James Garner has called on Premier League referees to ditch their Ref Cams and focus solely on officiating matches. The Everton midfielder and his manager David Moyes were left furious during Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium, believing they were on the wrong end of debatable decisions made by referee Paul Tierney.
Frustration over officiating decisions
Moyes felt Morgan Rogers, who had already been booked for clashing with James Tarkowski, could have been sent off for a challenge on Garner, but Tierney and VAR decided the tackle did not warrant a second caution. Harrison Armstrong was also harshly booked for a tackle on Josh Acheampong, while Cole Palmer was lucky to avoid a second booking in the closing stages of the game.
Ref Cam offers a unique perspective from the referee's view during Premier League matches and was introduced last season. When asked if he felt a number of decisions went against his side, Garner replied: "I would love to speak on the referees, but I would probably get fined.
"All this camera stuff on their heads and all that stuff in my opinion, you need to keep out of the game, just let referees ref it and stop making it about them. That's all I've got to say."
Disappointment after first defeat
Pedro Neto scored twice in the second half to condemn Everton to their first defeat of the season, and Garner was disappointed in the manner in which his side conceded both goals.
"We are gutted really," he said. "It is our first loss of the season, and they are probably two goals that we could have avoided, definitely. It is tough to take.
"A loss is a loss at the end of the day. Whether it is them two goals we conceded today or we lose 1-0 or we lose 5-0, a loss is a loss. It is a difficult one."
Looking ahead to Arsenal clash
Next up for the Blues is a trip to the capital to take on reigning Premier League champions Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Despite the setback against Xabi Alonso's side, Garner insists "It is the Premier League and anything can happen and there are a lot of good teams.
"Arsenal are a good side, but so are we. We have got to go there with a positive mindset and try and get something out of it."
Garner underwent surgery on his groin during the summer and it was expected that he might miss the start of the season. However, he returned in time to come off the bench against Crystal Palace on the opening day, before going on to start against Preston North in the Carabao Cup a couple of days later.
The former Manchester United man has since featured in every game Everton have played so far this season, as well as twice featuring for England off the bench in the most recent international break.
"I am getting back to 100% (fitness)," he said. "I am playing every game now and slowly getting my fitness back up and slowly feeling like myself again. I am just hoping to get back to the levels that I was at last year."
