The weekend has not been good for the VAR referees, as Jack Grealish is called a cheat and Alexander Isaacs is questioned.
Here are the headlines for today’s English football news.
SNACKIS WEEKEND: Scandal Referee plural
Chief referee Howard Webb will hold a crisis meeting with all Premier League referees on Monday following VAR blunders this weekend, according to the Daily Mail.
Yesterday, the newspaper revealed how video referee Lee Mason forgot to draw the lines correctly when reviewing Brentford’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Thus, Ivan Toni’s equalizer was approved despite Christian Norgaard’s suspected offside.
Surprisingly, this wasn’t the only example of bad refereeing on Saturday. Also in Brighton’s away encounter with Crystal Palace, referee John Brooks was at fault in drawing the line, meaning the visiting team had a goal disallowed.
Webb is reportedly on his side and may go so far as to fire or at least suspend the duo.
Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett believes Mason should lose his job altogether.
“One of the first things Howard Webb should do is get rid of VAR Lee Mason permanently,” Hackett wrote on Twitter.
Weekend review: Called Grealish a cheat
When Jack Grealish conceded a penalty in a duel with Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey, not everyone was convinced it was the right decision. Gary Neville and Roy Keane said on Sky that the Manchester City player “knew what he was doing” and therefore heightened the reaction.
Another former player, Chris Sutton, went so far as to call Grealish a cheat.
“Manchester City will be satisfied and happy as long as he (Grealish) wins free kicks and penalties. No player in the Premier League has scored more in the final third this season. But I don’t see it as a sign of creativity. Rather it as a form of cheating.” Sutton wrote in the Daily Mail.
Weekend Frequency: Interrogate Isaac
Former Newcastle midfielder Kieron Dyer is questioning the club’s signing of Alexander Isaacs. The Swede, who was sidelined with a more serious injury during the season, started the match against Bournemouth (1-1) but failed to make any significant impression.
– You mentioned how good Newcastle’s recruitment was, Dier tells Sky.
– But if there is a dubious signature, you can say that it was him (Isaac). Perhaps because he didn’t score his matches, and he also had injuries to look over. But I’m sure Newcastle’s transfer policy is good. As soon as he gets a few matches on his legs, we’ll see the real Isak.
Weekend Farewell: Fired Jones can be replaced by the ultimate Marsch
Nathan Jones is one of the shortest-lived managers at a Premier League club ever. His 94 days at Southampton are enough for sixth in the list still topped by, of course, Les Reed, who was sacked by Charlton after a paltry 40 days.
According to The Independent, the club are now considering bringing in another recently sacked manager, Jesse Marsh who left Leeds less than a week ago.
Most annoying of the weekend: PL’s behavior after the game at Elland Road
The Premier League has announced that it will take strict action after the “tragic singing” at Elland Road in connection with Leeds’ match against Manchester United (0-2).
Coach Erik ten Hag praised the atmosphere, but The Guardian suggested he might have missed the song before halftime. Leeds supporters sang about the 1958 plane crash when eight Manchester United players were among the 23 passengers who died. The visiting crowd responded by singing a similar song about an incident in 2000 in Istanbul in which two Leeds fans were killed.
The clubs later issued a joint statement saying it was “totally unacceptable” behavior from fans.