The Mail Bag
Clattenburg leaps to defence of refs
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I read with interest in an article in The Telegraph, that referee Mark Clattenburg has come to the defence of his profession after the much debated tirade by Alex Ferguson on Alan Wiley.
Mr Clattenburg states that when you referee at the big stages like Old Trafford, you rise to the challenge. He was under the spotlight himself when he failed to spot the stamp on Van Persie by Adebayor, and admitted he found it difficult to deal with high profile errors. He goes on to say,
"On Saturday evening I always want to analyse my performance, because I can't sleep otherwise. I don't know what players are like, but that is me as a referee, I want to make sure I have done everything right before I go to bed on the Saturday night, and when you have made a mistake it hurts. It hurts deeply"
All I can say is that things must have changed since his disgraceful display in the derby match at Goodison a couple of seasons ago.
Norman Merrill, Posted 13/10/2009 at 09:48:43
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However, let us not prejudge these things. I shall look on with interest.
Wasn’t that derby on the same day as England lost the World Cup to the Saffas because the Aussie video ref thought he’d stick one over the Poms? Not a good day...
This particular can of worms having been opened again, I recall the FA threatening to ban Moyes forever for something he said that day. Then them running away as fast as they could from any kind of inquiry.
Does anyone really know what was said, who witnessed it and what would have been so damaging to the match officials and/or the FA if they had continued with their action following that shameful day?
If ANY of those decisions had gone to an independent panel, they would have slaughtered his performance that day. As we all know, the FA close ranks when they or one of their minions comes under fire.
I’m not usually a one for blaming the ref for our problems and inablity to win games — but in 40 years of watching football, Clattenburg’s performance plumbed new depths of ineptitude. Nobody can be that incompetent — unless it is deliberate. I think Moyes suggested an argument along the same lines.
Even Stevie GBH reffed that game better than he did...
"Steven Gerrard’s arm goes across Tony Hibbert’s before they come together and I think Gerrard slipped. Tony Hibbert did not make a tackle.
"The referee pulls out a yellow card and then the Liverpool captain has a word with him and then it becomes a red.
"The decisions he has made happen in football games, you sometimes get them or sometimes you don’t. But what we get in the last second of the game was a chance for it to be corrected and it was a result we deserved.
"A point was what we deserved, if not more and he does not give the penalty kick. If the other one has been more blatant than that one then I am in the wrong game.
"Referees do their job as best they can, I have tried very hard in the past year not to talk about referees. We have had referees into training and we are very supportive.
"They have a tough job, but do they understand how tough my job is and what it would have meant for us to get those points in the bag.
"There are now a couple of players banned. We understand what happened to Phil Neville, that was correct, but we got no decisions at all.
"It can’t just be me being bitter, people asked was the referee biased and I can’t comment, but we got nothing at all."
Bolton Banter
Posted: Sun Oct 21st, 2007 12:27 pm
Mark Clattenberg is supposed to be one of our top referees. Yesterday’s performance in the Everton v. Liverpool game was probably one of the worst since Barry Knight pulled on an Ipswich shirt. I have no support for either team so I will try to be objective.
1. Gerrard dived for the Liverpool penalty. His trick is a beautifully simple one. Watch it and admire. You run with the defender next to you. When you are in the area you spread your legs outwards - the defenders running legs then collide with yours. Then you fall over. Watch the way he falls with his legs spread outwards. The commentator says there was contact therefore a penalty - wrong. He was pulled by Hibbert outside the area. Decision free-kick outside the box.
Gerrard dives regularly but seems exempt from criticism. Why because he plays for England maybe? Lampard is the same.
2. Clattenberg pulls out a yellow card. Gerrard has a words and Clattenberg pulls out a red card. What conclusion do we draw from this? I’m sure some lip reading expert will tell us that Gerrad suggest it was a goalscoring opportunity and therefore a red card - the one you have in your hand is yellow, change it!
3. Kuyt, who later scored the winning goal, carries out an assualt on Phil Neville. Bruce Lee would have been proud. The rules say nothing about how injured a player has to be for it to be a red card. It was a sraight red by any interpretation of the rules. Clattenberg thought it only a yellow.
4. Injury time Lescott is clearly hauled to the ground by Carragher. Penalty? No not in Clattenberg's eyes. Why would Lescott throw himself down when he had more than a good chance of scoring?
Has Mr Benitez complained about these decisions like he did when Chelsea were awarded a dreadful penalty at Anfield? No he hasn’t.
Mr Clattenberg cannot be called a top ref after that performance. Thank goodnees he wasn’t refereeing one of our games — but I’m sure he will soon.
Says it all really, pure scumbag, I’d be suprised if he ever had control over another match at Goodison. Surely not, if not just for his own safety.
Anger isn't a strong enough word to describe how I felt about that twat’s "performance" as a supposed top-class ref in a high profile derby.
Here in Kuala lumpur, they are loads of RS around and after that disgrace game, even the cockiest of them were quiet. In Asia, there’s always conspiracy theories about the game being fixed in the Prem — something I’ve always thought to be nothing more than pub bollocks — and after watching that match, I started having doubts myself too.
Basically, too many things happened in the match for it to be out down to one bloke having a bad day. Two men sent off, a dodgy penalty, Kuyt’s assault on Phil Nev, not one but two clear penalties denied... I recall how Clattenberg would always be talking to Stevie GBH (brilliant kevin Sparke!), calling him "Steve" like they were mates...
And yes, apparently he did join the RS on their Asian tour that year so make of that what you will. Grrr... I’m all pissed off now. I’ve off to get a pint and a smoke to calm down.
Also I believe Gerrard writes in his book about the importance of getting on the refs side and specifically names Clattenburg as an easy target to get on right side of in games. Enough said.
Didn’t he get banned because of some financial irregularities recently as well?
Now I’m seriously pissed off and need to kick somone!!
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1 Posted 13/10/2009 at 15:45:36
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He’s a kopite as everyone knows. In his mind he did everything right in order to give the bastards an advantage. I hate him and one day pray for him to return to Goodison. Let’s see how the narcistic bastard copes with that. If he wants to know what pressure really is, we're waiting...