Thursday 29 January 2015

OFFICIALS WERE UNAWARE OF THE SHARPENED STUDS

Don't mention John Burridge - the much-travelled goalkeeper of yesteryear when World
Cup winner Ossie Ardiles is booked  to be one of the guest speakers at a dinner in McMenemy's Bar at Grimsby Town's Blundell Park ground on March 6.

The pair famously fell out in the last minute of a First Division match on Boxing Day, 1987,   between Ardiles' side, Spurs, and Burridge's Southampton at the Dell.


According to Burridge, Ardiles tried to tread on his feet at a Spurs corner - but the goalkeeper managed to get his stamp in first.

In his lively autobiography, Budgie, he writes: " I gave him the old two studs combination on the metatarsal and he went down in absolute agony."




Ardiles (and other opponents) were doubtless unaware that Burridge had a habit of filing  down the back studs on his boots so they were sharp as bullets.

He says: "When people came up to me at a corner and tried to bully and intimidate me, I'd seize the moment.

"I'd bring my left or right boot down on the striker's metatarsal - BANG!

"It sounds sounds cruel and dirty but it was kick or be kicked."

Did the officials not  inspect  the players studs before the match?  Apparently, it tended only to be a cursory check in which they ran their fingers over the front studs.

Burridge claims that, following the match, which Saints won 2-1, Ardiles shouted at him:

"You animal!" then tried to push him  down the 10 steps that led to the dressing rooms  - to which he  responded by "smacking" him

Alas for Burridge, the incident came back  to haunt him later when he was first-team choice for  Newcastle United.

Out of the blue, Ossie Ardiles was appointed Toon manager - and Burridge was soon shown the door. The following season, he was plying his trade with Hibernian in the Scottish Premier League.

Budgie - The Autobiography of Goalkeeping Legend John Burridge
was first published in 2011 at £16.99 by John Blake.

THE PERILS OF BEING TOO CHUMMY

PAUL Hayward, the chief  sports writer on The Daily Telegraph, has spoken out against the chummy tendencies of some referees.

During this week's Capital One Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Liverpool, he found disfavour with the behaviour of fourth official Kevin Friend towards the coaching assistants on both benches.

He writes: "Twice he shuffled over to Rui Faria on the Chelsea side and threw an arm round him as he spoke.

"This over-familiarity with people referees and their assistants are meant to be controlling leaves some of us feeling queasy.

"It stems from a mistaken belief that managers and coaches can somehow be won over in the heat of battle.

"In reality, they have no interest in making friends with match officials. They just want to gain an edge: to pressurise those in charge."

Hayward makes a valid point, but will it be  heeded?.

When Graham Poll and Mark Halsey wrote their refereeing memoirs, they or their publishers both sought out endorsements in the form of forewords from managers - Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. In neither case did this enhance credibility or reputation for impartiality - it may even have diminished both.

Referees should be at arm's length from managers, coaches and players - they should emphatically not seek to become members of any we're- all- pals- together-club.


Monday 26 January 2015

EAST AND WEST AT SELHURST PARK

ROGER East will be man in the middle for Saturday afternoon's Barclays Premier League encounter between Crystal Palace and Everton.

The Wiltshire official will  have Richard West as his senior assistant, supported by Mark
Scholes, with Robert Madley as fourth official.

Madley was referee, with West as one of his assistants,  in the match earlier this month when
Newcastle were denied a penalty after Jose Fonte, of opponents Southampton, handled in
the penalty area.

Meanwhile, East has not been in charge for a Palace Premier League match this season, but he was in the middle for the match at Swansea on September 23 when the home side beat Everton 3-0.

Elsewhere, Mark Clattenburg makes a return the Chelsea  - the club which once  falsely accused him of making racist comments to a player - for their top-of-the-table home match with Manchester City which has a 5.30 kick-off.


The full list of Barclays Premier League  for the forthcoming weekend is below


Saturday 31 January 2015
K.O. MATCHES REFEREE ASST. REF. 1 ASST. REF. 2 4TH OFFICIAL
12:45Hull v NewcastlePhil DowdD CannM SalisburyN Swarbrick
15:00Crystal Palace v EvertonRoger EastR WestM ScholesR Madley
15:00Liverpool v West HamAndre MarrinerS LedgerM McDonoughM Jones
15:00Man Utd v LeicesterMartin AtkinsonM MullarkeyH LennardT Harrington
15:00Stoke v QPRMike DeanS BurtS ChildA Madley
15:00Sunderland v BurnleyLee MasonA HallidayD EatonG Scott
15:00West Brom v SpursKevin FriendS LongC HatzidakisK Stroud
17:30Chelsea v Man CityMark ClattenburgS BeckJ CollinJ Moss
Sunday 1 February 2015
K.O. MATCHES REFEREE ASST. REF. 1 ASST. REF. 2 4TH OFFICIAL
13:30Arsenal v Aston VillaAnthony TaylorG BeswickD BryanR Madley
16:00Southampton v SwanseaMichael OliverS BennettA GarrattL Probert

Monday 12 January 2015

WHAT DO SPURS/ PALACE FANS THINK OF REFEREES?

THE debate about referees is timeless.

The link below affords a perspective from Spurs fans - some of whom were aggrieved not to have seen their side afforded a penalty by man-in-the middle Anthony Taylor during Saturday's evening match v Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

https://www.shelfsidespurs.com/forum/threads/referees.10763/

For the view from the same match of Palace fans, the link is:

http://www.holmesdale.net/page.php?id=106&tid=150290&page=3 








Monday 5 January 2015

ANTHONY TAYLOR IN CHARGE FOR LONDON DERBY


ANTHONY Taylor will be hoping to put a controversial festive period behind him when he takes charge of Saturday's London derby between Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur in the Barclays Premier League.

The 36-year-old, from Manchester, took flak from Chelsea when he cautioned  Cesc Fabregas for diving in the penalty box in the match at Southampton (December 28) which ended in a 1-1 draw.

The incident  prompted Blues boss Jose Mourinho -
miffed that his side had not been awarded a penalty - to claim that there was a "diving campaign" against his side.

Taylor also missed a handball by QPR 'keeper Robert Green outside the penalty box in the match with  Swansea (January 1) which also ended 1-1.

Former referee Graham Poll was subsequently quoted as describing Taylor as "a mid-range referee" - by comparison with Michael Oliver ("brilliant") and Mike Jones ("not brilliant"),

Poll believes referees' chief Mike Riley should hold a weekly press conference to explain how incorrect  decisions come to be made and what is being done by the PMOGL to reduce the frequency of errors.





Taylor has not been man in the middle for any of Palace's Premier League matches this season, but he has been in charge for two Spurs matches - the 4-0 home win over QPR ((August 24) and the 1-2 home defeat versus Newcastle.

The rest of this weekend's Barclays Premier League appointments are listed below



Saturday 10 January 2015
K.O. MATCHES REFEREE ASST. REF. 1 ASST. REF. 2 4TH OFFICIAL
12:45Sunderland v LiverpoolCraig PawsonD CannJ BrooksR Madley
15:00Burnley v QPRAndre MarrinerM PerryM SalisburyL Mason
15:00Chelsea v NewcastleRoger EastJ CollinM ScholesM Jones
15:00Everton v Man CityMartin AtkinsonS ChildH LennardP Dowd
15:00Leicester v Aston VillaMichael OliverS BennettA GarrattG Scott
15:00Swansea v West HamMike DeanS BurtE SmartJ Adcock
15:00West Brom v HullNeil SwarbrickS LongA NunnK Stroud
17:30Crystal Palace v SpursAnthony TaylorG BeswickS LedgerK Friend

Sunday 11 January 2015
K.O. MATCHES REFEREE ASST. REF. 1 ASST. REF. 2 4TH OFFICIAL
13:30Arsenal v StokeJonathan MossR WestA HallidayL Probert
16:00Man Utd v SouthamptonPhil DowdM MullarkeyD BryanM Oliver

Friday 2 January 2015

REFEREE OF THE WEEK: ANDRE MARRINER



 
Andree Marriner in action earlier this season
ANDRE Marriner has been appointed to take charge of  Sunday’s FA Cup match between Conference League side Dover Athletic and Crystal Palace from the Premier League.
Aged 44 (his birthday was on New Year’s Day), he is from Sheldon in the West Midlands
Marriner has not been man in the middle for either team this season, but he was referee for three Palace matches last season - the away defeats at Stoke (August 24) and Manchester City (December 28) and the away win at Everton on April 16.
In 2010, he  was appointed to the Championship play-off final between Blackpool and Cardiff at Wembley.

 Blackpool won the match 3–2, all five goals being scored in the first half, securing the club's return to the Premier League for the first time since 1970. Marriner did not issue any cards during the match.

In a fixture between Arsenal and Liverpool in April 2011, Marriner notably awarded the latest-ever penalty kick  in the history of the Premier League. 

The match was goalless until Marriner awarded Arsenal a penalty in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time, and four minutes later awarded a second penalty to Liverpool. Both were converted, the latter in the 102nd minute which also became the League's latest-ever goal. 

In May 2013 he was in charge for the FA Cup Final in which Wigan beat Man City 1-0 thanks to a stoppage time goal from former Palace favourite Ben Watson.

In the 15th minute of a March 2014 Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal, Marriner mistakenly dismissed Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs for a deliberate handball on the goal-line, the offence having actually been committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

After the game, which finished 6–0 to Chelsea, the Professional Game Match Officials Board stated: "Incidents of mistaken identity are very rare and are often the result of a number of different technical factors. 

“While this was a difficult decision, Andre is disappointed that he failed to identify the correct player."
The full list of appointments for the forthcoming  FA Cup action is as follows: 
Friday 2nd January 2015 (Replayed 2nd Round)
Milton Keynes Dons  v
Chesterfield
Referee: Stephen Martin 
Assistant Referees: Gavin Muge  and Akil Howson
Fourth Official: Brian Durie
 
3rd Round
Cardiff City  v Colchester United – Live on BBC Wales
Referee: James Linington 
Assistant Referees: Danny Gratton  and Brett Huxtable
Fourth Official: Andy Hendley


Saturday 3rd January 2015
Barnsley  v Middlesbrough
Referee: Dean Whitestone 
Assistant Referees: Steven Rushton  and Matthew Jones
Fourth Official: Mark Astley
Blyth Spartans AFC v Birmingham City
Referee: Michael Jones 
Assistant Referees: Adrian Holmes  and Kevin Mulraine
Fourth Official: Ross Joyce
Bolton Wanderers  v Wigan Athletic.
Referee: Philip Dowd
Assistant Referees: Andrew Halliday  and
Duncan Street
Fourth Official: Robert Jones
Brentford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Referee: David Coote
Assistant Referees: Constantine Hatzidakis  and Simon Barrow
Fourth Official: Colin Lymer
Cambridge United  v Luton Town
Referee: Tony Harrington
Assistant Referees: Robert Hyde  and Declan Ford
Fourth Official: Christopher Pollard
Charlton Athletic v Blackburn Rovers
Referee: Keith Stroud
Assistant Referees: Nick Hobbis  and Grant Taylor
Fourth Official: Robert Whitton
Derby County  v Southport
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistant Referees: Scott Ledger  and Joe Clark
Fourth Official: Ollie Yates
Doncaster Rovers  v Bristol City
Referee: Scott Duncan
Assistant Referees: Neil Sharp  and Nicholas Gibbons
Fourth Official: Wayne Grunnill
Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers
Referee: Lee Probert
Assistant Referees: Ronald Ganfield  and Wade Norcott
Fourth Official: Hair  Neil
Huddersfield Town  v Reading
Referee: Philip Gibbs
Assistant Referees: Jonathan Hunt and James Mainwaring
Fourth Official: Christopher Akers
Leicester City  v Newcastle United
Referee: Lee Mason
Assistant Referees: Simon Beck  and Alan Young
Fourth Official: Oliver Langford
Millwall v Bradford City
Referee: David Webb
Assistant Referees: Marc Perry  and Stuart Butler
Fourth Official: John Busby
Preston North End  v Norwich City
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistant Referees: Glen Hart  and Matthew Corlett
Fourth Official: Ryan Johnson
Rochdale v Nottingham Forest
Referee: Gary Sutton
Assistant Referees: Richard Wigglesworth  and Robert Atkin
Fourth Official: Michael Hanley
Rotherham United  v AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Neil Swarbrick
Assistant Referees: Edward Smart  and Michael Denton
Fourth Official: Stephen Ross
Tranmere Rovers  v Swansea City
Referee: Paul Tierney
Assistant Referees: Andrew Garratt  and William Smallwood
Fourth Official: Graham Salisbury
West Bromwich Albion  v Gateshead
Referee: Andrew Madley
Assistant Referees: Ian Hussin  and Tom Nield
Fourth Official: Charles Breakspear
Sunday 4th January 2015
Arsenal v Hull City
Referee: Robert Madley
Assistant Referees: Gary Beswick  and Stephen Child
Fourth Official: Anthony Taylor
Aston Villa  v Blackpool
Referee: Christopher Foy
Assistant Referees: Richard West  and Robert Merchant
Fourth Official: Mark Heywood
Chelsea v Watford
Referee: Kevin Friend
Assistant Referees: Harry Lennard  and David Bryan
Fourth Official: Lee Collins
Dover Athletic  v Crystal Palace 
Referee: Andre Marriner
Assistant Referees: Michael Mullarkey  and Lee Betts
Fourth Official: Andy D’Urso
Manchester City  v Sheffield Wednesday
Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant Referees: Matthew Wilkes  and Paul Hodskinson
Fourth Official: Sebastian Stockbridge
Queens Park Rangers v Sheffield United
Referee: Mark Clattenburg
Assistant Referees: Darren Cann  and Chris Powell
Fourth Official: Andy Woolmer
Southampton  v Ipswich Town
Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant Referees: Mark Scholes  and Timothy Wood
Fourth Official: Kevin Johnson
Stoke City  v Wrexham
Referee: Simon Hooper
Assistant Referees: Michael Salisbury  and Guy Stretton
Fourth Official: Christopher Kavanagh
Sunderland v Leeds United
Referee: Michael Dean
Assistant Referees: Simon Bennett  and Paul Marsden
Fourth Official: Scott Mathieson
Yeovil Town  v Manchester United  – 
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistant Referees: Stuart Burt  and John Brooks
Fourth Official: Keith Stroud
Monday 5th January 2015
AFC Wimbledon v Liverpool 
Referee: Jonathan Moss
Assistant Referees: Simon Long  and Peter Kirkup
Fourth Official: Lee robert
Burnley  v Tottenham Hotspur
Referee: Roger East
Assistant Referees: Adam Nunn  and Scott Oldham
Fourth Official: Christopher Foy
Tuesday 6th January 2015
Everton  v West Ham United – Live on BT Sport
Referee: Anthony Taylor
Assistant Referees: Darren England  and Michael McDonough
Fourth Official: Michael Jones
Scunthorpe United  v Milton Keynes Dons /Chesterfield
Referee: Mark Haywood
Assistant Referees: Karl Evans  and Billy Khatib
Fourth Official: Ricky Wootton