One of the major talking points after every game of football is how the referee performed and how their decisions affected the outcome of a match.
After the weekend, every decision is scrutinised and often it is the referee’s performance that gets analysed more than the performance of the players on the pitch.
It is an unforgiving job at times, however, there is no denying that results can be affected by major decisions made by a referee - and Newcastle have seen this happen on multiple occasions this campaign.
The Magpies even wrote a letter to the Premier League questioning a few decisions made against them at the end of 2021.
Here, using data provided by AceOdds, we take a look at how Newcastle United’s win percentage over the past five seasons differs under each referee and rank their fortunes under each referee from worst to best:
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9. Kevin Friend - 36%
When Tommy Smith was sent off by Friend for his tackle on Miguel Almiron in February 2019, it was the first time an opposition player had been sent off against the Magpies in the Premier League for almost five years! Photo: Mark Runnacles
10. David Coote - 38%
Newcastle’s recent late-defeat to Chelsea was overshadowed by a failure to give the Magpies a penalty and a controversial decision to only show goalscorer Kai Havertz a yellow card for his elbow on Dan Burn - Coote was the man in charge that day. Photo: Justin Setterfield
11. Chris Kavanagh - 42%
Kavanagh’s two appointments to Newcastle United games this season have seen them defeat Leeds United away from home before earning a very creditable draw away at West Ham. Photo: Alex Burstow
12. Anthony Taylor - 46%
Alongside Michael Oliver, Taylor is one of the Premier League’s elite officials and has been in charge of two Magpies games this season - their 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford in September and their 3-1 victory at home to Everton last month. Photo: Stu Forster