Robbed!

I’m not really sure where this piece is going to go... I’ve just sat down to thrash my emotions out on the keyboard after the game at Blackburn because I’m still absolutely seething with the two key decisions that went against us in the game.

Craig Pawson is a Premier League referee, apparently.

I know in the Premier League that the referees have the ability to use VAR to make big decisions, something that they’re obviously lacking when they then officiate in the Football League, but the call to not award Jack Clarke a penalty at 0-0 was scandalous.

It was clear as day when it happened that the defender had kicked his foot away, but after watching it loads of times from every single angle it’s even worse.

What a shocking call.

The sucker punch was Blackburn going down the other end of the pitch the exact same phase of play to go on and score the first goal.

And yes, it was a cracker from Ben Brereton-Diaz - but if the referee had done his job properly the goal would never have happened. He’d have awarded a penalty to us, we’d have had a good chance to go 1-0 up ourselves, and the game would have looked very different.

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

But he didn’t. Craig Pawson made a monumental error that cost us the points.

The supposed Premier League referee. Pfft.

Then, to add insult to injury, he and his assistants failed to spot the offside for Blackburn’s second - another comical error, particularly when you consider that one of the assistants was perfectly in line with the action and was staring straight at it.

Again... how?! All those hours of training, all the practice, all the games they’ve officiated at all different levels... these are professionals! I know occasionally human error comes into play, but the play at that point was still, he couldn’t have had a better view of it.

Usually I’d sit here and I’d try to break down the performance, and talk about who played well and what went wrong and whatever else, but tonight I just can’t.

The integrity of the game was compromised when the officials failed to do their jobs.

Their ineptitude cost Sunderland any realistic chance they had of picking up points, because instead of being sat at either 0-0 or, even better, 1-0 up through a penalty, we were behind in a tough game against tough opponents.

Photo by Lewis Storey/Getty Images

So I’m not going to slag off anyone who didn’t play well, and I’m not going to moan about not having a striker, or the fact we didn’t do this or that right... because it’s pointless.

The game changed on the basis that the man in the middle and the two dipshits on either touchline couldn’t make decisions that were totally obvious to everyone else watching.

I’m fed up of shit officials. The one on Saturday was bad and thank god he didn’t cost us any points, but he tried his best... and it’s not the first time this season. It feels like we get these idiots in charge of every game we play in.

I genuinely thought things would improve when we eventually escaped League One, but all I’ve seen is more of the same - and in some cases, worse.

I’m seething. Maybe I’ll calm down tomorrow but I doubt it. I feel cheated and I feel robbed, and that shouldn’t be the case. Let’s just hope the Lads take out their frustrations on Burnley on Saturday - that is of course unless the EFL assign another incompetent fuckwit to take charge of our game... and then it’ll just be another lucky dip to see what happens.