Lampard incredulous at VAR decision against City

You never know, it might make them think twice before dismissing us in the future. As the song says, “No More Mr Nice Guy".

I thought it was a great game. The team gave their all. That's all we ask.

As Frank Lampard diplomatically said, it is incompetence at best.

To the rest of us, we can call it for what it is – an outright corrupt decision.

It's not just VAR, in football, I think loads of sports are bent, unfortunately.

The shithouse, spineless, clueless, approach of the Premier League officials at the game, and the default disconnect to Stockley Park, is not acceptable.

Scrap, ASAP, the Stockley Park facade. The referee, using Rugby Union rules, must interrogate and translate real time facts, henceforth at Goodison Park, or whichever ground, but fairly. Default, the referee must look and use the pitch side screen.

nb: Using the driving test analogy, the Premier League would have no qualified officials.

Real-time descision-making it doesn't deliver. It's a fekkn joke. Two weeks and back-to-back blatant penalties, clear cut denied.

Shithouse officials, in an increasingly poorly managed referees and officials pool for the Premier League.

How the fuck can people follow with confidence the greatest game, is beyond me.

Kudos to Ashley Cole, after the game, 100%, guts, and is what's needed.

Everton FC got done today, unjust fully, By a shithouse referee, and officials, and a standing out-of-sync bullshit merchant at Stockley Park, taking 3-4 bags of sand, for doing sweet fuck-all.

But the spirit of the club, and team today was superb.

Everton will, by the will of God, stay up.

Justice, on all fronts, will prevail.

“Whats Our Name?”

This was a disgrace and the club should make an official complaint, disgusting.

Could all be bollox of course, but if any of that is true he should never be allowed near a City match. And how else do you explain this ‘crazy' decision other than a whiff of corruption?

And when you remember that Mike Dean, who has two sons who are regulars at Anfield, was allowed to ref a Merseyside Derby, you realise that almost anything is possible in this current integrity-suspect sport.

Incompetency, it seems, is what the Premier League governance, know.

The Premier League is hitting a governance all-time low, and that is some bad scorecard as they started at crap, and have got worse.

C'est la Vie.
“What's Our Name?”

That was down to us. A blood and guts display for 90 mins that kept them away. Plus the Goodison crowd once again.

The officials beat us today. Nothing else to say.

Hence, as Frank said, it is incompetence (or corruption).

Effectively we were cheated out of the opportunity to win a valuable point.

It's so disappointing as the lads deserved a result and the confidence booster a draw would have given us.

Being an Evertonian is such hard work. Either the team let you down or the officials. Today, the team were excellent. But that decision stank!

Imagine that same thing, at City, and it hits Michael Keane in the same spot? Aside from the fact he'd probably somehow conspire to score an own goal or something daft.

Must be odd for Frank and Ashley to see how the other half live. But maybe their status will help us. I guarantee, if Moyes was still boss, the media would not have sided with us.

But that apart, it's obvious Frank has a game plan and a method and, even with this bunch of half-wit players, you can see a huge improvement. If we can get through to May unscathed, the future looks bright.

I thought the same thing on Doucouré. He's got a great engine.

First of all, the shithouse of a ref refused to go and look at the monitor because he knew if he had done then he simply had to award a penalty, something that he really didn't want to do.

(Mark Halsey openly admitted after retiring from refereeing that they are told to favour the top clubs so that they stay in the highest places, so yes it's corruption.)

Secondly, it's nice to finally have a manager that doesn't stand there and mince his words; Lampard speaks from the heart and that's why us as fans are gonna love this fella.

City deserved max a point. The silver lining is that our fate is intwined with the other lot and they lose the title by the 2 points City robbed off us.

VAR and those responsible should have to explain their decisions after each match. As part of an after-match review, they should be held to account for their decision-making process with the use of video, so we all get to understand how, and why they managed to reach the wrong decision!

This is happening too many times for this just to be bad decision-making. Being able to influence games is unacceptable, players are made to take responsibility for their actions on and off the pitch, this should also include match officials to ensure corruption is not part of the game.

He has a plan and a clear way of playing, and the players look better under him than they did under Rafa. We as fans just also need to keep calm during the squeaky bum time of the rest of the season and not allow more negativity to creep in.

Good news is that Leeds and now Brentford are sliding down too whilst Burnley and Newcastle are starting to pick up points.

And the galling thing is that the error has now been accepted by the Premier League Match Centre.

We have been too nice for the modern era of bias and likely corruption in the game (even Koeman said we were too nice), but if we now show clear and robust resistance to such awful decisions, making a fucking nuisance of ourselves loudly and clearly, there's an increased chance of officials stopping using us as an easy target for their shenanigans, because it'll simply become too much trouble for them.

The hope is that the culture will change, the faster the better, under Lampard and his management team who are less inclined to take shit off the Premier League hierarchy.

No further comment required.

I saw something yesterday that I have never seen before and that was a visiting manager signing autographs for the Evertonians in the Park End before the game.

Regarding the game, well done to every Everton player – you didn't deserve to lose, and it took a very unlucky incident to go behind.

Then of course we come to the penalty, I say 'penalty' because every pundit without fail has said it was a nailed-on penalty. I have to admit I sit towards the Park End in the Upper Bullens and I couldn't see clearly if it was a penalty but, having watched MotD, it was clearly a penalty.

Well done to Ashley Cole for remonstrating with the ref, about time we voiced our opinions, the manager of our neighbours is always haranguing 4th officials and refs and gets no punishment. Yet I am sure both Ashley and Frank will incur fines.

Just to clarify something. I see a couple of our supporters in the USA are claiming that the NBC network covering the game are under the misconception that Richarlison was offside prior to the goal. Lampard asked the ref after the game was Richarlison offside and the ref said No!!!

I thought Allan was magnificent and controlled midfield for large parts of the game, and was ably assisted by Doucoure (playing his first game for Lampard) and Donny van de Beek.

Just a pity we didn't convert the chances we created. Kenny and Richarlison probably had the best chances and maybe Anthony Gordon could have done a bit more with his chance late on in the 2nd half.

I know some are blaming Keane for the goal but I think that is very harsh, the deflection off Holgate left him a bit flat-footed and I don't hold either to blame – just really unlucky.

Although he and his coaches have only been here about 30 days, you can see the change in style: we are now trying to play out from the back and moving the ball quickly through the midfield on to the forwards. Even with just a couple of minutes to go, his message has clearly got through as we continued to play out from the back.

Also, I have never seen Iwobi work as hard; obviously, this is down to the work Lampard and his coaches are doing with him on the training ground. Obviously they didn't think that Gray was ready to start but good to see him back playing.

For the first time since Lampard arrived, he had the players to play 3 in midfield and we looked a whole lot better in playing that way. I know it was massively disappointing to lose to such an unlucky and undeserved goal, but they are the current Premier League Champions and current Premier League leaders. Play with that belief, that intensity for the remaining matches and we will be nowhere near the relegation zone come the end of the season.

It will continue to be talked about whilst it's affecting Liverpool. Lampard did a brilliant job imo yesterday by calling the “cheat” out by his name.

I don't think we can be disappointed with the performance and the midfield were good yesterday against the best footballing team in Europe.

The mentality is changing. It's a bit roller-coaster but it's changing.

I agree, rightly or wrongly, with Lampard and Cole in the frame, darlings of a generation of English football, I feel over time we will get listened to more by officials. It shouldn't be about that but, if we use it to our advantage, then so be it. I feel unclean saying that as I'm a purist.

I'll leave Keane alone, but still think despite the deflection, he can do better. Flat-footed and immobility is a feature of his game.

Anyway, despite the defeat, ignore the table and there's a lot to be positive about moving forward.

See you at Tottenham away or Wolves home?

The blatant handball last week, the overturned penalty against Spurs, the scandalous challenge by Shelvey on Anthony Gordon which didn't need VAR to send Shelvey off, and now yesterday, shows the Premier League really do have it in for us.

No doubt Tierney and Kavanagh will get demoted to the Championship for one week, just like Kevin Friend was when he awarded the ghost penalty to the RS at Palace a few weeks ago, but that is of no benefit for us.

We all know that handball yesterday would have been given down the other end, and you can just imagine it at Anfield, Tierney would have had his finger firmly planted on the penalty spot, never mind pointing at it.

Don't know who the referee is for the League Cup Final today is, but it's going to be a really difficult decision for him to decide who to favour today. He will probably toss a coin with two heads on it and call “Heads Liverpool”.

Unlucky Chelsea, you put up a brave fight!

Doucouré underlined his importance to this side. He's not a brilliant footballer, but he can be disciplined and intelligent and we play better when he's available.

In Frank and his backroom team, I have confidence that they will get the absolute maximum out of this team for the remainder of this wretched season. If a lack of quality, injuries, bad luck, and corrupt officiating contrive to send us down, then that is our fate. Personally, I don' t think it will be.

I don' t think it is being too fanciful to say that Goodison Park was absolutely electric yesterday, and Everton came very close to getting a result against (possibly) the world's best club side.

Onwards and upwards, supporting our team is never easy, but it is occasionally life-affirming, as was in evidence with the support yesterday and the response of the players.

There's no acting about him: he says it how it is and has matured into his own man – he isn't disguising what a perilous dogfight we're in but – unlike most, isn't hiding behind excuses.

Could have thrown Keane under the bus but didn't. Swerved the Klopp clown act of faux outrage at officials and instead proffered an eloquent but cutting criticism all neutrals would nod in agreement with.

Frank has bought into the club big time – you can see his pain at every setback and unbridled joy when we get it right.

I'm terrified of putting the mockers on him but he might be the one, y'know.

Great to see Frank tell it how it is. We need to be nastier on and off the pitch.

I haven't seen the Cole incident, but I heard he approached the ref in the centre circle and had a right pop at him, absolutely love this kind of behaviour. We have no access to the ref, but want to express our strong feelings, so seeing Ashley do it on our behalf means we can enjoy it vicariously.

Also, I heard he was yellow-carded. Ridiculous and pathetic. Why would you yellow card a coach at the end of the game? It's purely that tool trying to exert authority, arrogant. Even if he was red-carded, he watches the game in a box, one metre away from the dugout... pointless.

The 'incompetent at best' is Frank insinuating they might be bent. Let's face it, it should have been a penalty. So, naturally we hypothesise 'why' was it not given? I have generated the following possibilities:

- The ref is thick or totally incompetent
- The ref is weak and doesn't want to override his colleague
- There's a power dynamic at play and he's thinking, 'fuck the whinging Everton players'
- The ref has a beef with Everton
- The ref has City connections
- The ref is bent

Take your pick!

We have some reasons to hope: Brentford and Leeds are in free fall, we have games in hand, Lampard has us playing much better football than anyone since early-days Martinez, we still have games to come against several of the other teams around us, and I think we're looking stronger than them.

I think Lampard is exactly the right type of manager to use the anger about last night to our advantage, and fire the team up even more. COYB! Spurs, watch out!

'I did not disrespect referee,' says Everton's Carlo Ancelotti over red card

Only corruption explains that decision, yesterday.

It was a clear and blatant trip by him on Calvert-Lewin, and probably worthy of a red card. Heaven forbid though, that a penalty and a red card are given against Liverpool at Anfield.

Play like that with that midfield and we'll be okay... I hope.

As you say, he didn't mess about talking about the officiating, but in addition to showing strength he was very diplomatic, getting the message across clearly without giving the Premier League scrotum bags any bullets to fire at him.

It's also very noticeable now that our players too are getting more into challenging officials rather than our old "Let's be ever so nice" approach towards being fucked over by officials.

The only change in officiating standards that I've seen since referees became 'professional' under the aegis of Professional Game Match Officials Ltd is that bias and corruption is now professionally organised rather than being at the amateurish behest of individuals.

VAR simply acts as a safety valve to be introduced where the ref gets it wrong by not helping to deliver the desired result. I would be interested to see what spot betting patterns took place around the 0-1 result yesterday, like happened with the 'no-balls' betting scandal at test matches.

Anyway, we played well and gave it a go. Four weeks ago we'd have been 0-4 down at half-time and our goal difference wasn't too badly damaged.

ps: I wish to declare that I am in no way related to Chris Kavanagh and the only things we have in common is selective bad eyesight and trouser pockets big enough to accommodate thick brown envelopes.

IMO Everton should make representation to both the Premier League and the Referees Association and advise them that, should Everton be relegated this season, we will take legal action against both. Our case could be gross negligence. There is more than sufficient video evidence backed up by expert opinion and, I think, the Premier League have today agreed that the ref and VAR got it wrong.

Yes, I know that case is unlikely to succeed but it would put the wind up both and may just “help” the right decision being made in our remaining games this season.

The whole thing really stinks, no-one seems to know what they are doing and don't care whether or not the officials have performed well and, more importantly, fairly. So, as I say, force their hand and give them something to worry about. They clearly have no balls so it may just help us.

It had been reported that the play was adjudged offside via Richie's run prior to the handball here in the USA. Frank was told that was not the reason for the VAR decision, as Ernie Baywood and others argued in the match reaction thread.

If that's the case, we were absolutely robbed of a chance for a deserved point.

Frank Lampard is brilliant. His responses to the questions posed in the post-game presser were fantastic. He's a wonderful leader of this club, and it sounds silly but I'm really proud of the way he represents Everton.

I'm optimistic for the future under this man.

There was an offside, but it wasn't Richarlison who was offside.

As play continued after the handball and Tierney was waiting for the VAR decision, Kenny was in an offside position near the touchline and corner flag. That's why Tierney eventually signalled for offside, when everyone thinks he was saying Richarlison was.

However, after a quick view on the pitch-side monitor, he was able to see that Lloris got a ‘fingertip' to the ball before wiping out Richarlison. So, despite being able to see a fingertip hit a ball he is unable to see the ball be controlled by an arm.

As others have said above, it comes as no surprise that Kavanagh was the man on VAR at Newcastle when Shelvey ‘got away with one' for his clear red card assault Gordon.

All this goes to prove is that the Premier League and Referees don't care if they are seen as incompetent or even bent because the consequences for either are exactly fuck-all.

With so much at stake, the FA has to start to act retrospectively. That point could cost Everton over £100 Million if we were to be relegated.

I don't think that will happen, with Norwich struggling, Leeds in free fall, and us having games in hand with Brentford, and Burnley and Newcastle, but they are on decent runs.

Brentford are on a great run – for us! They're as bad as Leeds. Unfortunately, Leicester are the only other club with a worse run of form than ourselves over the last 5 matches – unfortunate as they're the next opponents for Burnley tomorrow night. :-(

If, as the Premier League said, it wasn't 100% that it was handball, then they surely are also 100% it wasn't so their argument is flawed. In Rugby League there is another alternative "benefit of the doubt" they cannot see 100% and the score is given.

You do not even get replays on the big screen at football, they can just stop on a certain frame draw lines and say offside.

Rugby league it shows a wide angle of when the player kicks the ball and freezes the screen as soon as it's left the players boot, to check for offside, then rolls it on to the incident, slowing it right down to a freeze frame, often asking if any different camera angles can be played, again if the ref gave a try, they go with the refs decision if there is a benifit of the doubt.

I know a lot are not interested in rugby league but if you get the chance, watch just 20 mins of one of the live games on sky, guaretee you will get a big screen review, and watch how well it works at Rugby and scratch your heads why football can get it so wrong, and rugby get it so right, even down to hearing the ref talking and hearing what he wants checking.

Watching the game yesterday Andy Madley was laughing and joking with Klopp in the leadup to the game and throughout the 90 minutes and even called his colleague over to explain a decision to Klopp.

Why can't or won't the people who run the game cut this out?

Another question: Why can't a club sue the Referees Association over an issue like this?