Somewhat in defence of the refs

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

some of the comments below defy belief though

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/...erpool-referees

 

Does anyone else think Jeff Winter was totally wrong to say Sir Alex Ferguson was totally wrong at the weekend?

 

It is bad enough that barely a Premier League game can go by these days without Manchester United's tetchy manager hijacking the news agenda because the referee wasn't fit, strong or experienced enough to handle the fact that the defending champions sometimes need a little help when they are playing badly, but if retired referees are going to join in the slanging match too, the actual football will soon struggle to get a look-in.

 

Somebody ought to stand up against Ferguson, that's for sure, but one would rather hear the views of the referee in question rather than the comments of a less than impartial observer who just wants to stick up for the men in black. Perhaps I do Winter a disservice there, for he was one of a clutch of experts and former officials who quickly and correctly pronounced the referee wrong over the Sunderland beach ball fiasco, though that was a relatively straightforward, if arcane, point of law.

 

Referees are good at knowing the laws, and on the whole it is handy that these days they can be whistled up, so to speak, to give instant assessments . Yet no matter how well-versed in the game's small print, they are as useless as anyone else when it comes to judgment and interpretation, as Winter has just proved. The simple fact is that Jamie Carragher could easily have been sent off for his "last man" foul on Michael Owen on Sunday, many referees would have produced a red card then indicated by gesture that under the present rules they really had no option, and had that happened neither the Liverpool captain nor his club would have earned much sympathy by complaining.

 

This is not necessarily to agree with Ferguson and conclude Andre Marriner made the wrong decision – it was, in short, a tricky decision that could have gone either way. The only two people who do not seem to recognise this are Ferguson and Winter, but at least you could see why the former was so upset. Carragher appeared, let's just say that, to get away with a professional foul, and the mitigating circumstances were not all that different to the incident at Old Trafford last season when Nemanja Vidic saw red for bringing down Steven Gerrard.

 

So it is hard to understand where Winter is coming from when he describes Ferguson's understanding of the laws as "completely inaccurate" and says it would have been "totally wrong" for Marriner to send Carragher off. Especially when he backs up this black and white view of the matter by suggesting that Owen was neither in full control of the ball nor moving towards the goal.

 

In both cases, one feels, that would be because Carragher was climbing all over him. While Ferguson has undoubtedly given more or less blameless referees some undeserved gyp this season, at least at Anfield you could understand his train of thought. It is just a pity the refereeing fraternity, or part of it, now see him as a serial moaner who deserves to be banned from stadiums.

 

That would be a shame, because his touchline fury over Marriner's perceived leniency was the undoubted highlight of Sunday's viewing, even allowing for the subtle strength with which Fernando Torres showed Rio Ferdinand who was boss.

 

Winter had something to say about that too, worrying that Ferguson could be getting a little old for shouting and swearing and getting so annoyed that the veins stand out on his neck. Indeed he is, but what can he do now Roy Keane and Jaap Stam are long departed and Gary Neville can only attempt to communicate his fury from the bench?

 

Could it be that Ferguson has been extra grumpy this season because he no longer has a team full of snarlers? Even last season he had Cristiano Ronaldo to leave no one in any doubt that just about every decision that went against United was the wrong one. From quiet man Edwin van der Sar in goal to the now saintly Ryan Giggs on the wing, United's team at the moment is a collection of choirboys compared to some of the sides Ferguson has put out. Ferdinand and Vidic have lost most of the authority they used to exude and are far too accommodating to opposing forwards, Paul Scholes has calmed down as much as he has slowed down and Dimitar Berbatov has never been known to say boo to a goose.

 

Wayne Rooney is the only one with the old spark and fight, and even he is constantly being told to keep his temper and watch his language. They do say that teams play in their manager's image, but this one doesn't. The Red Devils need a bit more devil. It shouldn't just be the manager's job to make Manchester United unpopular. Maybe that's what's been bothering Ferguson all season. He's probably wishing he had signed Craig Bellamy when he had the chance.

[Ripley]

he was one of a clutch of experts and former officials who quickly and correctly pronounced the referee wrong over the Sunderland beach ball fiasco, though that was a relatively straightforward, if arcane, point of law.

 

1. It's Paul Wilson. Impersonates a journalist.

 

2. Can something be straightforward and arcane? See also 1.

[Raj]

That piece is rubbish.

[Stevie H]

does anyone else think that paul wilson was totally wrong to say that jeff winter was totally wrong to say mister ferguson was totally wrong at the weekend?

[Des]

does anyone else think that paul wilson was totally wrong to say that jeff winter was totally wrong to say mister ferguson was totally wrong at the weekend?

 

You're totally right.

[carrafan]

You're totally right.

 

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Carragher appeared, let's just say that, to get away with a professional foul, and the mitigating circumstances were not all that different to the incident at Old Trafford last season when Nemanja Vidic saw red for bringing down Steven Gerrard.

 

So it is hard to understand where Winter is coming from when he describes Ferguson's understanding of the laws as "completely inaccurate" and says it would have been "totally wrong" for Marriner to send Carragher off. Especially when he backs up this black and white view of the matter by suggesting that Owen was neither in full control of the ball nor moving towards the goal.

 

Gerrard tapped the ball infront of himself and towards goal.

 

Owen never touched the ball and it was going in a direction away from goal.

 

But dont let the facts get in the way of a s*** piece of journalism.

[_00_deathscar]

Ridiculous how they're even comparing the two. Gerrard was clean through, and in control of the ball. Van der Sar was already half way towards s***ting himself.