We are more than 25% through our first Premier League season in 22 years and still have yet to win a competitive game. However, there are mitigating circumstances for our failure to claim all three points so far, and that is because officialdom at the highest level of domestic football in England is not fit for purpose. It is quite frankly a sham!
Now neutrals amongst us will say that this is all sour grapes and that we are simply not good enough to stay in the top flight of football anymore. They will argue that if bad decisions go against your club it will inevitably even itself out over the course of the season. I beg to differ. To be brutally frank, there has been a catalogue of decisions that have gone against Town, and as Confusious once alluded to, there is no such thing as a coincidence. There is a reason for everything. I am inclined to agree with him.
VAR began to rear its ugly head against Everton when Town succumbed to a 0-2 defeat at Portman Road. Referee Michael Oliver originally awarded a penalty to Ipswich when Jack Clarke was felled in the box, but then a lengthy check ensued as VAR was activated. The ref was summoned to the monitor, and after further deliberation overturned his original decision. Referees on the field no longer control the game. This takes place in a studio sometimes 200 miles from where this event occurred. The next game was away at Brentford and the visitors were under-strength due to injuries to key players. In came Harry Clarke. He received his marching orders after a second yellow after Town had led 0-2. Even after he was dismissed, Town still managed to level things through Delap before Bryan Mbeumo’s late strike gave all 3 points to the Bees. It was harsh on Clarke and especially harsh on Ipswich but the worst was still to come.
Ipswich were at home again against Leicester City, in a game they largely dominated. This was to dramatically change when a stonewall penalty was not awarded to the Blues, and within seconds, Kalvin Phillips was sent off thanks to some premier play-acting from Ricardo Pereira, with just 12 minutes remaining, after Leif Davis had volleyed home on 56 minutes. If referee Tim Robinson had pointed to the spot after such a blatant foul, play would have stopped and Phillips would have still been on the pitch. A friend of mine who is an Everton supporter told me to expect the unexpected because there is one rule for the big fish and another for the minnows. It is an uneven playing field that favours the mighty, and if anyone is bringing the game into disrepute these days it is officialdom which runs the game. I argue that there is nothing wrong with VAR if it is administered correctly but sadly, the human element is the problem.
The Man City game, where they were awarded a penalty after God knows how many views of VAR, yet when Ipswich had, what was described as a more deserving penalty, no VAR!!!!
Good point Gary. We seem to be on the wrong side of justice.