I'm really p****ed off with referees this season, that bald Norwegian t**t cost us our greatest ever victory, no 2 ways about it, so thats the champions league gone, thanks ref.

Then roll back the clock to Feb when Riley red carded Lampard at the bindippers with the scores at 0-0, a match we go on to lose playing with 10 men for over half an hour, thats the league gone, cheers ref.

Can you remember a season where the referees have had as much influence on our season, because I cannot.

Refereeing decisions had a small part to play in our title chase last season! Not so much against us as in favor of our rivals. Remember how many penalty/crucial decisions went United's way at crucial moments? I particularly remember their penultimate game against Wigan where they almost f***ed it up but for the assistance of Steve Bennett.

this season it seems to have been very difficult for us to get penaltys, while our rivals have had several dubious ones. wether that ultimately would have made a difference to the league positions i dont know, but im sure we would have been closer if we got the pens we deserved.

this season it seems to have been very difficult for us to get penaltys, while our rivals have had several dubious ones. wether that ultimately would have made a difference to the league positions i dont know, but im sure we would have been closer if we got the pens we deserved.

I truly believe that if we get rid of Drogba (and I am not saying that we should) this will change. There is no doubt that he is a marked man where diving/conning is concerned, and the refs are looking out for him/us.

Platini has virtually issued an order !!

How many penalties have we been awarded this season? Am I right in thinking it's just the one?

What about van Persie offside at home to Arsenal if not for that goal arse were never going score then get kick in the teeth 2nd minutes later.

What about van Persie offside at home to Arsenal if not for that goal arse were never going score then get kick in the teeth 2nd minutes later.

And too, in the 4-1 game last week, I know it doesn't matter now, but Van Persie was offside at least 3 times of what I saw and had a shot on goal all 3 times, and wasn't flagged for any of those 3. And he was clearly offside too. Not as clear as at the Bridge, but clear nonetheless.

How many penalties have we been awarded this season? Am I right in thinking it's just the one?

i think weve had 2, nd at least 5 very awardable ones i can think of turned down in the prem.

I truly believe that if we get rid of Drogba (and I am not saying that we should) this will change. There is no doubt that he is a marked man where diving/conning is concerned, and the refs are looking out for him/us.

Platini has virtually issued an order !!

Coombsie - the Drogba situation is a moveable feast for the Media in this country and for UEFA when they feel inclined to go into ‘teaching a lesson’ mode or, as with his sending off at the Nou Camp, they sense an opportunity to alter the odds after previously priming the official. I agree he is a marked man, but so would be the next should he also put himself about a bit and you only have to compare the Media reaction over ’divers’ Robben, Ronaldo and Gerrard to see that a player’s club has everything to do with the skewed perception of the so-called cheats in the game.

If further proof were needed regarding punishment for unacceptable behaviour just look at the sentence called for in Drogba’s case and measure it against the persistent dissent and bad language Wayne Rooney dishes out week after week. Another example, on the tackling front this time, is the leniency Paul Scholes gets (he can’t tackle properly, bless him) when compared to Mikel, who at one stage this season could hardly contest a ball without risking a yellow card.

Whilst you may not get many people supporting the argument that Platini has virtually issued an order, I’ll back you at every turn because nobody will convince me that Ovrebo was not influenced by UEFA over the awarding of penalties in our semi-final. We’ve had grassy knoll conspiracy theories scoffed at and the Barca sending off cited as contra evidence, but all it took was a cup-handed word to the unworldly-wise Norwegian and three or four decent penalty claims went begging.

I can hear Liam laughing from here, so maybe he will allow me to take this a stage further by providing an equivalent scenario from a sport that eliminates outside influence better than any other I know. Okay, it’s chess and it’s boring, but just imagine two Grandmasters in a Candidates semi-final with one of them taking a piece legitimately only to find his opponent simply picking it up and placing it back on the board and then, after he appeals to the arbiter, being told to accept the clear breach of rules and play on. I’m guessing that there would be uproar in the arena and, when it happened for a second and third time, complete pandemonium would break out.

Football’s general acceptance of the instant rule change, which in this instance was the consequence of Ovrebo’s inability to either give penalties or even acknowledge the evidence put before a worldwide audience, is mind boggling in its self-indulgence. The fact that it is often supported by a Media that is content to accept the outcome, because it also serves their purpose (controversy, spectacle or the ‘perfect‘ final), makes UEFA’s position easier to protect. They simply lie low, until we all calm down and until the next time when, dependent upon situation and requirement, they use the same insidious approach to get what they want. There is no answer to this unwanted interference, whatever the level, because the authorities are not being held accountable and never will be. Sad to say, technology will continue to be ignored because it will reveal too many imperfections for the liking of those who like a final say or a say in a final.

Thanks Dorset, technology has to be used, UEFA cant go forward without it, 4th officials need to be involved with the decision making, if they see a blatant dive or foul then why shouldnt they tell the referee? they have the monitors to see slow-mo's. I thought I heard they are starting to use 5th and 6th officials for goal line decsions at grass root levels next season, cant remember what league.

If and when it happens will we as Chelsea fan's accept that we just haven't deserved to win??? I know we were cheated in the semi against Barca, and it still f*kin hurts but on this site there seems to be a real propensity to look for officials to blame. If we look at the league titles we've won recently there are a number of fans up and down the country that will tell us we got decisions we didn't deserve, and they'd be right. My point is - if I have one at all - that we'll never be manu or the scouse scum, we will never be the pride of the nation (in the media or the FA/PL/UEFA's eyes) but we do get a lot of big decisions. Penalty calls will never be fair because of the club making them or the passion of the fan's supporting the claims, etc, etc,etc. but I don't think we're as hard done by as some of you like to make out. This year we haven't deserved to be in the running for the league - yet somehow we've got closer than we should have, lets respect the players for a great effort not bemoan the the few high profile decisions that have gone against us.

When Steve Bruce complains that Wigan get cheated because they're not a "big club" we all think he's sulking, what are we doing now?

Anyway rant over, we've had some shocking decisions, we've actually had some shcoking ones go in our favour - that's the beautiful game people and if technology is ever in place we can blame the 4th/5th/6th official for hating us!!!

Apart from anything else, the Champions league semi-final second leg is a little too recent to be lumped with the "oh well what the hell" or "these things even themselves out over time" categories. However, I do agree that we can't put any blame on referees for out league position. No, failure to finish any higher rests fairly and squarely with Scolari and those responsible for appointing him in the first place. Let it go? No way. If Scolari hadn't made such a complete mess of running the team, in just about every way imaginable, I for one, am convinced we would have won the league this season.

The league was there for the taking this season, no-one has really deserved it. I do though think that our whinging means when things like the CL happen, which was totally unfair and beyond any sort of reasonable doubt people just think that it's Chelsea fans whinging again rather than worrying about the facts.

Edited May 14, 200915 yr by Barn

i'm a firm believer that we shouldnt go down the video technology route

i love football the way it is,

without seeming if i'm sticking up for refs but they only get to see it once and make a decision on what they have seen, and they occasionally get it wrong

if we go down the video technology route and any bad calls which the refs make are overturned within a few seconds, it will take away all the talking points from the game

ok we have been done a few times by bad refereeing decisions this season, we have been on the good end of a few bad decisions to

getting done by a dodgy decision by a ref really makes you angry, but its fun when it happens to other teams

in my opinion we take the i can make a bad decision away from the ref at the peril of the game as we know it

Considering what happened last week, you cannot blame us passionate supporters of whinging, the quality of refereeing has been very poor, for and against us.

Sure Scolari was to blame for our league position, and also the players, but that doesnt have anything to do with the quality of the refereeing this season. Its a totally different subject.

Where the refs are concerned i have just the word for them PONY!!!!

They are going to be tougher on us next season after all thats happened pri**s.

The league was there for the taking this season, no-one has really deserved it. I do though think that our whinging means when things like the CL happen, which was totally unfair and beyond any sort of reasonable doubt people just think that it's Chelsea fans whinging again rather than worrying about the facts.

opposition fans would say that anyway, they know as well as we do the ref was bent.

As Dorset said the minute we forget the bent ref then eufa will do something similair because theyre not held accountable and because our national press refuse to stick up for our club

I can't help but put the CL ref aside from the rest of the season because there was clearly something seriously wrong in that game I can't believe if it had been any other club at home they would have gone through to the final. We were cheated no doubt.

The rest of the season, I think the ref's have been poor this season throughout the league and I think we've responded well to the respect the ref campaign but I don't think we've had more decisions against us than anyone else has and I don't think the referees are to blame for us not winning the league - if we'd been a bit more focussed this season we might well have won it.

Barn, I agree with your comments entirely and don't think we have been harshly treated by refs in the league across this season. However would you agree that one particular team seem to get plenty of favourable decisions in the league year after year ..... this is not an excuse for our league position because if we performed to the best of our ability we would have won this season, merely an observation.

i don't think it's a case of decisions going against us but more that the standard of refereeing* is total and utter w**k. they should spend the summer training new refs or promoting some from the lower leagues and bin every premiership ref with the possible exception of martin atkinson

howard webb - w*nk

mark halsey - w*nk

chris foy - w*nk

steve bennet - w*nk

mike riley - w*nk

peter walton - w*nk

mike dean - w*nk

phil dowd - w*nk

rob styles - w*nk

alan wiley - w*nk

What about the home game against West Ham. Neill made a blatant trip on Lamps in their penalty area late on in the second half. Nothing given (cant remember who the ref was). Neill admitted after the game there was contact.

Old Mother Riley is the worst of a bad bunch. I also recall the home game against ManUtd - Ferdinand fouls Drogs in the dying seconds deep in their half and Riley blows for full time straight after.

Old Mother Riley is the worst of a bad bunch. I also recall the home game against ManUtd - Ferdinand fouls Drogs in the dying seconds deep in their half and Riley blows for full time straight after.

I remember that. We were setting up for the free kick.

I remember that. We were setting up for the free kick.

and the ref would have had to send ferdinand off i think. bottled it completely.

I liked Clattenberg, but I have not seen him this season.

Has he been dropped back to the Championship?

I liked Clattenberg, but I have not seen him this season.

Has he been dropped back to the Championship?

he was dropped because of some underhand dealing or something. though i heard it was a bit worse than that and its been covered up.