Are Premier League referees now worse than ever?

After a weekend of controversial decisions, is the standard of refereeing in the Premier League at its lowest point yet? Let’s address the incidents chronologically.

In Saturday’s early kick off, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers was left seething after what he described as a “naughty”, potentially career-ending, tackle on Luis Suárez by Kevin Mirallas. 

The Everton winger flew in high and late on the Uruguayan, with his studs registering above knee-height. Referee Phil Dowd clearly saw the incident, but disagreed with the masses, as he brandished a yellow card for the Belgian.

Then, 37 minutes into Sunderland’s 3 o’clock trip to Stoke, Wes Brown saw red for a perfectly timed, albeit strong, tackle on Charlie Adam. A decision which left former Premier League midfielder Robbie Savage outraged, he took to twitter to say “red card for Wes Brown ,terrible, worst decision I've seen.” 

Pundits and fans alike agree that Brown’s tackle required no punishment, let alone a straight red. So how has Kevin Friend made such a howler?

Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon’s clash between Premier League new boys Cardiff, and champions Man United. In the opening ten minutes, Wayne Rooney showed us a glimpse of the recklessness he has tried so desperately to shake. 

After being blocked off by Jordan Mutch, Rooney’s frustration got the better of him and he kicked out at the midfielder, prompting outrage from the home fans. Referee Neil Swarbrick saw the clash and made a decision, Yellow.

Final minute of the same game and Swarbrick delayed the taking of a Cardiff free kick after spotting some over-zealous jostling between Gary Medel and Marouane Fellaini. He gave the two midfielders a warning before allowing the free kick to be taken.

Replays clearly show that Medel aimed a punch towards the Belgian’s face, a blatant red by anyone’s standards. Cardiff went on to score from the free kick.

So just what on Earth is going on? Inconsistency is rife among the so-called elite match officials, it seems as though officials are hell-bent on trying to follow the endless rules which are thrown in front of them by governing bodies. But these rules are followed at the expense of something much more important, common sense. 

Fans and pundits see the action differently because they have the freedom to use common sense. Wes Brown won the ball cleanly and made no contact with Charlie Adam, common sense tells you that’s a great tackle. 

But referees have had this right to use their own mind taken away from them. Brown’s tackle could have been dangerous had he mistimed it, and therefore in the eyes of the bigwigs, he deserves an early bath. 

The simple truth is this, until refs are refunded their power to think, terrible decisions will be a mainstay in our beautiful game.

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Is it time for post-match interviews with refs?

After Tuesday night’s controversial clash between Manchester United and Real Madrid, I found myself asking a question, it’s a question I’ve asked myself many times before, and no doubt I’ll ask again. What on earth was the referee thinking?

When Luis Nani leaped into the air, extending his leg in an attempt to control the ball, he collided with Alvaro Arbeloa. Was it clumsy? Yes. Did he deserve a booking? Yes. Was it worthy of a red? No chance.

There can’t have been many in Old Trafford, not even the most optimistic of Madrid supporters, who expected Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir to reach for his back pocket, and in doing so, ruin what had been an enthralling, end-to-end match, ultimately costing United their place in the Champions League, dashing their hopes of achieving another historic treble.

So I’ll ask again, what was the referee thinking? I think it’s about time we started to find out…

We have post-match interviews with just about everyone these days, players, managers and even the odd celebrity fan like to pop down and have a good old chat with Geoff Shreeves. So why don't referees? Rather than the usual clichéd tripe from some half-soaked footballer telling us “It was just all about the three points today, and luckily we got that” why not have something people would actually want to listen to?

“So Cuneyt, why did you feel it was a red card for Nani?” “Well I felt that his foot was too high, and it was a dangerous play from him, after consulting with my assistant I decided that a red card was the right call to make”

At least now his decision would be justified, it still might not be the right one, but it's been explained.

It's common sense at it's best, but common sense is something FIFA has tended to lack over recent years...  

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Football. Could we learn something from the American game?

The SuperBowl. Ask any American and they’ll tell you “it’s the greatest show on Earth.” Not the greatest game on Earth. Not the greatest match on Earth. The greatest “show.” In some respects of course, they’d be right.

364 days of the year, you’d struggle to find a Briton who knows the difference between a running back and a tight end. So why then, does the SuperBowl become the number one trend on Twitter in the UK?

Does the FA Cup final trend in the US? How about Sergio Aguero’s 94^th minute title-clenching winner, arguably the most exciting sporting moment of the last decade? Of course they don’t, but why not?

I don’t think there can much case for an argument that “football” is a more exciting game than “soccer.” The American game stops and starts every minute, and the action to advert ratio is appalling. So why did such a large amount of Britain stay up until the early hours of Monday morning to watch?

A minority may have tuned in just to see Beyoncé do her thing at half time, fewer still to see the tense drama as two brothers went head to head as coaches on the side-lines. It’s safe to say the majority tuned in for the spectacle. People want to see what all the fuss is about, they want to be entertained.

America takes pride in its national game. Millions of American’s gather to host SuperBowl parties, it’s one big celebration of the game they love.

In England, we’re lucky if a few mates gather down the pub to watch the FA Cup final on a low resolution projector over a pint. And as for half-time entertainment, a lad from Stockport doing keepy-ups while the mascots have a penalty shootout seems to suffice.

The truth is, our football doesn't need Beyoncé belting out ‘Single Ladies’ while Fergie gives United the hairdryer out the back.

We love our game, and most would tell you that they want it kept just the way it is. But once a year, can we not put on a little bit of a show for the rest of the world, and turn the FA Cup final into the spectacle it deserves to be?

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Matthew Hatton Feature

Did you know Hatton’s fighting for the IBO title next month? No? Well before you go running to the internet to try and figure out how the famous Ricky ‘Hitman’ Hatton could have such a massive fight without you even realising, it isn’t actually Ricky at all, it’s his not so little, little brother. Matthew.

Since he was born in Stockport back in 1981, ‘Magic’ Matthew Hatton has done everything he can to try and steal some of the limelight from his big brother. He’s the only Hatton who supports the red half of Manchester for a start.

But on March 2nd, after years of fighting on Ricky’s undercard, Matthew will have his biggest opportunity to claim the spotlight once and for all. In a match which some are calling the biggest fight in South Africa for a dozen years, he takes on IBO Welterweight champion Chris Van Heerden, hoping to add another massive win to his already illustrious career.

The man who claims to have “had more fights than John Wayne” holds a record of 43 wins, six losses and two draws since turning professional in 2000, and has held inter-continental, international, and European welterweight titles, proving that he’s no slouch in the ring. And if you ask him, he’ll even tell you that half of those losses were greatly unjustified.

Many feel that Matthew is a massive underdog travelling to South Africa, after suffering some crushing recent defeats, such as Kell Brook in Sheffield. But apart from a questionable cut stoppage at the start of his career, ‘Magic’ has never been stopped, and feels he is 100 per cent ready for the challenge.

“I do feel physically and mentally that I’m maybe at my peak. I didn’t have a great night there but let’s see what the future holds. You have your ups and your downs, and I do think your downs really make you stronger.”

As much as Matthew wants to adopt some of his brother’s glory, he acknowledges the massive impact ‘The Hitman’ has had on his lengthy career. “Me and Ricky were always sports mad. Boxing is just something that I’ve always been around.”

Matthew began his boxing career as an amateur at the tender age of 12, fighting 22 times before turning pro seven years later, something which he openly regrets. “Perhaps, in hindsight, I should have stayed an amateur a little bit longer. But I think it was seeing Ricky, and how well he was doing professionally, it made me want to quickly turn pro.”

His first professional fight took place in September 2000, ending in victory over fellow pro-debutant David White, and Matthew remembers it like it was yesterday. “The thing I remember most from that night, is I remember the nerves were unbelievable, I always feel sorry now for young lads making their debuts because the nerves are terrible, once you’ve got that first one out the way it does become easier.”

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Usain Bolt Feature

With a name like Usain St Leo Bolt, you’d be forgiven for thinking that ‘the fastest man ever’ was born to be a sprinter. Would he be the man he is today if his name was Usain Puddle? I hardly think so.

But it wasn’t until he reached high school that the Jamaican superstar really began to make the world of sprinting his own. As he grew up in a small Caribbean town in Trelawny, Usain dedicated his life to football and cricket whilst his parents ran the local grocery store. Hardly the glamorous lifestyle we associate with one of the biggest personalities in world sport.

Thankfully, his cricket coach noticed his speed on the pitch when fielding was what you might call, better than average, and urged the lanky teenager to try his hand at track and field. By 2001, the Bolt we know and love had started to emerge, winning 200 metre Silver in the annual High School Championships, frustrating his coach along the way with a lack of dedication, and a penchant for practical jokes.

By the start of 2003, Bolt already had seven gold’s and four silver’s to his name at junior level. And by the time he turned professional in 2004, he was the most exciting prospect in all of world athletics.

Few will have remembered Bolt in the Athens Olympics, an injury hampered performance led to a disappointing first round exit, a setback which could have sent a much weaker man’s career spiralling downwards, but not Bolt.

In 2005, Bolt began working with new coach Glen Mills, he dedicated his time and effort on a much more serious level, and in the next 3 years, won gold in the 2005 CAC Championships in Nassau, and silver in both the 200 metres and 4x100 metre relay in the 2007 Osaka world championships.

Then, in 2008, the man they call the ‘Lightning Bolt’ went to Beijing, the rest, as they say, is history.

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Lance Armstrong is the Harvey Dent of Cycling

So I recently watched the Batman trilogy, and as soon as I'd finished watching The Dark Knight, I couldn't help but notice an obvious link between Harvey Dent and Lance Armstrong.

If you've seen The Dark Knight, you'll understand all about Harvey Dent, and why Batman saved him instead of Rachel, and why Batman took the fall for Dent's crimes etc. etc.

If you haven't, it basically goes like this:

Harvey Dent is a district attorney in Gotham, he puts criminals behind bars. But he becomes much more important to the people of Gotham than that, he becomes their hero, their idol. He becomes the ray of hope for people that Gotham can overcome all the crime, without him, the people of Gotham have nothing to believe in.

Batman understands this, and so when Harvey Dent is corrupted by the Joker, and goes on a killing spree, Batman decides to take the fall for Dent's crimes, because if he doesn't, and the people learn that even Harvey Dent, the saviour of Gotham, the ray of hope they have, can be corrupted, that even he can sink to the levels of the scum he is trying to fight. Then what hope does Gotham have? Gotham is doomed.

Sure enough, we see at the start of The Dark Knight Rises, that in the 8 years since Dent's death, his untarnished legacy has helped Gotham become a better place.

Everything about that story screams Lance Armstrong to me.

Lance Armstrong is the Harvey Dent of cycling, he was the ray of hope in a sport filled with cheating and doping. He was the guy who had battled cancer and gone on to win 7 Tour De France titles without cheating. If he could do it, so could anyone, fans started to believe that cycling could become a clean sport again.

However, the powers that be in cycling, were given the same choice as Batman was, do they expose Armstrong's corruption? or do they sweep it under the carpet for the good of the sport?

They, rightly so, chose to expose him, but now we're facing the kind of backlash that Gotham never faced in the films. The white knight of cycling proved to be just as corrupt as everyone else, so what hope does cycling have? It's reputation for cheating has become stronger than ever now.

The only hope cycling has, is that Bradley Wiggins is the new Lance Armstrong. If he can become the ray of hope for cycling and go on to become half as successful as Armstrong, and do it cleanly, the sport may just be pulled from the gutter it currently lies in.

But if Wiggins is ever found to have cheated? Cycling could well and truly be finished.

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