When will managers admit their mistakes?

Another Premier League weekend goes by with only two managers - well done Harry Redknapp and Roberto Martinez - prepared to criticise their own players instead of the referee, the weather or the position of the moon.

The myopic delusion of football managers has never been greater. Referees, it is patronisingly said, are only human and therefore make mistakes (rather too many this weekend). Last time I checked, managers and players were also human (although it could be argued otherwise), but do they make mistakes? Of course not. Well, not according to their utterances in public.

This weekend...

- Rafael Benitez hits out at both red cards despite his team losing abysmally to understrength Fulham
- Sam Allardyce overlooks his side's inability to have a shot on goal until the 88th minute, but slams off-side goal
- Gary Megson criticises the ref for awarding a penalty against JLloyd Samuel even though he clearly trips Didier Drogba
- Martin O'Neill applauds an obvious red card for Everton, but criticises Villa's - both were 50-50
- Tony Pulis explains how the ref was wrong to award a free-kick, but not why his defenders failed to mark Jody Craddock twice?
- Phil Brown has a right to be upset after Geovanni's disallowed goal, but it's three wins in 31 - look in the mirror chum
- And it was also nice to see Steve Bruce slating the play-acting of Herita Ilunga. Would he have done the same, though, if the roles were reversed? You know the answer.

Football's blame culture is utterly depressing. Rugby managers rarely slate referees and cricketers are fined and banned for merely shaking their heads. Passion is equally high in both sports. The difference is that footballers and managers are clinically and morally incapable of taking responsibility.

Comments

[Cobbs-CFC]

Give us a break all you manyoo fans. Whether it was a foul or not (i reckon it was), your team never defended the subsequent free-kick, OK there some debate as to whether Wes Brown was impeded, but that happens at every free-kick into the box and every corner in every game.
You wanna see REAL injustice? Then remember Chelsea vs Barcelona last years Champions League semi-final. three definite penalties and a possible fourth as well. Not some, maybe it was a foul/maybe it wasnt
a fouldebate. Grow up!!
Oh and corect me if Im wrong but was'nt it the same referee on Sunday as it was in the Manc derby when all that extra time was played...???
Double standards!!!!
You're a good team, and i'll even admit you were the better team on sunday for long periods so why not concentrate on closing the gap...if you can!!

[Clifford]

Grow up man U - take it on the chin - funny time every time you lose it's someone else's fault,get a life!

[Johnty, Newcastle]

I see the FA are to take no action against Mr. "know-all" Ferguson over his latest rantings about the referee in the Chelsea Match. What a surprise - they are frightened to stand up to this man as has been proved on numerous occasions. Other Managers would get the book thrown at them.

[Johnty, Newcastle]

I see Ferguson is at it again - it's always the officials fault if Man U lose. Maybe the decisions were wrong, but Man U have only themselves to blame for the defeat at Chelsea. Referees are only human, they may make mistakes sometimes, but over a season it generally evens itself out. I notice he never complains when they win by some dubious decision - it's usually "I never saw it" from this arrogant man. Still, just to see his face at the end of the game makes the whole thing most enjoyable.

[lev69]

Hi dont think much of Manchester United, being a Liverpool fan thats expected, and I think even less of Alex Ferguson, but yesterday at Chelsea he had a point, it wasnt a free kick that led to a goal, in fact it looked a good tackle. However, Johnny Evans(?) was lucky to even be on the pitch after his Cantona into Drogba's chest. Seems SIr Alex missed that one.

[steve]

Blaming the ref only highlights the lack of respect,dignity & ability to look at themselves.
What players managers & so called experts are not aware of is that football is not a science. There is no formula that makes it function or bring it to a calculated conclusion.
Football is an art easy to understand, its only made
complicated by the people who think too much, & know so little.

[john, barnsley]

from what i saw on motd last saturday and speaking as an ex ref (amateur leagues) every red card was justified. the ref got it right on every occassion so stop knocking the poor old refs please

[steven]

pmsl - apparently, ferguson is to blame for everything that's wrong with football because the poor wittle wefs are scared of the scary pensioner - he he he - or, wait a minute, here's a thought, could it be that ferguson knows about football and the refs end up doing the things he says should happen because, shock horror, ferguson has called it right? green is as green does

[Johnty, Newcastle]

Sorry Steven - I'm not a magpie supporter. Just see things as they are - Alex Ferguson thinks he is greater than the game and it's about time the FA sorted him out.

[alfie knox]

Rafa is a great man and a geat manager. He has to deal with the Manure Mafia and incompetent paymasters and will turn it around at Liverpool

[Steven]

@ johnty - oh dear, couldn't have timed that comment worse with united failing to be awarded a stonewall pen against cska last night lol - i take it you're a magpie? green doesn't suit ya

[Johnty, Newcastle]

An easy solution to all our refereeing problems - let Alex Ferguson make all the decisions. After all isn't he the only one who knowes whether it is a penalty or not, whether time is up or whether more time should be added (if Man U are losing !!!) etc etc. Who needs a referee with this arrogant man around.

[simon realistic sport fan]

football a gentlemans game played by thugs,'rugby' a thugs game played by gentlemen, personally I think football has to change big time maybe a video ref is the way forward, i no how hard it is for refs in football they do have to make those split decisions were us the fans get to see it over n over again,rugby refs not only have the video refs but they also have RESPECT from the players but the games do not suffer and not anyway less exciting because of the video ref,,,, also in regards to rafa benitez the bored may have a part in everything going wrong but rafa has to take the blame,he's bought a bunch of nobodys sold players he shouldnt thinking he may get barry & now only left with gerrard & torres who he chooses to take off during a match in wich they are needed (such as torres at fulham on sat ) bout time for a big change at liverpool right through the club

[Nolan Bourke]

There is a definate need for technology to be brought in, replays by video or whatever, there is so much resting on goals free kicks etc. So the game goes on another 10 minutes or so with so much at stake, the refs need to be right and the cheats found out.

[Brian Wylie]

For all those who froth at the mouth with referees decisions, get a life. Liverpool is dying. They have always been my second team since the 1940's but the new owners and the manager are killing the team. If a rugby player starts to rant at a referee, he's off, footballers have are allowed all sorts of histrionics. Only the captain should be allowed to protest any other temper displays - OFF. I cannot remember seeing so many cheats(divers etc) or nasty deliberate fouls as there are today. I only watch my own team and LIverpool when they are avilable on the box and the pleasure is fast disappearing. Money is killing the game

[Boyster]

I think all the people on here saying refs make bad decisions should be made to ref a game and see how good they are, its easy to say a decision is bad with the benfit if a replay, its not easy when you have a split second to make a decision on an incident you have seen only once.

[Matt]

Cut Benitez some slack. Its the teams current mentality, not his manegerial skills. They have a good squad but a few losses can have a downward spiral effect on a team. Look at Newcastle! If anything i blame those debt ridden Americans who have moved in, Gilette and Hicks out!!

[chris ham]

i am sure that none of the comments on here are refs, all of the time everyone has tv play back and play back, the ref has just to make a dissision on what he sees, with all of the diving and play acting that goes on and the manager and pundits have the chance to show that but choose not to if he went to a tv reply everytime the next thing everyone would be moaning that a game was 2 hours long because of the time it takes to decide if the ref has it right or wrong, years ago no one would moan about the ref untill the money came into the game, perhaps what we should be doing is moaning about not being able to watch your own country on the BBC wear it be football, cricket or what ever sport. give us back the sport to watch on the tv with out sky sports or who ever wants to pay the most, it should be pride to play for your country not look at your pay packet with all of the zeros on it.

[John Callon]

So O.K. referees take alot of flack but let's face it they do make some erronous decisions which could mean that a team is either relegated, loses a cup final, or fails to win the top spot in their respective league. We have all seen some of the decisions they have made, and at times even a schoolboy could have got it right. I think the time has arrived where the team take things into their own hands, if the ref is consistantly making bad decisions and losing control of the game then the teams should walk off the pitch and demand that the referee be replaced- in effect give him a red card. After all there is an official from the refs association watching the game to make sure that his member is conducting the match in the proper manner. Probably get a alot of adverse reactions to this posting, but what the hell, what do I care? Have aonly been watching football for 50 years, and all that at Goodison Park.
John.

[GET ON WITH IT]

Listen, Managers, supporters, pundit's, alike have been calling refs since time and memorial, and will continue to so. The reality is the ref is an integral part of the game and we cannot do without them. The very fact we spend so much time discussing would be penalties, red / yellow cards etc over a pint, all adds to the spectacle because whether right or wrong that's FOOTBALL, that's how it works, it's not perfect, doesn't need to be, and that's what makes it the best game in the world. So ban managers from spouting off, because they only see what they want anyway, and move on.

[hughbhoy]

rafa is a good manager but too many players let him down..vronin,babbel and lucas along with dossena all have failed to play to their potential..rafas failing is not realising this and not getting rid of them..cmon pool...

[steve, suffolk]

Rafa's wasted about 250million
since hes been at liverpool. apart from about 3-4 good buys he wouldnt know a good footballer if he saw one.true liverpool fans want the premiership not the CL.
he will be sacked on thursday
thank god

[GRAYDAY]

FOOTBALL MANAGER'S SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED AT THEIR OWN TEAM MATCHES

THE PLAYER THAT COMMITS FOUL PLAY, SIN BIN FOR 10 MINUTES

SO CALLED FAN'S (YOB'S) BAN FROM ALL MATCHES.

THROW AWAY ALL THE DUMMIE'S
AND KEEP ALL THE TOY'S IN THE PRAM

DON'T INTERVIEW MANAGER'S ON RADIO OR T.V.ESPECIALLY AFTER LOSING, EVEN I'M TEMPTED TO COMMIT HARI KARI

[Liam]

look at the attitude of rugby players have for referees,soccer players are a bunch of overpaid moaning grossly overpaid cissies by comparison.talk back to the ref 10 yards 10 yards again if necessary all the way to the penalty area then award a penalty result ....I dont think there would be so much dissent.

[sam]

refs dont get alot of respect because some of them make really bad decisions so why should we give them respect if they are doing things wrong

[buzzinator]

phil brown has a right to be upset the referees are always against hull, or it seems like it. how on earth was geo's goal disallowed, i meen in any game a FK in that position there is pushing in the wall and that is the only ever time the ref complains.
Hull deserve a bit of luck and there gettin the total opposite, phil brown deserves until at least end of january.

i admit there is alot of pressure on the refs.... so maybe there should be video refs brought in.

All i can say is the FA are dealing with the wrong thing, which is the managers who complain about refs, but maybe they should look at it from a managers perspective and do something about the officials.
fergie often goes over the top with what he says but most of the time he is right.

[Christopher Scott Burgess]

I agree with the last two comments.
Refs make mistakes that make fans, players and managers mad!
Time for the vidio ref it would not make the game any longer.
Then it would be more like rugby no arguments.

[TobyJoe]

Fantastic finale to the end of the Champinship. Phenomenal setting. (Where was Eddie Irvines poppy??)

[j.loups]

I would like to see the introduction of a Match referee in the stands who has the option of ordering video playback & decision making.He has radio contact with the pitch referee and keeps control of the clock time.One other prospect would be for two pitch referees,one in each half,to ensure closer ground coverage of incidents and decision making ! These options should enable fairer decisions to be made.

[oopsadazy]

I do think the 2 sendings off were the wrong decision and I'm tending to feel a bit sorry for the old waiter. At the end of the day, all teams go through a bad patch, its just that its more highlighted here as they are Liverpool and they came runners up last year and greater things are expected of them this year. Beleive me, there's a long long way to go yet with lots more twists and turns and not just for Liverpool and I'm a United fan.

[Bonzo]

Benitez is an arrogant and over-rated manager and Liverpool fans have to be amongst the thickest in the land if they think this guy is going to win them anything. "I don't have enough money" and "It's the referee's fault" are pathetic excuses. He's just a bad manager.

[jono]

benitez has not gelled his team or squad.
Spent mega bucks. time to go beny boy.

[Johnno]

Benitez is just looking for an excuse. Don't blame the referees, blame selling Alonso and spending £20m on a crocked player. I heard the physio's wife is getting jealous because her husband is spending more time with Aquilani than at home.

[Mark]

Rafael Benitez is a joke.He is a poor manager managing a poor team who live on past history of glory days .Stop feeling sorry for them.A spent force who will never recapture the past glory.

[mike]

They're all a waste of money, what's to discuss??

[Mike McAndrew]

It is about time the video ref and time keeper were introduced into soccer has they have in rugby. So it may make the game a little longer but would stop the ref getting all the flack

[Harry, Devon]

When the refs stop making horrendous errors, perhaps managers will stop blaming them. This weekend has been the worst for ages. Refs want respect, they need to earn it.