Keith Hackett wowed by Michael Oliver decision in West Ham United loss v Chelsea
We’re delighted to welcome former Premier League referee Keith Hackett as our exclusive West Ham United columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the London Stadium...
Keith Hackett has been left wowed by Michael Oliver after his performance in the West Ham United defeat at Chelsea.
The ex-FIFA official was stunned by the “top-class” decision to play advantages from late offside flags, as shown on Match of the Day.
Linesman up and down the country have been infuriating fans and players with their late calls all season now, with no signs of change.
“He can do that,” he exclusively told West Ham Zone.
“This is the difference of a quality referee that is officiating with confidence, that is good, solid refereeing.
“First-class, I suspect there was some communication here and that’s the quality of a top-class referee. We used to get this fairly frequently, we don’t now.”
We have been infuriated by some of the officiating on show in the Premier League this season, and just ask for consistency.
Oliver playing advantage from an offside isn’t a big deal, but given how bad things have got with VAR and the linesmen being scared to raise their flag, we suppose it is.
Ultimately, the game needs to be allowed to flow and anything that can help that is going to create a better spectacle for those watching.
Using simple methods such as this are only going to help, and if the penalised team don’t take advantage, why should the game stop?
In other West Ham United news, Yaya Toure has said he would be open to helping this Irons star improve to the next level
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