Ex Ref Dermot Gallagher Gives His Verdict On The Key Decisions At Stamford Bridge Monday, 5th Oct 2015 17:02 Former Premier referee Dermot Gallagher has watched the TV replays of the contentious decisions on Saturday in the game between Chelsea & Southampton, so will his verdict back up Jose Mourinho's view that his team were robbed or will it show up the Chelsea manager as a spoilt brat. Sky Sports have got former Premier League referee to view the contentious decisions from the weekend including the incidents in the game at Stamford Bridge. The former referee who was a Premier League official for 15 years between 1992 & 2007 analysed the decisions on the programme Sky Sports Now with presenter Rob Wotton and here is the transcript of his verdict. INCIDENT 1: Sadio Mane penalty claim against Chelsea THE SCENARIO: Mane receives a pass on the left flank at the corner of the penalty area 18 yards from the goal line and after taking a couple of touches to control, bursts forward and steps away from Ramires, who sticks a foot out and clearly makes contact. Mane falls theatrically with his arms out and referee Bobby Madley looks like motioning to blow his whistle for a penalty then apparently changes his mind, deciding not to award anything instead. Shortly after, Mane goes down again in a challenge from Branislav Ivanovic on the edge of the area and although he appears to have been clipped once more, he is instead cautioned for simulation. GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Wrong decision. GALLAGHER SAYS: The referee sees him (Mane) go through the air like that and that's why he doesn't give it. He gave himself a little bit of thinking time and chose his decision. It's interesting because the ball goes out for a throw in and the same player is involved again seconds later and is booked. I think that was a little bit harsh but I think the referee is a bit fed up with him by then. He has just seen two in 30 seconds and the first one is a penalty but he doesn't think that's a foul. Cumulatively, I think he had enough. Bobby saw the swallow dive in the first instance and that has talked him out of (giving) a penalty. With the second one, he probably thinks he (Mane) has left his leg in and he's had enough by then. THE SCENARIO: Cesc Fabregas threads a through ball to Falcao, who has to get past Jose Fonte before catching sight of goal. He muscles his way beyond the defender but by then the ball is running towards goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg. He comes off his line and Falcao touches the ball away from goal before apparently being taken out by Stekelenburg. TV replays from two other angles show no contact was actually made before Falcao had started falling, although the players would likely have come together had he stayed up. Falcao is cautioned for simulation and no penalty is given. GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Correct decision. GALLAGHER SAYS: When you look at it from the main angle you see, yes, it is a penalty. I watched the game live on Saturday night and thought it was a penalty but looking at it from the other angle, when I saw these pictures I thought it was 100 per cent not a penalty. What you would say is Falcao has gone down well before any contact was made and the referee has got it right despite seeing it from a different angle to what I saw on TV. You can't beat a man up for getting it right. INCIDENT 3: Virgil van Dijk penalty claim against Chelsea THE SCENARIO: Steven Davis takes an inswinging free kick on the left touchline and as he tries to get on the end of the cross, Van Dijk falls to the ground as goalkeeper Asmir Begovic comes out to collect the ball without anyone challenging him. TV replays show Ivanovic has a firm grasp of van Dijk's shirt at his right shoulder with his left hand, pulling it halfway up his body and causing the Southampton player to fall. No penalty is awarded. GALLAGHER'S VERDICT: Wrong decision. GALLAGHER SAYS: The referee doesn't spot this because he watches the ball. If you're talking to a young referee who is just starting out, what you'd say is: "Don't watch the ball because there isn't going to be a foul 20 yards in the air." If you look at the set-up, there's Ramires, there's Ivanovic and Cahill - they're all tugging away at Southampton players. They've all got a player but when you watch the footage, you see the referee watching John Terry going towards the ball. His focus is not on where the real action happens. So there you have it, Dermot Gallagher has given his verdict and it proves that Jose Mourinho was like a spoiled child on Saturday, refusing to accept the reality of the situation and looking for an xcuse to blame everyone else but himself. If anything it was saints who had cause for blame and if the referee had been more eagle eyed then the defeat for Chelsea could have been far worse and then Mourninho would really have something to moan about. Sadly Mourinho showed little class after the game, good managers show their quality in defeat and the Chelsea boss showed little, given that when he was interviewed after the game he must have known what had actually happened and that his argument did not hold water, but such is his ego that he could not bear to admit the truth. Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
You need to login in order to post your comments |
   Blogs 31 bloggersSouthampton Polls[ Vote here ] |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.We in turn value your personal details in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
