Martinez lodges complaints about match officials

Personally I didn't think it was a foul. But if you call foul then you give a penalty ~ you don't get to make up new rules because you're shit scared of dealing with it properly.

Mistakes I can handle but cowardice and favoritism I can't. There's been a bit of everything for us this season. About the biggest impact we've made in games has been getting referees demoted.

Doesn't change some awful of the awful displays, but we'd all feel better with the 2-5 or so extra points some of these calls have cost us. Didn't even bring up the fuckin' disgraceful Stoke dive which I thought was maybe the worst of them all.

Esteban Fuertes (Derby), scored his only goal, a winner, against us. Kicked out for having a dodgy Spanish passport. Any team with any aim of being at the top would have demanded the 3 points awarded to them, or at the very least a replay. We just dropped our kecks as usual.

These things don't even themselves out over the course of a season, as Peter Barry #5 alludes to. Also it is not about the decisions we benefit from Ian Jones #7 – that is for the other teams to bitch about. The fact is we've had a string of these bad decisions go against us, and our "leader" on the pitch is like a Trappist Monk.

None of this detracts, as correctly pointed out by many, that we've been utter shite for most of this season. But it's nice to finally see someone at the club pointing it out. Even Mark Halsey, who I always thought was a decent referee, has called for the ineffective Riley to be replaced by Howard Webb... (hmmm!)

The Mirallas incident was different. He had a perfect view and it was well inside the box and he chose to call it as outside the box to avoid disagreeing with his assistant.

It would also stop players fouling when they thought the ref wasn't looking.

The Stones "handball" should never have been given, he was far too close to get his body out of the way.

Rugby Union has it spot on. Refs explain decisions for all to hear and if they get any backchat the offender gets punished immediately. Not sure why football doesn't follow suit.

If refs had more protection and were afforded more respect then they may perform to a higher standard instead of being shit scared to make tough decisions, especially against the top teams.

Everyone makes mistakes. Refs, players, all of us. We could forgive a referee for making a genuine mistake if the fourth official could be allowed to correct it. But I think the FA have a problem with admitting that their officials make mistakes.

It's no good to us that Papa Cisse got a three-match ban for an elbow in OUR game that leads to a ban from him playing against our rivals.

Take some responsibility for the shit we're in.

If you harm a club that doesn't attract that attention and doesn't make that sort of noise... well that's an easier way out. Our lovable neighbours even got a public apology from a ref – nice clear message that if you make a bad decision that harms them then you're professionally screwed.

The answer for me is to bring in video evidence to HELP referees. FIFA seems to think it will undermine referees but how good would it be to see a ref say "I didn't see that too well, off to the video"? Instead of referees claiming to have seen everything (who could see everything on a pitch?).

Ray #16 "However, the FA have the tools within their grasp to eradicate such mistakes." It's the "tools" we're worried about, Ray! No more, please!

There should be a 4th official watching the video monitor who can be called on when there is a big call to make. The delay would be minimal.

We’ve got to be more proactive in putting pressure on referees, sad but essential, otherwise we’ll continue to be on the sharp end of the diabolical decisions we find ourselves on the end of, season after season.

They say decisions even out over the season, Man City had a soft penalty given to Arsenal so that evens up the soft one they got from us. I also notice that Redshite penalty count is down compared to last season perhaps 20 free shots at goal is a tad high? As ever we hardly get them unless stonewalled directly in front and just about to score.

Until they bring in a third umpire to look at contentious decisions on video, then nothing will change. But this is the only way to bring back some honesty into the game. It's now an openly tactical ploy to get the opposing player booked by playacting.

Modern players would not have a clue if they had to play the likes of a 1972 Leeds Utd team, even Arsenal used to put it about back then. It was a tough hard game played by men, now it's played by a bunch of ponces. Makes me sick watching the shit.

I think Soton is getting some media darling calls.... also if it had been Man Utd or RS who took the shot, the defender would have been red carded, suspended, excommunicated and then deported.

I think we have become everyone's pushover, especially with opposing teams who take a physical approach to win over us. Plus refs who know our players wont be in their face on the pitch or the manager off it if they a) disallow a clear penalty appeal b) allow persistent fouling c) bottle a penalty decision. I am not saying we have not had the rub of the green on a couple of occasions, but we have a lot more in the debit column this season and in previous years.

The clown should have come out and castigated Mirallas for that farce against WBA... but no, he apparently came on Sky and said "Well, Kevin’s been in good form..." – What? One game against West Ham???

The man knocks me ill with his fucking inane comments and I personally can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.