Untold Ref Review: Stoke City 1 – 1 Arsenal « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News. Supporting the Lord Wenger; coach of the decade
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This article is part of a series stretching over several seasons in which a team of referees analyse the work of refs in Premier League matches.
Our figures show that when we analyse the errors made by refs there are consistent trends which do not “even out” through the season, as some commentators would have it. All the earlier ref reviews plus analyses of the errors made by refs, and articles relating to our campaign to have the body which organises referees activities reformed, plus an analysis of the background to this campaign, can be found on:
Although this is a site built for Arsenal supporters we welcome comments from fans of other teams, although we tend not to publish comments which are simply abusive or which are completely off topic.
Today’s referee is Chris Foy
| MATCH REVIEW DETAILS – Chris Foy (2012-04-28) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | ||||||
| Min | Type | Foul from | On | C/NC | Comment | Weight |
| 3 | OTHER | Whitehead | Song | C | Frontal tackle | 1 |
| 3 | YELLOW | Whitehead | C | After seeing the incident a few times I came to the conclusion that it was a frontal tackle, studs showing but the knee was a little bit bent and his foot was over the floor. So I will agree with the yellow card from the ref | 2 | |
| 4 | OTHER | Song | Pennant | NC | Pennant misread the ball and then went down when Song ran away with the ball | 1 |
| 5 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | correct | 1 | |
| 5 | OTHER | Gibbs | Pennant | NC | push not given | 1 |
| 6 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | assumed correct | 1 | |
| 7 | OTHER | Whelan? | Gervinho | NC | push not given | 1 |
| 10 | GOAL | Stoke | C | correct | 3 | |
| 14 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | correct | 1 | |
| 15 | GOAL | Arsenal | C | correct | 3 | |
| 20 | OFFSIDE | Arsenal | NC | Not given | 1 | |
| 20 | OTHER | Walker | Song | C | Holding | 1 |
| 21 | OTHER | Shawcross | RVP | NC | Jumped in the back, not given | 1 |
| 26 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | correct | 1 | |
| 29 | OTHER | Song | Crouch | C | little nudge | 1 |
| 35 | OFFSIDE | Arsenal | C | assumed correct | 1 | |
| 38 | OTHER | Benayoun | Crouch | C | well this will be one of the first times I have seen a player punished for someone jumping in his back | 1 |
| 39 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | assumed correct | 1 | |
| 41 | OTHER | Whelan? | Rosicky | NC | push not given | 1 |
| 41 | OTHER | Vermaelen | Crouch | NC | from the not given foul results in a free kick to Stoke for the faintest of touches in the back | 1 |
| 43 | OTHER | RVP | Shotton | C | assumed correct | 1 |
| 44 | OTHER | NC | Corner given to Stoke, came of Stoke player | 1 | ||
| 44 | OTHER | Pennant | Szczesny | NC | Pennant places himself in front of the keeper and interferes with the keeper when he tries to come for the ball, is a foul ref | 1 |
| 44 | OTHER | Ramsey | Etherington | C | a little bit of pulling going on between the two | 1 |
| 46 | OFFSIDE | Arsenal | C | correct | 1 | |
| Period 2 | ||||||
| Min | Type | Foul from | On | C/NC | Comment | Weight |
| 58 | OFFSIDE | Stoke | C | assumed correct | 1 | |
| 60 | OTHER | Stoke | Rosicky | NC | trip not given | 1 |
| 62 | OTHER | Benayoun | Pennant | C | trip | 1 |
| 62 | YELLOW | Benayoun | C | Deliberate trip, players was gone | 2 | |
| 67 | OTHER | Song | Etherington | C | Trip | 1 |
| 67 | YELLOW | Song | NC | a bit harsh, first foul, no real danger, | 2 | |
| 71 | OTHER | Whelan | Vermaelen | C | trip | 1 |
| 72 | PENALTY | Shawcross | C | appeal for handball but was outside the penalty area, but should have been a free kick as his hands were outside his body | 3 | |
| 75 | PENALTY | Whelan | Benayoun | C | I can understand a supporter calling for a penalty but as a ref reviewer I cannot find conclusive evidence that there was a deliberate foul on Benayoun. So have to agree with the ref | 3 |
| 76 | OTHER | Sagna | Pennant | C | push | 1 |
| 80 | OTHER | Wilson | Rosicky | C | Trip | 1 |
| 81 | OTHER | Diaby | Jerome | C | High foot | 1 |
| 83 | OTHER | Huth | Benayoun | C | trip | 1 |
| 86 | OTHER | Shawcross | Santos | C | push | 1 |
| 88 | OTHER | Jerome | Song | C | push | 1 |
| 89 | OTHER | Upson | RVP | C | trip | 1 |
| 91 | OTHER | Crouch | Szczesny | NC | Crouch is holding his arm on the shoulder of the keeper so he cannot go for the ball | 1 |
| 92 | OTHER | Stoke? | Santos | NC | push not given | 1 |
| 92 | OTHER | Whitehead | Song | NC | Dangerous tackle | 1 |
| 92 | YELLOW | Whitehead | NC | Dangerous frontal tackle, should be a yellow card | 2 | |
| 92 | RED | Whitehead | NC | should have been off for 2 yellow cards | 3 | |
| 93 | OTHER | Koscielny | Whitehead | NC | went down as if he was shot in the back and then took the ball in his hands, ref falls for it | 1 |
The last thing in football you want is a ref that lets things go at Stoke. So when ref Foy gave a yellow card for Whitehead in the first minutes for a tackle on Song it gave a signal to Stoke that he would not allow that. I know some have called for a red card but after reviewing the incident I can see a few points why the ref did not give a red card. Whitehead stayed on the ground with this foot and his leg was not fully stretched so the impact was somehow reduced.
But he let a lot of things go after that. Pushing and shoving, at times inventing fouls like when Crouch jumped in to the back of Benayoun and the ref gave a foul against Benayoun who clearly could not understand it. Well I couldn’t understand it either.
In the second half the players played a rather fair game. The first real foul was punished with a yellow card against Benayoun and I have no complaints. The yellow card against Song was very soft.
Certainly when you compare this with the late tackle in the extra time on Song from Whitehead. Again a late tackle and the ref gave advantage which can be given not that there was much on. But then when the ball was out of play he should have booked Whitehead and give him a yellow card and that would have been his second.
Let us move on to the penalties. And I like to remind you of the fact that we ref reviewers only over rule the ref when we are 100% certain of him making a mistake and we have video evidence of this. About the Benayoun incident. I also had the impression a penalty could have been given. Can you imagine this situation with Young in the place of Benayoun on Old Trafford? I think the ball would have been on the spot before the player touching the ground. Now as I didn’t find an angle in which I could say for 100% that there was a deliberate foul I have to agree with the ref.
The shout for penalty for handball from Shawcross was a bit easier as Shawcross was just outside the penalty area so it could not be a penalty.
| COMPETENCY SUMMARY – Chris Foy (2012-04-28) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | Called | Total | Correct % |
| GOAL | 2 | 2 | 100.00 |
| OFFSIDE | 7 | 8 | 87.50 |
| OTHER | 6 | 14 | 42.86 |
| YELLOW | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| TOTAL | 16 | 25 | 64.00 |
| WEIGHTED | 21 | 30 | 70.00 |
| Period 2 | Called | Total | Correct % |
| OFFSIDE | 1 | 1 | 100.00 |
| OTHER | 10 | 15 | 66.67 |
| PENALTY | 2 | 2 | 100.00 |
| RED | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| YELLOW | 1 | 3 | 33.33 |
| TOTAL | 14 | 22 | 63.64 |
| WEIGHTED | 19 | 31 | 61.29 |
| Totals | Called | Total | Correct % |
| GOAL | 2 | 2 | 100.00 |
| OFFSIDE | 8 | 9 | 88.89 |
| OTHER | 16 | 29 | 55.17 |
| PENALTY | 2 | 2 | 100.00 |
| RED | 0 | 1 | 0.00 |
| YELLOW | 2 | 4 | 50.00 |
| TOTAL | 30 | 47 | 63.83 |
| WEIGHTED | 40 | 61 | 65.57 |
Despite all this points given to the ref, he still managed to get a low score.
Foy is not a ref who is out there to kill us with some big decisions going against us in general. But he is very soft in some parts of keeping a game within the rules.
| BIAS SUMMARY – Chris Foy (2012-04-28) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | Stoke City | % | Arsenal | % | Total |
| Correct For | 6 | 40.00 | 9 | 60.00 | 15 |
| Correct For Weighted | 8 | 40.00 | 12 | 60.00 | 20 |
| Incorrect Against | 2 | 20.00 | 8 | 80.00 | 10 |
| Incorrect Against Weighted | 2 | 20.00 | 8 | 80.00 | 10 |
| Fouls Commited | 12 | 63.16 | 7 | 36.84 | 19 |
| Fouls Penalised | 8 | 66.67 | 5 | 71.43 | 13 |
| Period 2 | Stoke City | % | Arsenal | % | Total |
| Correct For | 7 | 50.00 | 7 | 50.00 | 14 |
| Correct For Weighted | 12 | 63.16 | 7 | 36.84 | 19 |
| Incorrect Against | 0 | 0.00 | 8 | 100.00 | 8 |
| Incorrect Against Weighted | 0 | 0.00 | 12 | 100.00 | 12 |
| Fouls Commited | 12 | 75.00 | 4 | 25.00 | 16 |
| Fouls Penalised | 7 | 58.33 | 4 | 100.00 | 11 |
| Totals | Stoke City | % | Arsenal | % | Total |
| Correct For | 13 | 44.83 | 16 | 55.17 | 29 |
| Correct For Weighted | 20 | 51.28 | 19 | 48.72 | 39 |
| Incorrect Against | 2 | 11.11 | 16 | 88.89 | 18 |
| Incorrect Against Weighted | 2 | 9.09 | 20 | 90.91 | 22 |
| Fouls Commited | 24 | 68.57 | 11 | 31.43 | 35 |
| Fouls Penalised | 15 | 62.50 | 9 | 81.82 | 24 |
And if you look at the wrong calls it is again very much against Arsenal. But most of all for the little fouls somewhere in the middle of the field.