Worst ref performances involving Saints

[warsash saint]

Obviously Anthony Taylor is a clear winner but what are the other abysmal ref performances that stand out

1. Anthony Taylor - no words!!

2. Peter Walton - Leeds at home 2010 

3. Gerald Ashby - Norwich away Fa Cup in the 90's 

4. Roger Milford - League Cup quarter final in the 90's

 

[saintant]

How can you possibly leave Mike Dean out!

[redkeith]

Mike Dean in the 3 2 home defeat against Chelsea . Only gave Alonso a yellow for a late knee high challenge on Long. Alonso got 2 assists that game. 

Dean also awarded a red card and penalty against Bednarek at Man utd , when it should have been a yellow for Martial for diving. He even overruled the Var team. Turned a 5 nil into a 9 0. 

[coalman]

Mike Dean hands down. I have never been that angry about a refereeing performance before. We had a goal wrongly disallowed but the cake taking piece was when he awarded a penalty AND sent off a player when the supposedly fouled player told him there had been no contact. That's when you cross the line between ineptitude and going out of your way to punish a team.

[CheshireSaint]

Mike Dean was terrible when officiating us, and is a clear winner. Kevin Friend was indeed a 'special' friend to Brendan Rogers mind and he is a close second for me. 

[Kenilworthy]

1-0 defeat at home to Villa in Jan 2021 - Lee Mason on the pitch, Mike Dean on VAR. At least 5 scandalous decisions.

[benali-shorts]

Jon Moss against (I think) West Brom. Or was it Villa? Both probably.  He really was a fat useless cunt. 

[John Boy Saint]

On the flip side for us,  Peter Walton v Brighton when Jose Fonte was taken out somewhere near The Bargate and he pointed to the spot! Most of us in the Chapel instead of cheering, just looked at each other in total amazement and Brighton players went into meltdown resulting in one of them getting a red. 
bizarre. 

[Kenilworthy]

Matt Messias - home against Manchester City in October 2022. Pahars was brutalized but ended up getting sent off. Amazingly we won 2-0.

[Kenilworthy]

1 minute ago, John Boy Saint said:

On the flip side for us,  Peter Walton v Brighton when Jose Fonte was taken out somewhere near The Bargate and he pointed to the spot! Most of us in the Chapel instead of cheering, just looked at each other in total amazement and Brighton players went into meltdown resulting in one of them getting a red. 
bizarre. 

I kind of thought in that game that the penalties given that weren't were compensation for the blatant penalties he didn't give

[Kenilworthy]

Lee Mason again. When we won 2-1 at Stoke in 2016. He sent off Mane for an elbow he imagined - it was overturned after the game

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

12 minutes ago, John Boy Saint said:

On the flip side for us,  Peter Walton v Brighton when Jose Fonte was taken out somewhere near The Bargate and he pointed to the spot! Most of us in the Chapel instead of cheering, just looked at each other in total amazement and Brighton players went into meltdown resulting in one of them getting a red. 
bizarre. 

It was fucking funny though.

[rallyboy]

I was fortunate enough to be one of the 2,000 fans at the post-Covid Man City home game.

It was a joy to shout 'advice' at Mike Dean knowing that he could hear every word - we even made eye contact at one point, he knew that he'd been found out.

He wasn't particularly bad by his standards that day, it was just the usual yellow card for Saints, nothing for City for the exact same offence routine.

But Taylor at the weekend....wow, worse than Kevin Friend protecting Liverpool - I can cope with losing but when you feel robbed, that's a different matter, so many 'unusual' decisions that will never make sense, his whole performance stank of something unsavoury.

I'd like to see the full game played to a panel of experts and explained, it could be used as a training film.

[SotonianWill]

I haven’t a very good memory for most refereeing in games. But one which stands out was Kevin Friend against Liverpool at home 2015. 

[Daft Kerplunk]

Roger Milford. Terrible that night against Oldham. 

[beatlesaint]

Peter Walton at home to Leeds in 2010 (didnt realise it was quite that long ago) still ranks as my all time worst ref performance I have ever seen. I have never seen anything more biased, more incompetent, more corrupt, ever !!

[Mattio]

I remember a ref called Trevor Kettle (T. Kettle!) being terrible for a game at SMS about 10 years ago. I can't remember who or why but the name made it stick with me

[Gloucester Saint]

2 hours ago, warsash saint said:

Obviously Anthony Taylor is a clear winner but what are the other abysmal ref performances that stand out

1. Anthony Taylor - no words!!

2. Peter Walton - Leeds at home 2010 

3. Gerald Ashby - Norwich away Fa Cup in the 90's 

4. Roger Milford - League Cup quarter final in the 90's

 

As others have posted, Peter Walton v Brighton whilst in our favour was as bad as Leeds home, and you can understand them losing the plot, it was that bad.

For those of us slightly older ones, there were some further howlers long before the days of VAR, when the officials really should have no excuse now (but PGMOL writes them a dog ate my homework letter anyway). 

Steve Dunn, a plump little referee from Bristol disallowing Shipperley’s header (nothing wrong with it from any camera angle on Sky) in a FA Cup QF at Old Trafford. Even Fergie scratched his head when asked why it was ruled out. That Man U outfit didn’t need any extra help. Then he had a shocker in one of the first home games at SMS, sending off Delap and Dublin for joke incidents, when a bit of booing of Kachloul on his return spiced things up and Dunn lost the plot.

David Axcell has to be mentioned for missing Paul Davis’s GBH on Glenn Cockerill at Highbury in 1988. IIRC he made another horrible blooper in the early 90s as well and nobody involved with SFC wanted to see him ever officiate one of our games.

As others have said Mike Dean multiple times where it did get personal and Lee Mason v Villa including Cash’s punching the ball over the bar on the line when it was going in and had beaten their keeper. Unlike Axcell and Dunn, VAR was on offer and they STILL got it wrong. Andy D’Urso’s top flight career ended after booking Barry Ferguson twice and no red card in 2004 plus a very off penalty to us in injury time. Still wasn’t enough to save Paul Sturrock’s job.

Whoever was referee Derby away September 2005, Redknapp and Bassett were sent off in protest and were still visible on camera angrily berating the fourth official in the tunnel area.

Kevin Friend was bad multiple times including Liverpool home but not in the same league as the above pillocks.

Edited October 21 by Gloucester Saint

[Sarnia Cherie]

I have to put Mike Dean above Anthony Taylor. I will never forget his refereeing 'skills' in the 9-0 defeat by Manchester United. Dean could not believe his luck when he was able to show Jankewitz a red card seconds into the game. I feel many refs would have taken a keen young lad playing his first big away game to one side and had a sharp word in his ear and a yellow card. But not Dean. Having a taste for it he went on to show Saints a second red later in the game by falling for Martial's dying duck routine. 

We should have had a penalty and Ayew shown a red card on Saturday because he had a hold on Tall Paul's shirt and clearly denied him a chance to score. When Fraser held on to Vardy in the same way but for a shorter time, out comes the red card and a point to the penalty spot. Just to rub salt in the wound, Ayew, who should not have been on the pitch scores the ruddy winner!!!

[Gloucester Saint]

14 minutes ago, Mattio said:

I remember a ref called Trevor Kettle (T. Kettle!) being terrible for a game at SMS about 10 years ago. I can't remember who or why but the name made it stick with me

Kettle was notoriously bad, wasn’t just us. Whole division hated him as did the EFL when he was relegated there. 

We never had issues with him that I can recall but Barry Knight made some shockers to the extent Big Sam and their CEO banned him from Bolton games as his safety couldn’t be guaranteed. 

Rennie never made an out and out blooper but was so arrogant that WGS said at a fans forum that he was the only referee with an agent. Draw your own conclusions.

[Yorkshire Saint]

Anyone remember Lester Shapter ?

Edited October 21 by Yorkshire Saint

[Lighthouse]

3 minutes ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

Dean could not believe his luck when he was able to show Jankewitz a red card seconds into the game. I feel many refs would have taken a keen young lad playing his first big away game to one side and had a sharp word in his ear and a yellow card. But not Dean.

There are many valid criticisms of Mike Dean but this isn’t one of them. It was an absolutely ridiculous challenge by Jankewitz, young or not, and as blatant a red as you’ll see. 

[Saint86]

2 hours ago, warsash saint said:

Obviously Anthony Taylor is a clear winner but what are the other abysmal ref performances that stand out

1. Anthony Taylor - no words!!

2. Peter Walton - Leeds at home 2010 

3. Gerald Ashby - Norwich away Fa Cup in the 90's 

4. Roger Milford - League Cup quarter final in the 90's

 

Mike Dean / lee Mason - the 9-0s

[beatlesaint]

1 minute ago, Yorkshire Saint said:

Anyone remember Lester Shapter ?

Yes thankyou 😒

[beatlesaint]

5 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

There are many valid criticisms of Mike Dean but this isn’t one of them. It was an absolutely ridiculous challenge by Jankewitz, young or not, and as blatant a red as you’ll see. 

Yeah to be fair to Dean, i mean he is a cock, but he had little choice with that. The fact the kid never played for the club again and was sold pretty soon after tells you all you need to know about him ! It wasnt quite in the Oscar Gobern v Bournemouth class mind you ! 

[Bad Wolf]

Nigel Miller - Derby away Sept or Oct 2006 - We were 1-0 up going into about the 80th minute, they got a ridiculous penalty, Niemi saved it and it was pulled back because he moved or something. It was scored. Then they got a free kick which was never a foul which they indirectly scored from when a player in an offside position when the kick was taken headed in. Thankfully Fuller scored a volley from 30 yards with the keeper off his line in the last minute and we got a point but that was truly the worst referee I've ever seen at a Saints game.

Harry Redknapp went absolutely apesh1t after the game and if he only cared for about his job at Saints for one game, it was that one.

[Bad Wolf]

18 minutes ago, Saint86 said:

Mike Dean / lee Mason - the 9-0s

Only one 9-0. Pretty sure the one against Leicester was Andre Marriner and he actually got every decision spot on. No complaints at all about the officiating in that game.

[Gloucester Saint]

6 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

Nigel Miller - Derby away Sept or Oct 2006 - We were 1-0 up going into about the 80th minute, they got a ridiculous penalty, Niemi saved it and it was pulled back because he moved or something. It was scored. Then they got a free kick which was never a foul which they indirectly scored from when a player in an offside position when the kick was taken headed in. Thankfully Fuller scored a volley from 30 yards with the keeper off his line in the last minute and we got a point but that was truly the worst referee I've ever seen at a Saints game.

Harry Redknapp went absolutely apesh1t after the game and if he only cared for about his job at Saints for one game, it was that one.

Very good memory of the events, it was September 2005 but otherwise perfectly recalled. Brilliant goal by Fuller.

[Bad Wolf]

8 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Very good memory of the events, it was September 2005 but otherwise perfectly recalled. Brilliant goal by Fuller.

Oh yes!! Sorry, 2005 it was because it was just after relegation. School boy error from me.

After the game Adam B (I think he was there at the time) was interviewing Harry Redknapp and like I said he went absolutely mental saying stuff like "You been booked, Adam? Well I'll let him know so I can tell him to book you now! If there's anyone he's missed, I'll tell him so he can book him on the way to the car" and "I just asked the fourth official what the penalty was for and the stupid little man calls the referee over...Sad innit"

For all the controversy surrounding Harry's time with us, no one's telling me he didn't care. Granted he probably actually cared about his own ego and reputation more than the club (fair enough really) but it puts pay to this silly conspiracy theory that he came to us specifically to take us down.

Also, Idiakez actually missed the initial penalty for them (talk about foreshadowing) but scored the retake and it was also him that put the free kick in to the offside player.

Edited October 21 by Bad Wolf

[Kenilworthy]

35 minutes ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

I have to put Mike Dean above Anthony Taylor. I will never forget his refereeing 'skills' in the 9-0 defeat by Manchester United. Dean could not believe his luck when he was able to show Jankewitz a red card seconds into the game. I feel many refs would have taken a keen young lad playing his first big away game to one side and had a sharp word in his ear and a yellow card. But not Dean. Having a taste for it he went on to show Saints a second red later in the game by falling for Martial's dying duck routine. 

We should have had a penalty and Ayew shown a red card on Saturday because he had a hold on Tall Paul's shirt and clearly denied him a chance to score. When Fraser held on to Vardy in the same way but for a shorter time, out comes the red card and a point to the penalty spot. Just to rub salt in the wound, Ayew, who should not have been on the pitch scores the ruddy winner!!!

I don't think it could have been a red for Ayew as it wasn't denial of a goal-scoring opportunity. But it was certainly a penalty and yellow card. Even Dermott on the sky app today says so.

[Gloucester Saint]

Probably easier to recall the decent refs. Paul Durkin with a Dorset combination of Wendy Toms on the line was always solid and fair, widely considered the best official of his era. That mantle went to Howard Webb, only the one Saints blemish for him and Neil Warnock said they didn’t get him at Sheff Utd and it frustrated him as he rated him as the best of the best. Eddie Walthamstow let the game flow, you got a good game with him but would penalise anything cynical, as it should be. Michael Oliver looks good at times but difficult when there’s so much crap at PGMOL and Stockley Park around you. Has time on his side to be a class act.

John Brooks has a mixed record but no complaints from anyone about his performance at Wembley. When a lot of the officials are on it, they can perform a very demanding job well, but there’s a few in this list who were/are terrible everywhere they go/went. Mistakes will always happen but there technology is now there to catch the obvious, if used judiciously. And there’s the rub!

Edited October 21 by Gloucester Saint

[franniesTache]

The two that stand out for me are Kevin Friend who basically cheated in the game against liverpool and (to give him his full name) Roger Fucking Milford.

Also for deciding a game went on wasn't there a ref for a cup game against Reading at a frozen pitch at Elm Park who decided the pitch was safe to play on as long as the players didn't play at 100%, can't remember his name but do remember the shitshow of a game (and the home fans lobbing bits of concrete that had broken off their terrace at us from the other side of the fence)

[Viking Saint]

I remember us playing West Ham in '98 I think and Ken Monkou scored a header from a corner. Absolutely nothing wrong with it and it got disallowed and we lost by a goal.

Pundits were utterly bemused and admitted we were absolutely robbed.

Think it was Uriah Rennie reffing

Edited October 21 by Viking Saint

[beatlesaint]

5 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Probably easier to recall the decent refs. Paul Durkin with a Dorset combination of Wendy Toms on the line was always solid and fair, widely considered the best official of his era. That mantle went to Howard Webb, only the one Saints blemish for him and Neil Warnock said they didn’t get him at Sheff Utd and it frustrated him as he rated him as the best of the best. Eddie Walthamstow let the game flow, you got a good game with him but would penalise anything cynical, as it should be. Michael Oliver looks good at times but difficult when there’s so much crap at PGMOL and Stockley Park around you. Has time on his side to be a class act.

Thats strange you should say that cos as Durkin was our "local" ref and was the one who went into see the players at the start of each season to explain rule changes etc I always thought he over-compensated by being a little bit harsh on Southampton.  

[Sheaf Saint]

No idea who the ref was, but I remember us playing Man U in a cup game our L1 promotion season in 2010/11. No massive howler decisions, but the obvious bias on display was ridiculous. Literally every time a Utd player fell over he gave them a FK, but gave us nothing all game. There was a moment when one of our players was about to break forward and was cynically pulled down by the most obvious professional foul and nailed on yellow card you'll ever see, but he didn't even blow for a foul.

As for the most awful individual decision, that goes to Uriah Rennie for disallowing a perfectly good goal by Ken Monkou against West Ham for an imaginary foul, when what actually happened was he turned Ruddock so brilliantly to get away from him, he ran into one of his own team mates and fell on his arse. 

Edited October 21 by Sheaf Saint

[Lighthouse]

Durkin always seemed fair, my main memory of him is sending off Sol Campbell for a foul on Delgado in a 3-2 win over Arsenal.

[Gloucester Saint]

4 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

The two that stand out for me are Kevin Friend who basically cheated in the game against liverpool and (to give him his full name) Roger Fucking Milford.

Also for deciding a game went on wasn't there a ref for a cup game against Reading at a frozen pitch at Elm Park who decided the pitch was safe to play on as long as the players didn't play at 100%, can't remember his name but do remember the shitshow of a game (and the home fans lobbing bits of concrete that had broken off their terrace at us from the other side of the fence)

Souness was manager, he knew how dangerous it was as for the type of player he’d been. And Elm Park was a shithole and Reading fans are still berks (from Berkshire) although hope their club doesn’t go out of business as it’s been threatening to for a while, and that they get new owners.

[Kenilworthy]

For older fans let's not overlook George Courtney. In a game at Villa in 83 he allowed Allan Evans to take three consecutive swipes at Frank Worthington unpunished. Finally Frank reacted and got a red card. He also gave Jimmy Case a "last defender" red card for a foul on Robson when standing on the halfway line at Old Trafford. His maliciousness against us even extended to the Atari Super Six tournament at the NEC, when again he sent Frank off in the final.

[Gloucester Saint]

2 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

Thats strange you should say that cos as Durkin was our "local" ref and was the one who went into see the players at the start of each season to explain rule changes etc I always thought he over-compensated by being a little bit harsh on Southampton.  

It was prior to the locality rules hence why Webb couldn’t do Sheffield games later on. I thought he was firm but fair, maybe strict on yellow cards but no obvious bloopers I can recall. Toms used to get some stick from the lower East for offside calls but I bet the majority were correct. 

[beatlesaint]

Who was the ref who sent off Danny Wallace at Newcastle in a case of mistaken identity when the real cuprit was Jimmy Case ? 

Edited October 21 by beatlesaint

[beatlesaint]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

It was prior to the locality rules hence why Webb couldn’t do Sheffield games later on. I thought he was firm but fair, maybe strict on yellow cards but no obvious bloopers I can recall. Toms used to get some stick from the lower East for offside calls but I bet the majority were correct. 

She was very good actually.

[Gloucester Saint]

2 minutes ago, Kenilworthy said:

For older fans let's not overlook George Courtney. In a game at Villa in 83 he allowed Allan Evans to take three consecutive swipes at Frank Worthington unpunished. Finally Frank reacted and got a red card. He also gave Jimmy Case a "last defender" red card for a foul on Robson when standing on the halfway line at Old Trafford. His maliciousness against us even extended to the Atari Super Six tournament at the NEC, when again he sent Frank off in the final.

The Worthington one showed he had some previous with Frank, probably from his Bolton days. The Jimmy Case Red at the cup game was a joke. Bryan Robson of 1983 might have raced through from halfway on goal but not the 1990 post-multiple shoulder operation slowed up version. And his shoulder issues weren’t finished as he broken down again v RoI at Italia 90 IIRC.

Yellow card certainly but red, not even today. 

[Gloucester Saint]

3 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

She was very good actually.

And had a full time job at Royal Mail!  

[Whitey Grandad]

57 minutes ago, Sarnia Cherie said:

I have to put Mike Dean above Anthony Taylor. I will never forget his refereeing 'skills' in the 9-0 defeat by Manchester United. Dean could not believe his luck when he was able to show Jankewitz a red card seconds into the game. I feel many refs would have taken a keen young lad playing his first big away game to one side and had a sharp word in his ear and a yellow card. But not Dean. Having a taste for it he went on to show Saints a second red later in the game by falling for Martial's dying duck routine. 

We should have had a penalty and Ayew shown a red card on Saturday because he had a hold on Tall Paul's shirt and clearly denied him a chance to score. When Fraser held on to Vardy in the same way but for a shorter time, out comes the red card and a point to the penalty spot. Just to rub salt in the wound, Ayew, who should not have been on the pitch scores the ruddy winner!!!

Only after VAR stuck their noses in.

Taylor could have looked at the monitor and maintained his original decision though.

[OttawaSaint]

All of the above but I must add Uriah Rennie. 

Disallowed a great Ken Monkou equalizer vs West Ham in the last minute. Replays showed that Ken scored but didn't even have contact with any other player, there we no infractions by any Saints players off the ball. Rennie just didn't want us winning that match.

[OttawaSaint]

12 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

Who was the ref who sent off Danny Wallace at Newcastle in a case of mistaken identity when the real cuprit was Jimmy Case ? 

Could be forgiven, I mean, they do look really similar...

[Sunglasses Ron]

Yup, Mike Dean in the 9-0, no question.

He went out of his way, and beyond, to punish us for no reason whatsoever.

Absolute thunder-c@nt.

[obelisk]

32 minutes ago, franniesTache said:

The two that stand out for me are Kevin Friend who basically cheated in the game against liverpool and (to give him his full name) Roger Fucking Milford.

Also for deciding a game went on wasn't there a ref for a cup game against Reading at a frozen pitch at Elm Park who decided the pitch was safe to play on as long as the players didn't play at 100%, can't remember his name but do remember the shitshow of a game (and the home fans lobbing bits of concrete that had broken off their terrace at us from the other side of the fence)

Graham Poll wasn't it?

[benjii]

34 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

Who was the ref who sent off Danny Wallace at Newcastle in a case of mistaken identity when the real cuprit was Jimmy Case ? 

They do look pretty similar.

 

Edited October 21 by benjii
Fuck, beaten to it.

[Midfield_General]

3 hours ago, Kenilworthy said:

Matt Messias - home against Manchester City in October 2022. Pahars was brutalized but ended up getting sent off. Amazingly we won 2-0.

Pahars in 2022?