Viva Steve Bennett!I did a quick straw poll in the Blue Bell about Mascherano's sending-off at Old Trafford and the size of the majority in favour was slightly larger than the vote Vladimir Putin gets during a Russian election, i.e. 102 per cent. (I know that doesn't make sense, but Kevin Keegan's teams never give less than 200 per cent, so it makes football sense.)Not that much in football makes sense anymore. For example...Wayne Rooney: "I don't think the sending-off changed the game too much." And Rafa Benitez: "Ryan Babel heard everything and told me Mascherano was just asking why Fernando Torres had been booked." Mascherano was at it from the word go, chipping away like one of them tiresome one-eyed fans you sometimes sit next to. The one who can't believe any decision should go against him or his team. Fortunately at the Boro you can always find another seat. Fact is, if you get booked, you keep your head down, you don't become a registered ref-baiter for the afternoon. Some have said the skipper should have stepped in to save little Javier. Alonso tried to, but where was Gerrard? Well given the fact you never noticed him in the other 89 minutes, why should he suddenly turn up then? It doesn't matter what his defenders say, Mascherano had to go. And if this does prove to be a line in the sand for refs then we should all celebrate. Although hearing John Terry saying he's behind moves to stop the hounding of officials is a bit like Wallace and Gromit backing a national ban on cheese. Fergie called the ref's treatment 'ridiciulous' - which he acknowledged was a bit rich after the way his players tore into Andy D'Urso in 2000 like Billy Bunter at an unmanned school tuck-shop.
And this is the same Ferguson who laid into Martin Atkinson after the home defeat to Pompey in the Cup! It's either stupidity or hypocrisy for these blokes to back moves to end a practice which they are as guilty of as anyone else in the game. To me, it starts with the managers. How many more times do we have to put up with the ref being responsible for a team's defeat? Avram feels his team are victimised after Ashley Cole's pathetic hissy-fit at White Hart Lane. Perhaps you could thank – or forgive - the assistant ref for not putting his flag up for your equaliser on Sunday? Would Fergie have defended Bennett if it was one of his boys who got red-carded for too much chat? Let's face it, it's surely only a matter of time before TV companies decided to show Man U games with Wazza's gob permanently pixilated. We know only too well that Wenger's capacity for looking in the wrong direction at the right time is second to none. He is desperate for more protection for his team - and yet Arsenal's disciplinary record is pretty shocking since he arrived there. These blokes need to grow up more than the players. And learn to lose, even if decisions go against them - 'cos you know what, it's the nature of the game. Tough. Get on with it. And stop standing behind players who have been just plain dumb. Of course it's just as bad at grass-roots level, where great lunks not unlike meself think they can get away with threatening to take the chain off a ref's bike if he doesn't reverse a decision. And don't get me started on these snarling touchline tyrants of parents who can't accept their little lad could ever swear at an opponent and will tell the ref as much, using phrases drawn from the Gordon Ramsay Book of Social Etiquette. Now, I don't want to come across as a big Jessie about all this. I know some swear-words, me, and I’m not afraid to ******* use them. (Not my asterisks). But I should be told to leave the field of play if I use them in the direction of a bloke whose job is to see that rules are enforced. It's got to be fair enough. Of course, unless the FA back the refs up, nowt'll change. It'd be nice to see the affluent lads with effluent gobs given red cards and automatic three-match bans for dissent. It'd also be nice to think if a team racks up lots of red cards for such behaviour that points can be docked 'n all. It wouldn't be hard to enforce. Finally, let's make it a rule that only the skippers can discuss decisions with the ref. It works in rugby (unlike most things in that sport) so let's try it in football – that's if the ref can actually find Steven Gerrard that day, of course.
And this is the same Ferguson who laid into Martin Atkinson after the home defeat to Pompey in the Cup! It's either stupidity or hypocrisy for these blokes to back moves to end a practice which they are as guilty of as anyone else in the game. To me, it starts with the managers. How many more times do we have to put up with the ref being responsible for a team's defeat? Avram feels his team are victimised after Ashley Cole's pathetic hissy-fit at White Hart Lane. Perhaps you could thank – or forgive - the assistant ref for not putting his flag up for your equaliser on Sunday? Would Fergie have defended Bennett if it was one of his boys who got red-carded for too much chat? Let's face it, it's surely only a matter of time before TV companies decided to show Man U games with Wazza's gob permanently pixilated. We know only too well that Wenger's capacity for looking in the wrong direction at the right time is second to none. He is desperate for more protection for his team - and yet Arsenal's disciplinary record is pretty shocking since he arrived there. These blokes need to grow up more than the players. And learn to lose, even if decisions go against them - 'cos you know what, it's the nature of the game. Tough. Get on with it. And stop standing behind players who have been just plain dumb. Of course it's just as bad at grass-roots level, where great lunks not unlike meself think they can get away with threatening to take the chain off a ref's bike if he doesn't reverse a decision. And don't get me started on these snarling touchline tyrants of parents who can't accept their little lad could ever swear at an opponent and will tell the ref as much, using phrases drawn from the Gordon Ramsay Book of Social Etiquette. Now, I don't want to come across as a big Jessie about all this. I know some swear-words, me, and I’m not afraid to ******* use them. (Not my asterisks). But I should be told to leave the field of play if I use them in the direction of a bloke whose job is to see that rules are enforced. It's got to be fair enough. Of course, unless the FA back the refs up, nowt'll change. It'd be nice to see the affluent lads with effluent gobs given red cards and automatic three-match bans for dissent. It'd also be nice to think if a team racks up lots of red cards for such behaviour that points can be docked 'n all. It wouldn't be hard to enforce. Finally, let's make it a rule that only the skippers can discuss decisions with the ref. It works in rugby (unlike most things in that sport) so let's try it in football – that's if the ref can actually find Steven Gerrard that day, of course.
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