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  • Funny how this comes out just after another massive weekend of mistakes.

    Not a fan of what this comment implies, I highly doubt David Coote cares about the Michael Oliver noise when he makes a decision like this.

    There's always referee drama in PL

    • Meh I don't necessarily disagree, but it does appear that on some level he chose to give an interview at this moment due to the threats going around towards Oliver and his recent similar experiences.

      He has spoken as police investigate "threats and abuse" directed at referee Michael Oliver following Arsenal's game against Wolves on Saturday.

      Or perhaps this was when the Sun chose to publish the interview due to the current public attention on the topic.

      Either way, I enjoyed the article and thought it helped give some context and remind the reader that referees are only human. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, but it's certainly a very difficult career due to the inevitable public scrutiny that comes with it, and without much of the financial and social reward that players benefit from.

      • That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement, but it's certainly a very difficult career due to the inevitable public scrutiny that comes with it, and without much of the financial and social reward that players benefit from.

        Not just that, but making it up through the lower leagues is absolutely gruelling. I don't remember who it was - I think it was on the StatsBomb podcast years ago - but I heard professional referees are among the careers with the highest percentage dropouts within the first year of starting. And it's easy to imagine why: not just is the job physically demanding and often difficult, but having to suffer through years of hearing Potbelly Pete in the 13th division call you a worthless piece of shit because you sent him off for a two-footer can't be a pleasant experience. It's no wonder most are filtered out, especially since as you say they're far from compensated fairly.

    • A player is given a red for a trip, unheard of in football and everyone calls it out. PGMOL say that the former players are creating issues by being so vocal about it and then later state that Oliver and his family are being abused online despite him not having social media. A day later this is revealed in the evening online. I'm sorry, but that looks like it was expedited. Am I saying that the article isn't real? No. Am I saying that the feelings and fears of Coote aren't real? No. Do I believe that as a community (the football community) we need to better support and protect LGBTQIA+ community members? Of course. Does that stop me from thinking that the PGMOL will use it to deflect from the fucking abortion of a decision at the weekend? No.

      • Excuse the expression, but I think the notion that David Coote would make such a big (personal) move to distract people from PL referee drama #1001 is absolutely ludicrous.

        David Coote will likely receive harassment targeted at his sexuality from bellends for years to come, Oliver's drama will be old news by next match day.

        I don't think reducing this to PGMOL masterminding a new distraction does any good.

        • I don't think Coote will be in the public eye for the rest of his career, so the impact of coming out publicly is minimal, which is great for him. I hope he can go on to have a happy and healthy family.

          But yeah, I do think that this coming out now, is beneficial for keeping the discussion away from yet another once in a lifetime decision against Arsenal. There's no way for either of us to know. But a disgraced referee getting an article that is then syndicated through mainstream media makes me at the very least sceptical, because I literally forgot about the guy until now.

6 comments