I never saw MOTD nor did the referee have such assistance if it was so conclusive !

I saw a clip on 'Goals on Sunday' and I saw the ball very close to a white shirt which of course is a Swansea shirt.All about the angle of the referee and what he sees when players are in very close proximity.A referee only gives what he sees and he has NO help from any TV 'Slow-Mos' and makes split-second decisions.

All very well to say it was a bad decision when one has seen it on TV.

With respect I HAVE said on numerous occasions that referees are only human and err from time to time as do managers and players.

I have also said quite a few times that I try to see things from a referee's perspective to try and understand why he/she made a decision and this is what I bring to the debate on HOL.

There are lot of terrific referees after they have viewed TV 'Slow-Mos' from a plethora of angles !!!!

What I am saying is that referees cannot get EVERY decision correct, nor can we expect this of managers and players.

When I have felt that a referee has got a contentious decision 100% right, I have given my honest assessment even though others vehemiently disagree - I don't take an alternative viewpoint just to be provocative or to stimulate a fiesty debate on here.Seemingly there are those on here who believe I adopt a position of 'Agent provocateur' just to raise hackles when nothing could be further from the truth.

At the end of the day I assess decisions from the point of view of the referee/assistant to try and understand why decisions were made or not made.Some seem baffling to the general public but then again the vast majority don't have any experience of refereeing/lining to understand the complexities involved.

With respect, I DO "Narrow it down.." as I have discussed specific incidents and tried to see these individual incidents from the referee's perspective.

Indeed some decisions appear "Inexplicable" but there is always a reason and often a very plausible explanation.

Very fast-moving scenarios, split-second decisions, sight-lines, varying types of incidents in terms of angles and force, player simulation etc etc etc - Is it any wonder that referees err from time to time ?

Edited by Willo (05 Mar 2017 7.55pm)

I have consistently stated that referees err from time to time, how many more times do I have to type this ? It is NOT difficult for me to say this as this is fact and it would be ridiculous of me to say otherwise.

One can disect individual decisions but let's have some balance.I have witnessed some brilliant 'Tight' calls by assistants, some terrific refereeing decisions but are these highlighted ? Are they hell.

I have clapped some excellent decisions either at a ground or in front of the television but these never get a mention at all.

So you expect them to be right 100% of the time ?

And whilst they do make mistakes, I do NOT accept that they are "Serial offenders", constantly making bad decisions throughout a game on a regular basis.

Of course there will be contentious issues but a referee never purposely makes a decision he knows to be wrong and he doesn't have the benefit of technology to assist him/her.Overall our referees do a darned good job in difficult circumstances.Rest assured this is my HONEST view and NOT designed as any sort of provocation on HOL.

Edited by Willo (05 Mar 2017 8.40pm)