Howard Webb's Performance

An angry and frustrated Netherlands winger Arjen Robben says Spain defender Carles Puyol should have been sent off with 10 minutes from time, as the Oranje lost 1-0 in the final of the World Cup.

The Barcelona stopper made a last-gasp tackle on the Bayern Munich striker, but Robben believes a penalty should have been awarded, and the defender sent off for a second bookable offence.

"When I got my second chance, the referee should have given us a free kick and Puyol a [second] yellow card," Robben told Reuters." He gave the advantage, but there was none as I could hardly move and the goalkeeper [Iker Casillas] was too close already.

"As a player, you always want to go on and especially 10 minutes before time in a World Cup final when you are heading towards the goal.

"When I missed my first chance it was simply my error. I was not patient enough and should have gone around him instead of a poor finish."

The Oranje star was also highly critical of English referee Howard Webb.

"When you play in a World Cup final, you also need a world-class referee," he added.




What a twat.He completely forgets that he was lucky to be on the pitch himself.
 
RonaldoVII said:
...The right team won so credit for that.
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:wenger: OMG, as if it is his job to make sure that 'the right team' wins, assuming that by 'right team' you mean the 'better team' unless you're from the FIFA match fixing department...

Apart from the blatant corner that eventually led to the goal, I thought Howard Webb did fairly well, he was slightly on spains hand especially in the second half, but i guess we owed that to ourselves: particularly in the first 30mins, we made way to many fouls as we couldnt keep up with Spains tempo of play...Also we've been lucky not to have De Jong sent off after his ridiculous kung fu kick in some spain player's chest.. Still, in the second half i thought he was a bit to easy on Spain....

EDIT: i forgot to mention that while the rules state players are not allowed to dive and ask for cards, i can remember at least 453 times were spain players did just that and werent even cautioned once... Also, in some instances spain players just went to the ground without even the slightest of touches and still won the freekick, while some of the Dutch players were plain and sinply brought down and play was waved on by Webb... So yeah, a bit on spains hand indeed, but like i said, i guess we owed that to ourselves due to the many bad tackles in the first half...
 
Stretch said:
Ok, take your English glasses of for a second. Even the Spanish fans I sat next to in the stadium said he was poor. He kept giving fouls where there weren't and missed some obvious ones. He's consistency was poor and thus he couldn't control the game. He made some good decisions but I'm not talking about handing of cards, I'm talking about his general control of his whistle. He blew for nitty gritty shitty 'fouls' and missed some glaringly obvious fouls which infuriated the crowd and the players. From then on in it was downhill. He started of on a downward slope and pretty much stayed there.
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English glasses !?! kinell I wanted Holland to win actually !

He did'nt 'miss' fouls and he's hardly going to get every single one of them is he

He knew he'd end up in a position where he'd have to send off half a fking football team in the world cup final and so did everything in his power to not let that happen .

Christ its obvious
 
Drifter said:
An angry and frustrated Netherlands winger Arjen Robben says Spain defender Carles Puyol should have been sent off with 10 minutes from time, as the Oranje lost 1-0 in the final of the World Cup.

The Barcelona stopper made a last-gasp tackle on the Bayern Munich striker, but Robben believes a penalty should have been awarded, and the defender sent off for a second bookable offence.

"When I got my second chance, the referee should have given us a free kick and Puyol a [second] yellow card," Robben told Reuters." He gave the advantage, but there was none as I could hardly move and the goalkeeper [Iker Casillas] was too close already.

"As a player, you always want to go on and especially 10 minutes before time in a World Cup final when you are heading towards the goal.

"When I missed my first chance it was simply my error. I was not patient enough and should have gone around him instead of a poor finish."

The Oranje star was also highly critical of English referee Howard Webb.

"When you play in a World Cup final, you also need a world-class referee," he added.




What a twat.He completely forgets that he was lucky to be on the pitch himself.
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Ridiculous

Webb gave Robben the chance to go on and score after he wriggled free of Puyol

He fked that up too
 
Being a referee has got to be the most thankless job. Webb applied common sense and the rulebook with a good balance. One side of the fans wanted him to be rigid and the game would have ended with the Dutch ending the first half with 9 men before finishing the game with a thrashing. The other group lambasted him for card friendly, despite all the bookings were spot on. Webb did a great job and this us the kind of performance we need for big games esp when most are crying over Rafael's red against Bayern.
 
Sir Matt said:
Let's see:
-Failed to send off De Jong and Puyol.
=He failed to card the Spanish players for surrounding him and for waving cards every time someone looked at them.
-He gave Heitinga a yellow for something he didn't see because the Spanish protested for it.
-He let Iniesta retaliate against Van Bommel(who did exaggerate) with no punishment. -Sent off Heitinga for Iniesta falling down easily.
-Gave Van der Wiel a yellow when Iniesta dived.
-Failed to call holding in the box for Iniesta's goal.
-Managed to miss a clear corner for the Dutch immediately before the goal.
-Oh, and he failed to give yellows to Fabregas, Iniesta, and Villa all on the same play for simulation.
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Spot on. Thanks for refreshing my memory.
 
Jopub said:
English glasses !?! kinell I wanted Holland to win actually !

He did'nt 'miss' fouls and he's hardly going to get every single one of them is he

He knew he'd end up in a position where he'd have to send off half a fking football team in the world cup final and so did everything in his power to not let that happen .

Christ its obvious
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As said previously, I have no issues with the cards he gave. In fact, De Jong should've gotten a straight red. The problem with Webb was consistency, the biggest problem people have with referees. I saw the game live and in the first 20 minutes his consistency was already out of the window. You can't give a foul for Spain for a 'touch' from behind and then 4 passes later at the other end when the exact same thing happens not give a foul.

I will say that he tried to keep everyone on the field but half the actions and frustrations of players from both sides were due to his inconsistencies in giving fouls where there weren't and not giving where there were.

That is how I saw the game along with all the people (Dutch and Spanish fans) I was surrounded by. I mean, even the Spanish fans whistle and booed the guy when he went to go get his medal. That says a lot really.
 
He was not the only one to be fooled by the Spanish diving armada.
 
topper said:
imo Webb did a good job given the attitude of the players from the start - especially the Dutch.
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This.

The Dutch whinging about the referee has to be the most hypocritical thing since Steven Gerrard claimed that he wouldn't tolerate diving at his club.

Unbelievable from a team with Robben and Van Bommell, plus another lucky boy in De Jong.

The idea that only the Spanish were going down like fainting goats is ridiculous as well.

The Dutch were all over the place with diving and exaggeration and theatrics.

And they bitched left and right for players to be carded as well.

The only two bits of true class in the final were RvP kicking the ball back to Casillas, and Iniesta's dedication on his shirt.

Otherwise it was two sets of equally cheating players trying to outdo and/or kick each other to death.
 
Jopub said:
How the fk was he poor ?

That is ridiculous

If he'd have gone the way some on here want we'd have had ended up in a 5 aside game

In a extremely difficult game with half of each side simply out to win at all costs he did brilliantly I thought

No one will not make mistakes and nomatter how the dutch want to look at it his mistake did not effectively cost them then game their shite defending did that and the fact that Robben missed the best chance for them to win it in the 90 minutes

Very difficult balance for the man tonight to keep a showpiece match as that and to apply rules without interrupting the flow of the game

tbfrank the players should be ashamed of themselves for putting a ref in such a position in a final he ought to have sent of three before half time but he could hardly have done it could he

He did well in extremely difficult circumstances imo
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Yet again I find myself in total agreement with you in matters not concerning Arsenal nor United. Your next to last paragraph in particular is one that the Dutch (who I'd been hoping to win, incidentally) should take note of: Webb was very lenient towards their thugs in the first half and they cannot blame him except for the non-award of that corner. He did as well as humanly possible, under the circumstances, to be honest.
 
I don't like Webb but both teams played like twats, number of bookings was about right, although he definately should have seen the corner just before the goal.
 
Zen said:
Still, that missed block on Elia that lead to the goal was awful, not giving Iniesta a yellow for reacting to Van Bommel(however much I loved it) was wrong, not giving a red to the boot to the chest(despite the fact I like that he likes to keep 11v11 for as long as possible) was wrong.
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Those are the only errors that stand out for me - also the Dutch free kick near the end that took a massive deflection and he gave a goal kick.

He could have sent off 3 or 4 Dutch players easily but it would have made the game a farce. It was bad enough as it was without it being 8 v 11

Overall he did as well as he good given the circumstances (i.e. a bunch of thugs against a bunch of play-actors)
 
For me there are two perspectives.

1. How many decisions did he get wrong?

He missed the obvious corner, and was behind play when Puyol tugged on Robben. His linesman didn't flag and Robben didn't go down so he made a call. As far as I could see he got all the other decisions correct. I also thought Elia went down really easy so the decision was not controversial. So he saw all the other incidents and blew accordingly.

2. How lenient was he?

I think this is the real issue. The Van Bommel and De Jong fouls were terrible and would have brought red cards in any other normal circumstances. Clearly he didn't want 9 v 11 but he still should have sent both of them off.

Unfortunately we will never know whether sending one of the players off early in the game would have stopped further fouling or not. It might have ended 8 v 10 or worse.

The players must take a lot of responsibility.
 
Mr. MUJAC said:
For me there are two perspectives.

1. How many decisions did he get wrong?

He missed the obvious corner, and was behind play when Puyol tugged on Robben. His linesman didn't flag and Robben didn't go down so he made a call. As far as I could see he got all the other decisions correct. I also thought Elia went down really easy so the decision was not controversial. So he saw all the other incidents and blew accordingly.

2. How lenient was he?

I think this is the real issue. The Van Bommel and De Jong fouls were terrible and would have brought red cards in any other normal circumstances. Clearly he didn't want 9 v 11 but he still should have sent both of them off.

Unfortunately we will never know whether sending one of the players off early in the game would have stopped further fouling or not. It might have ended 8 v 10 or worse.

The players must take a lot of responsibility.[/QUOTE]

Completely and utterly the key point.

The Dutch were moaning about Webb before the game started but I don't see thei coach taking responsibilty for the tactics
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I think the Dutch moaning that Webb cost them the World Cup is bollocks and they should be man enough th admit that it was themselves that cost them the World Cup.
OK so Webb missed a few things that Holland are pissed off about , he missed a few yellows and should of sent off maybe 1 Spanish player.

BUT Webb should of sent off Van Bommel and De Jong within the first 30 mins and only the game that it was stopped him.
Just think what would of been said if he had off sent them off , he would still of been hammered by the Dutch for costing them the World Cup , dammed what ever way he did it.

I think he did well and did not cost Holland the World Cup , he stopped it from becoming more of a farce than what it was , just think of a World Cup Final 9 v 11 before 30 mins he would of been hung out to dry
 
Bearded but no genius said:
This.

The Dutch whinging about the referee has to be the most hypocritical thing since Steven Gerrard claimed that he wouldn't tolerate diving at his club.

Unbelievable from a team with Robben and Van Bommell, plus another lucky boy in De Jong.

The idea that only the Spanish were going down like fainting goats is ridiculous as well.

The Dutch were all over the place with diving and exaggeration and theatrics.

And they bitched left and right for players to be carded as well.

The only two bits of true class in the final were RvP kicking the ball back to Casillas, and Iniesta's dedication on his shirt.

Otherwise it was two sets of equally cheating players trying to outdo and/or kick each other to death.
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I agree - the fecking dutch are a disgrace.

They played disgraceful football and they are a disgrace even after losing. But nothing new in hearing dutch players whinging to the press is it - that must be the first thing they fecking teach at junior level as all the players bar van Bronckhorst are disgraces - especially Kuyt.

How that talentless, disgraceful asswipe got to play in a world cup final is beyond me - I would do a better job. That said - to make it into the dutch team you need martial arts skills not football skills.
 
SittingBull said:
Being a referee has got to be the most thankless job. Webb applied common sense and the rulebook with a good balance. One side of the fans wanted him to be rigid and the game would have ended with the Dutch ending the first half with 9 men before finishing the game with a thrashing. The other group lambasted him for card friendly, despite all the bookings were spot on. Webb did a great job and this us the kind of performance we need for big games esp when most are crying over Rafael's red against Bayern.
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Agree with every word, it was a mare of a match to ref and Webb came through it very well. He's become very good at handling high profile matches IMO. An easier flustered ref could have ruined the match.
 
Bearded but no genius said:
This.

The Dutch whinging about the referee has to be the most hypocritical thing since Steven Gerrard claimed that he wouldn't tolerate diving at his club.

Unbelievable from a team with Robben and Van Bommell, plus another lucky boy in De Jong.

The idea that only the Spanish were going down like fainting goats is ridiculous as well.

The Dutch were all over the place with diving and exaggeration and theatrics.

And they bitched left and right for players to be carded as well.

The only two bits of true class in the final were RvP kicking the ball back to Casillas, and Iniesta's dedication on his shirt.

Otherwise it was two sets of equally cheating players trying to outdo and/or kick each other to death.
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Spot on from start to end.Unbelievable they're criticizing the ref
 
Agree completely with Brad here...what the hell was he supposed to do?

He had about 4 billion calls to make last night, and he got the overwhelming majority right...the only sentient being on earth who could've called them all correctly is a bloody octopus

He did more to let the game flow than anyone in Orange did....It's a disgrace he's being made a scapegoat...

Puyol's pull back wasn't a red as there was a player who overlapped him, and Robben still got the chance and Cassilas smothered it, so Robben then dived over him pathetically to try and win a pen..If he'd managed to sneak it under him he'd be praising Webb as a brilliant ref ....so I don't really give a shit about that...and considering they should've been down to 9 by then, it's hardly a massive injustice inflicted upon them...They got away with so much it was unreal purely cos Webb was trying to let a match happen...which I don't begrudge him for

Iniesta kicking Van Bommel should've been a card, but so should Van Bommels stamp (which would've been a red)...so that evens it self out

The Elija block off was hardly stone wall, and was the kind of thing you see ignored in the PL every week...and considering what the Dutch pulled last night, complaining about a minor obstruction is pathetic

In fact the worst calls he made were not awarding a clear Dutch corner (minor in the circumstances really) and not sending off De Jong...and more specifically pulling the play back for that foul when Spain were charging through...Should've played advantage then..But again, minor human mistake, and he had a hell of a lot to do

I think he did well considering...very well actually....a lesser ref would've been overwhelmed by the nonsense on display form both (but mainly dutch) players last night.
 
He did great considering all one team wanted to do was kick shit of the opposition and the other team wanted to spend all night on the floor.
 
i thought he did well

it was difficult to referee a game with cynical, sneaky players like the dutch

he could have sent off de jong for that dangerous tackle - had he we'd all be criticising him for ruining the game
 
Stretch said:
Ok, take your English glasses of for a second. Even the Spanish fans I sat next to in the stadium said he was poor. He kept giving fouls where there weren't and missed some obvious ones. He's consistency was poor and thus he couldn't control the game. He made some good decisions but I'm not talking about handing of cards, I'm talking about his general control of his whistle. He blew for nitty gritty shitty 'fouls' and missed some glaringly obvious fouls which infuriated the crowd and the players. From then on in it was downhill. He started of on a downward slope and pretty much stayed there.
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May I be the first to point out that fans in the stadium are the worst ones to judge what is and isn't a foul. There are many things being at a match gives you insight to...fouls is not one of them. You have a worse angle, and no replays compared to those watching on TV, and instinctively every fan always thinks every foul given against them isn't a foul.., so who you were sitting with is equally irrelevant.. So claiming your inside knowledge of being in the stadium gives you some edge here is a bit like saying someone at the Grand Prix had a better view of a crash...basically, it's rubbish. The amount of times I've been at a game and booed a ref for an offside call, or booking along with everyone else, only to get home and see he made the right call is ...well...quite a lot.

As for "infuriating the players"...they have no one to blame but themselves.

Hope you enjoyed it anyway
 
Didn't think he had a great game, and how he and his linesman missed the corner moments before the goal when it hit two Spanish players is beyond me. That was a game-changing moment.

Yes he had a lot to deal with, but he made some bad calls and some bad decisions, and you can't just fob that off with, "....well he got some of the others right."
 
Allforone said:
Cowardly sums it up best.
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What a load of rubbish.

The dutch players went out to kick the spanish and could have had at least Van Bommel and De Jong off in the first half alone.

It was atough game to referee because nobody wants to see players sent off in the world cup final becuase it ruins the spectacle.

When players go out to play like that then the ref is in a no win position. Damned if he starts sending them off and damned if he doesnt. He hardly got a decision wrong last night.

The dutch have nobody but themselves to blame. I wanted them to win intially but the way the played last night was an absolute disgrace.
 
Apart from failing to spot the corner, I though Webb was top drawer, considering the Dutch were hell bent on kicking anything Spanish.

But, even though he failed to spot that corner, to blame him for Spain going on to score is fecking mental.

A solid 8/10 from me, for the bald Yorkshire bastard.
 
The Dutch shouldnt be complaining, but for Webb they would have been down to 10 (poss 9 men) before the hour mark!

As for Robben moaning, I like to think of it as justice for winning all those free kicks during the tournament that were never free kicks.

It's true what they say, football evens itself out in the end.
 
Of course there were gonna be cards. Netherlands tactics were to foul the opponent. They were the dirtiest team in the tournament going in and they finished it very much alone up top. Very dirty team and deserved those bookings quite frankly. Some bad tackles.
 
pauldyson1uk said:
I think the Dutch moaning that Webb cost them the World Cup is bollocks and they should be man enough th admit that it was themselves that cost them the World Cup.
OK so Webb missed a few things that Holland are pissed off about , he missed a few yellows and should of sent off maybe 1 Spanish player.

BUT Webb should of sent off Van Bommel and De Jong within the first 30 mins and only the game that it was stopped him.
Just think what would of been said if he had off sent them off , he would still of been hammered by the Dutch for costing them the World Cup , dammed what ever way he did it.

I think he did well and did not cost Holland the World Cup , he stopped it from becoming more of a farce than what it was , just think of a World Cup Final 9 v 11 before 30 mins he would of been hung out to dry
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What exactly did Van Bommel do to warrant a red card.

His reputation precedes him, but otherwise I thought he was solid.

He should have sent off Iniesta for diving though.
 
Suedesi said:
What exactly did Van Bommel do to warrant a red card.

His reputation precedes him, but otherwise I thought he was solid.

He should have sent off Iniesta for diving though.
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A violent tackle from behind (or from the side ) on Iniesta's ankles but hey it's nothing too painful nor dangerous
 
kouroux said:
A violent tackle from behind (or from the side ) on Iniesta's ankles but hey it's nothing too painful nor dangerous
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He was booked for that.

Iniesta kicked Van Bommel when the ball was not there and got nothing.

Iniesta was also offside in the buildup to the goal.
 
Jopub said:
Jesus wept

Tell us more about the game you were watching .....on Venus was it?
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Sorry, I was in the stadium. I guess if I was watching on TV, I'd have had a better understanding of what was going on on the pitch. Either way, a referee must be consistent and his refereeing was completely inconsistent, especially in the last extra period, when it became mindbogglingly horrible.
 
Netherland's dirtyness and Spain's playacting made it an impossible game to be in charge of, so whatever critique should be seen in light of that. But I fail to see any sense of logic in sending off Heitinga but not Puyol. Those two incredibly inconsistent decisions were horribly dealt with. And de Jong should have been off obviously.
 
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