adminNewcastle United rescued a point against Bournemouth, but the result left plenty of supporters frustrated with what they felt was a controversial afternoon for referee Rob Jones.
The Magpies found themselves in serious trouble after Bournemouth raced into a two-goal lead inside the opening 35 minutes.
Marcus Tavernier struck early before Malick Thiaw’s own goal put the visitors firmly in control.
Harvey Barnes gave Matthias Jaissle’s side a lifeline before half-time, and Jacob Ramsey came off the bench to fire home the equaliser in the 88th minute.
It was a remarkable fightback, particularly after Newcastle had struggled badly to match Bournemouth’s intensity during the first half.
But once the dust settled, much of the conversation around St James’ Park centred on something else: the refereeing.
A number of Newcastle supporters and BBC Sport readers questioned several decisions made by Jones, particularly the incident involving Anthony Elanga in the build-up to Bournemouth’s opener and the decision involving Adam Smith before Barnes’ disallowed effort.
One furious reaction summed up the frustration:
«“Rob Jones single-handedly getting a point for the visitors.”»
The same supporter argued that there had been a clear foul on Elanga before Bournemouth scored, while claiming Smith had gone down too easily before Barnes’ effort was ruled out.
Another fan sarcastically compared Jones’ performance to former referee Mike Dean, writing:
«“I wonder what Mike Dean Mini Game he was playing?”»
There was also criticism of the overall consistency of the officiating.
One commenter said:
«“Let’s see how long I can go before I have to give Newcastle free kick. Seems about right.”»
However, not everyone agreed that Jones had got the major decisions wrong.
One commenter identifying themselves as a neutral insisted there was no foul in the build-up to Tavernier’s goal and argued that Newcastle players had gone to ground too easily.
when asked about the game Alan Shearer simply answered “For me, the game became more about the referee than the players, and that’s frustrating. Newcastle were held back by some of those decisions.
Don’t get me wrong, the lads had to do more at times, but they showed real fight to come back from two goals down. On another day, Newcastle could’ve taken all three points, but in the end, they had to settle for a share of the spoils.”
That immediately prompted another supporter to question whether they were really neutral.
The disagreement continued, with one fan describing the referee’s performance as “atrocious” and another claiming the standard of Premier League officiating was becoming increasingly frustrating.
Still, Newcastle’s performance itself could not be ignored.
Bournemouth were the better side for long periods before half-time, recording 17 shots compared with Newcastle’s eight and five efforts on target to Newcastle’s two. Newcastle did, however, have 57% possession.
Even so, Jaissle’s side showed the kind of character Newcastle supporters will want to see more often.
They were two goals down, looked vulnerable and could easily have collapsed.
Instead, Barnes brought them back into the game before Ramsey produced the late moment of quality needed to salvage a point.
And that is where the frustration lies.
Newcastle may have escaped with a draw, but the feeling among some supporters is that the match could have looked very different had they received the decisions they believed they deserved.
Abdulhafiz Teslim
admin
