Don't let the facts get in the way of a good story is the watchword of many a tabloid journalist and it's certainly true of the case of Stuart Attwell, a fine young referee, who has been torn apart in the media for a couple of decisions he gave in a championship match at the weekend.
Attwell gave a penalty that can't possibly have been because the Sky cameras couldn't spot the offence. Gracious me, how dare he blow his whistle without calling Andy Gray first! And then he gave another one when a player scored about a second after he had blown for the spot kick.
Old diehards Jeff Winter and Graham Poll were quick to jump in on this but playing an advantage is a fine judgement to make.
If the advantage had been played and the header had gone over the bar, there would have been no chance of a goal and the players would have been furious. It's knocked into refs from an early age that playing advantages in the penalty area is unwise and extremely dangerous, so we tend not to do it, realising the risk.
So Attwell blew up quickly, gave the penalty and it was saved! So whose fault is it? The player who took a crap penalty, not Attwell's.
Elite referees get together on Mondays and Tuesdays after matches. Pro-zone is used to dissect their performances in front of the group and Keith Hackett will have a chat with refs who had a particularly torrid time. It's business as usual.
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