Epl 2010/11

**geysir** · 13/04/2011, 6:49 PM

I might be alone in thinking that the Evra/Ramrires looked a 50/50 challenge until the replay shows conclusively that it was a penalty. I can see why the ref honestly didn't give it. In that, I'm in agreement with Ferguson, but I have not got a clue about Man u's debit/credit account on decisions.
Rooney might have deserved a red card for the elbow against our James, but not retroactive punishment.
I haven't seen the rest of the examples you offered

Manager's post match interviews are not a reflection of their management. Ferguson's gritty hard working team is a reflection of his management.

**Stuttgart88** · 13/04/2011, 8:38 PM

True, I'm a huge admirer of man U and how they play, and how Ferguson has adapted his team's play for the current era, whislt retaining the values that made them so formidable in the 90s.

My only gripe is that these post-match interviews actively promote bad sportmanship, reflect badly on the game and are a really poor example for kids. If football has a PR brain at all, maybe the losing manager should be exepmted from TV or radio interviews until a [24] hour cooling-off period expires. By then, any sense of wrong-doing will only linger if it's been proven that the ref was clearly wrong.

**OwlsFan** · 14/04/2011, 9:29 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

If football has a PR brain at all, maybe the losing manager should be exempted from TV or radio interviews until a [24] hour cooling-off period expires. By then, any sense of wrong-doing will only linger if it's been proven that the ref was clearly wrong.

But the interviews are not for football but for TV and the interviewers usually ask the manager the direct question in order to get the desired reaction, however predictable. "I didn't see it" "A blatant penalty" "There might have been some contact but the lad went down easily" "He went for the ball" etc etc Such has it been, such as it will always be but Ferguson not seeing the Chelsea non-penalty was hilarious while if it had been the other way, he would have been on the pitch, hands in the air, remonstrating with the third official.

**Closed Account 2** · 14/04/2011, 10:40 AM

Even if the ref didn't see the Evra - Ramires penalty, the new behind-the-goal linesman had to spot it. I don't know if these behind-the-goal linesmen do anything.

**OwlsFan** · 15/04/2011, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo

I don't know if these behind-the-goal linesmen do anything.

Purely there to "ensure that the Laws of the Game are upheld, informing the referee of incidents of any kind that he may otherwise have missed, particularly in key areas of the field like the penalty area and its surroundings," but only informing the referee of their observings through a wireless communication system. I still think a camera would be a much cheaper and effective option. Presumably the referee did not "miss" the incident in the box so the assistants do not help.

**geysir** · 17/04/2011, 10:14 AM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

But the interviews are not for football but for TV and the interviewers usually ask the manager the direct question in order to get the desired reaction, however predictable. "I didn't see it" "A blatant penalty" "There might have been some contact but the lad went down easily" "He went for the ball" etc etc Such has it been, such as it will always be but Ferguson not seeing the Chelsea non-penalty was hilarious while if it had been the other way, he would have been on the pitch, hands in the air, remonstrating with the third official.

Ferguson did not deny seeing it and from his position thought it was a 50/50 challenge. He said he would have to look at the replays to see who did what.
But if it was a break, they (Man U) deserved it.

Ferguson doesn't use that stop watch any more, does he? Isn't that some indicator that he has grown out of a severe bout of persecution complex? or has he just moved the goalposts?

**Stuttgart88** · 17/04/2011, 6:06 PM

Arsenal. What a bunch of chokers. Eboue should have his contract torn up. What a fool.

Wenger - what an awful display on the touchline. I'm embarrassed.

I guess Van Persie's yellow card cost Arsenal 30 seconds?

The problem is that Wenger won't see fit to criticise any of his underperforming, lightweight bottlers.

**DeLorean** · 18/04/2011, 9:01 AM

It was gas to hear him query why there was so much addition time after Arsenal scored!!

Dalglish is a welcome addition I think, so far anyway. It was a nice touch when he called over the young fella, Flanagan, after the clash of heads with Carragher. He did imply that Arsenal's shouldn't have been a penalty though, which I disagree with. It was soft, but a foul nonetheless.

**shakermaker1982** · 18/04/2011, 12:02 PM

I switched over for the last 15 minutes and even when Arsenal went 1 nil up I still thought Liverpool would get one more chance.

Wenger needs to acknowledge his team have a number of weaknesses and address them this summer. Unfortunately he's so far up his own **** he'll still insist his way is the only way to play football and run a football club.

**OwlsFan** · 19/04/2011, 10:08 AM

I watched the Stoke vs Bolton game and then turned over to the other game. They were already 5 minutes in to extra time and 0-0. Not much happening here I thought. For once Chris Kamara's "Unbelievable Jeff" might actually have been justified. To be fair to Wenger, I am not sure where the extra 3 minutes came from. Sure there was a goal celebration but since when is time added on for penalties and free kicks? This was new to me. I thought they were all part of normal time. Wenger had a point but as usual he was totally ungracious. I don't go with this you have to be a bad loser to be successful. Take it on the chin and move on.

Impressed by Walters for Stoke. Sure he puts his head down a bit when on the ball but has a good physical presence which we need up front. Delap was as usual anonymous except for the throw ins but then again so was Whelan and he didn't have a throw in. Nice to see them getting to the final though. Wilson did well.

**DeLorean** · 20/04/2011, 8:12 AM

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

since when is time added on for penalties and free kicks? This was new to me. I thought they were all part of normal time

Apparently, and I haven't checked this out, there was 4mins between the awarding of the Arsenal penalty and Liverpool tipping off after it was scored. I think it's reasonable that a bit of extra time would be added on for this. I know if the penalty was awarded in normal time it probably wouldn't have been taken into account for injury time, but I don't see much wrong with him giving Liverpool another couple of minutes given the length of time taking the penalty used up. Maybe there was another couple of delays in the injury time period that he accounted for also. In fairness to the referee, the easy thing would have been to blow it up after Arsenal scored, they had more to play for, it was at The Emirates and he would have known that Wenger would have a cut off him if Liverpool scored. It seems referees can't win, he got both decisions right plus the free kick for Liverpool right on the edge of the box. The panic defending by Arsenal in the lead up to that free kick was even more pathetic than Eboue's rush of blood.

Originally Posted by OwlsFan

Delap was as usual anonymous except for the throw ins

Only saw the highlights, but usually when I see Stoke play, Delap is far from anonymous. He nearly always puts in a good shift in my opinion.

**Stuttgart88** · 20/04/2011, 8:43 AM

Isn't a yellow card a mandatory 30 additional seconds? If so, RVP should get a bollicking from Wenger - not that that'd be likely. Nothing is ever Arsenal's fault.

**KK77** · 20/04/2011, 8:57 AM

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Apparently, and I haven't checked this out, there was 4mins between the awarding of the Arsenal penalty and Liverpool tipping off after it was scored. I think it's reasonable that a bit of extra time would be added on for this. I know if the penalty was awarded in normal time it probably wouldn't have been taken into account for injury time, but I don't see much wrong with him giving Liverpool another couple of minutes given the length of time taking the penalty used up. Maybe there was another couple of delays in the injury time period that he accounted for also. In fairness to the referee, the easy thing would have been to blow it up after Arsenal scored, they had more to play for, it was at The Emirates and he would have known that Wenger would have a cut off him if Liverpool scored. It seems referees can't win, he got both decisions right plus the free kick for Liverpool right on the edge of the box. The panic defending by Arsenal in the lead up to that free kick was even more pathetic than Eboue's rush of blood.

Only saw the highlights, but usually when I see Stoke play, Delap is far from anonymous. He nearly always puts in a good shift in my opinion.

Imagine if it had been Fergie! LOL

**DeLorean** · 20/04/2011, 9:24 AM

Originally Posted by KK77

Imagine if it had been Fergie! LOL

Yeah, it would have been the same thing. Wenger is every bit a big a moaner as Ferguson as this stage, but probably isn't as good (effective) at it and manages to come across even more ridiculous. At least, every so often, Ferguson admits when the referee gets it right against his team, such as the Scholes sending off on Saturday. He was defending the Hernandez dive last night. I like Hernandez but it was a dive and it's not the first time he has done it. Ferguson was praising the referee's overall performance as a bit of a balancing act I think, although he was very good, with the exception of not booking Lovenkrands for pulling back Carrick, probably the most blatant yellow card of the night.

**geysir** · 20/04/2011, 9:58 AM

The ref was very good last night in that game at Newcastle.
In general, it's a red herring to vent frustration at the standard of the refs these days.
By far, the most destructive elements in the game are the diving, cheating/simulation and disrespect to the ref.
The refs need more help from the associations in order to minimise the effect of those aspects.

**Stuttgart88** · 20/04/2011, 11:05 AM

Dunphy's "crisis of authority".

Players don't respect refs' authority
Managers ditto
Referees are making too many high profile basic errors
The game (in UK anyway) boasts shambolic governance
FIFA's governance standards are laughable

I felt a bit for the ref last night at Newcastle v United. I'd have to look at it again but the Newcastle guy got nowhere near the ball, nor did he clip Hernandez. It was a dumb effort at a tackle and the act of going for the ball and missing it caused Hernandez to lose control. It looked to me like he jumped the tackle and when in the air he made his landing look theatrical - which I kind of think he was entitled to do. Duff regularly goes down easily, just to make sure that the (real) foul against him has been spotted. I think that that's fair.

Newcastle were lucky not to concede, Hernandez's "dive" was by no means as crass as others that go unpunished and sometimes you get those situations where it was neither a foul nor a dive. The ref could have called a penno, waved play-on with no booking, and done what he did, and in each instance he'd have been largely right.

That's why I'm against video replays for anything other than goal-line related incidents. Not everything is clear cut and many decisions are down to a ref's discretion.

**DeLorean** · 20/04/2011, 11:12 AM

The defender did kind of block his path the the ball but it didn't force Hernandez to hurl it the way he did, I think it would have been very soft. United were luckier to escape when Lovenkrands went down after contact from Anderson (an incident that Ferguson didn't see I believe!). Again, it would have been soft but it was probably more justified that United's claim, and more than likely would have resulted in a free kick had it been outside the box.

**Closed Account 2** · 20/04/2011, 11:38 AM

Apparently all three teams could be level on 79 points if the following happens:

Man Utd
Everton (h) W
Arsenal (a) L
Chelsea (h) L
Blackburn (a) W
Blackpool (h) W

Arsenal
Spurs (a) D
Bolton (a) W
Man Utd (h) W
Stoke (a) W
Villa (h) W
Fulham (a) W

Chelsea
B'ham (h) W
W'Ham (h) W
Spurs (h) W
Man Utd (a) W
Newcslt (h) W
Everton (a) W

Probably not going to happen - I doubt Arsenal will beat Man Utd at the Emriates, but would be interesting if it did!

**Stuttgart88** · 20/04/2011, 11:48 AM

I asid to a mate in March thatr Arsenal were as likely to finish 3rd as 1st. Now I think they're more lilely to, but they made a really good fist of blowing it in 1989 too!

**DeLorean** · 20/04/2011, 11:49 AM

Chelsea could put the pressure on alright. Arsenal are leightweight and all of those matches look tough on paper for them. United really need to beat Everton on Saturday to make things comfortable for themselves, but Everton are in great form so it won't be easy.