Graham Poll

[Paul B]

What planet does this idiot think he lives on? I'm not talking about his (match) decisions but his mad delusion that we are all there to see him.

 

Last night, he was grinning, smiling and laughing with players, calling them by their first names and generally looking like the class misfit trying desperately to be liked. There was one incident right in front of us where one of our players pushed one of theirs and the ball went out of play for what would have been a throw to us. But he theatrically gestured, TO US-THE CROWD that there had been a push prior to the ball going out. It was like he felt he had to explain himself to the fans in the stands! People around me just groaned having never seen anything like that before. I'm not normally one to knock referees; it's a thankless and difficult job with 40-50,000 people who all know better than you but his behaviour last night was just too bizarre for him to maintain any credibility.

[nvdm]

He's a good ref.

[Stevie H]

he's an idiot. wasn't it him who gave alan pardew the nod recently to substitute alex song before he was sent off? he should have been sacked for that.

[Leo No.8]

I think Poll is essentially a good ref but his 'celebrity status' gets in the way.

 

He calls incidents and fouls right as much as any other referee in English football, but when he decides he wants to get involved and start dishing out cards out he goes from helping the game to ruining it.

[sutty]

he's an idiot. wasn't it him who gave alan pardew the nod recently to substitute alex song before he was sent off? he should have been sacked for that.

 

I think its good reffing myself to do that

[Mondavi]

he's an idiot. wasn't it him who gave alan pardew the nod recently to substitute alex song before he was sent off? he should have been sacked for that.

 

 

Not exactly sure what went on there. If he spoke to pardew as an alternative action to just sending him off then you are absolutely correct.

 

If, however, he was effectively "copying him in" on a warning he'd given the player "slightest step out of line from here on in and he's off", then I think it's sensible refereeing and would like to see that replicated by others. If the manager can help to calm the player down, and keep the game 11vs11 then all the better for all concerned.

[Stevie H]

I think its good reffing myself to do that

in a pre-season friendly yes. not in a f***ing league game.

[jon_hall]

Jeff Winter II

[RafaShanks]

He's a ****. End of discussion.

[sutty]

in a pre-season friendly yes. not in a f***ing league game.

 

If you get to the stage that you are going to book somebody again for persistent fouling rather than for a single incident I think its a good idea.

 

Surely the ref should avoid having to send people off whenever possible

[Mondavi]

Jeff Winter II

 

 

Oh yes, there's no denying he's an attention seeker. Just like many people more famous than him, that trait came back to haunt him in the summer.

 

The one thing ref's need to be taught and judged on more than anything else, is that a good performance by them is one where noone remembers who the ref was.

[matty]

If you get to the stage that you are going to book somebody again for persistent fouling rather than for a single incident I think its a good idea.

 

Surely the ref should avoid having to send people off whenever possible

 

No, it's the ref's job to ref the game, whether that means sending people off if they deserve it.

 

Manager's job to make subs.

[jimmylibel]

If you get to the stage that you are going to book somebody again for persistent fouling rather than for a single incident I think its a good idea.

 

Surely the ref should avoid having to send people off whenever possible

 

Pardew went to Poll at half time and said if you think Song's coming close to getting sent off give me a signal.

 

So the second half gets going and sure enough Poll gives Pardew a signal.

 

I look forward to every ref giving every manager the nod that their player is about to be sent off in future.

[Leo No.8]

If you get to the stage that you are going to book somebody again for persistent fouling rather than for a single incident I think its a good idea.

 

Surely the ref should avoid having to send people off whenever possible

 

 

I agree - it depends on exactly what happened.

 

As Mondavi said, if he was simply relaying to the manager of Song's team that he'd given his player a last warning then I think that's sensible refereeing and I'd like to see more of it.

 

If the player had committed offences which merited red carding already, and then he gave him the chance to take him off then that would be totally unfair, but I doubt that would have been the case.

[sutty]

No, it's the ref's job to ref the game, whether that means sending people off if they deserve it.

 

Manager's job to make subs.

 

And if they didn't deserve to be sent off but were getting to the point when they would be?

 

I don't understand what the big deal is.

[Mondavi]

Pardew went to Poll at half time and said if you think Song's coming close to getting sent off give me a signal.

 

So the second half gets going and sure enough Poll gives Pardew a signal.

 

I look forward to every ref giving every manager the nod that their player is about to be sent off in future.

 

what I'd say there is that if pardew felt the need to ask the question, he should really have been taking him off anyway. He's obviously seen the lad's walking a tightrope, he should then either tell him to calm down and trust that be enough, or take him off.

 

I do like the idea of a ref telling a manager when a player's on his last warning though.

[sutty]

An orange card

[Stevie H]

Pardew went to Poll at half time and said if you think Song's coming close to getting sent off give me a signal.

 

So the second half gets going and sure enough Poll gives Pardew a signal.

 

I look forward to every ref giving every manager the nod that their player is about to be sent off in future.

is right. it's poll's job to referee the match as it happens, not pre-empt stuff.

 

And if they didn't deserve to be sent off but were getting to the point when they would be?

 

I don't understand what the big deal is.

that's like slightly pregnant.

 

poll gave charlton an unfair advantage. paul jewell or neil warnock should be f***ing fuming.

[johngibo YPC]

Jeff Winter II

 

Ah but he was very popular

The Kop gave him a standing ovation on his last ever game

[fyds]

Not the first trime thast's happened. I think it was Clive Thomas who warned Ron Atkinson that Remi Moses was one more bad/niggly foul away from being sent off/hurting someone, and he should hook him. Atkinson didn't, and withing 5 minutes Moses was off via a straight red.

 

Poll was pretty poor last night, even though he called the pen right. I'm still wondering how Cattermole stayed on.

[jimmylibel]

what I'd say there is that if pardew felt the need to ask the question, he should really have been taking him off anyway. He's obviously seen the lad's walking a tightrope, he should then either tell him to calm down and trust that be enough, or take him off.

 

I do like the idea of a ref telling a manager when a player's on his last warning though.

 

I don't have a problem with it if it's applied in all cases. But like with most refereeing feck ups it's the inconsistancy. Why should one team benefit while others don't? Come to think of it why should the ref only tell the manager of the team that the player plays for, shouldn't he let the other manager know in the interests of fairness? That manager might have to plan his subsitutions accordingly.

 

Regarding the Song incident, apparently he made a few tackles in the 2nd half that could easily have been bookable offences in their own right. So it wasn't just 'persistant foulilng'. He probably should have been off by the time Poll gave Pardew a signal.

[Mondavi]

An orange card

 

 

With the accompanying punishment being 5 minutes in the sin-bin. Time spent in the sin-bin will be with a qualified anger-management counsellor, and when the player returns to the pitch, he must do so with an ipod attached, playing soothing tunes interspersed with the counsellors calming words.

[jimmylibel]

With the accompanying punishment being 5 minutes in the sin-bin. Time spent in the sin-bin will be with a qualified anger-management counsellor, and when the player returns to the pitch, he must do so with an ipod attached, playing soothing tunes interspersed with the counsellors calming words.

 

Pan pipes surely?

[Gilps]

The other clubs around Charlton in the relegation flight have got every right to feel agrieved if Song is playing in games he should've been suspended for but for that nod from Poll.

[Mondavi]

The other clubs around Charlton in the relegation flight have got every right to feel agrieved if Song is playing in games he should've been suspended for but for that nod from Poll.

 

 

Poll was acting under orders from MI5, as part of the plot to relegate Fulham. This follows closely after the sacking of chris coleman - noone wondering why he went so quietly ?