I've only just been able to see Match of the Day and witness what all the fuss was about for Man Utd's first goal against QPR today at Old Trafford. And I'm afraid the fuss was fully deserved.
In my humble opinion, four mistakes were made.
Firstly, assistant Ceri Richards failed to spot Ashley Young was a couple of feet offside.
Secondly Shaun Derry put his hand on Young's back in the penalty area.
Thirdly, Young dived.
Fourthly, referee Lee Mason failed to spot that the Derry hand was contact, but not a push.
How could these mistakes have been avoided? Well I don't have an answer for the offside decision. This is what top level assistants are paid to do, just as the assistant at yesterday's Chelsea game should have spotted Ivanovic was offside when he scored.
Derry should, quite simply, not have touched Young. It's always a daft thing to do in the area, even if you're just getting your balance.
And Lee Mason? Well he didn't actually do much that wrong, apart from falling victim to a pretty poor rolling dive by Young and not spotting that it was a dive. The right call would have been an indirect free kick to QPR for offside. If not that, a free kick to QPR and a yellow card for Young. But based on what he saw, I can understand why Mason gave the penalty.
It's clear that referees are gradually becoming more cynical about diving and simulation. This weekend has seen non-stop cheating by Premier League players. Referees are really going to have to become a lot more cynical - and quickly.
No comments:
Post a Comment