It is the time of year for ghosts, gouls and anything else that is deemed scary but this is far from a witch hunt.
I will get this clear from the outset, this is not an article that is blaming officials for making mistakes. It is merely pointing out that there is a real lack of consistency when it comes to penalising players for misdemeanours on the field of play.
Firstly, I have to say that it is a monumentously difficult job being a referee, for that there is no doubt. Players and managers alike do not make things any easier by trying to get the upper hand on the opposition who are in fact fellow professionals. Some will be international team-mates, not that you would know during the height of battle.
The focus for this article is the two bookings that Dwight Gayle received against West Ham United a few weeks back. There is no doubt that the striker was on one in that game and both tackles were deserved bookings.
We saw very similar indiscretions in a recent season at home to Chelsea. Visiting full back Cesar Azpilicueta received his marching orders with a straight red card. Damien Delaney had already been booked in that first half with what was his first challenge. A second clumsy challenge and he was gone before the break. Little argument with that one either, the big Irishman should have used his head a bit more seeing as the opposition were already down to ten men and the referee had shown that he was not adverse to pulling a card from his pocket.
While there are minimal complaints about either of those scenarios, there are countless games where the totting up process has been used.
This has not just effected Palace, it has been far more widespread. Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic was booked for two first half fouls in the game against West Ham United. Again, there was probably little argument as to whether either were bookings. The problem is that there are countless times when this iron fist approach by officials is not adhered to.
Already this season we have seen Francis Coquelin for Arsenal booked after a couple of challenges. A few more later and he was warned giving Arsene Wenger the opportunity to replace him. Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole got away with a number of fouls before seeing yellow in the Tyne Wear derby last weekend. Liverpool’s Lucas was the very same against Chelsea just this past weekend and that was the Mark Clattenburg that sent Gayle off.
We witnessed plenty of challenges in our game with United at the weekend by United players that went unpunished but that had a lot to do with how Wayne Rooney was officiating the game. In all seriousness, Ander Herrara stamped of the foot of Yohan Cabaye and dived in the area and never came close to a booking while at the other end of the pitch Martin Kelly was booked for brushing off Martial. He did the very same later on but was not penalised in the same way which was both lucky for us but would have been incredibly harsh.
As we saw at Selhurst Park on Saturday, there are players that play their game in the face of the official. Chelsea and Manchester United are masters at it. Wayne Rooney did it to good effect at the weekend, as did Mark Noble for West Ham before that. When Gayle received his marching orders not one Palace player was debating the decision other than for a hand up from Cabaye as if to half heartedly proclaim ‘why?’
It is a tough job and officials will always make mistakes. Just like players on the pitch and managers on the touchline make mistakes. All we ask for is some kind of consistency in these decisions but perhaps that will only come when the men in the middle get some help in the form of video technology.
Players do need to give them a break though and concentrate on their own game.
