Today we didn't defend well and we definatley didn't finish well, players like Holt, C Martin, even Naughton where disappointing, de Laet made ANOTHER error leading to a goal (no 3). Surman played well, Tierney and Bennett have continued to be impressive, Rudd did fine for his debut but Hoolahan/Morrison and Vaughan didn't have the impact we wanted. We've played well enough to have more than 2 points on the board but right now we have the sorta number of points that screams relegation form. Against Wigan we where outplayed and Wigan looked good value for the 3 points, but we did score. They had 2 penalty shouts, both for fouls outside the box, and had one the one they scored been given correctly as a free-kick, I suspect we would of actually (admittedly undeservedly) won that game. Then against Stoke we led, but once again another foul (Or was it just a coming together?) outside the box but against it is given as a penalty and a red card. The penalty isn't converted this time, but we lose our best defender and have to take off a striker, had this not happened you could argue we would be on 6 points out of 6. Against Chelsea we where given another penalty and another red card. I heard some people argue that Ramirez was already going down and that he was being forced out wide, but I don't really buy it and I'll honestly say it looked a stonewall penalty and Ruddy had to go. What wasn't just that game was Torres was already booked when it was at 1 - 1 and he fouled one of our players but was not sent off! Had he been sent off, Chelsea would of been down to 10 men, and might never have got that through ball that left Ramirez clear. Who knows, we might of been able to get a draw or even win the game? And then today's game West Brom get given a penalty that was definatley NOT the correct decision. Fortunately Rudd saved it, which means it had no effect on the match. We are denied a similar claim earlier in the match. We are then denied a stonewall penalty right at the death. It's impossible to say what effects would of been had on the match had the correct decisions been reached but say we had scored our penalty, (Hardly a given from our finishing that game) it would have been a 1 all draw and a point. So I'm saying if we removed bad penalty decisions and keep the correct ones such as Chelsea we could and should probably be on about 7 points this season and not 2, maybe even more if Torres had been sent off. Well, rant over I guess there are positives and negatives, and I shouldn't complain about refereeing too much when the larger problems are with our defence and finishing.
