The rescinding of Cheikhou Kouyate’s red card means we’ve won three appeals this season.
How do I feel after that? Do I feel that justice was done — eventually — or that these players, Cheikhou twice and Mark Noble, shouldn’t have been sent off in the first place?
The answer is both. Of course, I am happy that we won the appeal because it would have been a major blow to be without Cheikhou for three games. At the same time, you feel it shouldn’t have happened in the first place. Maybe we wouldn’t have won any more points but you never know.
Perhaps technology could help a little. The goal-line technology has been a great innovation because without it, if the referee gets it wrong, a manager can get the sack — or a new contract!
I am a friend of new technology but it has to be low profile. The game needs to flow. It is hard for the officials now. Take the Champions League match involving Wolfsburg and Real Madrid on Wednesday. Early in the match, Gareth Bale went down and the penalty appeal was turned down. Shortly afterwards, Wolfsburg were awarded a penalty for a foul on Andre Schurrle.
The first time I watched both incidents, I said: “No penalty for Real Madrid, yes for Wolfsburg.” When I watched it again, I thought, definitely a penalty for Bale but not for Schurrle!
Everything should be done to ease the situation for referees but how you do it, I don’t know.
FA Cup advantage?
We have an early kick-off tomorrow, while Manchester United, our FA Cup opponents on Wednesday, play at Spurs at 4pm on Sunday. Does that give us an advantage? I don’t take much notice.
I remember when I was boss at Besiktas playing a friendly against an Albanian team. They turned up in a mini-bus just 40 minutes before kick-off — and completely over-ran us!
