Moog, don't read this

Cards all round for the referees of this blunder-full Christmas

Niall Quinn Friday December 30, 2005 The Guardian

"What has happened to referees? I know Christmas is a time for giving but there seems to have been some sort of epidemic when it comes to refs handing out red and yellow cards over the past few days - amid other bad decisions.

Did Mike Riley really not see that Milan Baros steered the ball towards Everton's goal with his hand at Villa Park on Boxing Day? That was the day Graham Poll seemed to think John Terry was not guilty of handball in Chelsea's penalty area when Fulham attacked; Terry said afterwards that it was not a deliberate handball but everyone there must have left Stamford Bridge thinking Chelsea had got away with it.

Article continues On Wednesday Poll was at it again, and again Everton were the victims. I can fully understand David Moyes if he feels a sense of persecution. Did either Phil Neville or Mikel Arteta deserve to be sent off? In my opinion, no.

Neville's dismissal ruined what was a hard-fought but clean derby. After he went off the occasion sagged, the pace dropped, the contest was effectively over. I think such red cards, false dismissals in my book, are the worst decisions referees make. Games are ruined when players are sent off.

Sometimes players deserve it, of course, and officials are not helped by the "off, off, off" crowd culture we now have. Frequently the correct decision is made on this and other matters.

I am prepared to stand up for referees when the time is right, probably for the first time in my life. The reason is that a couple of weeks ago I went on a referees' course. It was part of the Uefa coaching qualifications, and done through the Football buttociation of Ireland. It was, as they say, an eye-opener.

All of us who went that day were former players, aspiring coaches or football people of some brand. We all thought we knew what we were talking about. A session with Ireland's refereeing guru James Finnegan left us thinking we might not in fact know it all.

We watched a video of 20 incidents from games all over Europe. We then had a multiple-choice test to indicate which decision was correct. When our answers were reviewed quite a few of us left the room looking at the ground.

I think I got four of the 20 wrong, which sounds quite good. But that is 20% wrong and if a referee's decisions in a game are 20% incorrect there could be uproar. Imagine if the 20% were the match-changing decisions. So I came away a little more thoughtful about how difficult a referee's job is.

Part of the course is aimed at reinforcing consistency of decision-making, often a manager's biggest complaint. This is done by trying to make decisions black-and-white. That reduces interpretation and should lead to a consistently applied set of rules. All good in theory, but common sense is removed from this equation.

Plus, on the big issue of offside and a player's interference or otherwise, common-sense interpretation has to be part of the process. Had Robin van Persie's claimed goal for Arsenal against Chelsea been allowed that might have been a very different match, but Thierry Henry was deemed to be interfering even though he was "not active" when the ball was pbutted to Van Persie.

If Poll had used common sense - or felt he had the leeway to do so - Everton would have Neville and Arteta available at Sunderland tomorrow, a match Evertonians may describe as must-win.

In three days Poll and Riley have made life much harder for Moyes. Decisions are said to even themselves out over a season but I have never believed that. Some decisions are bigger than others. Everton will need a few dubious penalty awards to make them think refereeing justice is a long-term process - though officialdom may need to define "common sense" in the rulebook for that to happen." -- "i'm just a soul whose intentions are good, Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood"