RateTheRef

Congratulations on a highly efficient PL debut from Farai Hallam culminating in a correct VAR review where he showed all the required attributes of a top match official…..confidence…resilience…strength of character. Two experienced referees at this level chose to send him to review his on-field decision of a non penalty and he correctly stuck by his original decision which was refreshing and showed guts as on most occasions the on-field referee changes his opinion when guided by more experienced colleagues. His colleagues at Stockley Park let him down as this was not a subjective decision and had he not been so strong the outcome would have been incorrect. On this showing I feel his career will go from strength to strength and I hope it is not too long before we see him again on the PL fixtures.

I don't mind the opinion on the rest of things, but it's very incorrect to say it's not a subjective decision. It's absolutely a subjective decision.

Quote from: Ref Watcher on Fri 23 Jan 2026 09:55

Quote from: carrowman on Thu 22 Jan 2026 19:28

As Norwich don't win many games 5-0, and I had an hour to spare I thought I would re watch the 2nd half and make a note of all the time lost in the half.
 
The 2nd half lasted 49.05 ( 4 minutes added time signalled )

There were 4 goals and the time between the goal being scored and the restart were
1 min 10 secs
1 min 20 secs  ( this included a substitution )
1 min
1 min 7 secs

There were 3 other substitution periods
36 secs
20 secs
45 secs  ( 2 subs )

There were 6 Norwich goal kicks
Whilst 1-0   19 secs
Whilst 2-0   15 secs & 21 secs
Whilst 4-0   18 secs, 9 secs & 35 secs ( keeper cautioned )

and there was also 30 seconds wasted when there were 2 balls on the pitch.

So, a brief analysis of these incidents that together total 8:45:

Goals: I don’t agree with adding the entire period between a goal being scored and the restart.  The time taken for players to regroup is a natural part of the game and will always account for at least 30 seconds.  I would therefore deduct that from each goal stoppage.  On that basis, the allowance becomes 4:37 minus 2:00, leaving 2:37.

Substitutions: The full time taken should be added on, which comes to 1:41.

Goal kicks: I would only add time where there is clear action taken to delay the restart; otherwise, it is simply part of normal play.  This occurred once, so 0:35 should be added.

Two balls on the pitch: This is an unfortunate side effect of the multi-ball system, which generally saves time overall; swings and roundabouts.  Unless the second ball is introduced deliberately to waste time, I wouldn’t add anything for this.

That gives a total of 2:37 + 1:41 + 0:35 = 4:53. Given the scoreline, signalling four minutes of added time and not extending it much beyond that seems entirely reasonable.

There are some people who would say the score line should never be taken into account as a factor.
I was only taking notes about 3 main areas. I didn't bother with the additional wasted time with throw ins, players injuries, when they don't need a trainer but just a little bit of time to recover and although I don't think it was an issue at this game for once, the usual wrestling at corners which the ref normally has to come in and have a tedious chat about.

Again... these aren't things we're supposed to include in added time.

Goal celebrations (actual time taken minus 30 seconds)
Red cards (but not cautions) (Actual time taken)
Substitutions (actual time taken)
Time wasting (seems reasonable that he only added the time when he cautioned the player)

4 mins correct, 35 seconds excessive, no issue with the caution.

At risk of labouring a very very minor point for which a 2 page thread is utterly ridiculous for a decision a referee was well entitled to give.... and even if we forget the fact that in the context of the game we're talking about rather than another totally different match, it was a fair bit longer, 11 seconds longer than the 24 seconds is clearly actually a fair while ... it's 45% longer. 11 seconds doesn't sound like a long time, but when a goalkeeper spends that long extra over a goal kick, it can feel like a very very long time. (Abit like how 2 minutes waiting for food in the microwave feels a lot longer than 2 minutes when you're late trying to get somewhere!)

At this point JCFC must seek the help of morel learned members. As Bilston celebrated, the Gresley physio came on and treated one of their players, who was not, however, required to leave the field.Was this because no time was wasted, or the referee was otherwise engaged or one exception specified in the laws/protocols?

Hello, long time reader of your match reviews, first time poster.

It can not (or should not) be as stated that it's because no time was wasted. The only exceptions to the requirement to leave the field are for...
Severe injury (never really understood this myself, as serious injury would usually mean the player is being substituted anyway)
A player has collided with the goalkeeper and both need treatment
A player has collided with a team mate and both need treatment
A player is injured as a result of a challenge for which the offender is to receive a disciplinary sanction and treatment is completed quickly
Goalkeeper
A penalty is awarded and the player who needs treatment is the taker.

So assuming neither of those in bold apply, it would appear that perhaps the referee either didn't realise treatment was taking place, or forgot to ensure the player left the pitch,

From what I have read, Kirkby was absolutely right to send Grealish off and I applaud his action in doing so. I haven't seen the hair pulling incident but some have described it as accidental. Was it?

Accidental, no. Instinctive as opposed to calculated, maybe.

Whoever does the FA cup appointments should be named…shamed…then sacked!
There is no duty of care or any common sense in asking a match official to officiate on Saturday as 4th official and then travel presumably by car for between 5/6 hours to prepare to referee the next day. The fact that the second match includes the current Premier League leaders shows anyone with any understanding of football that pre-match preperation is imperative. Add in the fact that this numb-nut can surely look at the current weather situation in the whole country and realise that this “double appointment “ shows a complete lack of understanding with regards to match preperation and to basic geography. Oh…..and then after the match at Portsmouth he has to then negotiate a very long journey home.

I genuinely have no idea who does the appointments, and I'm not suggesting Mr Harrington's weekend plans are ideal, nor do I even know personally anyone who works for The FA, but to ask for whoever does the appointments to be named, shamed and sacked is akin to a football player / manager coming out with the classic 'he should never referee again'. A rather ridiculous overreaction.

Rob Jones lives on the Wirral, but definitely not a Tranmere fan.

Is there a reason why PGMOL just don't provide information about the allegiances at the start of each season?

Because any time a decision in a totally unrelated game went against a team their fans would be doing mental gymnastics to link it back to them being a fan of a seemingly unrelated club, probably.

I've just watched this back and the impactful pull back was outside the area. Red card and free kick absolutely spot on.
I'm not actually sure if any contact at all continues in to the area or if the player just falls in to the area, but I would imagine the foul was given for the 2 handed pull back on the shoulders and then a lack of advantage followed, hence the free kick and red card.