Referees and LFC

So, I know some people think it's small-time, but what's happened to us this season, and what tends to happen to us, compared the Mancs (and to a lesser extent Chelsea) is obviously something that Kenny Dalglish has also picked up on. I don't think it's smalltime to highlight the raft of awful decisions going against us, and I'm glad Dalgish feels the same.

How this is reported in the press is important because we know how many people - probably referees included - are influenced by the press.


The Mail, Mirror and Telegraph reports all quote what Dalgish said, but don't comment on it one way or another (i.e. there is no analysis on why he said it, whether it is a fair comment or not...).

The problem is that we have headlines such as "Kenny Dalglish seeing red over referees' 'contentious decisions'" (Guardian) with the report ending with "The Scot appears to have a case regarding the penalty Liverpool should have had for Upson's handball, but the one scored by Jonathan Walters after he had been hauled down by Jamie Carragher appeared fair. Dalglish's claim that his team have had "contentious decisions" in each of their fixtures this season also appears misplaced." Here


The Indy reports of Dalglish: "More specifically, though rather ludicrously, he alluded to an apparent conspiracy against Liverpool by match officials this season and intends to speak to the club's owner, John W Henry, about the matter.


What exactly did Dalglish say?

"The first four league games have all had contentious decisions and every one of them has gone against us"

He's absolutely spot on.

Vs. Sunderland: Last defender takes out Suarez in the box and only gets booked. Anyone thinks we wouldn't have won playing 80 minutes against 10 men?
Vs. Sunderland: Carrol goal disallowed for imaginary push.

Vs. Arsenal: Frimpong should have been booked for late / wild foul on Agger at start of the game - could / should have been sent off earlier.

Vs. Bolton: Knight fouled Suarez in the box twice in a few seconds - no pen given.
Vs. Bolton: Clear a back pass to Bolton keeper is inexplicably not given.

Vs. Stoke: Stoke get awarded a soft penalty.
Vs. Stoke - We have 2 very good shouts for handball, with neither given. - Dalglish, as we do, knows that if it were the Mancs, they would have been given.



The only decision I can think that has gone in our favour is that highlights showed Skrtel doing some serious shirt pulling at a Stoke corner, but I think this is another one where you'd have a dozen pens if this was given every time it was done in a game.

We could easily have 3+ points more than we currently do, and yet rather than actually explaining what decisions Dalglish is referring to, most press reports will just make out like he's whining because we lost rather than because there's an actual issue that needs to be looked at.