Like most football fans I remember growing up and looking forward with great anticipation to every weekend when the football season was on. The week would build slowly and by Thursday the real run in to your clubs game would be well under way. Team news would be coming out, and managers would be giving their weekly press conferences, I would read every paragraph of the newspapers and would always hope my club Leeds United would be mentioned. As I grew up I became a successful referee and had a career that brought me such satisfaction and I made so many good friends. I became over the years a member of the third team on the park and what fun times we had. As you all know from my previous blogs I am very outspoken when it comes to all things refereeing, and this season I have seen things go from bad to worse. I have got to the point now, where every week I am taking phone calls and texts from people who always want my views. Refereeing decisions in the Barclays Premier League this season have been horrendous, and I am now getting to the point at the weekend where I am behind the couch, having a sly look out at the TV to see who is going to mess up next and there has been no shortage of takers. It has got so bad, I am struggling to comprehend how these mistakes are been made. The spotlight this week falls on Neil Swarbrick and Keith Stroud. When looking back just before the international break both referees put on horror shows no matter how they try and look at it.
Neil Swarbrick was only one minute into his game between Manchester City and West Bromwich Albion and his disaster struck. Craig Dawson took down Bony and he was adjudged by the referee to have stopped a clear goal scoring opportunity. Well the easiest thing in the world to do was to dismiss the West Brom player and he did, but unfortunately he made a complete hash of things and sent off the wrong player. He dismissed Gareth McAuley who must have been as shocked to receive it as I was to see him getting it. I cannot figure out what he was even thinking. I have to also say I agree with former Leeds United player Danny Mills that it was 50/50 whether or not it was actually red. I thought he would have got away with just giving the free and a possible yellow, a lot of pundits were calling for technology again to be introduced again to help solve these issues, but in my opinion this is basic refereeing and these things should not happen. Neil should be given a few weeks off to reflect and when he returns hopefully it will be as a better referee.
The incident which I have just written about happened in the second live televised match of the weekend. The next incident I want to look at is the one that happened in the Wolves v Derby game which was shown live on TV on Friday night. Actually that is a point not missed on me when a good friend of mine in Dublin Bill Brady, posted on Facebook on Saturday morning that we were only two games in to the weekend and already there had been monumental errors. If I may return to the incident in the Wolves game which had a normally very laid back Steve McClaren up in arms. In what was an obvious goal scoring opportunity referee Stroud blew for a free kick when a Wolves player took out Darren Bent of Derby, but what beggars belief, is the fact he did not send off the Wolves defender. Clear goal scoring chance, not nearly clear but 100% clear. I have to say he totally bottled the big decision and in an indirect way effected the result of the game, something a referee should never do once he applies the letter of the law.
So before I go this week let me assure you that there are referees up and down the country who are doing a terrific job but unfortunately it is the boys on the main stage who are making a mess of things. So as we enter the final few games of the season I do hope none of these bad refereeing decisions will affect your team, but I cannot promise anything. Until next time enjoy your football.
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