So, old Clatts is doing his usual high-profile derby game with Manchester United v. City, and makes one of his usual high profile calls. The basics: Vincent Kompany comes flying in with what appears to be a high foot and appears to take out the United player. Seems a straightforward red card if you don’t know what you’re doing. But
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Listen. Diego Costa is an ass, and he’s always going to be bad mouthing someone and starting fights. He just seems like a jerk. But Pablo Zabaleta has been around long enough to know better. Zabaleta was skating on thin ice, anyway. Referee Mike Dean had spent the first half of the game handing out yellow cards like it was
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There’s a lot of buzz about this supposed Jack Wilshere handball in Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City Saturday. Manuel Pellegrini thinks it should have been a penalty; referee Mark Clattenburg did not. Let’s be clear: This issue is not why Manchester City did not win this match, despite what Pellegrini wants you to believe. The two Arsenal goals happened
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Here are some thoughts I had watching a few of today’s Premier League referees in action. These are just my general impressions; they’re not scientific, and I don’t try and nitpick every single decision. But, as always, if you saw something I didn’t, let us know in comments below. Mark Clattenburg, Arsenal v. Manchester City Clatts was in rare form
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I always love it when Phil Dowd (above) referees Spurs. Lots of potato jokes amongst my crowd. “Is it just me or does Phil Dowd look like a potato with a pack of cards?” “Don’t be silly! Potatoes have eyes.“ (I actually think Phil Dowd is terribly sexy in a weird way. Which I know I probably shouldn’t admit.) Anyhoo… Aside
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We’re rapidly running out of daylight on the season, and the title is still undecided. This puts even more pressure on the referees than they usually face. Any mistake could impact who wins the title. Liverpool play at Norwich on Sunday, with Andre Marriner (above) in the middle. Poor Andre has not had the … steadiest of seasons. Let’s hope
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Liverpool are an excellent team: fun to watch, exciting, hard working. The Liverpool v. Manchester City game was incredibly fun for a neutral like myself. Not only were the stakes high, but the emotions – with the tribute to the Hillsborough disaster – were even higher. Both teams gave it everything they had (in American parlance). There was only one big
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Match Week 34 in Premier League gets extended a tad this week, due to FA Cup and some other make up games. Arsenal are coming off their lucky win over Wigan Athletic in FA Cup to face West Ham, who’ve turned out not to be nearly as bad as they were threatening to be at the beginning of the season. The
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NOTE: This refers to an appointment in the past. See the sidebar for updated appointments. Well, no doubt, this weekend’s Big Match is Liverpool v. Manchester City. With four points dividing them, and City still with two games in hand on both Liverpool and Chelsea, this match could decide the title, pardon the hyperbole. And when you think hyperbole, you
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It could be the biggest game of the year: the one that decides the title. Liverpool v. Manchester City. Big game = big referee. Right now, the biggest referee in English football is undoubtedly Mark Clattenburg. Sure, Howard Webb is still The Man, and he will be going to Brazil and not Clattenburg. But as I’ve mentioned here before, Clatts
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PLAY THE ADVANTAGE 