Referee Bobby Madley only saw fit to award a yellow card for a disgraceful karate kick by Simon Francis in Kouyate’s face.
How Francis stayed on the pitch was an amazement even to Bournemouth fans who feared he would receive a straight red. Because Francis was booked by an official that means he’ll not face any retrospective action.
Later Madley missed striker Josh King punching Pedro Obiang in the face even though it was seen live by millions on TV watching around the world. Although the match officials claim not to have seen it he now faces the real possibility of a retrospective punishment of up to a three-match ban.
Perhaps the biggest disgrace which cost the Hammers to drop two points was the final goal when he overruled his linesmen and incorrectly awarded Bournemouth their third goal even though it was both offside and handball.
Hopefully, the FA will soon be sending him to referee in the Championship where we could be joining him soon if we continue to drop points.
He has shown he is either incapable of applying the rules of the game to the real game, or that he is deeply based and rotten and makes his own decisions regardless of the rules because of who knows what.
Either way, pitiful and a disgrace to the sport. Should be sent to the lower divisions, and not for a fortnight only.
I have said on more than one occasion that the refs are the cancer of this sport in England. Madley is truly malignant.
Succinct and to the point posting, thanks Sean. Unlike most of my own…and this one.
While I suggested that 4pts from 3 games would be realistic for us over the holiday period I didn’t for one minute imagine that appalling refereeing decisions would deny us 2 of those ‘predicted’ points when we’d done enough to take all 3. What a disgrace. What an ethical mash up. It seems to me that if the ‘mistaken’ actions of players can be subject to retrospective discipline then why should referee’s – who are also highly paid professionals – not be subject to the same accountability? Whatever the existing FA rules they need to be reviewed. Two, probably three, of Madley’s decisions were mistaken and incompetent by any reasonable evaluation. I do not believe they were deliberately made and knowingly corrupt; nor do I believe that a ‘Northern’ or Manc conspiracy is afoot. What happened to the Hammers today was the result of two (three?) atrociously poor judgements by referee Madley. He now needs to be disciplined for these errors.
Of course, existing FA rules are not designed to retrospectively alter a result, an outcome, in order to ensure the restitution of justice to the team disadvantaged by the mistaken judgements of match day officials. I can see why.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t perfectly good grounds to push for an urgent revision of FA rules to permit visual evidence to be considered by an FA ‘refereeing quality’ panel to enable a decision to be reversed retrospectively. For example, the deletion or addition of a goal that would alter the result of the game after the event. However, this ‘after the event’ situation could be avoided completely by introducing the review of incidents, like the system for deciding touch judgements in Rugby Union. Why not?
Consequences: The 2points stolen from us today could be the two we would need to avoid relegation in May. Too much is at stake to permit the incompetent judgements of referee’s to hold complete sway over proceedings when a visual record with instant replay and a ‘decision panel’ can ensure a more objective and accurate decision is achieved. The hard financial reality of today’s game requires the FA to consider practical and ethical reforms to its existing rules and systems for adjudicating ‘fair outcomes’. Today’s performance was nothing short of an outrage. Is there any way a civil legal action for ‘professional dereliction’ could be taken against Madley for his incompetence? Of course the FA would close ranks around him. But the challenge would have been made. Some club has to make a stand against the dinosaurs of the FA. Why not the Hammers? The FA has a moral and ethical duty to show ‘good leadership’ in the domestic game by overhauling and updating their rules of conduct, transparently, and in ways that correspond with making the right judgement calls by officials in today’s high speed game. How many times do we hear pundits saying…’well, clearly he wasn’t touched by the defender, but I suppose the referee might have been unsighted’ or worse yet, ‘well, he nicked his foot, there was contact and the referee had a clear view…it should have been a penalty’.
Today we were mugged off! A critic of Mr Moyes I may be, but my heart goes out to him and the players after this injustice. COYI
Moyes press conference after the game was shameful. No balls. What’s this shyte about refs having a hard enough job? How Fekkin hard is it to give offside when your Lino flags it? Just blow your whistle you complete anus and give the free kick. Moyes should have destroyed him, saying something like my job is hard enough with this shyte defence I’ve got without **** ends like this robbing me blind. Fekkin Artful dodger reffing today. Bet he made off with Carroll’s gold watch and Harts shampoo too.
Moyes should grow a pair and say after that performance, I dare you to try to charge me if you don’t charge this excuse for an official with impersonating a ref! anyone think he would have overruled the Lino if it was City or United? Course not.
Agree with above dn
Yes it was an awful decision by the ref , downright dreadful in fact . But it doesn’t detract from the fact we were lucky not to lose . Bournemouth were hard work and should have scored more . It wasn’t untill Carroll was thrown into mix that we began to cause problems .
If it wasn’t for Adrian we would have lost . Both teams missed sitters . But Adrian saved us a point . Look on the bright side ; we didn’t lose and drop into the bottom three .
Madley was also the referee that found 7 minutes of extra time against Palace….or until they equalised!
He found 5 against Bournmouth…until they scored!
I only hope that some other officials are as charitable later in the season for us!
Still it was Christmas!! Madley….bah humbug.