Five Ken McNaughts

I was going to post this strangely mesmerising video sequence in one of the Match / Ref / VAR threads in which I have been venting my spleen for the past couple of days. Then I thought, no, this moment should be under Jack Grealish's name. The clip is three angles of that incident in super-slo-mo (courtesy of "avfc Villablog"). What I see is a surrounded Villa captain charging right at the heart of the opposition in the 96th minute, refusing to accept defeat, refusing to go down when shoved by Zaha, picking his pass despite an imminent clattering, then bouncing straight back up for any rebounds as Lansbury smashes it home. The fact we had the ref from "Escape To Victory" can't change all that. We're all going to need a lot more of this spirit for the season ahead, no doubt about that any more. But this was a captain showing the way. Never give up. Never give in. Fight like Lions. UTV.

Re. @KenjiOgiwara's point about the wall, the official IFAB laws App on my phone states: "When there is a defending 'wall' of at least 3 players, all attacking team players must be at least 1m from the 'wall'. IDFK (indirect free-kick) if they encroach". So, yes, an attacking player on the end of the wall is now illegal. In this instance the lines were a little blurred by the fact McGinn himself was rather detached from the wall.

I will happily fill the next two infuriating weeks with such research For now here's a little tidbit regarding Kouyate – Palace's designated enforcer for the day. He was FINALLY booked for a foul on Grealish after 71 minutes, but take a look at his blatant two-footed lunge on Jota straight after half-time (4:50 in these highlights) and RIGHT IN FRONT OF KEVIN FRIEND... No booking. Bear in mind that Friend had just been going "card crazy" according to the co-commentator (is it Lee Hendrie?). It is simply NOT CREDIBLE that he does not go to his pocket for the Kouyate foul. An honest-but-card-happy ref would have had the yellow out in seconds! Yet this is what we are asked to believe. Take a look...

I want any official who tries to mug us off at Villa Park to find it a very uncomfortable experience. I am not ashamed to say, I want the crowd to pressure them relentlessly from the first whistle. 20+ years ago, Barnsley were swiftly hounded out of the Premier League by terrible decisions from refs who seemed to fall into a kind of bullying group-think against them (if you disregard the darker theories of Barnsley fans). Four games in, and we are clearly not getting the rub of the green (to say the least). I hope one consequence of Kevin Friend's contempt for our captain and our club is that he just made things a shitload harder for all his WhatsApp buddies when they step out at Villa Park.

Good point about Zaha. And why is Gary Cahill sprawled in a heap on the ground if there was no contact with Grealish?? Does Kevin Friend think he suddenly needed a nap? Keith Hackett was asked on TalkSport if he agreed with ex-ref Bobby Madley's call for sympathy for Friend. "No." He also said he thought VAR should have awarded Villa a penalty for a Cahill foul on Grealish.

I had this very debate with @Davkaus. This is the still image from a Vlog that proved I was wrong in the end. Kevin Friend did indeed have time to put the whistle to his mouth...

Agree with all of this. I would also add that the fact Friend blew his whistle just as Lansbury pulled the trigger (in the VAR age FFS!) comes across as very, very calculated indeed. He knew exactly what he was doing.

With regards to Kevin Friend's overall display, as opposed to just the key incident, I have been looking up some stats to put it in context (and just to keep myself busy while I continue to fume). Statistics can be a blunt instrument, of course, but for what it's worth... In Villa's first three PL games we committed a total of 29 fouls and received 2 yellows (7%). In the first half at Palace we were penalised 10 times and received 4 yellows (40%). Despite receiving a total of 6 bookings (compared to Palace's 2) only one Villa player committed three fouls or more (Guilbert 3) Palace had three players In that same category (Kouyate 3, Milivojevic 3, Zaha 4). Only one Villa player committed more than 1 foul without ending up in the book (McGinn 2) For Palace, Zaha never saw yellow despite committing 4 fouls. My eyebrows are staying raised. The phrase "serious questions to answer" springs to mind.

I agree, and I feel it is the best compromise between keeping the natural flow of the game and making use of technology. One challenge per half, per head coach, with the challenge being retained if proved correct. The bench informs the fourth official, who holds up a board to inform the crowd, and an independent VAR team goes through the motions (without the "must back my mate" crap we are seeing right now). Would there be situations where you had already wasted your challenge and a dodgy goal then stood? Yep, but that's already an accepted part of cricket, tennis, NFL etc. The challenge is a tactical option and using it correctly becomes a skill in its own right. This way at least everyone has clarity. VAR is a dog's dinner right now.

This is the most excited I have been about Lansbury since pretty much the day we signed him. Thought he was different class for Forest (including against us). Now seems to be finally getting his mojo back. Not put a foot wrong since the start of pre-season. Great to see.

The moment Kevin Friend blew his whistle...

Well said, Keith Hackett. He also gave Kevin Friend an overall rating of 5/10 in 2016. That was even before Friend put in a shocking performance while still half cut from a stag do in Marbella. How the hell is this guy still in a job?

Not sure why I haven't quite fallen for this guy yet. That's not a final judgement, just a "Hmm..." Is it something to do with the lack of pace and short strides? Is there something a bit mechanical about him? An element of slightly ponderous thinking and movement when I am looking for fluidity of both? I can't quite put my finger on it.

As far as I'm aware, yellow cards can't be appealed, only reds. (In Scotland they now can, and the SFA have rescinded yellows for players wrongly accused of diving). In other words, we continue to get shafted.

So the official explanation can only be that the whistle went to and from his mouth in the time he was out of shot? I'm sitting here watching it again and again and really struggling with that, but I won't bang on about it any more. On another note, the way Cahill (was) spun round after colliding knees / thighs with Jack suggested clear contact. Edit: @Davkaus you were right. Friend can be seen blowing his whistle at the key moment in literally the first couple of seconds of this Vlog. I apologise for being grouchy earlier. Night all.

Then again, on viewing it for the 10th time I think I mistook his microphone for his whistle.

@tonyh29's comment solved it for me. I watched the start of the clip again and Friend's whistle was already in his mouth on the half way line. So his hand didn't need to go to and from his mouth in 0.3 seconds after all. That would have been impossible. I am happy to stand corrected.

I suggest you watch the behind-goal replay MOTD provided once again and watch his arms very carefully. Ask yourself if that whistle went to and from Kevin Friend's mouth in the 0.3 seconds for which he was out of shot. If you think it did, that's fine. I am struggling to see how. I find tired conspiracy theory tropes very boring, by the way.

Oh, you are kidding me. This gets more ridiculous. A phantom pre-goal whistle on the MOTD coverage, while Gary Lineker has a chuckle that Kevin Friend somehow managed to do it "without his hands ever leaving his side". What did I say earlier? Lies within lies within lies.

I think Smith needs to be pushing this into the public eye with his press conferences between now and West Ham game. Quote the foul stats if need be. Quote the fact he has never been booked for diving. As someone commented above (apologies for forgetting who) we need to re-shape the narrative around Jack and point out just what bullshit it is.

"He cheats to the end, He cheats to the eeeend, Kevin Friend, He cheats to the end."

"Ass covering". Correct. Funny how the PL and their compliant parasites in the press are now throwing around "VAR WAS checked for the Villa goal" – totally fudging the two separate issues of the goal and the penalty. By the way, I don't believe a word that any VAR official says after the fact. Last week, during Martin Atkinson's bizarre performance in the Norwich v Chelsea game, they were more than happy to say things about when whistles were/weren't blown or when checks were/weren't referred that completely contradicted the evidence before our eyes. Lies within lies within lies.

I hope we keep a chip on our shoulder about today's treatment for a long time. Players and fans alike. Let's use that energy.

"Thank you for attending this hearing, Mr Friend. We are here to establish if you are the most incompetent Premier League referee of all time, or the most corrupt... What's that? No, I'm sorry, Mr Friend. Those are the only two possibilities." Of course, far more likely is that we see a circling of the wagons from everyone involved (the Premier League, the refereeing panel, the FA etc.), but those really are the only two possible reasons for that decision. And I know which way I am leaning.

So Jeffrey Schlupp made a point of accusing Aston Villa's innocent captain of cheating, when all he had to do was say "we abide by the ref's decision". Noted, Jeff. Thanks for that glimpse of your moral compass. See you at Villa Park.