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JayNCFC

The FA - Out Of Touch With The Modern Fan

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We live in a world driven by social media, instant news, information and opinion. A world where through the power of twitter we can discuss our views, positive or negative, with the most powerful and influential people in the world. Barrack Obama, David Cameron, Boris Johnson to name but a few - all have a presence where a Q&A session takes place. Our clubs very top man David McNally puts himself on twitter, gives his email address out and answers, a majority of the time, questions with openness and honesty.  This openness runs right through the very core of our club, fans are

able to interact with players and other fans also, creating a fantastic

sense of community and again respect.   I personally believe this is the type of interaction that the modern day fan respects and deserves. On the other side of this community we have built and has been ratified by the very highest level of individuals within clubs is the FA. At this point I would like to point out that this is not in fact a rant at the FA for not being on twitter, because actually they are. This is a look at the FA, it''s "select group" referees and how, in my opinion, little they respect us as fans.  First I will start with a little background on the most elite referees in the game.The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) was Formed in 2001 to improve refereeing standards, the PGMOL group

officiate across all the Premier League, Football League and FA

Competitions – all three organisations fund it. In order to referee a premier league game you must be one of the 16 full time professional "select group". To ensure that these referees perform to a level that would be deemed acceptable "there is a robust system for measuring Select Group performance over the

season. Former referees (Match Assessors) measure their technical

performance, former players and managers (Match Delegates) assess

the accuracy and consistency of decision making and their management of

the game." (http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/referees/about-pgmol.html)Let us not forget as well that this is a full time job, with full time earnings and not too shabby earnings at that. Top refs looked to earn around £85,000 a year in 2011 (http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/sport-confidential/2011/08/07/premier-league-officials-get-pay-rise-102039-23325225/) with a performance based top up of around £15,000 for getting key decisions right throughout the course of a year (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Premier-League-referees-chasing-15-000-bonus-for-getting-key-decisions-right-article275203.html) So PGMOL have these checks and balances in place alongside performance reviews linked to bonus''s, however rarely if ever are the fans privy to such information.  I know I will hear the calls of "well your performance review isn''t placed in the public sphere" but lets be honest, my job isn''t in the public sphere, so I would not expect it to be. I also feel you would be hard pressed to find a fan that would not like this type of information to be made publicly available post match.  A truly transparent organisation would release those performance based bonuses also, I am sure a lot of fans would have an opinion on those.Further to this protectionism of the information that is being produced, there is the protection of the officials themselves. After a game, the managers have a cool down period before being able to even approach the officials to discuss the game. No referee has, or I believe is allowed to give post match interviews and certainly I have not seen an official on any social networking websites. This protectionism breeds a culture where there is a lack of accountability for their actions.  The sanctions, checks and balances that the FA have in place alongside PGMOL clearly do not stack up as refereeing decisions are so clearly inconsistent. Lack of accountability makes officials untouchable and wrong doing without consequence can never lead to a healthy culture.Lets move away from in match decisions, where yes for the full 90 it is out of there hands and move to that challenge in the Wigan V Newcastle match, a challenge which seemed certain for retrospective punishment (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21823350). When the FA decided that no retrospective action was to be given, I was absolutely astonished, it still disgusts me to see him playing at the moment and the calls that the FA''s disciplinary measures are not "fit for purpose" I believe are right on the money (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/news/9941761/Newcastle-fury-after-Wigans-Callum-McManaman-escapes-charge-for-his-challenge-on-Massadio-Haidara.html) and lets not forget the news that this a player with history of that sort of thing, despite what Martinez may want you to believe (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2295478/Callum-McManaman-tackle-Wigan-forward-tackled-Gai-Assulin-2011.html) How can fans respect the decisions of an association that so clearly gets things so, so wrong even when given enough time and evidence to do the right thing? The worst thing as a fan is the fact that we have no power in our own game, all this blustering that I have just gone through will do absolutely nothing to change the FA''s defence of it''s elite referees, along with it''s incompetent and impotent retrospective action.  It will continue to be as it always has because the FA is not an innovative or "fit for purpose" governing body. So look forward to more decisions that will cost teams over the course of the season and I can assure you it is safe in the knowledge that it won''t even itself out, there will be big winners and big losers.

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Ultimately, the FA aren''t for the fans. They don''t do what they do to please us, they are just there to officiate a game of football. The fans could scream at them til they were blue in the face, but that won''t change a thing. They could communicate with the fans, apologise for terrible performances by their officials - but it would still have been 3-1. I personally despise the FA and their contrived and ridiculous rules and the belief that they are infalable and completely agree with you, but as you said, nothing can be done and any ranting and raving won''t filter through to them. Our anger and astonishment is futile.

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I only see it as a matter of time before a cub sues the FA over a bad decision should it lead to relegation. Imagine last game of the season we are 0-0 at Man city needing a point to stay up the ref gives a Pen thats a clear yard outside the box and we go down cause of it. That ref has cost the club £70 million in future money and works for the FA so who is accountable for it?

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.. and the foul in the penalty area was a penalty as Kamara was pulling the Arsenal player back so no change in the FA will make an iota of difference.  [:D]

Hughton should tell his players to stop fouling, especially with only a few minutes to go, when referees are subconsciously looking to save the bigger sides.

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[quote user="Hannibal II"]I only see it as a matter of time before a cub sues the FA over a bad decision should it lead to relegation. Imagine last game of the season we are 0-0 at Man city needing a point to stay up the ref gives a Pen thats a clear yard outside the box and we go down cause of it. That ref has cost the club £70 million in future money and works for the FA so who is accountable for it?[/quote]

This just emphasises why a club should adopt an attacking policy rather than defensive one as they can make their own luck by scoring goals. If the game is played mainly in our own half while we seek draws we will always be at risk of ''dodgy'' decisions as one goal will always be so crucial. 

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[quote user="paul moy"]

.. and the foul in the penalty area was a penalty as Kamara was pulling the Arsenal player back so no change in the FA will make an iota of difference.  [:D]

Hughton should tell his players to stop fouling, especially with only a few minutes to go, when referees are subconsciously looking to save the bigger sides.

[/quote]I am astonished as a "supporter" of the club, all the media coverage stating that it wasn''t and a clear view of the 50/50 of the infringement you could come onto this forum and say such a thing. It is your opinion and fair enough but I get the impression you have managed to turn this into a an anti Hughton post somehow.

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[quote user="JayNCFC"][quote user="paul moy"]

.. and the foul in the penalty area was a penalty as Kamara was pulling the Arsenal player back so no change in the FA will make an iota of difference.  [:D]

Hughton should tell his players to stop fouling, especially with only a few minutes to go, when referees are subconsciously looking to save the bigger sides.

[/quote]

I am astonished as a "supporter" of the club, all the media coverage stating that it wasn''t and a clear view of the 50/50 of the infringement you could come onto this forum and say such a thing. It is your opinion and fair enough but I get the impression you have managed to turn this into a an anti Hughton post somehow.
[/quote]

Nope, just anti constant defensive strategy which will always be at risk of refereeing decisions especially for ''little ol'' Norwich. 

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Your logic is actually quite.... stupid. We don''t sit far back, Arsenal were always going to be a team that keep us in our own half for a lot of the game. To say we were asking for a bunch of horrific decisions because we were defending Arsenal''s attacks is amazing.... be ashamed of yourself.

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[quote user="Stig"]Your logic is actually quite.... stupid. We don''t sit far back, Arsenal were always going to be a team that keep us in our own half for a lot of the game. To say we were asking for a bunch of horrific decisions because we were defending Arsenal''s attacks is amazing.... be ashamed of yourself.[/quote]

I''m ashamed of those that condone fouls and maintain they are not. It was a penalty so get over it. As a poster stated during the game itself, we should have brought on a pacey player when we took the lead, such as Elliott Bennett whose runs on the break could have helped to take pressure off our over-worked defence. You''re obviously happy with  the way we play but  I am not.

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Please stop bringing this complaint into every other thread, you''re not even attempting to be on topic.
The pivotal thing your small IQ cannot seem to comprehend is, our tactics and play had us down for three points and a first double for our season. The FA had other ideas. That has nothing to do with our tactics.

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Get your Masters out then Stig? please enlighten us with your higher IQ.

Maybe your slightly bitter its never the smartest people than run things its always the most popular.

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Amazingly I find myself agreeing with Paul Moy in as far as Kei Kamara pulled Olivier Giroud''s shirt. As such a penalty could be given. Unfortunately little has been said by him of what Giroud was doing with his right arm where he obviously, to me anyway, seems to be holding Kei off and holding his shirt. As such you cannot give either offence.

I have said on here previously that these offences go unpunished too often as we all, I am sure, get fed up with seeing players wrestled to the ground and nothing given. But penalties can only be given for fouls if only one player is fouling, if they are both fouling who do you give the freekick to?

More annoying for me was the obvious goal kick that should have been given instead of the corner that led to the incident.

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The Premier League itself is out of touch with the modern fan. Although the FA is responsible for governing the rules and regulations of the game it is the faceless EPL who pull the strings.

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[quote user="Hannibal II"]Get your Masters out then Stig? please enlighten us with your higher IQ.

Maybe your slightly bitter its never the smartest people than run things its always the most popular.[/quote]
You officially don''t have a point and/or arguement. I''m finished.

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Don''t worry about him stig, this was the same guy who was happy when Swansea started to get back into the game earlier this season (away).

Trololol.

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i''ve never been happy about any team we play getting back into a game against us. Predicting it happening though is another thing.

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Stunning post JayNCFC.

I wonder how the conversation in the match officials room went yesterday after the game...

Useless Ref: Thanks for that, Scumbag Lino, I thought for one minute Norwich were going to win that!

Scumbag Lino: well we can''t have the little clubs having the nerve to come to places like The Emirates and expecting to win can we?

Useless Ref: Certainly not, I mean, what would the FA and that nice Mr Wenger say, apart from the fact he didn''t see it?

Scumbag Lino: I knew it wasn''t a corner, or a penalty for that matter, but I thought I''d give you a hand get Arsenal back in the game.

Useless Ref: Clearly not a a corner or a penalty but we got out of jail there. I mean, what would the headlines say ''Good Officials oversee Arsenal Defeat''. We''d never live it down.

Scumbag Lino: Yeah, that would finish us with the big games in the Premier League and that huge salary.

Useless Ref: Oh well never mind, it''s only Norwich. On to next week...''

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[quote user="Hannibal II"]I only see it as a matter of time before a cub sues the FA over a bad decision should it lead to relegation. Imagine last game of the season we are 0-0 at Man city needing a point to stay up the ref gives a Pen thats a clear yard outside the box and we go down cause of it. That ref has cost the club £70 million in future money and works for the FA so who is accountable for it?[/quote]I believe that one of the acceptance criteria for the so-called golden share that allows a club into the league is a total waiver on any right of action under any circumstances in respect of the FA. They are wholly immune from litigation by any member club, effectively it''s in the terms and conditions of membership which would also make it hard to bring a case in civil court.Sue the FA over a dodgy decision that costs you relegation and you would end up out the league altogether because the FA would revoke your golden share.

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Newcastle goal onside that would have changed the game completely - ruled offside. Second Sunderland goal offside - ruled onside. That is two game changing decisions in a derby game that means so so much to the fans and the "officials" have got it wrong again... I do despair.

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