No NZ Refs for PHOENIX Games

No NZ Refs for PHOENIX Games

The FFA should not assign NZ Refs to Phoenix home games, the try so hard to be unbiast that the end up being to hard on us and soft on opposition. Last night was and example and when P O is in the middle the same happens.

Thought the guy last night was alright.

...and if you go further back you find Derek Rugg and Neil Fox as well.  They end up terrified of being seen as a home ref and repeatedly screw us over.

 

Yea, that guy should've got his 2nd yellow. Don't think that ref has done many A-League games before. I'm not sure if we can conclude it was because he was a New Zealander though. Refs of all nationalities in all leagues have made similar decisions. I just don't like to get on the path of going on like it's stacked against us all the time. I've heard people say the Aussie refs are against us too. But I get the thinking behind it. My Dad would NEVER give me a free kick when he officiated my games!

Don't get me wrong, I think O'Leary was one of the best refs in the A-League last yearwhen he wasn't reffing the Phoenix, but his decisions here were at best random.

Ref was good.  Let a little to much go both ways, but at least let the game flow.  Offside call not his fault, trusted his lino.

Hate to sound like a thugby fan but the ref and his linos where the reason we didn't win, the boys must have been very frustrated with repeatedly sh*te calls.

Ref didn't help us with the bad call, but we could have scored earlier and taken it out of his hands.  Does suck though.  I was on my feet yelling at home when I saw the flag go up.

Highly amused to see Lia get hacked down by an Adelaide player who was on a yellow and immediatly try to convince the ref to send him off. This barely 3 minutes after Lia himself was lucky to escape a 2nd yellow.

I think the ref did a decent job - i almost felt a tad sorry for him, because all of the players were clearly playing on his inexperience and pushing him to the limit. He handled it pretty well. And he was at least fairly consistent.

In all fairness, Michael Hester is from Auckland, so he's not a REAL New Zealander

JAFA - Just Another Fradulant Arbiter?

Consistent I'd agree, but he let a fair bit go and with Adelaide happier to play for a draw I think it suited them to get away with a good handfull of attack destroying tackles and not suffer for it.

If the ref was like Breeze Lia (studs up and was on a yellow) and Brown (raised arm) both would've been sent. You can't say he is sh*t for not sending off the Adelaide player (who also should've gone) and not mention bad tackles from our guys that weren't called up.

so who was the lino and where's he from?

Ref lost control of the game early on. None of the decisions were consistent and the match was dirty and scrappy because of it. The yellows were inconsistent. he was scared to give early yellows and what he gave was no worse than challenges that weren't carded.

The lino was appalling.

edit: agree Peter O'leary is very good, and not the worst we've had even though sometimes he is over cautious here.
martinb2009-09-05 16:42:58

He's a kiwi too

Pretty sure the lino was Glen from Palmy.  Had him in some games.  Very good lino (normally) not so good ref, but one of the better in the region.  Don't know him well and he wouldnt Know me, but seems a nice guy when i've spoken to him.