Don't you get a little fed up with Sam Allardyce? You must give him credit for
what he has done at Bolton, one of the less fashionable clubs in the Premiership,
but does he ever stop whingeing? If his team get beaten, never mind whether they
were second best, or that they deserved to loose, it will never be down to him or
his team; someone else is always to blame and of course more likely than not it
will be the referee.
I didn't watch the Carling Cup Final played a couple of Sundays ago but most
neutral observers agreed that Middlesbrough were the better team. This of
course didn't deter Sam. He had three major arguments with referee, Mike
Riley. He didn't agree with the penalty given against his side, he felt his team
should have had a penalty and he thought the Middlesbrough penalty taker
should have been penalised for playing the ball twice.
The first two I couldn't even comment on, for as I said I didn't see the game, but the third incident v/as
interesting and as I understand it, quite unique. Going purely on the descriptions
I have read or heard, it seems that the kicker slipped as he went to take the kick.
The slip led to him kicking the ball against his 'inactive' leg, which had the
effect of sending the ball into the opposite part of the goal than the goalkeeper
was anticipating, or perhaps that he intended.
Sam Allardyce, who had the benefit of watching it afterwards on the TV monitor, blamed Mike Riley for not
spotting the offence. He is quite right in saying that according to law, if the
kicker touches the ball a second time before it has touched another player, an
indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing side w-here he made his second
touch. The same is true at any free kick, as well as kick-off, goal kick, comer
kick, and for the thrower at a throw-in. So why wasn't it spotted by the referee,
or at least by his assistant referee?
A fair question but there are two points worth bearing in mind. In 2001 the law^
v/as changed to put the responsibility for watching the goalkeeper moving off
his line at penalty kicks, onto the assistant referee. He will therefore be
concentrating on the goalkeeper, and keeping only half an eye on the kicker so
he can judge that any movement is before the kick is taken. But won't the
referee be watching?
At the beginning of this season all referees received an
instruction from FIFA, reminding them that it is an offence for players to enter
the penalty area before the kick has been taken. They were a little concerned
that defenders had taken to running into the area to distract the kicker. Likewise
attackers were encroaching, hoping to pick up any rebound that might occur.
I personally remember seeing on occasions, players almost level with the kicker
before he had played the ball. More of that cheating I was talking about last
week. 'Nowadays,' FIFA said in a little rebuke, 'infringements occur at penalty
kicks, yet referees seldom take action.'
Referees at the top level have therefore
been standing in new^ positions this season, some of which I don't agree with, to
watch especially for encroachment. What that means of course, is whilst they
are watching the other players, they are not totally committed to watching the
kicker, which is why it is quite possible to miss such a quick and unexpected
touch.
One other small point; the ball is only in play at a penalty kick, if the ball
moves forward. If the player slipped as he kicked the ball, did it perhaps go
sideways? If so he should have retaken the kick. Mind you, even that would
have upset Sam Allardyce.
Dick Sawdon Smith