Referees will always be inconsistent, Chelsea risk rolling back the years and January will be the most important month of the season
Referees can't be consistent. They're human
You can't trust humans. What do they know? Humans watch the X Factor, laugh at jokes by James Corden and let Piers Morgan take over from Larry King on CNN. It's fair to say that, as a species, we've made some pretty grave errors over the years. So why do we expect referees to be immune from making blunders in their day job? When a beaten manager or player feels their side has been robbed by a refereeing error, a familiar line is trotted out. All we want is consistency, they'll say, going to great lengths to make it seem like this plaintive request is perfectly reasonable. It certainly does the trick. Pundits parrot the line and now consistency has become a primary goal. It will forever be out of reach, unless anyone truly believes human error can be cured.
During Manchester United's game against West Bromwich Albion, Gary Neville somehow managed to avoid conceding a penalty and being sent off when he hauled down Graham Dorrans, who was through on goal. It was blatant but inexplicably Chris Foy waved the appeals away, prompting the usual accusations that he was biased in favour of United. In the Sky studio at half-time, Gordon Strachan's analysis summed up the incident best. "Well it's a penalty, isn't it, there's no point talking about it," he said blankly. Quite.
On Twitter the Arsenal goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny was just as blunt. "How can you not get frustrated with decitions (sic) like that going ALWAYS Man Utds way?!" he wrote. "Its a clear pen and sending off!" Presumably the Pole had missed Lee Bowyer's last-minute equaliser against United four days earlier, a goal that was only possible thanks to Nikola Zigic handling the ball and fouling Rio Ferdinand in the build-up. And during the second half against West Brom, United could have had a penalty of their own when Jerome Thomas appeared to handle the ball in the area. There were no cries of bias then, or when Robin van Persie got away with an apparent handball in the area during the victory over Birmingham.
Earlier in the week Cesc F�bregas launched his own Twitter complaint about referees after Arsenal were denied a penalty for a handball by James McArthur during their draw with Wigan. "What's the difference between this handball and my one versus Spurs?" he asked. "Referees don't want us to complain about them but they make life difficult for themselves. I'm not complaining at all, I'm just saying why on the same thing some refs say it's a penalty and some not. Is it a rule or just what they feel?"
To an extent, F�bregas had a point, because there was no difference between his handball against Tottenham, which was penalised, and McArthur's, which wasn't. Mostly, though, his query was disingenuous because the two incidents occurred in two different matches officiated by two different referees at different times and in different places. It can be hard to understand how referees get something wrong just as it can be puzzling when a Premier League footballer misses an open goal from three yards out. But a referee's capacity to err is entirely plausible. They're human, and if one referee is good at his job, it doesn't necessarily follow that one of his colleagues will be too. If mistakes are to be eradicated, video evidence is the only solution, football's very own industrial revolution. Let the machines take the slack. JS
Chelsea at risk of rolling back the years
"It's very difficult not just for me but for everybody to explain this. It's very strange. We had the best defence and now this. It's very frustrating for me, the players, the chairman and the fans. I think the motivation and the attitude was good. We didn't play well."
Not Carlo Ancelotti but Claudio Ranieri on the first weekend in January back in 2002, when Chelsea last went on to finish outside of the Champions League places. The similarities are noticeable. There was certainly nothing lacking in Chelsea's attitude yesterday, the reaction to what seemed to be a winning goal from John Terry and a barnstorming final 20 minutes in general are testament to that, but there's no doubt that they played poorly.
The make-up of the Chelsea squad has also drifted back towards the 2001-02 vintage ? older heads just beginning to fade, younger players either not quite ready or not quite good enough (are Bruma, Sturridge, McEachran and co currently superior to Forsell, Cole, Huth, Morris et al?). Coupled with the team's lack of consistency, it makes a worrying comparison for Chelsea fans.
Could Chelsea really miss out on the Champions League? A couple of months ago the very idea would've seemed ridiculous, but on yesterday's evidence it is not beyond the realms of possibility. Ancelotti's side were astonishingly lacklustre for the majority of the 90 minutes, and disorganised at the back once the victory appeared to have been in the bag. Ramires is struggling to settle and it surely must be clear by now that Paulo Ferreira has to be kept away from the first XI. And if the squad is so thin that the 19-year-old Jeffrey Bruma, battered and bullied by Emile Heskey yesterday, is pressed into service, what is Michael Mancienne doing on loan at Wolves?
The form ? or, more accurately, the lack of it ? of the main contenders looks set to lead to the most exciting Premier League title race in years. Whether Chelsea will be part of it remains to be seen. JA
Grant talks a lot of sense
Avram Grant is something of a Marmite manager. Is he a highly competent manager who hasn't had the credit he deserves for steering Chelsea to the Champions League final and doing a commendable job in impossible circumstances at Portsmouth? Or someone who fell on his feet thanks to friends in high places at Stamford Bridge, began the slow decay of a great Jos� Mourinho side and then did a job no better than Paul Hart at Pompey?
I probably stand in the former camp (and I like Marmite too, by the way) and this weekend the West Ham manager was excellent in his assessment of football's rampant knee-jerk-ism.
"I think sometimes everybody has quick conclusions," he said. "Robert Green was not good in the first two games [so it was said] he's not a goalkeeper. We were bottom in the last game [before Wolves] so I am not doing a good job. The top of the line is the result. But sometimes you need to analyse what's happened on the way to the result: if you have money to do things, if you have other things, you need to check everything.
"For me it's very, very strange when you pick a manager in June, and then in October or November you want to change him. When you pick a manager, you pick a philosophy behind this, you don't just pick a manager. Everything is results but sometimes you need to be patient with this because, even with a new manager, when you receive a team ? and I am not speaking about me ? with problems, you cannot turn it in two or three months. It takes time."
Grant, having been given just that at Upton Park, seems to be turning things around. JA
Villa have a formula for survival
A wave of talented youngsters is a wonderful thing for any football club ? in fact, for fan, there's nothing better than watching homegrown talent beginning to bloom. There's no doubt Aston Villa are currently blessed in this department ? Ciaran Clark, Eric Lichaj, Marc Albrighton, Barry Bannan, Jonathan Hogg, Chris Herd and Nathan Delfouneso have all made strides into the first team this season and their collective progress has been a breath of fresh air in a season choked by managerial uncertainty and injury problems.
But Villa have been over-reliant on their young charges, and the benefit of experience was thoroughly demonstrated at Stamford Bridge. G�rard Houllier named perhaps the most experienced XI it has been possible for him to name since taking charge at the club ? between them Villa's starting line-up boasted over 3,000 first team appearances. The were confident, combative (overly so at times) and seemed to surprise Chelsea with their spirit. The returning Richard Dunne was superb at the back, while Emile Heskey gave a passable impression of Didier Drogba (who for much of the game was offering a passable impression of Emile Heskey).
Yet even then the point was rescued by a pair of youngsters, Albrighton showing wonderful composure before picking out Clark, who in turn kept his head to nod beyond Cech. It should be Houllier's blueprint for the remainder of the campaign ? a solid senior core, gilded by a light sprinkling of youthful exuberance. JA
January will be the most important month of the season
The Premier League at the top and at the bottom remains incredibly tight. Four points separate the bottom eight (and just seven separate the bottom 12). We have, just about, a five-horse race for the title. And for the other three sides ? Sunderland, Bolton and Stoke ? a rare Europa League spot is up for grabs. For all 20 teams a few fresh faces could make all the difference. JA
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