arts will persist, because the TV punters love it.

Refs will be miked up, there will be more advertising breaks, and the viewing figures will go up.

Alan Sugar had a shitty PC and a Satellite dish, and I believe he is now a Baron.

I think we were talking Financial dark arts. You are probably right regarding the rest of it.
The question is, how come the technology has got better but the refereeing worse?
I do not trust PGMOL and there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it is corrupt.

[SaddVillan]

Mic'd up?

Strung up might be more appropriate for some of them.

[Mister E]

2 points: (i) we are rarely trying to influence the ref, as others do, and it definitely disadvantages us; (ii) giving the armbands to Martinez when McGinn is off makes no sense unless the controversy is in our penalty area. One of the outfield players has to have the captain-role in order to forcefully manage the ref.

It's pretty frustrating that we are not matching our rivals for ref-management.

[Pat McMahon]

We should bring in John Terry for a one day intensive referee management course. I can’t remember us being so well treated by refs as when he was on the pitch first-naming refs

[LeeB]

Terry was the absolute master of that shit, and comes from a place of respect as I always thought that my greatest skill as a player was ref management.