Time for technology?

[Paul Marin]

Two weekends in a row we have game altering officiating calls/no calls; first in the Liverpool/Chelsea game and again today in Spurs unfortunate loss to Man United. In today's day and age, it seems a bit ridiculous that the officials have less ability to make the right call than 99% of the viewing audience. Time for technology I say.

[Lazie]

Two weekends in a row we have game altering officiating calls/no calls; first in the Liverpool/Chelsea game and again today in Spurs unfortunate loss to Man United. In today's day and age, it seems a bit ridiculous that the officials have less ability to make the right call than 99% of the viewing audience. Time for technology I say.

Agree, time for technology. Although, what in today's game yuh talking bout? Manu a play, unuh ago come wid all kind a camoflauge plays now.

Manu won!!

[Paul Marin]

Agree, time for technology. Although, what in today's game yuh talking bout? Manu a play, unuh ago come wid all kind a camoflauge plays now.

Manu won!!

Yes Lazie...rejoice while you can...you won't have much opportunity to do so this year. Anyway, if you don't think those were calls, all I wonder what you would have said if the call was the other way? Hmmmm.

[Sir X]

Lazie you must admit your victory wasnt impressive and it was helped by the ref.

A draw should have been the real outcome.

[Lazie]

Lazie you must admit your victory wasnt impressive and it was helped by the ref.

A draw should have been the real outcome.

I'll admit it wasn't impressive, but at this point 3 points was the objective. Helped by the ref? Where? Then again, wasn't it you that berated Nani at halftime? As T.K would say ..."IN YOUR FACE!!"

[Sir X]

Berated Nani , i said he was a great Buy you asked me about Ronanldo and i said he is one dimensional well you have 3 more puzzles to solve, by then we should be 6 points clear of you .

Saturday, 01 September 2007
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Sunderland, 17:15

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Saturday, 15 September 2007
Barclays Premier League
Everton v Man Utd, 12:00

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Sunday, 23 September 2007
Barclays Premier League
Man Utd v Chelsea, 16:00

[Mosiah]

Sometime ah tink Lazie lick 'im 'ead.

[Westman]

Outrageous to say Spurs had outrageous loss to Man U. I dont want anything from Spurs, especially after last year's bad call/no call in favor of Man U. I saw the match and I clearly believed it was not hand ball. A friend who is a Spurs fan called me and told me he had recorded it and watched the replay, frame by frame in slow motion and admitted it was a good no call. It is ok to say we should use technology. But it is not ok to say Spurs were unfortunate.

[Westman]

Man U was absolutely not helped by the ref. Three points does not have to be impressive. Most of the top team do not have the injury and suspension woes that Man U has now. We have seen Man U hang on through stretches like this in years past, and then sprint to the lead when they get a healthy team back. Maybe it is your fear of that occurring yet again this season that has you saying this stuff.

[Sir X]

Man U money stretch far .........DUN TALK !

[Karl]

Man Utd 1-0 Tottenham

By Sam Lyon



Nani (right) and Ryan Giggs celebrate the winger's winner

Nani drilled in his first goal for Manchester United to hand the champions a precious first win of the season and frustrate a brave Tottenham display.

After Robbie Keane hit the bar for Spurs in the first minute United dominated, with Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes going close to an opener.

The visitors held firm, though, and had appeals for a penalty turned down after Wes Brown's apparent handball.

And Nani compounded their misery when he fired in the winner from 25 yards.





It was harsh on Tottenham, who had mixed a solid defensive display with the odd good chance, but United were good value for something from a game they dominated for spells.

Sir Alex Ferguson had boldly stated "we will win the game on Sunday" before the match, and the fact that Spurs had failed to beat United at Old Trafford in nearly 18 years suggested the Scot's pre-match confidence was well placed.

But it was some indication of the recent turmoil surrounding Tottenham that most of the talk before the game centred around Martin Jol's position as manager, rather than the fact that United began the match second from bottom.

The Dutchman cut a relaxed figure before the match, though, and having received vocal support from fans and players in recent days, it was little surprise the visitors began full of purpose.

In fact, there was barely a minute on the clock when Dimitar Berbatov and Steed Malbranque linked up well to set up Keane for the visitors' best first-half effort, the Irishman's curler dipping onto the bar from 20 yards.





With United struggling to find early rhythm, Spurs had plenty of possession and when Rio Ferdinand allowed the ball to run in the box, only a block tackle from Nemanja Vidic prevented Berbatov's shot going in.
However, having seen off Tottenham's early endeavours, United upped the ante on 20 minutes and it was almost exclusively a backs-to-the-wall effort from Spurs for the rest of the half.

First Ryan Giggs's cross-shot was pushed away by Paul Robinson, and then Carrick's rasper from 25 yards was deflected inches past the post.

Scholes was the next United player to go close, clipping over from Giggs's pass, before Nani's run and shot flew past the post.

It was proving a sound defensive effort from Spurs, though it was not hard to understand why United had scored just once in five matches before the game, so lacking was the final pass or shot on occasion.

The second half began much like the first, with the visitors' all-action approach frustrating the visitors, and Rocha wasted a glorious chance to hand the visitors the lead when he headed a Bale free-kick wide from six yards out with the goal gaping.

Gareth Bale and Dimitar Berbatov (right) appeal for a penalty


Suddenly it was Spurs who were asking the questions and Berbatov twice went agonisingly close, the first when he tapped past Edwin van der Sar only for Rio Ferdinand to clear on the line and then when his shot from six yards out struck Brown and flew wide.

Replays suggested the ball struck the defender on the arm and Spurs were furious no spot kick was awarded, but Howard Webb waved the appeals away.

And, as if to add salt into the wound, United took the lead minutes later.

After Carlos Tevez's drilled shot had been cleared off the line by Jenas, the subsequent attack saw the ball fall to Nani 25 yards out and the winger drilled a superb effort into the roof of the net to send the home fans wild.

Jol responded by bringing Adel Taarabt and Jermain Defoe on, but it was Berbatov that came closest to a leveller, the Bulgarian turning and shooting in one movement only for his effort to curl millimetres over.

The ensuing Spurs rally brought little reward as United held out to leap up the table and ensure a difficult week for the Londoners and Jol ended in defeat.





Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson:
"That was narrow, touch and go, nothing to choose between the two sides. They dug in and got forward a bit and there was really nothing in it in the second half.
"I thought we lacked a little bit of confidence. Players are anxious, there is a lot of expectation here, and what was required was to dig in, show great commitment and we did that.

"As for the penalty appeals, at the time they protested so much I thought it was a penalty, but Wes said it has hit him on the chest. It does hit him on the chest, I'm sure of that."


Tottenham manager Martin Jol:
"Of course I am bitterly disappointed because we absolutely deserved something from this game - maybe even the win.
"We were comfortable throughout, I thought, and we had as many chances as they did. Plus we should definitely have had a penalty - Brown has used his arm and spread himself to block the shot like a keeper and you can't do that.


"They scored a marvellous goal but we had chances too, we just needed a bit of luck or a decision to go our way. "As for me - I'm not under pressure. The chairman's backing me and you can see today how the players are desperate to play for this team so there is no problem."




Man Utd: Van der Sar, Brown, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Nani, Hargreaves, Carrick (Eagles 57), Scholes, Giggs, Tevez (Fletcher 77).

Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Dong, O'Shea.

Booked: Giggs, Brown.

Goals: Nani 68.

Tottenham: Robinson, Chimbonda, Rocha (Zokora 83), Gardner, Lee (Taarabt 75), Malbranque, Jenas, Huddlestone, Bale, Berbatov, Keane (Defoe 75).

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Stalteri.

Booked: Huddlestone, Berbatov, Gardner.

Att: 75,696
Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

[Paul Marin]

Westman - I have watched it frame by frame myself and Brown clearly moved his arm towards the ball and made contact which should have led to a penalty. The call on the contact between Vidic and Berbatov is WAY more conclusive to me. The pass is made towards Berbatov and Vidic who knows he has no chance of beating the striker to the ball basically gives him a "body check". Both were clear penalties to me...frame by frame brother...frame by frame.

P.S. The most telling thing on the handball was the look on Wes Brown face...him look like him did tief sinting, like Malouda las' week.

[Mosiah]

It didn't look like a hand ball to me, but Brown did look guilty! And Berbatov could have been awarded a penalty for that Vidic check.

[Karl]

Yes!
...but, not for such calls!

As I said - The referee alone decides if the perceived "hand-ball" is intentional. Technology cannot make such a decision.

As the game goes on particularly as the ref has to concentrate on/focus on the game as it moves...It is doubtful if in many of these instances he/she would in the cauldron that is these stadia hear any voice and understand what is being said...unless ofcourse he is given something like an electric jolt to get his attention...and, in most cases the play would have long gone.

Imagine an incident occuring and with 3 passes a goal is scored at the other end and the ref -calls back the play to, for example, give an indirect free-kick to the opposite team? In effect, 3 passes made, goal scored and ref now hears and understands what 5th man (assistant ref on monitor) thinks occured. ...damn - what a boo-boo if after the game reasonable persons decide the 5th man was wrong!

Yes technology should be introduced to inform the assistant ref on the touch-lines that ball is in play or out of play on the goal-lines only.

The assistant ref then gives the appropriate signal. That would allow for instantaneous signalling and would not in anyway interfer with the flow of the game. One word only - out or one stimulus (electric shock or whatever ) only when ball goes out of play would be needed to communicate to the assistant ref on the line that ball is out of play...i.e. over goal-line (goal-lines, including goal-line between goal uprights) as circumstance demands.

[Tilla]

Whe' Karl get this referees getting an electric jolt from? I would think that is not the case. I think it would be similar to the vibration produced by your cell phone in vibration mode. Electric shock/jolt I would say no. Sounds more like something from the concentration camps during Hitler's reign.