The situation isn’t complicated.
Here’s a potted time line of is yet another nail in the coffin for those who tell us that video technology would destroy the game. These are the same people I presume who’s grandparents told us that the Titanic was unsinkable.
1.The whistle for an arguable penalty is not blown.
2.The whistle for Nani’s handball on the floor is not blown.
3.The linesman’s flag for the handball is raised.
4.Nani nips in and scores a perfectly legitimate goal.
5. On Nani’s birth certificate the box marked father’s name has the words, ‘some soldiers’, written in it.
So whilst on a morally evolved sliding scale (that ranges from plankton to human) Nani rates about the same as ‘stepping in dog poo whilst wearing new suede shoes on a very hot and sunny day’ …but the real question is what Clatternberg’s motivation was to discount the linesman.
Clatternberg is entitled to overule Nani’s handball. He is entitled to say he felt he had a clear view himself and that he saw no such offence. He is entitled to say that there are little green men living in his toupe who know all the words to ELO’s Blinded By The Light if he so chooses.
But that along with all his other ‘entitled opinions’ only serves to prove he, along with too many others are not fit/able to referee sufficiently well without assistance from someone sat in front of a TV screen with the benefit of 17 different camera angles, slo mo and rewind.
The law is an ass. And coincidence or not, it won’t sit well with Tottenham fans that this is the second comedy goal they have been made to suffer at the hands of an inadequate referee at Old Trafford.
It never fails to amaze me – that Rio – (real name river) is a torrent of puss filled oozy bile spit. Ahh, his flem is liquid puke and his heart is ginger
I really feel for Spurs over this but the blame I feel should be shared between Gomez and the linesman. Yes there was a shout for a pen but honestly I don’t think it was one, I think Nani went down too easily and handled the ball on the ground. The keeper immediately picks up the ball and runs forward, Clattenberg can clearly be seen at this point waving play on, no whistles have been blown. Gomez rolls the ball forward, Nani pounces and scores, then Gomez runs over to the linesman and 8 seconds after the goal he raises his flag, why? For a penalty? Handball? nobody knows but he didn’t raise his flag until well after both incidents. The bottom line is the ball was clearly in play and Gomez unbelievably didn’t know that! The linesman just added confusion to the situation!
Read this, it sums up the the controversial goal qite well:
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/rios-very-sensible-advice-for-tottenham/
Excellent article and couldn’t be more correct.
Does Rio have any sensible advice on missing drug tests too?
I agree that none of us will complain at a decision that works in our favour but that does not make the decision right or wrong. You also have to accept that we have been on the receiving end of two decisions at Old Trafford (the Mendez non goal and the Webb penalty) that were obviously wrong. So our whinging is well founded.
I haven’t seen Clattenburg’s explanation but either it was a penalty or a handball and if he missed the handball he was wrong but if he waved play on in order to give us an advantage and that advantage was lost in the confusion he should have taken play back and awarded the free kick. If his instructions were not clear surely that is his fault. Can’t argue that everyone should play to the whistle but no-one can argue that the goal was fair in the circumstances.
Having said all that we didn’t deserve to win so the result at least was the right one.
Yes – he is sensible…oh wait a second he isn’t as he is a overpaid numptey from Peckham who misses drug tests, once misspelt his own name on a team sheet, is paid 130k, pressures referees and looks pig ugly.
I don’t see any complaints on here for huddlestones goal against fulham and i don’t think you’d be complaining had you scored from the corner that wasn’t!! The ref waved play on as spurs had the advantage and nani did what any player would do! Spurs are turning into the scousers of the south complaining about the decisions against them but happy with the ones that go for them! The video tech would just have confirmed a penalty! Get over it pal, enjoy your season and look forward to being back in the europa next season!
Dave pistol,
The ball that Huddlestone kicked… it hit a Fulham player before it went in :pinch:
Yes, at the time I wrote I feel a twinge of guilt about that goal as I would have been annoyed if it scored against us. But still with the silly rules it was legitimate where-as Nani’s goal was not by any stretch of the imagination correct. He handled the ball deliberately – is he any different from Maradona?
ELO did not sing blinded by the light, apologies for the pedantry but it is better than thinking about that disgrace of a referee