More Reffing Stuff

Referees are demanding a public apology from Sir Alex Ferguson for an apparent slur on the integrity of Martin Atkinson.
Last night the referees’ union weighed into the row as the FA deliberate on whether tocharge the Manchester United boss over his comments following his side’s 2-1 defeat at Chelsea on Tuesday night.
Alan Leighton, whose union Prospect is engaged to represent match officials, said: ‘The ball is in Sir Alex’s court. I’m less interested in whether he’s charged than
removing this stigma from the referee at Stamford Bridge.

'The referees are saying that if one is questioned then it questions them all. None of them want their integrity impaired. So the best way would be a retraction.’
The FA have until 4pm on Friday to decide whether to press charges, a move which
would activate an extended touchline ban as he still has a two match suspension
hanging over him for his attack on Alan Wiley in November 2009.
The FA have requested video footage from MUTV of a post-match interview in which
Ferguson said: ‘It was a major game for both clubs and you want a fair referee. When I saw who was refereeing it, I feared the worst.’



Got to love people not being able to take a bit of criticisms when they FAIL miserably at their jobs.

Sir Alex getting banned for two matches??

"Sir Alex Ferguson is facing the possibility of a minimum two-match touchline ban for his outspoken criticisms of the referee Martin Atkinson.

The Football Association's lawyers are deliberating over whether to open proceedings against the Manchester United manager following his reaction to the 2-1 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. United have already spoken to their own legal advisers and Ferguson has indicated he intends to plead not guilty if he is to face disciplinary action for the fifth time in as many years.

The expectation within Old Trafford is that he will be charged and Ferguson already has two matches of a four-game touchline ban hanging over him as a suspended sentence for his condemnation of Alan Wiley in 2009 as not being physically fit to officiate in the Premier League.

That punishment will be triggered automatically if Ferguson is found guilty of misconduct for the post-match outburst in which he castigated Atkinson for not sending off the Chelsea defender David Luiz and blamed the defeat on a series of refereeing decisions.

"You hope you get a really strong referee in games like this," he said. "It was a major game for both clubs and you want a fair referee, you know ... You want a strong referee, anyway, and we didn't get that. I don't know why he's got the game. I must say that, when I saw who was refereeing it, I feared the worst."

The FA's investigation is heavily focused on the word "fair" and the implication that Ferguson was alleging impartiality on the part of a referee who has been a source of frustration to him ever since an FA Cup tie against Portsmouth in March 2008, when both the United manager and his then assistant, Carlos Queiroz, were charged for their criticisms of his performance.

The FA has asked Sky and MUTV for an unedited copy of their post-match interviews from Stamford Bridge and the governing body has until 4pm on Friday to decide what to do next. In Ferguson's defence, the way he appears to backtrack a little on the "fair" comment may help him in what is considered a difficult and tight decision for the FA.

If charged, Ferguson would be given one working day to respond and a hearing would take place next week, ruling out the possibility that Ferguson will have to watch Sunday's game at Liverpool in the stands. Instead, a possible ban would come into place for two home games, the FA Cup quarter-final on 12 March and the Premier League game against Bolton Wanderers a week later.

In the case of a proven charge, the FA would also have the power to add to that punishment if it felt the offence was serious enough, and it would be held against Ferguson if he has chosen to deny any wrongdoing.

United's manager is facing problems in his back four for the match at Liverpool because Nemanja Vidic is suspended after being sent off at Chelsea and Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans are injured. It means Chris Smalling is likely to be partnered in central defence by Wes Brown, who has fallen out of favour and has not featured in the Premier League since November. The left-back Patrice Evra, meanwhile, is having treatment after coming off at Stamford Bridge with an injury.

Michael Carrick has called on United to react swiftly to their second defeat in four league games. "We feel pretty down but we can move on quickly," the midfielder said. "We have to. We're used to doing it and normally we are good at it. That is the nature of the beast.""

From the Guardian

It's interesting to think about how Manchester gets screwed out of a MAJOR game, then get turn right around to smack us in the face again by thinking about banning Sir Alex for him ranting? Can he not speak his mind about true facts against a ref who was just totally against the entire match??

This just gets more and more amazing!

Poor ole owl

This picture was taken right before Luis Moreno decided to get rid of this injured owl off of the field by booting it off of the field. I'd like to kind of ramble on about this just for the pure fact of what is wrong with this guy.

Firstly, I know for a fact that most players who would have seen just a regular normal owl laying out OBVIOUSLY injuried would just stop playing and let someone who knows how to take care of it or remove it would. Now I am not a PETA freak or anything, but running up and kicking the poor bird, who could have very well just recovered from the simple injury it had before, is just down right rude and selfish. Who would really sit there and think, "Oh hey, this bird laying on its back, which is obviously not NORMAL for a bird, is in the way at the edge of the field, I should get rid of it by punting it like I was shooting for a score! Yay me!!!"

That is just disgraceful. But what is even more sad, is how he just got a little slap on the wrist and slowly no one cared besides the team which is now without it's lucky mascot.

"BOGOTA, Colombia -- The soccer player who kicked an injured owl off the field during a match has been suspended for two matches and fined $560 by Colombian soccer officials.

Officials handed out the sanctions on Wednesday to Luis Moreno, a defender for Colombian club Deportivo Pereira, who jogged over from his position and kicked the owl after the injured bird landed Sunday in a corner of the field. The owl died of shock 30 hours later despite treatment at a local veterinary clinic.

The owl served as the mascot for Colombian club Atletico Junior, which defeated Pereira 2-1 in the match. Moreno apologized and said he was only trying to get the bird off the field and did not know it was a team mascot."

From ESPN

All I have to say, is that guy is SUPER lucky that he is playing in south america and not somewhere else were he WOULD have been sent straight to jail. I honestly hope that someone will get some revenge for that poor owl, but maybe I am too passionate about animals and dumb people.

John O'Shea on Giggs

John O'Shea says he is in awe of the achievements of Manchester United team-mate Ryan Giggs and insists the Welshman's longevity could see him continue playing until he is 40.

Wednesday marks exactly 20 years to the day that Giggs made his United debut against Everton, though he was unable to celebrate the anniversary by securing victory over Chelsea on Tuesday night.

While a few one-club men still exist in English football - Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Ledley King and Tony Hibbert among others - Giggs' achievement in reaching the milestone of two decades in the top flight is unparalleled in the modern era.

And even though many of Giggs' team-mates have been around Old Trafford for some considerable time themselves - O'Shea, Paul Scholes and Wes Brown included - they are lost in admiration for the 37-year-old.

With Giggs having signed a one-year contract extension earlier this year, O'Shea feels he could carry on for at least another three years.

"Without a doubt,'' O'Shea said. "His physical shape hasn't changed since I've known him and he looks after himself so well.

"Depending on injuries he could easily carry on, although I am sure he just wants to take it one season at a time. He is just enjoying it so much at the minute so I can't see why he can't but I'll let him decide on that.''

If nothing else, Tuesday's game allowed Giggs to equal Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 606 league appearances, another record in addition to the scores the Welshman already has.

Indeed, in the modern era, the only player O'Shea can think of that is remotely comparable is recently-retired Italian legend Paolo Maldini.

"You see how the manager has built squads and Giggsy has been a vital part of every single one of them,'' he said. "It's just incredible. Maldini springs to mind with AC Milan but I think Giggsy has even gone past him."

Giggs' new one-year contract means that he could certainly run Maldini close, but the United winger remains 41 league games shy of Maldini's total of 647 games for AC Milan and also 39 short of his overall total of 902 matches.

Nonetheless, O'Shea believes Giggs can be considered nothing less than an "absolute legend" at Old Trafford.

"The speed and the balance he still shows to go past whether it be an old, experienced defender or a new, up-and-coming young strong defender is incredible," O'Shea said.

"Every cliche in the book has been used about the man already and I am sure they will be said many times again. He is an absolute legend.''

Carrick on refs

Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has urged officials to get the big decisions right in important matches.
Sir Alex Ferguson heaped the responsibility for United's 2-1 defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge onto the shoulders of referee Martin Atkinson.
Carrick backed up his boss and said: "Some decisions didn't go our way and we're on the end of a defeat, which is very hard to take. You have to get big decisions right in games of that importance."
The criticism of Atkinson over his failure to send David Luiz off for tripping Wayne Rooney immediately before awarding Chelsea their match-winning penalty for a debatable Chris Smalling foul on Yuri Zhirkov drew a stinging rebuke from Ferguson.
Although the United boss might have kept his counsel and reflected on the changing fortunes of a game that should have left him playing with just 10 men at Wigan three days earlier, Ferguson opted to let fly with both barrels.
"You want a fair referee, or a strong referee anyway - and we didn't get that," he said.
"I must say, when I saw who the referee was I feared it. I feared the worst."
Given the United boss already has the remaining two matches of a four-game touchline ban hanging over him following scathing comments about Alan Wiley's fitness last season, a further spell in the stands appears inevitable if misconduct is proved.
The FA have until 6pm on Thursday to charge Ferguson, although that may just fuel a sense of injustice at Old Trafford ahead of what is now a vital trip to Liverpool on Sunday when far more than local pride will be at stake.

Arsenal and today's match.

I thought this was a good read for Arsenal and what they should be feeling right now!


When this fixture was inexplicably postponed 27 hours before it was supposed to take place last December, the Premier League was bracing itself in the freezing temperatures for one of the crucial title showdowns of the season.

Lampard scores the winner, which will have led to even louder cheers in Highbury and Islington
Fast forward two-and-a-half months and the match still carried great importance, but for only one of the two teams on show at Stamford Bridge.

Even the most optimistic of Chelsea fans must concede that being 12 points behind Manchester United with just ten rounds of games now left, even if they do have a game in hand, is too much to claw back. They cannot expect Arsenal to implode too.

So it is Arsenal who were the biggest winners just 48 hours after they were Carling Cup final losers.

Few could have predicted the turn of events when the two teams went in at the break. United had been superb for all but the first ten minutes of the match, with Paul Scholes pulling the strings as he always seems to do with consummate ease, Wayne Rooney bustling and bruising his way up top and Edwin van der Sar proving his timeless quality when called upon in goal.

Rooney's superbly struck opener was symptomatic of Chelsea's problems, as he turned unopposed from Nani's short pass to fire home his first Premier League goal from outside the area since scoring against Newcastle over three years ago.

Maybe it was left to John Terry to deliver a Scott Parker-style Churchillian address to his team-mates but, whatever was said in the changing room at the break, it worked as Chelsea were a different team in the second period.

Carlo Ancelotti sent his team back out playing with speed. Whereas before the break the Blues were ponderous both on the ball and off it, after it they were reinvigorated.

For those who had written Chelsea off as a spent force with no desire or team spirit, it was a 45 minutes which belied those accusations. It was a half of true character, grit and determination - but also of quality. It was no shock when the leveller came nine minutes after the break.

What was more of a surprise was the sight of defenders Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz as the only two players in the box as Michael Essien lofted a ball towards goal. Ivanovic helped the ball on and Luiz fired home what will surely be the first of many in the Premier League.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was fuming at the performance of referee Martin Atkinson after the match, and there's little doubt that Luiz should not have been on the pitch at the end of the game. His deliberate blocking of Rooney was the most serious of his offences when already on a yellow - but some will point out that Rooney should not even have been playing following his own (unpunished) indiscretion against Wigan at the weekend.

When the winner came it was unfortunate for Chris Smalling, a signing which left many United fans scratching their heads 12 months ago but which now looks like a sound investment for the future. Yuri Zhirkov exposed his naivety in winning the penalty which would down United after popping the ball between his legs - but for Smalling there will be greater days to come.

In the end, Nemanja Vidic received what seemed to be a certain red card for someone, as the tackles flew in - especially with referee Atkinson having handed out the most red cards in the Premier League so far this season. Vidic had walked the tightrope since being booked on the stroke of half-time, and his foul on Ramires in the 93rd minute was one too many.

Ancelotti may refuse to accept defeat in the quest to keep hold of his Premier League crown, but at least Chelsea are back in the Champions League qualifying places. With United travelling to Kenny Dalglish's Liverpool 24 hours after Arsenal entertain Sunderland on Saturday, it is odds-on that they will have to win at Anfield to keep their cushion over Arsene Wenger's men. That said, Arsenal's game in hand is away at their own arch-rivals, Tottenham, on Wednesday, April 20.

The crunch will surely come on Sunday, May 1 at Emirates Stadium when Manchester United visit the capital. For now, it's another side from across London who have had the greatest say in the title race.

From ESPN

Another big game..

I have only been watching premier league for only so long, longer than most in America I will say, but not as long as someone living at the UK. For some reason, the past couple of years when it comes to major games there has been major problems with the reffing. I am sure the pressure is really high when it comes to refereeing a GIGANTIC game like Manchester United vs Chelsea, but making silly mistakes over and over is just lame and ruins the game of what could have been!

This game could have easily been a real nail biter, and pretty much was during most of the first half, and into the second. But the first half didn't come off without it's oops and my bads from the refs, simply just calling different things here and there like he was more trying to do nothing and act like he was working hard.

But in the end, as we all saw, Chelsea pulled off a groovy victory, tying the game up with a good header, with a Manchester's defense failing to defend against it, and only to watch their hopes slip away in another away defeat at Stamford Bridge two minutes after a obvious foul was missed call, a bad call was made and a penalty kick was given to a diver.

Frank Lampard hardly misses thoses, and the same can be said about his free kicks. So obviously he slammed it home and the last ten minutes was Manchester trying to fight tooth and nail, only to be held in their own corner for a good solid few minutes.

Karma HAS to be real, that is the only obvious explanation about today's game. Otherwise, it could have easily been another Manchester United win.