Budgie tells EPL managers: Don't Be Hypocrites

798 SG

Extracted from tnp:

Sir Alex Ferguson (left) advocates giving referees more respect, but the Man United boss is notorious for verbally abusing the officials. Picture: REUTERS

THE past week has been all about respecting referees.

We have Premier League managers coming on television and press conferences, urging their players to respect the match official.

That look nice and cosy in the media - football managers taking the lead to stamp out unsporting behaviour towards the referees.

Total rubbish. What hypocrites.

These are the same men who, in the confines of their dressing rooms every week, will be telling their players to bully the referees.

I have sat 771 times in the dressing room of a professional club as a player, and many more as a coach.

And let me tell you what really goes on in there before a game.

Managers will be telling their senior players, the hard men, the more vocal ones to get round the referee whenever a 50-50 decision goes against them.

The team-talk will go something like this: 'The moment the ref blows the whistle for a 50-50 challenge, whether it's against you or not, all you guys go get round him.

'Talk down to him, confuse him and keep the pressure on him. The referee might give the foul in your favour.

'If he gives one of you a card, all you guys take turns to tell the referee he is wrong.

'And keep reminding him throughout the game. The referee will be conscious he has made a mistake against us, and the next time, he might give one in our favour.'

This 'philosophy' has been ingrained in every British footballer since they are just schoolboys.

I am guilty of such antics too, of course. But the fact everybody is doing it doesn't mean it is right.

Liverpool's Javier Mascherano, for example, took it too far in Sunday's match against Manchester United.

His manager Rafa Benitez claimed the Argentine midfielder was 'just asking' the referee about his decision to book Fernando Torres.

Well, it doesn't take a lip reader to guess what Mascherano was saying to referee Steve Bennett. It was vile abuse that cannot be printed in this family friendly newspaper.

Mascherano was rightly sent off. And if not for Benitez and several Liverpool players restraining him, he would probably have hit Bennett.

That would have landed him in big trouble.

Mascherano has no business to question the referee. He should have left it to his skipper Steve Gerrard.

With a yellow card to his name, he is foolish enough to march down from centre midfield to get involved. No wonder referee Bennett is forced to send him off.

Referees already have a tough enough job to do in top-flight football. And the last thing they need is having players bully them during the game.

I can't help but laugh aloud when I read Sir Alex Ferguson's comments that skilful players like Cristiano Ronaldo need more protection from the referees.

I believe that it is the referees who need more protection than anyone else.

I also laugh when Ferguson led the calls for managers and players to show more respect to the referees.

WORST OFFENDER

The Man United manager is probably the worst offender in the English Premier League and yet he is trying to set an example?

How many times have we seen Ferguson storming from the bench to the touchline, shouting in the face of the fourth official?

Do you know why he does that? He is shouting down the fourth official's neck because that is where the microphone is.

The microphone that forms the communication lines of all four referees in the game.

Fergie knows that all his vile abuse will be clearly heard by the match referee and his assistants.

It puts pressure on the officials and, as Ferguson is such a well-respected figure in English football, they tend to let Ferguson has his way.

That explains why, especially when they are playing at home, Man United always enjoy the majority of favourable decisions.

So, there is no point for managers to start telling their players to clean up their act in public, while telling them otherwise in the dressing room.

They are just a bunch of hypocrites.

798 SG

Ferguson and Queiroz face charges for post-game rants

Monday March 10, 2008

Sir Alex Ferguson is almost certain to face a disciplinary charge from the Football Association after his criticisms of the referee, Martin Atkinson, turned into a rant against Keith Hackett, the man in charge of the Professional Game Match Officials Board.

Carlos Queiroz, the No2, is also likely to be charged after describing Atkinson as a "robber" and insisting that a new rule should be introduced allowing referees to be replaced during games. "I feel sorry that the game has moved to the situation where referees deserve red cards," he said. "This referee deserves somebody to come to the side of the pitch after five minutes, give him a red card and pull him out of the game. That is my opinion of this robber."

The FA applies disciplinary charges if there is an allegation of impartiality and it is difficult to see how the United pair can expect to get away with their remarks. Ferguson claimed Portsmouth were encouraged because they knew the referee "was on their side" while Queiroz was equally forthright. "What we cannot accept are referees who watch only one side."

Their anger stemmed from Atkinson's decision not to award a penalty after Sylvain Distin barged Ronaldo. "I just cannot explain that decision," Ferguson said. "Managers get sacked because of things like that and he [Atkinson] is going to referee next week? It's ridiculous."

"The referee is a disgrace," Queiroz added. "We did our job, Portsmouth did their job but the referee didn't. Sadly, we still have referees who don't understand what is the right thing in the game and who they should be protecting."

That was a reference to Ronaldo, who claimed he was "scared sometimes to do skills" because of the treatment he receives. "I don't blame Portsmouth," said Ferguson. "If you're going to come here and you know you're going to get off with these things . . . I think Keith Hackett's got a lot to answer for in this country. I don't think he's doing his job properly. He's got his favourites, as everyone knows. You look at the refs we get away from home - Steve Bennett, Mark Clattenburg, Phil Dowd, all these people - we never get them at home, always away, and I think that tells you everything about him [Hackett]. Clattenburg - oh, Jesus, God."

Ferguson felt Lassana Diarra should have been sent off and, ignoring the fact that Wayne Rooney committed the most dangerous tackle in the game, Queiroz referred to Eduardo da Silva's recent injury for Arsenal and then questioned why Diarra had been allowed to "elbow" Ronaldo. "Then Diarra becomes a saint," he said of the man of the match. "This is why the [Martin] Taylors of this game can survive and some of the best players are out of the game."

"This is a matter for the Football Association," said a spokesman for the PGMO. "As a point of information, Keith Hackett has no responsibility for the selection of match officials for FA Cup games." Hackett was not available for comment.

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how different can faggotson be before stating comments on respecting referee?

798 SG

Sunderland boss Roy Keane has criticised 'hypocritical' managers who fail to respect officials while demanding their players do just that.

The 36-year-old Irishman, who had more than his fair share of clashes with referees during his illustrious playing career, is a supporter of the drive to eradicate bad behaviour towards the men in black.

However, he is adamant that some of his colleagues need to set a better example as a national debate rumbles on in the wake of incidents involving Chelsea defender Ashley Cole and Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano.

Keane said: 'The problem for me when I comment on referees is people say, 'How can you?'.

'But that was as a player - I am a manager now and it does not mean to say I cannot learn from my mistakes.

'There has been so much rubbish spoken in the last week or two. I have spoken to many old players and they used to go out and try to break people's legs.

'Now there is the big issue with the referees and of course, that has to be respected.

'I hear nonsense about how we should look at rugby and rugby league and how they treat officials - listen, I watch rugby league every week and every Friday night, there is a punch-up.

'Lawrence Dallaglio has been suspended this week, an absolutely brilliant rugby player who I have great respect for.

'As I said, I watch rugby league and you are guaranteed a fight every week, so who do we listen to?

'A lot of it will come down to the managers and how the managers behave. You watch a lot of managers - and sometimes it is not the manager, it is their staff, which is worse because the manager is letting the staff carry on that way.

'We have got to be careful who we listen to. There are a lot of hypocrites out there, a lot, a lot of hypocrites in football.

'Managers are coming out and saying we have got to respect the officials, and they are being sent off themselves.'

Keane has established a reputation as a strict disciplinarian during his time at the Stadium of Light and while he has had cause to question several decisions this season, has largely done his talking behind closed doors.

But he simply will not accept his players or staff landing themselves in hot water with match officials.

He said: 'I focus on the situation at our club, and I have made it very clear to the players - and to the staff, whether it be with the Academy, the reserves or my first team staff - that you have to show the officials respect.'

Keane and his players will return to action tomorrow looking to secure back-to-back Barclays Premier League victories for the first time in 126 games, a run which dates back to December 2001 under Peter Reid.

He said: 'We know if we want to achieve anything as a football club, then trust me, we need to be consistent.

'Consistency is sometimes just an unbeaten run - that's what got us promoted last year, particularly in the second half of the season.

'But if there was ever a time to go on a consistent run, it would be now.

'But that's unbelievable, that amount of games not to get back-to-back victories, so we will try to put that straight.'

Meanwhile, Keane welcomed loan signing Jonny Evans' admission this week that he would seriously consider a permanent switch to the Stadium of Light if things did not work out for him at Manchester United.

He said: 'If Jonny is made available, if you think we would be the only club in for Jonny, then you would be cuckoo land.

'I reckon there would be about 20 clubs in for him.'

soccernet

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wonder who he referring to?