Rooney, Gerard, and a few other premier players. Have a bet on which Sunderland player will be sent off at Villa next week ?, I reckon Larsson. The vendetta continues against us.
Petition set up on facebook by somebody, over 2000 in one hour https://m.facebook.com/kevinfriendout?__user=591096734
If it’s true that referees’ chief Mike Riley makes a personal call to managers who have been wronged by his officials, then the poor sod is going to have to spend most of Monday on the phone. His first call will surely be to Sunderland boss Gus Poyet who saw Wes Brown dismissed in the 36th minute for the crime of executing a perfectly-timed tackle. Given that Poyet brought his own laptop to the post-match press conference, on the off chance that the assembled media hadn’t seen the incident and needed to be convinced, it’s fair to say that this will not be a quick conversation. The next number on the list should belong to Brendan Rodgers, so that Riley can explain exactly how Kevin Mirallas escaped a red card for attempting to sever Luis Suarez’s leg at the kneecap . Now, granted, no-one outside of Anfield likes Suarez, but the law is the law and the only way Mirallas’ assault could have been a more excessive use of force is if he’d fired himself at the Uruguayan from a cannon. The problem, of course, is that these calls, these apologies, these explanations will all be made in private. The only public action taken will be the temporary deployment of Kevin Friend and Phil Dowd to the lower leagues, and even that is not guaranteed. No-one wants referees to be publicly lynched. Actually, loads of people want referees to be publicly lynched, especially after this weekend, but that’s not the point. Officiating is ridiculously difficult at the best of times and very few people count the day that 40,000 people screamed bad words at them on live television as ‘the best of times.’ Referees make mistakes, as all of us would were we asked to try and spot indiscretions at high speed with no replays at the end of a 10 kilometre run. Hacked off: Luis Suarez But referees are paid a lot of money these days. Not enough to make them infallible, of course. No amount of money could do that. But surely enough to make them accountable. We don’t want to see them paraded in front of the cameras like captured Gulf War pilots, but it might be nice if they at least clarified or explained their decisions. Communication is key. Without communication, journalists hurl themselves at conclusions that might not be able to bear their weight. Without communication, resentment festers among supporters and conspiracy theories spiral out of control. Guardian journalist Daniel Taylor tweeted that he was told by Riley this week that referees couldn’t speak to journalists because they didn’t feel ‘erudite’ enough. That’s a strange excuse to use to a body of men and women who have to speak to professional footballers for a living. Still, it is understandable that referees might feel uncomfortable speaking to the press, even though it’s a demand we make of players and managers at all levels, some of whom earn less than Premier League officials. So why not have them speak to just one? Why not, if they’re really shy, send a club press officer in with a handwritten question on scented notepaper? Let’s give them time to calmly explain themselves. It won’t help the Sunday papers, their deadlines are too short, but by the time the Monday papers land on your doormat, the officials will have had a chance to speak. The fans will have had a chance to hear the other side of the story. The managers might not need that reassuring call from Referee HQ. I could be wrong. It could be that the Monday papers will be really understanding and sympathetic to Messrs Dowd and Friend. Or maybe not. Perhaps I’m just cynical, but I have a feeling, just a sneaking suspicion, that Riley’s phone bill is going to go through the roof this month. http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...-phonecalls-monday-just-2846621#ixzz2la8d4bQo
Petition? On facebook? FFS next society will need facebook to swallow their food for them. The whole of britain can't live without it. This country! Can't sign that mate, don't have a facebook.
You'll have to learn that putting a smiley at the end of every post doesn't make it funny. Your incredibly pathetic & humourless username is probably your upper limit of wit. Kops n Rodgers ........... you must be so proud of that.
These refs are ****ing ****e. Rooney has scored 1 and set up the other of Man United's goals. He shouldn't have even been on the pitch This really pisses me off. A fifth official is needed to watch replays and tell these clueless ****s what the required action is
No, it won't be rescinded, in fact if it gets contested, it will mean another game ban!, when you look at that & what happened to Fletcher, the ref is on the take, or the FA have something against SAFC!
