When Will Clubs And Players Help The Referees?

The biggest talking point about today’s game is the return of Cristiano Ronaldo – I love the way he plays, I’m a massive fan of his but I’m just not a fan of his demeanour. I’ve never been against any player that shows skill in the way that he does but the antics that used to go with it never endeared him to me; he has improved and that has gone some way to making him the all round player he is.

The comparison in the press now draws Gareth Bale with him but to me you can’t put them in the same breath at the moment; I think Gareth is a fabulous player, the way he takes players on. Wingers in the British game is something that has gone on for years and years and yet it’s the big English problem that’s never been solved! Everyone always says “I wish he was English”, there was a story that Bale could have chosen England as he qualified through a grandparent but he chose Wales which is admirable. For me, players who go at players like Ronaldo and like Bale… there shouldn’t be just two of those players, there should be tons of them. Look at Downing and Wright-Phillips, both have disappointed after early promise.

As the comparison grows and Bale does well, transfer speculation grows too and it’s a common subject among United fans anywhere – who would you take between Bale and Ronaldo? I’d have to take Bale, for one reason – his mentality is with the English game. I don’t mean that in a detrimental way to Ronaldo. I thought the grounding he got at United made him into the man he is today. He’s done brilliantly at Madrid though I’m not convinced with the overall quality of La Liga, it reminds me of how Scotland was before what happened with Rangers.

Gareth’s leading the show at Tottenham and scored against Arsenal again at the weekend; the question is, where is his best position? He has a great engine, runs up and down the wing and scores goals. He reminds me a little of myself! He has a wonderful sense of penetration and instead of standing with the ball he likes to run at defenders and get behind them, making them commit themselves. Defenders hate it. Speculation also links Bale to Madrid – but can you see Ronaldo and him in the same side?

I’m confident United will win the tie; maybe not by many, and it will depend on Sir Alex’s selection, but we had enough chances over there to win the game and there’s no reason to believe we won’t do the same. If we’re up to par, then we should be able to handle it.

One comment about tomorrow’s game; Ryan Giggs is set to make his 1000th career appearance against Real Madrid – what an achievement, it’s absolutely fantastic. I take my hat off to Giggsy. I admire him so much for what he’s done in his career and he’s been fortunate that the hamstring injuries he suffered earlier in his life didn’t have a long term effect on what he has gone on to accomplish. I sometimes wonder what I might have achieved with the same fortune! He’s been a great servant, a wonderful player who will be missed. He will go on to coach at United, and lets see him go and bring through the next generation of brilliant wingers.

Referees

Two things got my goat in the North London derby at the weekend; Emanuel Adebayor rolling around for ages and looking up, wanting his old team to stop play. The second was Michael Dawson and the referee taking about a minute to discuss something in the second half; it wasn’t the incident as such, but the fact that people complain about the potential stoppages that video technology would bring.

I have a lot of respect for referees and players don’t help them these days. I have a lot of complaints! One thing that puts players off from shooting from distance is opponents performing a handball; and there is a major grey area of “ball to hand”; a player has to balance and sometimes human reaction means that they will move their hands to protect themselves. Yes, there are deliberate handballs, but I feel some common sense should be applied.

For me, we need video technology – I’ve seen it applied in other sports and it needs to be implemented. All you’ve got to do is look at a box, did it go over the line or didn’t it? Was it a punch or wasn’t it? I don’t normally agree with Sepp Blatter but at least having goal line technology brought in next season will be a step in the right direction. There just needs to be the right balance between technology and allowing and trusting the referee’s judgement.

The biggest issue with that of course is players seeking an advantage. Players kicking the ball against an opponents hand, players falling over under minimum contact in a contact sport. I was a winger, used to running at opponents and used to them trying to rough me up, and I can tell you that I think diving and cheating in the game is disgraceful. What did I do to try and gain an advantage? Kick the ball against an opponents leg, and get the rebound! That’s what trickery is supposed to be, not the conmanship you see in today’s game. Yes, I’m talking about Suarez, as well as Adebayor. They want the referee to stop the game instantly and then oversell the injury! Isn’t the stoppage enough? You’ve now got players who stick out a leg to try and make it look like there was contact; Suarez is an expert at that, and for me it’s a disgrace.

Another issue – If a player stands in front of you to stop you getting the ball, what is that?

And if a player stands in front of you and puts his arms out to stop you getting the ball before it goes over the line to go out, what’s that?

So why are they giving a goal kick?!

I’ve said it before but I feel referees should train with full time clubs nearby where they live, clubs they don’t referee, to see how they work and how the players behave in a natural environment. You hear talk about “Why don’t players want to be referees?”. They don’t want to be, they don’t need the hassle! When they have ex-professionals commentating on games, they always stop short of saying they’re conning the referee – that is except for Gary Neville, who is excellent. That’s what I like about Gary, he tells the truth. If all players did, then maybe something could be done about it. In my day, the famous diver was across the city – Franny Lee at Man City. Everyone knew it and he never got a decision because of it!

We’re not talking about blatant assassins because you still get as many injuries; outlawing tackles altogether won’t eradicate injuries. There can be common sense applied to have a look at a tackle and decide whether it really was dangerous in the context of that particular situation and I honestly believe that having a more close relationship with clubs and players is a way towards bridging the gap and building that trust and honesty. I have great respect for referees in rugby; there was the rule a while back where arguing with the referee would get the ball moved forward ten yards. Maybe football can learn a lot from other sports.