Mike Newells remarks about female officials

**Lionel Ritchie** · 12/11/2006, 10:16 AM

Luton manager Mike Newell caused a stir after his side's loss to QPR by saying the following about assistant referee Amy Rayner:

"She should not be here. I know that sounds sexist, but I am sexist, so I am not going to be anything other than that.

"We have a problem in this country with political correctness, and bringing women into the game is absolutely beyond belief.

"It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have, but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems.

"This is Championship football. This is not park football, so what are women doing here? It is tokenism for the politically-correct idiots."

I reckon the guy'd want to go cop himself on a bit.

If it was a guy in a turban running the line he wouldn't be able or so quick to refer to it.

...and even if she WAS terrible -then she's terrible for both sides.

**Soper** · 12/11/2006, 10:40 AM

He's one of those gobsh1te of a manager that blames everyone and everything else other than his team being inept and him setting his team out to have 10 men behind the ball

**OwlsFan** · 13/11/2006, 6:58 AM

Saw some of the game on TV. She gave a corner from which QPR scored when it might have been a goal kick. I am not sure having testicles would have helped her make the right decision but Newell obviously thought she made a balls of it

**drinkfeckarse** · 13/11/2006, 11:32 AM

He seems to be on a mission lately. Also had a blast at his own Chairman, accusing him of lacking ambition and said the club had moved backwards off the pitch since his arrival.

Sounds like he's looking for an excuse to be pushed out the door.

**John83** · 13/11/2006, 11:44 AM

Sounds like a bit of a fool. Criticising someone on the basis of their gender is stupid and pretty inexcusable. Criticise what she did, or didn't do.

**Lim till i die** · 13/11/2006, 11:55 AM

He's only saying what everyone else is thinking but are too pc to say themselves

A womans place is in the home cooking (Although even the best chefs are men these days) cleaning, sewing and having babies, simple tasks like that, the real world and things as important as football in particular should be left to men

What Next?? Female Automobile Pilots??

**Pat O' Banton** · 13/11/2006, 4:23 PM

Its a pretty sad indictment of himself, unfortunately there has been a good few pundits ready to back him up.

I've seen enough incompetence from men in black in my time to believe that possessing a higher testosterone level does not make for a competent match official.

I've heard arguements ranging from 'What if they have to go on maternity leave?' (Well lets just never give them a job doing anything then) to 'We should not let women be subjected to the level of abuse that they'll recieve doing the job' (oh yes the poor little flowers, lets keep them inside in case they hear a swear word from some nasty men that might offend they're cute little souls

)

Newell comments portray himself to be narrow minded and intolerant, to claim that an entire group of people are not capable of watching a game of football and making decisions based on the laws of the game is bizzare.

**Jerry The Saint** · 13/11/2006, 4:54 PM

Originally Posted by Lim till i die

What Next?? Female Automobile Pilots??

Female singers

**The Legend** · 13/11/2006, 8:32 PM

If I was the Luton Chairman, i'd force him to sign a female football player for the laugh!

**Block G Raptor** · 15/11/2006, 2:58 PM

Newell was right in what he said I mean come on have any of you tried to explainn offside to a woman i rest my case whats the point having a linesman who doesn't know the offside rule

**osarusan** · 15/11/2006, 3:41 PM

BGR, it is a pre-requisite of all lines"people" that they consistently fail to understand in any way the offside rule. Women would therefore be better suited to the job.

**Roadend** · 15/11/2006, 4:08 PM

Newell also said that this woman had only been doing it for two years and was fastracked up the divisions to keep the PC brigade happy. A fact which was obviously ignored by the redtops.

**anto1208** · 15/11/2006, 4:24 PM

Originally Posted by Block G Raptor

Newell was right in what he said I mean come on have any of you tried to explainn offside to a woman i rest my case whats the point having a linesman who doesn't know the offside rule

most blokes dont have a clue either !!!! watching a game one night with one of those "i know every thing about footy" blokes who was looking for offside from a throw in !!!!!!!!

**endabob1** · 15/11/2006, 4:30 PM

Originally Posted by Roadend

Newell also said that this woman had only been doing it for two years and was fastracked up the divisions to keep the PC brigade happy. A fact which was obviously ignored by the redtops.

And that hasn't happened with any male refs...... Have you ever seen Uriah Rennie "control" a game, or Rob f---ing Styles???

Newells comments were based on her sex rather than her ability, I hadn't realised that by having testicles it enabled me to see things clearer than those without.

**Roadend** · 16/11/2006, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by endabob1

And that hasn't happened with any male refs...... Have you ever seen Uriah Rennie "control" a game, or Rob f---ing Styles???

Newells comments were based on her sex rather than her ability, I hadn't realised that by having testicles it enabled me to see things clearer than those without.

The main issue he had was with her being fastracked up to the championship so quickli, unlke Style and Rennie. The sexism spin applied by the papers completely ignored the main crux of the issue. To an extent he was certainly right in what he said, just the way he went about saying it was obviously going to cause grief.

**OwlsFan** · 16/11/2006, 4:13 PM

"fast tracked" - like it takes a PHD to be a linesman. Admittedly it is almost a physical impossibility which the likes of Andy Gray and some here forget to be able to be looking at two different places at the one time (the ball being kicked and the offside line) so a linesman's job is a horrendous job but if someone has that ability, then what's the problem in fast tracking them. Mind you the error she was mainly castigated for was giving a corner when it should have been a goal kick but it is sometimes impossible to judge these correctly without Sky's 15 camera angles.

**Roadend** · 16/11/2006, 4:26 PM

There is a process in place, she was moved up just to keep the PCers happy. your opinion on what it does or does not take to be a linesman is really immaterial.

**as_i_say** · 16/11/2006, 4:49 PM

Glad someone else mentioned off side. Its annoying the way off side decisions are analysied in super slow mo replays after games- its NOT PHYSICALLY possible to look at 2 places at the one time.

All off side decisions are best guesses and it will always be a case of win some lose some. What we really need is technology for goal line decisions to be made whenever there is a doubt.

On a non-football related matter, I was watching some tennis a few weeks ago, an ATP tour tournament, whereby they had brought in a rule that a player can have 3 (I think) challenges per set on a call made by a line judge. The replay is shown on "Hawkeye" on the big screen and if the player is right he is awarded the point and gets to keep his remaining challenges, but if he is wrong the call stands and he loses a challenge. It was very entertaining.

Rugby is so much more enjoyable to watch now as well because of video evidence. I cant understand why in this day and age officials can not be helped with off-side in football and goal line events-they are impossible decisions to make.

Oh and women are great.

**OwlsFan** · 17/11/2006, 4:18 PM

Originally Posted by Roadend

There is a process in place, she was moved up just to keep the PCers happy. your opinion on what it does or does not take to be a linesman is really immaterial.

Thank you.