Howard Webb

[rhroyal]

What was most noticeable is that he spent the whole game talking to players as individuals, explaining decisions, telling them to calm down, advising them if they were coming close to overstepping the line etc. Clearly won the respect from the players for this approach and far better from the jumped up little fuhrers who refuse point blank to engage in dialogue with players.

I picked up on this in the pub. Treating players with respect is half the battle. What dissent was there during the game? None!

This. It seems like the FA and referees expect respect to be a one way thing. Players and managers have to respect authority, but refs don't have to explain their decisions. Refs are infallible in hindsight; players can miss cup finals for obviously wrong decisions. Webb appears to be one of the few who shows respect in the other direction; that's why he's the best.

[Svlad Cjelli]

I don't think there was a foul until about 25 minutes had been played - remarkable for a game like this (involving Cardiff!).

[Plymouth_Royal]

:D

Howard Webbs a Royal
Howard Webbs a Royal
Lala la la
lala la la

[Croydon Royal]

What was most noticeable is that he spent the whole game talking to players as individuals, explaining decisions, telling them to calm down, advising them if they were coming close to overstepping the line etc. Clearly won the respect from the players for this approach and far better from the jumped up little fuhrers who refuse point blank to engage in dialogue with players.

I picked up on this in the pub. Treating players with respect is half the battle. What dissent was there during the game? None!

This. It seems like the FA and referees expect respect to be a one way thing. Players and managers have to respect authority, but refs don't have to explain their decisions. Refs are infallible in hindsight; players can miss cup finals for obviously wrong decisions. Webb appears to be one of the few who shows respect in the other direction; that's why he's the best.

Agree with this (and most of the comments so far). There was a moment down in front of us towards the end where Long tried to win a corner but it unluckily came off him and Webb gave a goal kick. It was a tight decision so most players would usually mouth off and moan, but Long admitted to the ref that he got the decision right and ran back. In such a big game and with any other ref, I'd bet that Long would have stood there moaning. Not a major incident in the match, but just goes to show how well Webb did.

[Forbury Lion]

Please can we have him for the final.

I don't think his loan from Manchester United covers the final.

Good to have the top English ref managing the English playoff semi between Cardiff and Reading, I'm sure both English league teams appreciated that.

[bigmike]

I turned off after Longs handball leading to his first goal. Charged it down like a rugby player charges a kick up field down, arms first!

Again, the handball could have been given. Yes Webb let the game flow better than Halsey, but he missed some critical decisions in favour of Reading.

replying to your own posts again HarLOLd????

GIRUY you cheatski twat

[No Fixed Abode]

I turned off after Longs handball leading to his first goal. Charged it down like a rugby player charges a kick up field down, arms first!

Again, the handball could have been given. Yes Webb let the game flow better than Halsey, but he missed some critical decisions in favour of Reading.

replying to your own posts again HarLOLd????

GIRUY you cheatski twat

Replying to TMD.

[bigmike]

I thought that was another one of your usernames ... I was just going on the standard of crapness of the post

[Elmer Park]

Although I thought Webb had a good game I think if we were Cardiff fans we would not be thinking the same thing. Nature of the game of course. In my view he made no major errors but several close calls went against Cardiff this time - karma perhaps for the two league games where they got the breaks. Cardiff also failed to take advantage of two potentially vital errors by the Assistant Referee in their favour when first Emmanuel-Thomas was I thought just offside when he missed his first chance and then Bothroyd was well offside when Feds blocked his shot with his knee.

Their penalty shouts were 'soft' ones though and ours much clearer. As someone said you could see Webb specifically watching Keinan as he had already started to grab hold of Mills before the kick was even taken. Webb makes mistakes of course but that incident showed he has an understanding and feel for the game that so many referees lack.

However next time he referees one of our matches and of course I hope he has many next season, I reserve the right to say he is useless.

[andrew1957]

Great Ref - always pleased to see him doing one of our matches. He does not ever bow to the pressure and likes to jeep the game flowing. There was one point in the first half when the match seemed to go on for about 10 minutes without a whistle.

Maybe we got a bit lucky, but none of their penalty shouts were clear cut, whereas as our one was stone wall.

Fed might have got a bit lucky as he did look to handle outside the box, but it was most likely accidental, so would have been a harsh sending off IMO.

[Mr Angry]

Fed might have got a bit lucky as he did look to handle outside the box, but it was most likely accidental, so would have been a harsh sending off IMO.

Common misconception that a keeper handling outside the area automatically receives a red card.

If it prevents a goalscoring opportunity, then yes; last night would have been a yellow as there was a defender alongside so Boothroyd would not have been deemed to have had a goalscoring opportunity

[Percy's Rocket]

could have given a pen for Legs challenge on Bothroyd/Chopra early on. Could have given a penalty for Griffin hugging Chopra, could have given a penalty for a handball as well I think. Got all decisions right, but all were close enough it would have been hard to criticise for giving it.

Could have ruled out Shane's first goal for handball - would have been extremely harsh, but he could have done.

Superb refereeing display.

All the decisions right? Come on Ian. Griffin hugging Chopra was a stone wall penalty. And the others - well you couldn't really argue if Webb had given them.

Sorry The Griff one is not a stonewaller otherwise we have ten pens per game..the first one on Chopra was nothing like a penalty and the hands was as Z turned with his hands down (and ball rebounded from one arm to the other) therefore no pen.....but he could just as easily have overlooked ours even though it was a clear pen (and the culprit knew it).

But anyway he could have been influnced by the crowd on those so yes a superb display and Cardiff had two very big (and wrong) calls in the league games which cost us four points.

[glenroyal]

Webb is a great ref, because he's a great communicator and respected man-manager on the pitch, not because he doesn't make mistakes. (Particular example where he walked over to Long and gave him a strong but quiet warning, without stopping play or making a fuss involving others.)

We did get the rub of a few missed infringements that could have easily gone the other way, with Webb or any other referee. The Griffin / Chopra pen would have been given if it had significantly interfered with play - a matter of judgement. Chopra looked miffed, but wasn't actually impeded from playing the ball which he made little effort to get near. The assorted "handballs" were all marginal on interpretation of the law but again lucky to get three go our way in one game. Given or not given, they'd have been talking points. There were certainly no stonewall / cynical / deliberate / significant infringements missed IMHO.

On another day ... who knows. Let's just enjoy the good fortune.

[Agent Balti]

Webb's greatest attribute is that he does communicate well with the players. As such, he commands respect, even if the players don't necessarily know that is what they are giving him. As pointed out, the huge difference between the game refereed by Halsey and by Webb was monstrous. Halsey fell in love with the whistle at an early age and never let go.

Some of his decisions in the first leg were just criminal. Yellow cards when none were merited and the opposite (when Griffin was scythed down, iirc.)

Webb on the other hand got it all spot on. OK, Chopra could have got a pen, but as mentioned, that happens in every game. The other incident between Leigertwood and Bothroyd was never a pen in a million years. Our penalty, well, Keinan never let go of Mills shirt from start to finish. Even David Blunkett could see it was a stonewaller. (OK, David Blunkett's dog could.)

I think, in hindsight, it's only the Cardiff crowd's reaction to some of the calls that made it look like we had decisions go our way. The handball incidents for Federici and Long were only apparent in replays and both were 'ball to hand'. Federici's less so, but still, his arm was never outstretched. Ditto with Khiz's handball in the box, the arm was never outside of his frame, so never a pen (unless you're a total cock of a ref aiming to atone for previous errors - yeah, you Halsey!)

[Row Z Royal]

However next time he referees one of our matches and of course I hope he has many next season, I reserve the right to say he is useless.

Right on brother!

[Barry the bird boggler]

Is this really the same bloke that reffed this

Walsall v Reading 2000

[No Fixed Abode]

could have given a pen for Legs challenge on Bothroyd/Chopra early on. Could have given a penalty for Griffin hugging Chopra, could have given a penalty for a handball as well I think. Got all decisions right, but all were close enough it would have been hard to criticise for giving it.

Could have ruled out Shane's first goal for handball - would have been extremely harsh, but he could have done.

Superb refereeing display.

All the decisions right? Come on Ian. Griffin hugging Chopra was a stone wall penalty. And the others - well you couldn't really argue if Webb had given them.

Sorry The Griff one is not a stonewaller otherwise we have ten pens per game..the first one on Chopra was nothing like a penalty and the hands was as Z turned with his hands down (and ball rebounded from one arm to the other) therefore no pen.....but he could just as easily have overlooked ours even though it was a clear pen (and the culprit knew it).

But anyway he could have been influnced by the crowd on those so yes a superb display and Cardiff had two very big (and wrong) calls in the league games which cost us four points.

Blinkers. I don't support either Reading or Cardiff, so it's a neutral view. Griffin's arms were all over Chopra at that corner, it was a foul and it was inside the box - which is a penalty. As said - the others were debatable. If they were given you could see why. A slight nudge on Olifinjana, the other Chopra incident and Zurab's handball.

[Ian Royal]

If I was a Cardiff fan, I would be fuming: for so many handball decisions all to go in our favour was unusual. He should have seen Federici's - a red card then might not have won the game for Cardiff, but it would have stopped us spending the rest of the game attacking.

Handball? His arms were in front of his chest to avoid catching the Cardiff players and didn't give him any advantage. No more handball than Khizanishvili's or Long's. Neither of which were handball offences in the slightest.

[Ian Royal]

Sorry The Griff one is not a stonewaller otherwise we have ten pens per game..the first one on Chopra was nothing like a penalty and the hands was as Z turned with his hands down (and ball rebounded from one arm to the other) therefore no pen.....but he could just as easily have overlooked ours even though it was a clear pen (and the culprit knew it).

But anyway he could have been influnced by the crowd on those so yes a superb display and Cardiff had two very big (and wrong) calls in the league games which cost us four points.

Blinkers. I don't support either Reading or Cardiff, so it's a neutral view. Griffin's arms were all over Chopra at that corner, it was a foul and it was inside the box - which is a penalty. As said - the others were debatable. If they were given you could see why. A slight nudge on Olifinjana, the other Chopra incident and Zurab's handball.

Neutral , come off it Kesmundo, we all know you only post on a deliberate wind up attempt.

[Bandini]

Fed's handball was handball and we got away with it. The other "handballs" weren't.

Griffin feeling up Chopra's manboobs was the sort of challenge that never gets given unless they're going for the ball.

The clash with Olofinjana was marginal but I thought correct.