Has the FAI got to the MNS Panalist?
Has the FAI got to some MNS panellists or at least requested that Refs be given more support?
In previous seasons fans of the league could depend on MSN panellists to give an honest assessment to many issues within the game, not least being the performance of referees. However, some of the recent analysis leaves me to wonder whether some of them have been asked to tone- down their criticism of Refs and be more supportive.
I’d give two examples to demonstrate this concern. The first was St. Pats Mulcahy’s tackle on Shaun Kelly in Oriel Park. It was an absolute stone-wall red card and even Con Murphy expressed surprise at the panels view in that he had expected all three to say it should have been a red card. Even those that said it was only a yellow conceded that had Kelly down pulled out he could have been seriously injured. A lunge like that is a straight red regardless of whether it was one-footed or two footed and regardless of whether Mulcahy made contact with the ball or not. You can’t jump at a ball from 3 yards away with studs showing.
The second example is the sending off of the Bray player at Rovers. The panel with the notable exception of Roddy, said the ref was right to show a red card. There was absolutely no way that tackle deserved a booking of any type. The guys feet never left the ground and he slide into the ball. In no way could it have been considered to have been dangerous or reckless and the support the Ref got from two of the panellists was amazing.
Since MSN started we could depend on MSN panallists calling it as it was and it was the big appeals of the show. I fear we may be losing this and that would be a big big pity.
