Week 34, or at least part of it, and normal order is resumed after a pretty hectic Week 32 and 33. There aren’t as many decisions to consider, but there were than enough incorrect decisions with five of the six decisions covered resulting in incorrect calls and no prizes for guessing which one took all the headlines. Enjoy.
Man City – Norwich
Tevez Penalty Shout
Simon M – Tevez is his own worst enemy here, he goes down far too theatrically and it’s clear why the referee might think it was a dive. However, there was clearly contact and it’s more than enough to bring him down, a penalty should have been awarded.
Ben – Quite clearly a penalty, Foy has a clear view and I feel he should have seen this one.
Ant – lear penalty and how the hell the referee booked Tevez for diving I will never know, there have been several obvious dives this season that have gone unpunished.
Mike – The decision to book Tevez for diving here is clearly wrong. There is a definite flaw in asking referees to make instant decisions about whether a play dived or not. Only retrospective action can really work here. I wonder if Tevez’s slightly theatrical tumble worked against him. In any case, it’s a foul.
Simon F – Tevez goes over a little theatrically, which perhaps is part of the reason why the referee booked him, but there is no excuse really for a penalty not being awarded. I think most will agree that standing on Tevez’s foot counts as impeding him.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
Swansea – Blackburn
Yakubu Penalty Shout
Simon M – The replay of this isn’t great because a Swansea player is blocking the camera on both occasions, so I’m going to give the referee the benefit of the doubt. That said, it looks like Yakubu controls the ball and is then bundled over.
Ben – It’s a tough one because there is never a perfect view of this incident but I don’t think that there is enough for a penalty. Rather than being taken out, Yakubu just appears to fall.
Ant – I think Baker clearly moves his arm towards the ball and makes contact, this should have been a penalty.
Not enough contact to warrant a penalty, I think the Yak could have stayed on his feet quite easily.
Mike – This one is hard to get a clear picture on. Even in the 21st Century, we sometimes have incidents where none of the camera angles are as clear as we’d like. Still, from what I can see, I think there is a foul. Yakubu is being wrestled from behind and it should have been a penalty.
Simon F – Yes the defender’s leg is out, but Yakubu throws himself over it, rather than being brought down, and I side with the referee in ignoring the penalty claims.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Sigurdsson Penalty Shout
Simon M – He’s running at full speed and is caught from behind, he was always going to hit the deck, but was it necessary to go down like that? I suppose it doesn’t really matter, it was a penalty, but the theatrics hampered his chances of getting one.
Ant – I think Sigurdsson goes down too dramatically here and I do not think it should have been a penalty.
Mike – We’re told by the commentator that Sigurdsson “did fling himself to the floor”. But he does have his ankles tapped by a sliding defender. Penalty.
Simon F – Like Tevez, Sigurdsson does throw himself down quite theatrically, and in doing so harms his chances of getting a decision, but I think his heel was clipped to an extent that prevented him from getting his shot on goal.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
West Brom – QPR
QPR Penalty Shout
Simon M – It’s the movement of the arm that gets me here, why do it unless you’re trying to get a sneaky flick on the ball? I’d have given it.
Ben – I’m not sure that is was deliberate but there is an argument for it as the arm is moved ever so slightly towards the ball. I’m not sure if that was to make sure he got the ball or not, so I’ll give the referee the benefit of the doubt here.
Ant – I don’t think there is any intent to hand ball here and for me this is not a penalty.
Mike – I’m not convinced there’s much the defender can do about this one.
Simon F – Although the defender’s arm is down by his side, there is a deliberate movement towards the ball, which then deflects away off his arm. I remember a similar instance involving Daniel Agger against Aston Villa, and just as on that occasion, I would have given a penalty here.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
Man Utd – Aston Villa
Young Penalty
Simon M – All that needs to be said has been said about this incident. Young is caught, but it looks like he forced the contact and the dive is pretty hilarious. Poor show from Young and the referee.
Ben – It’s been a long time coming but Ashley Young is eventually getting the reputation he deserves. He’s been doing this for years and it’s blatant cheating. The thing that makes this worse is that the referee is looking right at it and, in truth, it was so obvious a dive that I don’t know how the penalty was given.
I think it’s about time more was done about diving – let the the referee look at these incidents again after the match and say if he’d have given a yellow for diving. If he says yes, then ban the player. The referee would have to be brave but with any other method, it’s difficult to punish players for diving further.
Ant – This is one of the worst examples of cheating I have seen this season, Young should be embarrassed at the way he clearly dives and cheats a penalty.
Mike – Ashley Young’s already iffy reputation has taken a battering during the last week, but it’s of his own doing. Sir Alex Ferguson says he went down easily but that it was a penalty. I can’t agree. The first contact is made when Young’s outside leg goes looking for contact, which it finds. To give a penalty is just a terrible decision, and Young, it is to be hoped, has been hanging his head in shame. Contrary to popular opinion, Manchester United did try and deal with the less savoury aspects of Ruud van Nistelrooy’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s games (two players fond of going down easily), and words have been had with Nani, too, all with varying degrees of success. It’s hard to believe something won’t be said to Young.
Simon F – I’m not going to join in the moral outrage over Young’s dive, but simply say that is what it was. He ensures contact then flings himself to the ground. No penalty.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
United Penalty Shout
Simon M – There’s obviously been a lot of talk about United getting decisions recently, but it seems to me that for every one they get in their favour they’re picking up one or two against. I think referees might be conscious of the pressure they’re under, not from the Old Trafford crowd, but from the millions watching who are desperate for a reason to blame someone other than their own side for United being top of the table……
Ben – The way Baker moves his arm away from the ball leads me to the conclusion that this was the correct decision.
Ant – Incorrect.
Mike – You can see (and the slow motion really helps you here) that Baker, as he watches the ball approach, shifts his arm away from it. At the same time, I think he moves his body towards the ball, probably hoping to chest it. It seems to contact his arm, which makes for an awkward one for player and referee. I would say that he does his best to get his arm out of the way and block it with his chest, so no penalty.
Simon F – The ball has come from a fair distance away and not that quickly, if the defender really wanted to get his arm out of the way he could have done. Instead he guides the ball with his arm and I would have awarded a penalty.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
***
You can follow all five judges on Twitter; Simon M – @Deb_Decisions, Ben – @0Neji, Ant – @Acidburn81, Mike – @Mike7077 and Simon F – @SFurnivall.
Published with permission from Debatable Decisions.
0 Comments