I’m not going to lie, I don’t like this appointment.
Michael Oliver has been appointed referee for Liverpool’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth on Sunday, and as a Liverpool supporter, he is probably the last name I wanted to see.
In fact, I think Michael Oliver is the worst referee in the Premier League when it comes to Liverpool.
That might sound harsh, but there is something about watching Oliver take charge of a Liverpool game that immediately makes me nervous.
It isn’t about saying that every decision he makes against Liverpool is deliberately wrong or that there is some sort of agenda against the club.
It is simply the feeling that Liverpool supporters have developed over the years whenever they see his name next to one of our fixtures.
And after some of the refereeing performances Liverpool have endured, I don’t think supporters can be blamed for being sceptical.
The frustrating thing with refereeing is that supporters don’t expect perfection. Mistakes happen. Referees are human and VAR is far from perfect.
What you want is consistency.
If something is a foul in one part of the pitch, it should be a foul in another. If a player is punished for a challenge at one end, the same standard should apply at the other.
That’s where the frustration comes from.
Liverpool have already had enough controversy surrounding refereeing decisions, and the last thing we need is another match where the officials become the main talking point.
Hopefully, I’m completely wrong.
Hopefully Oliver has an excellent game, Liverpool play well, win comfortably and nobody is talking about the referee afterwards.
Because ultimately, that’s exactly what should happen.
But when I saw Michael Oliver had been appointed for Bournemouth vs Liverpool, my immediate reaction was simple:
Oh no. Not him.
Now Liverpool just need to make sure they don’t give him — or anyone else — the opportunity to influence the outcome.
Play our football, take our chances, defend properly and get the three points.
Then we won’t have to worry about the referee.
Jamie (The Kopite View)
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