Saturday, 29 October 2011
Armchair Sport: Manchester United
Armchair Sport: Manchester United: Since the Manchester Derby mauling inflicted by "noisy neighbours" Manchester City last weekend many have questioned United's defensive prob...
Manchester United
Since the Manchester Derby mauling inflicted by "noisy neighbours" Manchester City last weekend many have questioned United's defensive problems. However those problems have actually been there since the last time the two sides faced each other.
Back in August at Wembley in the community shield United gave City a 2 goal head start and somehow managed that time to turn the result around to win 3-2. At that time United were the settled club and City were still shaping their squad. United then squeaked a win against West Brom and the 3-0 win over Tottenham flattered United. Against Arsenal United got very lucky. On the day they played a team low in confidence but had Arsenal scored the penalty the whole complexion of the match and again the final 8-2 scoreline flattered United.
September started with a convincing 5-0 win away at Bolton but came at a price as the Bolton captain threw himself into many of United's team. The next match saw the start when United struggled against an inferior Benfica team in the Champions League. The problem first became highlighted against Chelsea in a 3-1 win. But for some amazing misses from Chelsea and a couple of border line refereeing decisions and things should of been different. United were struggling to create chances despite dominating possession. At the same time opposing teams were counter attacking and looking dangerous every time.
Next after a tricky trip to Stoke which saw probably a point gained came another defensive horror in the 3-3 draw with Basle. Norwich will consider themselves unlucky on the day to lose 2-0 when again had chances been taken the result would have been different. Then United went to Liverpool and any United fan would have taken a draw before the match and United fought well but never threatened to win. Even against minnows Galati in the Champions League, United were less than convincing in a 2-0 win.
And so came the Derby and United came unstuck in front of millions. It was the first defeat of the season yet somehow keeper David de Gea escaped with unusual praise from the press. He did well to keep the score down and can only wonder what was going on in front of him. City exposed Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans weaknesses and you have to wonder about both. Has Rio lost that crucial yard of pace? Is Evans the future? Ferdinand is still a top defender when he is 100% fit but to get the best out of himself for United I feel England may have to do without him. But Smalling and Jones are the future so the first mistake was having Jones on the bench and Evans on the pitch.
The next problem was United's midfield. Nani remains a frustrating player. In matches like that the little flicks don't seem to come off. Antonio Valencia is a much steadier performer and that was another flaw in Fergie's selection. The most critical mistake was playing 4-4-2 which United don't do against the big teams. By playing 4-3-3 United look and are a tougher team to break down. In the end nobody seemed to know what to do and once Evans was dismissed with United chasing the game the writing was on the wall.
There has been injuries I know but I'm not sure Fergie knows what his best team is. De Gea is growing into the role and Smalling and Jones can play right back and centre back. Vidic and Evra provide experience, battling qualities and leadership on the pitch. If a 3-man midfield is the way to go then Cleverley is looking a key member of the side. Him and Fletcher can build a good partnership with Rooney dropping back in front of them when chasing possession. Ashley Young and Valencia are reliable providers and Hernandez is a goal getter.
That being the idea of United's strongest XI and 8 started against Everton although Cleverley went off injured to be replaced by Nani. You have to question the wisdom in releasing Hargreaves considering the repetition of Cleverley's injury problems. United held on for a 1-0 win which is another good result and they produced a good defensive display.
Before the season started I looked at the games United had and thought 22 points from 10 games would be a good total. That would of been 7 wins, 1 draw and allowed for 2 defeats. United have 23 points from 10 games, have only lost once and gained 2 useful draws away at Stoke and Liverpool. City won't be easy to catch but all United can do is maintain the gap. Now United head into a period where they should gain their 8th point in the Champions League group stage, they have been given the best draw for the Carling Cup Quarter Finals, and 3 games that should produce 9 points. Before November is out also sees the home fixture against Benfica. So by December United should have qualified for the knock out stage of the Champions League and be in the Carling Cup semi finals and if your Sir Alex Ferguson you have to look at the fixtures and try to not lose any league points between now and the new year. They have Arsenal away on the 22nd of January and have 11 league matches between that and anything less than 29 points from a possible 33 ultimately won't be good enough I feel. In the same time City will have 3 crucial Champions League games 2 of which are away and the other is a home tie against Bayern Munich. OK the Germans should have qualified by then but now there is also a tricky Carling Cup tie against Arsenal plus league matches against Liverpool (away), Chelsea (away), Arsenal (home), Liverpool (home) and Tottenham (home) all in the the same time period. United have given City a slight head start but lets just wait and see the league table come the end of January.
Back in August at Wembley in the community shield United gave City a 2 goal head start and somehow managed that time to turn the result around to win 3-2. At that time United were the settled club and City were still shaping their squad. United then squeaked a win against West Brom and the 3-0 win over Tottenham flattered United. Against Arsenal United got very lucky. On the day they played a team low in confidence but had Arsenal scored the penalty the whole complexion of the match and again the final 8-2 scoreline flattered United.
September started with a convincing 5-0 win away at Bolton but came at a price as the Bolton captain threw himself into many of United's team. The next match saw the start when United struggled against an inferior Benfica team in the Champions League. The problem first became highlighted against Chelsea in a 3-1 win. But for some amazing misses from Chelsea and a couple of border line refereeing decisions and things should of been different. United were struggling to create chances despite dominating possession. At the same time opposing teams were counter attacking and looking dangerous every time.
Next after a tricky trip to Stoke which saw probably a point gained came another defensive horror in the 3-3 draw with Basle. Norwich will consider themselves unlucky on the day to lose 2-0 when again had chances been taken the result would have been different. Then United went to Liverpool and any United fan would have taken a draw before the match and United fought well but never threatened to win. Even against minnows Galati in the Champions League, United were less than convincing in a 2-0 win.
And so came the Derby and United came unstuck in front of millions. It was the first defeat of the season yet somehow keeper David de Gea escaped with unusual praise from the press. He did well to keep the score down and can only wonder what was going on in front of him. City exposed Rio Ferdinand and Johnny Evans weaknesses and you have to wonder about both. Has Rio lost that crucial yard of pace? Is Evans the future? Ferdinand is still a top defender when he is 100% fit but to get the best out of himself for United I feel England may have to do without him. But Smalling and Jones are the future so the first mistake was having Jones on the bench and Evans on the pitch.
The next problem was United's midfield. Nani remains a frustrating player. In matches like that the little flicks don't seem to come off. Antonio Valencia is a much steadier performer and that was another flaw in Fergie's selection. The most critical mistake was playing 4-4-2 which United don't do against the big teams. By playing 4-3-3 United look and are a tougher team to break down. In the end nobody seemed to know what to do and once Evans was dismissed with United chasing the game the writing was on the wall.
There has been injuries I know but I'm not sure Fergie knows what his best team is. De Gea is growing into the role and Smalling and Jones can play right back and centre back. Vidic and Evra provide experience, battling qualities and leadership on the pitch. If a 3-man midfield is the way to go then Cleverley is looking a key member of the side. Him and Fletcher can build a good partnership with Rooney dropping back in front of them when chasing possession. Ashley Young and Valencia are reliable providers and Hernandez is a goal getter.
That being the idea of United's strongest XI and 8 started against Everton although Cleverley went off injured to be replaced by Nani. You have to question the wisdom in releasing Hargreaves considering the repetition of Cleverley's injury problems. United held on for a 1-0 win which is another good result and they produced a good defensive display.
Before the season started I looked at the games United had and thought 22 points from 10 games would be a good total. That would of been 7 wins, 1 draw and allowed for 2 defeats. United have 23 points from 10 games, have only lost once and gained 2 useful draws away at Stoke and Liverpool. City won't be easy to catch but all United can do is maintain the gap. Now United head into a period where they should gain their 8th point in the Champions League group stage, they have been given the best draw for the Carling Cup Quarter Finals, and 3 games that should produce 9 points. Before November is out also sees the home fixture against Benfica. So by December United should have qualified for the knock out stage of the Champions League and be in the Carling Cup semi finals and if your Sir Alex Ferguson you have to look at the fixtures and try to not lose any league points between now and the new year. They have Arsenal away on the 22nd of January and have 11 league matches between that and anything less than 29 points from a possible 33 ultimately won't be good enough I feel. In the same time City will have 3 crucial Champions League games 2 of which are away and the other is a home tie against Bayern Munich. OK the Germans should have qualified by then but now there is also a tricky Carling Cup tie against Arsenal plus league matches against Liverpool (away), Chelsea (away), Arsenal (home), Liverpool (home) and Tottenham (home) all in the the same time period. United have given City a slight head start but lets just wait and see the league table come the end of January.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Armchair Sport: Luis Suarez - Super Cheat
Armchair Sport: Luis Suarez - Super Cheat: When Liverpool signed the Uruguay international I was delighted. Thank goodness Manchester United didn't sign him I thought. Before the 2010...
Luis Suarez - Super Cheat
When Liverpool signed the Uruguay international I was delighted. Thank goodness Manchester United didn't sign him I thought. Before the 2010 World Cup I had doubts as to whether he was Premiership quality or not. After all many have come from the Dutch league and not done as well as Suarez. Then came the World Cup encounter against Ghana. Nobody can say they wouldn't have handled the ball on the line as Suarez did to prevent Ghana scoring but the scenes of him standing in the tunnel watching Gyan miss the resulting penalty and Suarez celebration left a bad taste in the mouth. From that moment the tournament went downhill quicker than Fabio Capello's ill fated index system. The feeling afterwards was that a cheat had got away with one.
Since the new season has started he has been berating officials, waving imaginary cards, diving about the place and apparently racially insulting Patrice Evra. It is my opinion that Suarez's over theatrics were part of the reason referee Martin Atkinson wrongly sent Jack Rodwell off in the Merseyside derby. OK Rodwell has had that card reduced but Everton can't get those points back and Suarez gets away with another one. Then there was a match early in the season when Suarez handled a through ball before getting fouled by the defender. What was Suarez's reaction. To claim injustice about the foul. Maybe he has a syndrome popular amongst goldfish that enables him to forget things after 5 seconds.
Against Manchester United on Saturday he was back to his rolling on the floor like an extra in some war film and after considering all this it does not surprise me that the unsporting Suarez is racially abusing people. Usually you would assume innocent until proven guilty but just watching the rodent faced Suarez for 90 minutes is all the proof needed. There are pieces of skill don't get me wrong but there is to much selfishness and an air of spoilt brat about him. You don't watch him wondering if he will score but you find yourself watching for cheating. The time has come for referees to watch back some of his antics this season and to start punishing him for his cheating antics. The only consolation in my eyes is that he doesn't play for my country or my club.
Since the new season has started he has been berating officials, waving imaginary cards, diving about the place and apparently racially insulting Patrice Evra. It is my opinion that Suarez's over theatrics were part of the reason referee Martin Atkinson wrongly sent Jack Rodwell off in the Merseyside derby. OK Rodwell has had that card reduced but Everton can't get those points back and Suarez gets away with another one. Then there was a match early in the season when Suarez handled a through ball before getting fouled by the defender. What was Suarez's reaction. To claim injustice about the foul. Maybe he has a syndrome popular amongst goldfish that enables him to forget things after 5 seconds.
Against Manchester United on Saturday he was back to his rolling on the floor like an extra in some war film and after considering all this it does not surprise me that the unsporting Suarez is racially abusing people. Usually you would assume innocent until proven guilty but just watching the rodent faced Suarez for 90 minutes is all the proof needed. There are pieces of skill don't get me wrong but there is to much selfishness and an air of spoilt brat about him. You don't watch him wondering if he will score but you find yourself watching for cheating. The time has come for referees to watch back some of his antics this season and to start punishing him for his cheating antics. The only consolation in my eyes is that he doesn't play for my country or my club.
Friday, 14 October 2011
Armchair Sport: Overseas TV rights
Armchair Sport: Overseas TV rights: It was brought to my attention that Liverpool wanted to change how TV rights were distributed throughout the Premier League. Apparently the ...
Overseas TV rights
It was brought to my attention that Liverpool wanted to change how TV rights were distributed throughout the Premier League. Apparently the big clubs are suffering. Well sorry but hang on a second. How much have Liverpool spent in the calendar year of 2011? I don't know the exact amount but considering they spent £35m and there were the deals for Suarez, Henderson and Downing. Then you have to remember they signed Jose Enrique and Charlie Adam so that has to be around £100m.
Now Liverpool's argument is that the better teams in Spain like Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to sign the best players because they receive a larger percentage of the TV money. Meanwhile teams are struggling to stay afloat at the bottom of the league and this season was delayed due to a pay strike backed by the top players. That would suggest they do not feel the gulf is fair. Then you have to watch La Liga for weekend to realise that the standard of matches is not the same. Fair enough a piece of skill may impress you but it's not just the play it's the stadiums, the history of the teams, it's everything. The dream that one day your local team just might play at Old Trafford or Anfield. Right now we have the toughest league because on any one off day can see anyone beat anyone.
Now if Liverpool are struggling to run a business out of their football club they may consider the idea of TV season tickets as a way of exploiting the overseas markets. For a change in distribution needs 14 teams to agree and I don't see that as fair or something I'd care to support. Indeed I have arguments that the teams at the bottom should receive more than the ones at the top as the better teams have means to raise funds in other areas.
Now Liverpool's argument is that the better teams in Spain like Real Madrid and Barcelona continue to sign the best players because they receive a larger percentage of the TV money. Meanwhile teams are struggling to stay afloat at the bottom of the league and this season was delayed due to a pay strike backed by the top players. That would suggest they do not feel the gulf is fair. Then you have to watch La Liga for weekend to realise that the standard of matches is not the same. Fair enough a piece of skill may impress you but it's not just the play it's the stadiums, the history of the teams, it's everything. The dream that one day your local team just might play at Old Trafford or Anfield. Right now we have the toughest league because on any one off day can see anyone beat anyone.
Now if Liverpool are struggling to run a business out of their football club they may consider the idea of TV season tickets as a way of exploiting the overseas markets. For a change in distribution needs 14 teams to agree and I don't see that as fair or something I'd care to support. Indeed I have arguments that the teams at the bottom should receive more than the ones at the top as the better teams have means to raise funds in other areas.
Armchair Sport: England's Latest Failure - Euro 2012
Armchair Sport: England's Latest Failure - Euro 2012: Amidst all the coverage surrounding Wayne Rooney's red card against Montenegro, the small matter of qualification to Euro 2012 was achieved....
England's Latest Failure - Euro 2012
Amidst all the coverage surrounding Wayne Rooney's red card against Montenegro, the small matter of qualification to Euro 2012 was achieved. We are guaranteed another major international tournament in the summer except this time the public has already written us off. Quite rightly to in my eyes. From being a youngster in 1990 and the national interest to the nations involvement in 1996 there was always a sense of possibility. That on our day we were as good as anything that Europe or the world could throw at us. Then came the golden generation and with it also came a new batch of excuses. Weak feet, bad referee decisions even blaming a Portuguese winker.
The bottom line is nothing has really changed. When it gets round to the summer we will all loyally sit and watch our nation roll over for the world to see. People will bang on about how many new caps have been awarded since the disaster in South Africa. While that may be true there is a difference between token debut caps and trying new players.
For example if something should happen to Joe Hart then just who does Fabio Capello have faith with between the posts. Scott Carson was on the bench for the last match but I'm more than happy for Turkey to adopt him now he is playing there. Maybe Robert Green is his man. Again. Until the next clanger. Maybe Ben Foster can be talked into playing again. The thing is should the worse case scenario happen and Hart is unable to represent England in the summer then who would you trust with that position.
My second reason for England's poor performance in 2012 is the back 4. With Rio Ferdinand's continued injury problems and John Terry's blatant lack of pace leaves me wondering why more young centre backs like Ryan Shawcross have not been tried alongside Gary Cahill. I'm pretty sure this could be Ferdinand's last international tournament anyway. Then you have the right back position with 3 or 4 men all vying for the chance. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have played there for club and country while Micah Richards and Kyle Walker are both natural choices. It would not be a bad thing if both Terry and Ferdinand picked up injuries sometime in may that rules them out. While all that goes on Mr dependable Ashley Cole seems to be the only guaranteed outfield player and what a player he is. Maybe having Leighton Baines waiting helps him.
The only real difference now is Capello has worked out what we all knew a long time ago an that is that having Frank Lampard in your starting team for England doesn't work. Again if the likes of Gerrard, Wilshire, Milner and even Cleverley are fit an in form then does Lampard even make the bench. He might just make my squad. Ashley Young and Theo Walcott seem to have claimed the wide midfield spots but the replacements look questionable. Stuart Downing still isn't England standard in my view and a tough choice looms between Lennon and Adam Johnson and that's without considering Sturridge or Jarvis.
Then we get to the forwards. Now if Rooney's 3 match ban is upheld then there will be calls not to take him altogether. Having seen the incident I know it was a stupid thing to do but it was not an assault like UEFA have claimed. Funny how the head of UEFA did nothing when Henry handled France into the World Cup, yet he is quick to handicap England. The ban should be reduced to 2 games and Rooney should lean from it. Darren Bent looks a goal getter in an England shirt and then you are looking to see how good Agbonlahor and Crouch's season are. Welbeck, Kevin Davies and Carroll are outsiders.
Personally I would like to see Hart, Richards, Jones, Cahill, A.Cole, Parker, Gerrard, Walcott, Young, Bent and Rooney as the core looking forward but I am sure that if fit both centre backs would be Terry and Ferdinand rightly or wrongly. Also Capello is preferring a system that will see Barry start instead or Rooney or Bent which will be a more solid system. In that system provided his form is good then Owen Hargreaves can not be overlooked. Either team or system needs Steven Gerrard as captain. If John Terry was the "man" everyone claims then he wouldn't need an armband or title to perform.
The draw for the groups is not till December and I would assume by then England's appeal to Rooney's 3 game ban would of been heard by then and obviously we will know whether or not Ireland have been successful against Estonia or not. They couldn't of asked for a better qualifier and following them will probably be more entertaining than England. Thankfully with new management and a good crop of youngsters and a fresh World Cup qualifying campaign kicking off in the Autumn, it won't be long before we feel we have a team that has a genuine chance again.
The bottom line is nothing has really changed. When it gets round to the summer we will all loyally sit and watch our nation roll over for the world to see. People will bang on about how many new caps have been awarded since the disaster in South Africa. While that may be true there is a difference between token debut caps and trying new players.
For example if something should happen to Joe Hart then just who does Fabio Capello have faith with between the posts. Scott Carson was on the bench for the last match but I'm more than happy for Turkey to adopt him now he is playing there. Maybe Robert Green is his man. Again. Until the next clanger. Maybe Ben Foster can be talked into playing again. The thing is should the worse case scenario happen and Hart is unable to represent England in the summer then who would you trust with that position.
My second reason for England's poor performance in 2012 is the back 4. With Rio Ferdinand's continued injury problems and John Terry's blatant lack of pace leaves me wondering why more young centre backs like Ryan Shawcross have not been tried alongside Gary Cahill. I'm pretty sure this could be Ferdinand's last international tournament anyway. Then you have the right back position with 3 or 4 men all vying for the chance. Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have played there for club and country while Micah Richards and Kyle Walker are both natural choices. It would not be a bad thing if both Terry and Ferdinand picked up injuries sometime in may that rules them out. While all that goes on Mr dependable Ashley Cole seems to be the only guaranteed outfield player and what a player he is. Maybe having Leighton Baines waiting helps him.
The only real difference now is Capello has worked out what we all knew a long time ago an that is that having Frank Lampard in your starting team for England doesn't work. Again if the likes of Gerrard, Wilshire, Milner and even Cleverley are fit an in form then does Lampard even make the bench. He might just make my squad. Ashley Young and Theo Walcott seem to have claimed the wide midfield spots but the replacements look questionable. Stuart Downing still isn't England standard in my view and a tough choice looms between Lennon and Adam Johnson and that's without considering Sturridge or Jarvis.
Then we get to the forwards. Now if Rooney's 3 match ban is upheld then there will be calls not to take him altogether. Having seen the incident I know it was a stupid thing to do but it was not an assault like UEFA have claimed. Funny how the head of UEFA did nothing when Henry handled France into the World Cup, yet he is quick to handicap England. The ban should be reduced to 2 games and Rooney should lean from it. Darren Bent looks a goal getter in an England shirt and then you are looking to see how good Agbonlahor and Crouch's season are. Welbeck, Kevin Davies and Carroll are outsiders.
Personally I would like to see Hart, Richards, Jones, Cahill, A.Cole, Parker, Gerrard, Walcott, Young, Bent and Rooney as the core looking forward but I am sure that if fit both centre backs would be Terry and Ferdinand rightly or wrongly. Also Capello is preferring a system that will see Barry start instead or Rooney or Bent which will be a more solid system. In that system provided his form is good then Owen Hargreaves can not be overlooked. Either team or system needs Steven Gerrard as captain. If John Terry was the "man" everyone claims then he wouldn't need an armband or title to perform.
The draw for the groups is not till December and I would assume by then England's appeal to Rooney's 3 game ban would of been heard by then and obviously we will know whether or not Ireland have been successful against Estonia or not. They couldn't of asked for a better qualifier and following them will probably be more entertaining than England. Thankfully with new management and a good crop of youngsters and a fresh World Cup qualifying campaign kicking off in the Autumn, it won't be long before we feel we have a team that has a genuine chance again.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Armchair Sport: FA's 1-a-side referral system
Armchair Sport: FA's 1-a-side referral system: It would be fair to say that as long as Sepp Blatter is in charge of FIFA who control world football, that goal line technology is not going...
FA's 1-a-side referral system
It would be fair to say that as long as Sepp Blatter is in charge of FIFA who control world football, that goal line technology is not going to happen.
Flippant maybe but it's safe to say as long as Platini is in charge of UEFA and European football and there is a continued cash injection into the French game, that the financial fair play scheme will be delayed. Never mind the clubs who have strived to comply within those boundaries that is an argument for another day.
That would seem to suggest the FA are powerless to promote change but I think there is a way a new system can be implemented and should it work, will have other football associations looking on with envy.
As I understand it the FA are responsible for all leagues and cup competitions involved in England. Right down to grass roots but for the purpose of this we shall say Premiership, Championship, League 1 and 2, FA cup and League cup. These mentioned competitions all have TV cameras at every match for highlight packages. Even the 1st round of the FA cup gets a highlight package every year. So the cameras are already at every match so that argument is gone. What if there was a referee either sat alongside commentary or in the video trucks. If the officials behind the goal lines and the referee's assistants can get the referee's attention via a button then why is it not possible for a referee to get the attention of an official sat in front of a screen via the same method. Referees have never had it so hard with the speed of the play and the cost between winning and losing so vast means every human error leaves these respected men looking foolish.
This is what I am proposing. Say the FA decided that for one season they were going to test a new referral system in the league cup. It carries a prize of European football and already has TV crews at every game. Say each team received 1 referral each. If all the officials had a button that directly requested a review from the official sat alongside commentary or in the TV truck. If a referee wasn't sure he can request 1 neutral referral. A manager can get the referee's assistants or the 4th official to request the same review. Your talking no more than 30 seconds for someone making that request. When they use this system in Cricket it is very swift although admittedly the action is not so intense. Why not have a limit of 2 minutes and if the video referee can not find definitive proof a decision is wrong in that time then the game carries on. Referral lost only 2 minutes added on time.
Last weekend in the Premiership alone such systems would have seen Jack Rodwell's sending off changed to probably a drop ball. No yellow maybe not a foul. That error on Martin Atkinson's part ruined an enthralling game of football. I agree with David Moyes in the sense that Liverpool may have won the game anyway but as a contest it ended with that decision. Or the Wolves match in which if they had used their referral they may have got the penalty in the first half or not had the late goal ruled offside. One day we are going to face a situation to Manchester City and Tottenham a few years ago where the are playing a match for £25m-£30m. Something like this could ruin 2 seasons for someone. So far it hasn't.
The thing is the FA pride themselves as being the oldest football association yet we continue to wait for UEFA and FIFA to do something. One season as a test isn't to much to ask. Just one league cup campaign. It doesn't have to stay and it will need refining if it is to work but I am sure there are referees who have watched a decision back in horror and most managers would welcome 1 in game referral when it is not to late to change the course of a match. It's a proposal that's all.
Flippant maybe but it's safe to say as long as Platini is in charge of UEFA and European football and there is a continued cash injection into the French game, that the financial fair play scheme will be delayed. Never mind the clubs who have strived to comply within those boundaries that is an argument for another day.
That would seem to suggest the FA are powerless to promote change but I think there is a way a new system can be implemented and should it work, will have other football associations looking on with envy.
As I understand it the FA are responsible for all leagues and cup competitions involved in England. Right down to grass roots but for the purpose of this we shall say Premiership, Championship, League 1 and 2, FA cup and League cup. These mentioned competitions all have TV cameras at every match for highlight packages. Even the 1st round of the FA cup gets a highlight package every year. So the cameras are already at every match so that argument is gone. What if there was a referee either sat alongside commentary or in the video trucks. If the officials behind the goal lines and the referee's assistants can get the referee's attention via a button then why is it not possible for a referee to get the attention of an official sat in front of a screen via the same method. Referees have never had it so hard with the speed of the play and the cost between winning and losing so vast means every human error leaves these respected men looking foolish.
This is what I am proposing. Say the FA decided that for one season they were going to test a new referral system in the league cup. It carries a prize of European football and already has TV crews at every game. Say each team received 1 referral each. If all the officials had a button that directly requested a review from the official sat alongside commentary or in the TV truck. If a referee wasn't sure he can request 1 neutral referral. A manager can get the referee's assistants or the 4th official to request the same review. Your talking no more than 30 seconds for someone making that request. When they use this system in Cricket it is very swift although admittedly the action is not so intense. Why not have a limit of 2 minutes and if the video referee can not find definitive proof a decision is wrong in that time then the game carries on. Referral lost only 2 minutes added on time.
Last weekend in the Premiership alone such systems would have seen Jack Rodwell's sending off changed to probably a drop ball. No yellow maybe not a foul. That error on Martin Atkinson's part ruined an enthralling game of football. I agree with David Moyes in the sense that Liverpool may have won the game anyway but as a contest it ended with that decision. Or the Wolves match in which if they had used their referral they may have got the penalty in the first half or not had the late goal ruled offside. One day we are going to face a situation to Manchester City and Tottenham a few years ago where the are playing a match for £25m-£30m. Something like this could ruin 2 seasons for someone. So far it hasn't.
The thing is the FA pride themselves as being the oldest football association yet we continue to wait for UEFA and FIFA to do something. One season as a test isn't to much to ask. Just one league cup campaign. It doesn't have to stay and it will need refining if it is to work but I am sure there are referees who have watched a decision back in horror and most managers would welcome 1 in game referral when it is not to late to change the course of a match. It's a proposal that's all.
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