Webb Did United More Harm Than Good...

This article was taken partially from football365 website, written by Rob McNichol and its a fascinating read. Thought I'd share...

Oh, what a tangled Webb games involving Manchester United and certain referees do weave.
It seems like such a shame that such an enthralling game (well, enthralling second half) should end with talk of the referee, but hopefully that will subside and the memory of a cracking see-saw encounter and comeback will be the enduring image.

I, though, have to do my job and assess the impact Howard Webb had on Chelsea 3 Manchester United 3. And it was a big one, with four key decisions in and around Chelsea's penalty area.

I'll admit that I did not see shirt-pulling by Jose Bosingwa on Ashley Young on first glance, but a replay showed that Mr Webb's position would have meant it was fairly obvious. He eventually gave a free-kick to Chelsea for Young handballing it on the way down.

The second of the first-half shouts was a definite foul by Gary Cahill on Danny Welbeck, although it was certainly outside of the penalty area. However, Mr Webb, again with a good view, still gave nothing - not even a free-kick, which would have been in a very dangerous area. I do not believe, had the foul been given, that it would have warranted a red card, as the chance wasn't totally clear-cut, but even a caution against a centre-back is a disadvantage that Chelsea escaped, particularly when you consider the standard of forward Cahill would have been playing against while on a yellow.

The first penalty given was a cert, for me. Patrice Evra was about to plant a foot behind the ball when Danny Sturridge basically kicked it away from under him. I can't see a dispute on that one.

The real issue is the second penalty that Mr Webb awarded. I think a combination of Branislav Ivanovic stopping and Welbeck actively trying to make contact with the Serbian defender led to Welbeck going over, and for me it shouldn't have been a spot-kick. It was extremely harsh.

Ultimately, if you are assessing the four big decisions, I think Mr Webb got one right and three wrong. And if you want to restart and perpetuate the ludicrous 'Webb favours United' myth, then I'd say of the three wrong decisions, two of them favoured Chelsea - and they were the first two. He had a poor game, but he probably harmed United more than he helped them.

Special thanks to @Franchizeboy87
Jade Christopher Bentley Adams (JCBA)

Comments

The Premier League changes its logo.

The most lucrative football league in the world, The English Premier League (EPL), yesterday unveiled its new official logo, which will be used from the 2016-17 season onwards. The division's lion icon has been the face of England's top flight since its launch in 1992 but has undergone a makeover to give it a fresh, modern look. It means, EPL is ending its 12-year association with Barclays bank and will from now on be known simply as ‘the Premier League’. The new logo – has a crowned lion’s head gazing to the right, accompanied by either the words ‘Premier League’ or ‘PL’ -- will replace the current logo of a lion with its left paw on a football. All 20 clubs in the top flight have also agreed a new centralised sponsorship strategy, meaning the league will no longer have a named sponsor. “From next season we will move away from title sponsorship and the competition will be known as the Premier League, a decision which provided the opportunity to consider how we wanted ...

Arsene Wenger v Jose Mourinho: The history of their rivalry in quotes

A must read by Adams Bate of Skysports news, The war of words between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger goes on and on. While the Manchester United boss has generally had the upper hand on the pitch over the years, both managers have had stern words for each other in the press room. Here we recall their rivalry in quotes, dating back to Mourinho's first season in English football... "I don't see especially that Chelsea play more English players than we do. Who have they produced, homegrown? Just one, John Terry." - Wenger in 2005 when quizzed on Arsenal's all-foreign line-up. At the beginning of the following season in August 2005, Wenger also expressed concerns over Chelsea's tactics: "I know we live in a world where we have only winners and losers, but once a sport encourages teams who refuse to take the initiative, the sport is in danger." Mourinho was unimpressed. "Wenger has a real problem with us and I think he is what you ca...

Currie Cup Final "Op Nuweland"

Op Nuweland (i.e. In Newlands Stadium) for Capetonian Rugby lovers has a special connotation understood only with a beer, friends, family, braai and biltong on match days. This match day Cape Town can boast a Currie Cup Final, and a deserved one I might add, for the first time in 12 years. It will also be the 12th time since 1939 that this illustriuos stadium hosts the Currie Cup Final, with only Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria hosting more (17). It has also been dominated by these two teams for the last 4 years with Western Province(WP) taking part in three of the last four finals. The Sharks can boast being in their fourth Currie Cup Final in as many years, each winning the title just once in that time. A stat each side will want to change as it's one thing to take part in a show piece and quite another to win one. WP are in the uneviable position of being tagged favourites come Saturday not just for them being the defending champions and them being at thier home patch but because t...

Search This Blog