THE REFEREE REALLY WAS A WANKER
I rarely venture into seas where I could be biased towards Tottenham. It’s not helpful for any of us really, but there comes a time when frankly, enough is enough. Spurs lost the FA Cup semi-final 2-0 after extra- time. That’s what the records will say and that’s frankly all anybody cares about, given that this isn’t a club who complains like, say, Arsenal or Man.Utd, and further given that Portsmouth are this season’s fairy tale club. So tally-ho and hip hip hooray to the plucky winners, and Spurs? Same old Spurs, don’t have the bottle, etc, etc.
Except it isn’t so.
On a pitch I wouldn’t walk my dog on for fear of injury ( if I had a dog that is) we saw one side try and bring the game, one side try and play football and one side carve open chance after chance against another side who basically came to defend and counter-attack. ‘The pitch is the same for both teams’ was repeated like some ancient truism, but I’ve never much cared for soundbites and that’s precisely what that was. Yes, same pitch for both sides, but when one side plays a game which relies on passing and creativity, then they will be the ones who suffer on a ‘surface’ resembling a mutation between ice-rink and clod-heap.
Spurs were patient, Spurs fashioned the chances, good blocks and saves were made, yet Spurs kept coming. Over and over. Attack after attack, instigated by some players who were not fully fit, yet kept on going. A half-penalty shout from Spurs for a ball off arm was turned down, and no-one would really argue that such a penalty would’ve been harsh. Of course, last week at Sunderland, a penalty was given against Spurs for an almost carbon-copy incident.
The referee, Alan Wiley, a man referred to by Sir Alex Ferguson as not fit to referee at this level (referring to his health not hid talent, though both must be questioned) had thus already shown an ominous portent as to what sort of game he was having. He furthered this by twice hauling back excellent, open situations for Spurs to award free-kicks for the attacking team. Brilliant advantages. Not.
But he saved his best for last.
First, the otherwise rock solid Dawson found the pitch betraying him at the worst possible moment, allowing Piquonne the easy chance to score.
And when Spurs responded in the best possible fashion, first hitting the post and then scoring an equalizer when James came for a ball he couldn’t get and Crouch hooked the ball into the top-right of the net, Wiley disallowed the goal for a foul that only he saw. We all caught the footage of Pompey goal keep James grinning through the back of the net with that wide-eyed ‘ I can’t believe it’ expression. That’s no slight on James, a thoroughly decent man who is a footballer to respect, but it further amplifies the size of Wiley’s gaffe.
You’d have hoped that might be the end of Wiley’s awful decisions. Kranjcar took the sort of disgraceful, injury-saturated challenge through the back of his legs from Michael Brown that sometimes sees a straight red card. Brown didn’t even see yellow. This morning, Kranjcar had a scan to see if he received a hairline fracture of the shin. And then when Palacios put in an inch- perfect challenge on Dindane, ball clearly caught first, Wiley gave a penalty. Not only that, he did not (as he was required to do) give a straight red card for the offence, given that Palacios was the last man back. Instead he gave him a yellow. Meaning that on this last day for accumulative yellow cards to stick, Palacios reached 10 and now misses matches against Arsenal and Chelsea. 3 minutes from getting through without a card, and then he gets booked for a fine tackle and a penalty is awarded. Had he been sent off, the card could’ve been appealed and the decision overturned. You cannot protest a booking.
I have read nothing from Alan Wiley today. He will be allowed to get on with his life and profession, seemingly unaccountable for three decisions which have not only changed a game but also potentially changed a season.
He does not have to speak about it.
He does not have to explain himself.
It is my opinion that Alan Wiley should not only be held publicly accountable for his poor performance, but that he should serve a suspension himself. As should the arrogant likes of Howard Webb. It’s no good crying technology. We don’t have it so everyone has to work harder to get on with things. And if the referee is in any doubt at all over a decision, then he should either consult with his linesmen or not give it. At no time did Wiley consult with anyone during the semi- final.
I was one of the Spurs supporters who felt it would be tough. I had predicted an extra-time win and had even predicted Pompey to go ahead. So there was never an illusion of grandeur here. No. But what I didn’t predict was such an awful refereeing performance. Who could have?
So frankly, I remain firmly of the opinion that Tottenham were robbed.
Trust me, I’ve seen us not work hard enough and throw away games this season.
But this wasn’t one of those. We went to an appalling surface trying to play football against a team of plucky cloggers, and the 12th man put his boot in. And to those who say ‘dominance counts for nothing if you don’t score’, well, we did. Score, that is. That this wasn’t recognized rather evokes memories of Mendes at Old Trafford, except this was more obvious even to the likes of Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles.
You can call it sour grapes if you wish, but I know what I saw.
And if you’re honest, so do you.
