"GAME HAS CHANGED!" Ex-referee EXPLAINS why Liverpool's Gravenberch HAD TO BE sent off vs Man City!
talkSPORT review Liverpool’s controversial calls against Man City as ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher explains Gravenberch’s dismissal
The show discusses Ryan Gravenberch’s second yellow against Man City and why modern refereeing has made cards easier to give. Dermot Gallagher calls the second yellow very harsh but says Gravenberch should not have made the challenge while already booked, and the panel criticises overly soft fouls in the Premier League. The conclusion is that rule changes and the push to protect attackers have made tactical fouls much more card-prone.
- Liverpool were hard done by in the decisions against Man City. — The panel had already argued that several calls from yesterday went against Liverpool and made the case forcefully.
- The yellow-card threshold has dropped sharply and the game has changed. — He says there were fewer yellow cards in his day, while modern football has more technical offences and a much lower threshold.
- Rule changes have steadily produced more yellow cards, from banning tackles from behind to cracking down on shirt-pulling and now on stopping promising attacks. — Players and coaches find ways around each new rule, while UEFA and FIFA want more attacking play and goals, so rules are designed to keep the ball with attackers.
- Gravenberch’s second yellow in the Doku incident was for stopping a promising attack as a tactical foul, not for the severity of the challenge. — There was no real force, recklessness or malice in the foul; the modern rules prioritise protecting the attacking side.
- The current approach leaves defenders in an unfair position where they cannot avoid a foul yet still get booked. — An attacker can step across the defender, who cannot stop in time; any contact then becomes a foul even if it is not malicious, and a yellow card follows.
- Gravenberch should not have made that tackle when he was already on a yellow card. — It was an unnecessary lunge, and trying it while already booked carried far too much risk.
- The Premier League penalises soft fouls far too readily, as was also seen at the World Cup, and that produces card flashpoints like Gravenberch against Doku. — Once even the most innocuous challenges are routinely given as fouls, players pick up cards much more easily.
- Chris Kavanagh’s second yellow for Gravenberch was very harsh and was not a card he had to produce. — Replays did not show the knee contact the commentator first thought he saw, so there was no strong case for a mandatory yellow.
- Gravenberch’s challenge in midfield while already on a yellow was very unwise and was always likely to end badly. — He knew he was booked, and at the highest level a player cannot make that kind of tackle in midfield for no good reason.
- The Premier League is still the most physical of the major leagues, although the balance is shifting slightly towards giving more free kicks. — He thinks fans are drawn to the competition and physical edge and do not want to see players going down easily, so that intensity should be preserved.
talkSPORT's Ally McCoist and Andy Townsend are joined by former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher to discuss whether Ryan Gravenberch deserved to be send off in Liverpool's loss to Man City. Subscribe: https://youtube.com/c/talkSPORT 🏆 Ready to win? Check out the latest prizes at talkSPORTwin.com Enjoyed this YouTube video? 😍 🖥️ talkSPORT's Website: https://talksport.com/ 📲 talkSPORT's Twitter: https://twitter.com/talkSPORT 📷 talkSPORT's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talksport/?hl=en 👤 talkSPORT's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/talkSPORT/ 📱 talkSPORT's Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talksport ? 🔴 Download the talkSPORT app HERE! - https://talksport.com/apps/ 🔎 Want to see if you feature on our YouTube channel? Check out our Best talkSPORT callers playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFVMnSsi04LGLa9pS9xDvme-Gjmlu2 talkSPORT PremierLeague
Transcript
But I think we've got to start talking about these decisions. And because I read, soon as I start talking about it, it becomes across as bitter. But I think we're getting to the point now where we need to start discussing these decisions for Man City. Ricky made his point, he made it loud and clear that he felt a lot of them yesterday in particular. Really, Liverpool very hard done by. We made the point, Ali, not soon after that, that the Phil Foden read it in Manchester. It was a rubbish decision. Well, I tell you what, Andy, we're going to get a perspective now of my opinion, one of the best. Absolutely one of the best. A very good morning to former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher. Dermot, a very good morning. How are you? Good morning, Ali. Good morning, Andy. How are you both? We're in chopped form, Dermot. We're in chopped form. I'd like to ask you, the first thing I'd like to ask you, Dermot, is this. You yourself now are former ex-Premier League referee. I tend to agree with Ricky and what he said. It doesn't seem to me, Dermot, as if as anything other than a yellow card. I mean, fouls. Everything seems to be a yellow card, mate. It can't be right, can it? Yeah, I think the game's changed, Ali, hasn't it? Whether we like it or not. In my day, there was less yellow cards, but now there's so many more technical offenses. The threshold has come down. There's no doubt about that. I think a lot of this is back to the Van Basten. Without doubt, you both know Van Basten was kicked out of the game, wasn't he? Had so many tackles from behind. They said something's got to be done different. So they outlawed the tackle from the iron, which created problems, which led to more shirt pulling because you both know yourself the minute, the minute the referees are told to do something. The players and coaches circumvent it, say, well, we've got to do this to get round it. And that was the next thing. So shirt pulling become a big thing. Now that becomes a yellow card. Now the thing that's in vogue at the moment is stopping a promise and a attack because UEFA and FIFA want to see more attack in football. They want to see more goals. And the way to do that is to let the attackers have the ball. So with the Doku one, you know, that's what he's yellow carded for grab and burst the second yellow card is for stopping the promising attack it's not the gravity of the foul it's not that it's a real reckless challenge it's not that it's done with um force and intensity it's just a tactical foul and i I think that's why there's so many more yellow cards, as I say, because of technical offences and because now there's more tactical offences, if you like. I understand the infringement. I understand the wording of the law, damn it, but surely, and Andy and I were speaking about it earlier, and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about here, where the defender cannot do anything. I used to do it myself, mate. I cut in In front of a defender trying to get the ball, knowing that he can't stop and knowing that he's going to bring me down. It's not a malicious foul, but a yellow card's given. And there's nothing effectively that the defender can do. Well, I was a forwarder, Ali, and that's what my dad taught me when he was our coach is push the ball, push the ball forward, take one step across the defender. Once you take one step across the defender, he's got two choices. Normally puts his hands up almost in surrender to show he's not going to click me, and therefore he stopped so I'm away. Or the second time he clips me and I get a free kick. And my dad said to me either way Derm you win. Yeah, Derm, look, my take on all of this is, I mean, I actually thought Ryan Gravenberg, it was a tackle he didn't need to dive in on. And I think he always run the risk of getting in trouble already being on a yellow. I don't think you should have made that challenge. But soft fouls for next to nothing, Durham, are blown up consistently across the board in Premier League football. In fact, not only Premier League football, but I saw it a lot in the summer at the World Cup too, which therefore means you get an incident like Gravenberg and Doku, and all of a sudden by virtue of giving fouls for the most innocuous of challenges, you therefore, in a situation like that, you are going to start brandishing a card or two. I just wish the guys nowadays would tell people to get up a little bit more, get back on your feet, get on with the game instead of blowing the whistle and stopping it craig paulston did it villa brentford he stopped the game an awful lot of the weekend for the most for for really for situations that he just didn't need to and then all of a sudden you can let a game breathe you don't have been taken out ali in so much as i talk about the van basten because i was a massive fan of his me too you know kicking from behind um the the real forceful tackles and what what happens at cask but i think back to when i was refereeing we had a coach uh gerald ashby who was absolute god bless him his absolute brilliant coach and he said to me one day he said don't ever put yourself in a position where you've got to issue a second yellow card and go, I wish I hadn't issued the first. He said because what you've done, that first one, if it's only a maybe, Derm, he said you've put yourself under pressure as well as that player yeah yep and that's the difference it's you've got when you're a referee i don't want to sound selfish you've got to think of yourself and why would you put yourself under pressure there's enough pressure without you just stoking up yourself did you feel Chris did that yesterday Chris Kavanagh done I think it was I think it's very harsh yellow card you know I think it's not one he has to produce but I think there's two issues if you look at it Elliot Anderson's touch was so poor the that's why yellow card I genuinely feel he thought he caught me on the knee like the commentator did but when you see replay it isn't but that said you know you've got to move on Gravenberg knew as well as Chris did that he was on a yellow card and the second one you've both played football at the highest level you know you both played international football you know how dangerous it is if you're on a yellow card you cannot make that tackle no and why would you make it in the middle of the field it was just a very unwise choice and it was always going to lead to tears just a quick one before I let you go I might be wrong but I always felt that referees in the UK refereed the game you know slightly more leniency to the game and to players than the European counterparts. I think that's changing a little bit. Is that fair of me or unfair? I think the balance is swaying a little bit more to give him more free kicks but i still think the premier league is probably the most physical uh league out of the big nations you know we look and that's why i think it's the most watched alley because i think people want to see that competitive edge they want to see people competing they They don't want to see people rolling over. That's why we want to keep it, mate. Thanks very much for joining us. Thank you, pal. Pleasure both. Have a great day. You too. Have a good week, mate. Do you know, Kosti, back in our day many years ago, there were always refs that were fussy they're always refs before a game you used to say right be careful of this one didn't you I your managers would say hey be careful of him you know what he's like if you if you step out of line or if you make a poor chat you'll get you'll be carded and you'll be in trouble so you're always aware of