The Mail Bag
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Most of the dust has settled now from Sunday. One thing has remained prevalent though, be it in the newspapers, tv or radio, the fact that Mike Riley didn't give Man Utd a penalty. I didn't have the greatest view of it from my seat, when I got home and saw the highlights in all honesty it was touch and go. However, Riley didn't give it and I think it was the negative publicity that he received all week about his alleged 'team' that brought about his decision not to award it.
The fact that he never gave us a decision afterwards adds credence to this, but two wrongs don't make a right and booking Timmy for turning Vidic was laughable.
David as we know has the ear of Sir Alex and has his confidence, the studious and diligent way he prepares and micro manages the club from top to bottom is by and large modeled on what he has learned over the past 10 or so years.
It appears now that he has learned how to use the media as a tool to put doubt and perhaps fear not only into apponents but also officials.
We've seen the diplomatic and stand offish side of him over the past few seasons in front of the camera's but now there is a new string to his preverbial bow. Another classic trait of Ferguson.
Sunday was a truly wonderfull day, I hate to use the word occasion because I hope days like this once again become a regular sight for us all... again.
As for our Manager, I think he is starting to put all that he his learning in to play. Thanks Sir Alex!
Matthew Barry, Posted 20/04/2009 at 17:55:39
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As for the penalty incident the guys in the ITV studio were split over it and my opinion is that from one view it looked like a definite penalty and another it looked like there was no contact. Now i don’t recall which view Riley had but if he’s not certain he can’t give it. That’s what we’d be told if the shoe was on the other foot anyway. We’d also be told you make your own luck and i’m damn sure had it been us that were denied a penalty like that and went out nothing much would be made of it in the media.
On the whole we won so in all honesty i don’t really care, it’s just nice not to be bemoaning how some debatable decisions may have cost us the chance to get through. If it was deserved or meant to be then they would have scored more penalties than we did. Simples.
You say that there are many ways in which you’d like to see us match the Sky Four. Name these ways please and the realistic way in which we are to attain them.
Our approach over Moyes’ reign of leaving the referees to do their job hasn’t been advantageous to us at all.
The Andy Johnson penalty shouts is a classic example of how Wenger used the media and refs to affect results.
Disappointed in Lyndon?? What a laugh!!
But you have to accept if Moyes hadnt made those comments, then we would have watched a completely different match in which maybe the Jageilka challenge wouldnt have happened.
Personally, I think it was a stonewall penalty when you look at it from Riley’s viewpoint. Moyes’s comments are the only logical mitigating factor as to why he didnt give it. He can argue now, that he got it right. But could he see that when Jags was on the opposite side of Wellbeck? Could he bollocks.
SAF and Wenger have been at it for years, regarding manipulating the officials. It would be interesting to see some statistics on how many points can be attributed to mind games each season.
But then again, maybe thats what SAF wants me to think, that it is a big conspriacy. Maybe in fact, he is trying to take over the world
!! Arggghh, get out of my brain!!!!!
I nodded in agreement as I read your post . . .but then I got to thinking, Big Sam did do a number on Cahill, SAF and Benitez have both accused referees of being influenced by the Goodison crowd - before the game.
Remember the special one’s histrionics at GP accusing AJ of diving ? He later admitted he was wrong but the damage was done, between them, he and Wenger had pushed AJ’s career over a cliff by making remarks to the press
I agree with you, its a sad indictment of where the game is going, but could it be that Moyes (and Lyndon) have just had enough of being the victim ?
The referee got one look through a number of players so unless he’s 100% certain he can’t give it. We were lucky, perhaps, that the linesman (assistant) was on the wrong side but they say you need luck to win a cup.
Nobody can know for sure that Moyes affected the penalty decision other than the referee himself, but unless he is 100% sure in the microsecond he got to see the incident (if he did see it), then the rules are that he cannot give it. The amount of dodgy decisions given to Everton?s opponents in the last 5 years is shocking and I for one would love to rectify that by hook or by crook (pardon the pun Andy).
A few weeks later at Arsenal, a similar thing happend with Pedersen diving in the box but nobody was near him. Ferguson was proved to be right.
There was hardly any difference in the challenge of Jags on Wellbeck, negligible contact; not enough to make him go to ground, it was a dive or a slip on the dodgy pitch. Some you get; some you don't... it went for Ferguson last time, but not this time, people always say it evens itself out over a season.
Let the press talk about the penalty decision, we will just keep marching on quietly and with dignity, all the way up the steps to lift the cup. Then will the press notice ? who cares!
What I’m immensely proud of is the professionalism (in the proper sense) and morality of our team - no abusing the officials and snarling around the ref to get a decision, get a player booked/sent off etc
Why the hell Gordon Taylor, the highest paid prefect in Britain doesn’t sort his membership out over this is beyond me..ffs, they’re supposed to be in the same union
By the way, wasn’t that the best ever rendition of ’Forever Everton’ ever performed (wipes tears from eyes)
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Editorial Team
1 Posted 20/04/2009 at 22:44:33
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Plus, someone in the media should point out that they?d only have missed the penalty had they been given it!