Week 19 of the Premier League season produced a series of debatable results, but not as many Debatable Decisions as we have come to expect, not that it made a difference. The fixture congestion mixed with procrastination and the holiday season has seen us lag behind, but we’re slowly catching up. Enjoy!
Man Utd vs Blackburn
Samba Penalty
Simon M – No arguments from me, it’s a clear penalty and could easily have been given for the initial shirt pull. Poor defending, but you’ve got to wonder why you’re centre forward is tasked with marking a towering centre half.
Ant – Not enough for a penalty I mean would that contact really bring down someone as big and strong as Samba, I doubt it.
Mike – Alex Ferguson made the point afterwards that stuff like this goes unpunished quite regularly in football, and he’s not wrong. I suppose everyone feels a bit aggrieved when it goes against you, but you’d feel equally aggrieved if you were the one denied a penalty. It’s not clever from Berbatov. He’s probably getting away with it until Samba can’t stay up any longer. It’s a definite foul and, in all honesty, these kinds of things should always be penalised.
Simon F – Very clumsy defending from Berbatov. Samba may be a mountain of a man, but even he is going to go down after a shirt pull like that.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Evra Penalty Shout
Simon M – Chris Waddle mentioned the fact he had lost control of the ball during his commentary on ESPN, I don’t think that came into it, there wasn’t enough contact to warrant a penalty. Simple as that.
Ant – Nothing in this the referee was in a great position and got it spot on.
Mike – We get a bit bored of talking about contact, but it is important. I think there’s a small degree of contact. Not much, but enough to take out the onrushing Evra. For that reason, a penalty wouldn’t have been too harsh.
Simon F – There is the slightest brush of contact, but I don’t think it’s enough to impede Evra’s progress, and he goes down very easily, though to his credit doesn’t seem to claim the penalty.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Drogba Penalty
Simon M – I doubt even Villa fans would argue with this one. A really easy decision, Dunne is late and catches Drogba, a clear penalty.
Ant – One of the easiest we have seen this season, doesn’t get the ball and the sliding tackle takes out Drogba.
Mike – He’s had a consistent career, Richard Dunne, and his managers have always loved him. He is prone to acts of clumsiness, though, and he doesn’t protest this decision. Nor would have and any right to. It’s a clear penalty.
Simon F – No doubt about this one, Dunne is done (sorry) for pace and takes Drogba down. Clear penalty.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Arsenal vs QPR
Young Hanball In Area
Simon M – People will say that he doesn’t have time to get his hands out of the way before the ball hits them and the ball is hit very hard, but there is no reason for his arms to be in the position they are and the ball definitely strikes his arm. I would have awarded a penalty for this.
Ant – This was close range and it would have been hard to get his arms out of the way, I don’t think there was any intent to handball it and a penalty would have been harsh. The fact that it is not the hand he is leading with and the lack of intent makes me see this as correct.
Mike – Young isn’t aiming to block the ball with his hands, but this is one of those occasions when the player gets his arms all wrong. You can’t fly at the ball with your arms in the air like that. I want to see a penalty given for things like that.
Simon F – The ball is hit very hard and from close range, but Young has no business throwing his arms away from his body like that, and was very lucky to get away with it.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
Liverpool vs Newcastle
Colocinni Elbow On Belamy
Simon M – I think he shifts his elbow in the direction of Bellamy, it’s an unnatural movement and I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a red for what I consider a nasty challenge.
Mike – The blood shows that there’s contact, but I haven’t seen it from a good enough angle to say whether this was deliberate. I can’t give anything here. Sorry.
Simon F – There’s an argument that it could be considered careless from Coloccini, and therefore a foul and a penalty, but I think it’s just a coming together more than anything, and Bellamy is simply unlucky.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Cabaye Tackle On Spearing
Simon M – A really awful tackle, no intention of going for the ball and every intention of causing pain/injury to his opponent. Spearing is lucky to come away from it unscathed and Cabaye should have been sent off.
Ant – Should have been sent off caught Spearing on the leg studs first and his foot was high, I think the referee didn’t see challenge.
Mike – That is a horrible tackle. Two feet off the ground. Should have been sent off.
Simon F – An awful tackle from Cabaye. He jumps in with both feet and Spearing was very lucky that his foot wasn’t planted, otherwise he could have been on the end of a sickening injury. No question in my mind that Cabaye should have seen red for this
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
Stoke vs Wigan
Caldwell Handball & Red Card
Simon M – A quite spectacular piece of defending. No choice but to award a penalty and show a red in this instance.
Ant – I think Caldwell knew what he was doing, his arms were so far out I find it hard to believe it was not intentional. Blocking a clear chance to score so the red card was correct.
Mike – Three games in a row that we’re talking about a Gary Caldwell handball in the box. Someone needs to tell him to give the windmill impression a rest. It’s getting silly.
Simon F – I’m getting tired of Gary Caldwell appearing in these decisions, he really is a horror story of a defender. To be fair, it’s a great save he makes and as it’s a clear goalscoring opportunity, the referee had no choice but to send him off.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Wigan Penalty
Simon M – There is just enough in this, in my opinion. I’ve seen worse and we see tackles like this every week go unpunished, but that doesn’t make them legal, a penalty was the correct decision.
Ant – Hardly touches him and once again not enough to bring a fully grown man down to the floor.
Mike – Not unlike the Berbatov/Samba incident at Old Trafford, this one. As before, you need to be giving these, really.
Simon F – I’m sure Tony Pulis would have considered it soft, but Shotton clearly grabs an armful of Rodallega’s shirt to give himself the headstart in getting to the ball.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Stoke penalty shout
Simon M – What’s that? A good old English, Stoke centre half going down a little too easily? Well I never. No penalty.
Ant – Just a coming together and nothing more should not have been and was not a penalty so this is the right decision.
Mike – I read this as an honest tussle for the ball. Not enough in it for a foul.
Simon F – I would say that Shawcross goes down very easily here, but I can’t, because English players don’t do that. It certainly isn’t a penalty though.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Bolton vs Wolves
FK that led to Wolves goal
Simon M – Awful decisions, Fletcher doesn’t even lose the tussle, I think he drops easily and cheats the ref. Ridiculous.
Ant – No way a free kick shoulder to shoulder and the Wolves player was just too weak.
Mike – I thought this was a foul at first, but a closer look tells me that both players lean at each other. Fletcher loses, but it’s not a free kick.
Simon F – A shoulder-to-shoulder challenge, with both players leaning into each other, that is given as a free kick as Fletcher isn’t as strong as Ricketts.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
Norwich vs Fulham
Senderos Handball In Area
Simon M – Very close range and he’s trying his best to get his hand behind his back, no penalty.
Ant – Senderos was trying to get his hand out of the way so this is not a penalty.
Mike – At that kind of range, there’s not much Senderos can do. His arm is out a little, but not unnaturally so. He does his best to get it out of the way. Not a penalty.
Simon F – Senderos’ arm is by his side, the ball is hit from very close range, and he tries to get his arm out of the way. No penalty.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
Sunderland – Man City
Ji Goal Possibly Offside
Simon M – Twitter went into meltdown about this decision and to be honest I can’t see why. It’s offside and shouldn’t have been given, no doubt about that, but it’s nowhere near as far offside as people are making out.
Ant – This was slightly offside but offside it was. I doubt there is a Sunderland fan in existence that cares especially after the penalty they had against them last week.
Mike – This is a lot closer than some seem to be making out. However, he is marginally offside.
Simon F – It’s not by much, but Ji is definitely offside. The problem is that the assistant referee is behind play and not in a position to properly judge such a call.
Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision
WBA vs Everton
Thomas Penalty Shout
Simon M – An excellent tackle. Distin seems to have made a career of people not making a fuss about how good a centre back he actually is. It’s the crowd that called for it, not the West Brom players, but it was a good decision from the ref to ignore them and play on.
Ant – This is nothing but a brilliant tackle simple as that.
Mike – That is a great tackle.
Simon F – A great tackle by Distin, his momentum then sees him clip Thomas, but it’s never a foul. Good tackle, good refereeing and good on Thomas for not claiming it.
Overall Verdict – Correct Decision
***You can follow all five judges on Twitter; Simon M – @Deb_Decisions, Ben – @0Neji, Ant – @Acidburn81, Mike – @Mike7077 and Simon F – @SFurnivall.
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