One of the consequences of having my photograph included with this column for the last twelve years, is that people keep coming up to me to talk about football, particularly the Laws of the Game. ‘Do you mind,’ they usually …
The last thing I want readers to think is that this column is leading a one-man anti Ferguson campaign. It’s just that Sir Alex’s latest verbal behaviour needs some clarification. The fact that Manchester United didn’t beat Tottenham two Sundays ago, …
We were pleased to welcome to our January meeting, Ray Olivier who is Training and Development Manager for the PMGOL, which of course is responsible for the Select list of referees on the Premier League. It was pity that the …
Guest speaker Jan 2013: Ray Olivier – “Deal or no deal” Read more »
It is not often that I return in this column to something that I wrote about just a fortnight before. However, I would like to go back to the incident which led me to write about Sir Alex Ferguson’s rant …
Just being offside is not distracting an opponent Read more »
Some years ago, after I had made a decision during a game, one of the players said to me, ‘It’s a good job this is not televised ref, otherwise you would find out that you made a mistake there’. ‘On …
Whatever the replay shows the referee’s still wrong Read more »
The most repeated football television incident over the holiday was almost certainly that of Sir Alex Ferguson remonstrating with the referee, the fourth official and the assistant referee over what he thought was an incorrectly allowed goal against Manchester United. …
How does Sir Alex get away with being completely wrong? Read more »
One player that Royals fans might have been surprised to have seen turning out for West Ham last weekend, was Carlton Cole following his sending off for serious foul play in the previous game against Everton. Thereby of course hangs …
Refereeing is all about making decisions. In an average match a referees make in the region of five hundred decisions. Sometimes, thankfully very rarely, those decisions might be a matter of life and death. Few football fans will need reminding …
Tony Pullis is the outspoken, straight talking manager of Stoke City in the Premier League and recently he has had plenty to say about referees. Stoke’s players have picked up more cautions than any other team in the league so …
Not fair that referees face psychological warfare Read more »
One of the more unpleasant practices that’s taken hold in recent years is that of players taking hold of their opponents, particularly in the penalty area, with shirt pulling, and wrapping round of arms. There was a noticeable situation on …
