Whenever the ref botches a call, I think I’m the first around these parts to try and cut them some slack. Despite many head-scratching decisions every week, I continue to believe in the referee’s ability to corral the players and, in the face of complete disrespect from fans, teams, ball boys, pundits and managers, to do a decent job on the pitch. I fear the day when instant replays and all the technological advances descend on soccer to suck the life out of it and make it the fairest, most reasonable sport around. Maybe I’m a sadist, but I do enjoy the drama and subsequent pain of a non-PK here and there.
But I digress. This column will be sporadic in nature to dredge up a bit of debate. It seems that this past weekend in the EPL, the referees were determined to take the power back after a rough month in which Sir Alex seemingly badgered and criticized every single whistle-blower on a daily basis. If it wasn’t him, it was Rafa, or Pulis, or whichever gaffer was the latest to see his team screwed by a judgment call. And so, they waved 9 red cards in 10 fixtures, after a relative calm of just 13 dismissals in the season’s previous 96 games.
After the jump, I’ll present you with video of three four of the reds and leave it to you to tell me whether it was a deserved red, or a bit of misguided discipline from a w*nker in black.
Jamie Carragher, Liverpool v. Fulham. Red, or Wrong?
Jlloyd Samuel, Bolton v. Chelsea. Red, or Wrong?
Dinar Bilyaletdinov, Everton v. Aston Villa. Red, or Wrong? (ffwd to 3:35 or so in the video)
Red – last man (despite his protestations), clear takedown
Wrong – Drogba is a diving t**t
Wrong – 2-footed, studs up but I would give a yellow
Red – 2-footed, left his feet, and very late (dirty Scouse)
straight red, straight red, and red from the ref’s perspective on the last one. Seeing it from his angle, it looks like Billy went in two footed studs up. From another angle, maybe not on purpose. But definitely a yellow. The first two I think have to be reds because they were last man situations.
Oh and for that last video, the Billy challenge is about the 4 min mark, in case anyone doesn’t want to sift through looking for it.
oh and I should say it’s a bit hard to see on the second one just how badly Samuel catches Drogba(?), so can’t tell if Drogba made a meal of it. History would say yes, definitely. But the situation definitely wasn’t in Samuel’s favor.
The Billy challenge was a definite red. That said, the ref in the Everton-Villa match got several decisions wrong, including booking Stephen Warnock for a foul committed by Stiliyan Petrov.
Red
Red
Red
Red, second shooter on the grassy knoll, red at full speed but yellow on replay.
Carra comes up saying he got the ball (you can clearly see him say the word ‘ball’ to the ref). Does he really believe that means it’s okay to go ahead and take the player out recklessly? I’m serious, because this is the one thing I’ve picked up from Graham Poll (that getting the ball first doesn’t absolve you from committing a foul). Do players not really know this? Or is Carra just trying to get his red rethunk?
Red, No card for Samuel because Drogba went down faster than Eve Lawrence, Red.
I reckoned Carra was a red, especially considering the Vidic incident last weekend. While the defender to their right was close enough, it was a terrible takedown and he used up his 9th life with Michael Owen that Sunday as well.
Thought Samuel’s red was harsh, as was Dinar’s. He gets there at the same time as the Villa player; the full speed version looks bad, but I thought the ref misjudged the contact.
I almost think Degen’s was more questionable than Carra’s. Didn’t seem to be a ton of contact between him and Dempsey.
Also screwed by an overzealous ref this weekend: Aberdeen. Two red cards early in the second half tilted the tie (which was uniformly described in the press as “mild-tempered” contributed to Hibs taking two goals in the last ten minutes to win 2-0.
It also led to the burning sheep-man. That’s on you, ref!
Red: both for the specific rugby tackle in question and for a lifetime achievement award
Wrong: textbook archer’s bow combined with Drogba-ness of the situation means definite dive
Wrong: Studs to the top of the foot is painful, but I don’t think it’s red.
Roy: This is what JT and I discussed with the Carra tackle on Carrick. Carra gets studs to the ball but absolutely clatters Carrick in the box. JT pointed out that the United players didn’t really complain. Makes me think that the players truly think getting the ball is 90-95% of the story
Wedel: I think you can defend the challenge on Carrick more than you can this take-down of Zamora, but I see your point.
And yes, I do think players see the ball-before-player as some kind of gospel rule. Like Darren Fletcher in the CL semi-final? I’m not sure what the rule is specifically (would have to check), but there’s some line about how getting the ball but also taking out the man at the same time is a foul?
Don’t think it extends to red cards though, as there are only 7 broad offenses that are in theory to lead to a red card:
1) Serious foul play
2) Violent conduct
3) Spitting (at a player or any other individual)
4) Denial of a obvious goal or goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball
5) Denies an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or penatly kick
6) Use of foul, insulting or abusive language/ gestures
7) Receives a second caution (yellow card is shown for the second time followed by a red card).
Carragher’s was a red because he was the last man. the idea that he got the ball so it doesn’t matter is the same defense United (et al) tried last year with Darren Fletcher’s red in the 2nd leg CL semi-final. it’s a pretty silly argument, imo.
JT: I can see your side of the Carrick situation, if I wasn’t clear. Your point about United’s players was a good one. I just thought Carra got a whole lot of body and very, very little ball.
Whiz: Fletch’s tackle, in contrast, was pretty good I thought. He is playing the ball all the way and gets Cesc incidentally. I think the location on the field really determined that call (I wonder if it would have been a yellow if it was somewhere else on the field). That said, the argument of “getting ball” was never going to work with UEFA.
Carra – Easy call, straight red. Ball or not, the deed was already done.
Samuel – Tough to see but if he clipped him, it almost has to be red.
Diniyar – It looked like he slipped going in for the tackle but it was reckless nonetheless. I can’t fault the referee on that one.
Degen – Harsh call, leaving his feet didn’t help his cause. However, the announcer’s a moron to suggest that there was not really any contact.
Degen’s should’ve been a yellow. Textbook challenge except that it was really late. Dempsey only got caught on Degen’s trailing leg, which is tucked behind and not out (like Billy’s was, for example).
Easy Red.
Tough to see on the Drogba foul…nice Archer bow though. If it was a foul at all it has to be red for DOGO.
Red, studs first and high, though a yellow could have been given.
Tough call. From the Ref’s angle he sees the high studs and the lunge…
I like this feature although I hope it doesn’t become a weekly thing.
Don’t worry Goat, it won’t be a weekly thing. This past weekend saw some card-happy officials, providing the inspiration!
Or at least a weekly thing with that many videos.