Wigan upset, but will Mourinho, Benitez, Wenger and even Manchester United’s Ferguson be the real losers in Paul Jewell’s war of words?
Paul Jewell had every right to be upset over Phil Dowd’s decision making at the weekend. It may very well have cost him three points, although to blame Mr Dowd for Wigan’s potential relegation is a bit tenuous - I think the other 14 games Wigan have lost so far this season will have contributed more to Wigan’s downfall than Mr Dowd’s performance.
But to be fair to Jewell, it was a penalty, and referees are inconsistent, and that should have been the main thrust of Paul Jewell’s argument, however he then goes and spoils it all by complaining that “a number of players were verbally abused in an aggressive and menacing manner by Mr Dowd”.
Sorry, but is this no longer a man’s game? Were Wigan intimidated by the hoodie wearing Phil Dowd’s words? I guess the answer is no, but they are feeling hard done by so they have decided to retaliate and hit back at “someone” for their current predicament.
However, in complaining that Phil Dowd verbally abused his players, Paul Jewell is opening a can of worms that has until now remained firmly closed. The FA rules state that “participants” shall not use threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour. So if Phil Dowd is found guilty then he should be punished accordingly.
But what about the players who week in, week out, do exactly the same to each other as well as the referee? The laws of the game are very clear, it is a sending off offence to use “offensive, insulting or abusive language”, and any dissent, either by words or actions, is a yellow card offence. This is not just abusing the referee, but anyone on the pitch or even off it.
The thing is that we all know this; the fans, the players, the managers, but it still goes on, but the referees allow it to happen because it is part and parcel of the game, only in extreme cases will referees reach for a yellow card for dissent, and in one of the surprising few instances of a player being sent off for using insulting language, that of Everton’s James McFadden being sent off by Graham Poll, it was more due to Poll believing that he had questioned his integrity by calling him a cheat, rather then the swearing itself.
In that particular instance, Mr Poll had ignored all the other swearing and abusive language that had gone on all over the pitch (which, in theory should all lead to red cards) and only responded to McFadden’s words because his massive ego felt a bit fragile following very public “incidents” in the Premiership and the World Cup.
Which brings me to my point. We know that referees have a hard job, and that some of them don’t do it very well, but if clubs ask the FA to come down heavily on referees for using foul or abusive language, then FA have to respond, and we know that referees are only human, so if they feel that they are being made an example of for something that players and managers do every game, then they will enforce the very laws that are being used against them.
So the next time Rooney, or Gerrard, or Lampard, or Lehmann runs up to the referee and shouts “What the fuck was that for?” right in his face, expect them to be shown no leniency and for red cards to increasingly become then norm, and clearly key players being sent off for this kind of behaviour could have a dramatic effect on the race for the Premiership.
Some may welcome a clamp down on swearing and abusive behaviour, but in seeking to redress a perceived wrong that he believes could effect the relegation positions, Paul Jewell could also have set in motion a chain of events that could influence the Premiership title.
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33 opinions for Wigan upset, but will Mourinho, Benitez, Wenger and even Manchester United’s Ferguson be the real losers in Paul Jewell’s war of words?
Neal
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:03 am
I cannot believe there are still some people trying to convince others that it was a penalty when the whole world has come round to the view that Heskey dived (diving is an English problem as well!)
Steve Clarke
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:04 am
Sounds fair to me. If refs start showing cards for dissent, instead of ignoring it, then dissent will soon disappear. It works in rugby, why not football? How about introducing a sin bin, too? Again, it works in rugby.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:10 am
The whole world? What, even Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, the new president of Turkmenistan believes this too? Or are we just talking about Wenger World?
Yes, Emile “Born Slippy” Heskey went down like a sack o’spuds, but there was definite contact, and it was a penalty (remember when Gerrard got a penalty against Sheffield United just because there was “intent” to make contact?).
However, I do feel that you are missing the point somewhat….
Scouse Billy
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:10 am
Weird isn’t it, Neil?
mjc
Feb 15, 2007 at 10:48 am
“That’s fucking rubbish. That’s fucking rubbish, that is. That’s fucking rubbish.” (The suave & sophisticated Sam Allardyce quoted regarding a refereeing decision last night)
magnumopus
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:13 am
If change is the right thing then you must start somewhere at sometime! If not then fuck it.
TH
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:13 am
good article and a good point.
However it wasn’t a penalty ( i know its not the main point of the article but I can’t let it pass)
Just because someone touches another player it doesn’t automatically mean its a foul. Yes Flamani did lay hs hand on Heskeys shoulder in effect to stop himself running into him, but there was no push or pull and no apparant pressure, yet Heskey went straight down and spun in the progress. The only problem with the decision was the ref didn’t book Heskey for what was quite clearly a blatant piece of diving
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:32 am
TH - must admit that immediately came to mind when Dowd waved play on - if he didn’t think it was a penalty, then surely he had to punish Heskey for diving? However, I think he just bottled it, there was contact, mainly with legs, but also with arms, but because Heskey made a meal of it, spinning around in the air like a mad spinning diving er..thing, then Dowd appeared to decide that contact was minimal and waved play on, but the point is that contact was made, minimal or otherwise.
jrfatfan
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:36 am
What everyone is failing to understand is that Paul Jewell’s argument was not just about the issues at the Emerates last Sunday its about that clown Dowd’s pish poor performances in other games involving Wigan.
He had every right to speak his mind following that game, even the odd “fuck” thrown in or “finger wave” was well within context, but what everyone saw including you it seems, was the actions of a manager who for the third or fourth time had seen his side suffer due to the total incompetency of this idiot. I won’t bore you with describing the 3 blatent penalty decisions he turned down at highbury last year or the “goal” that he gave at Eewood Park despite John Filan being assaulted going for the ball but these are major decisions that this man regularly gets wrong.
Now as for the swearing allegations this is just Jewell’s way of retaliating to the charge by the FA of improper conduct, if you hadn’t noticed he is simply “making a point” . We musn’t use this as a smoke screen to hide the real issue…Mr Dowd’s inability to get the big decisions right. I really hope Jewell wins this battle and it looks like many mangers and chairmen alike are backing him all the way.
The following quote you made is an “over reaction” beyond imagination to the tantrums of Mr Jewell.
“Paul Jewell could also have set in motion a chain of events that could influence the Premiership title.”
I think you’ll find S T J that the team gaining most points by winning games will sort this one out!!
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:42 am
jrfatfan - if Man U lose Rooney, or Chelsea lose Terry for a few games through swearing then it could make the difference between winning and losing a couple of games. And that could determine your excellent point about which team gains the most points…
jrfatfan
Feb 15, 2007 at 11:59 am
fair enough but there are thousands of other things occuring during the course of a game that may influence the result, rules are rules players know them well before pulling their shorts up, what if:-
1)Rooney scores, takes off his shirt and gets his second booking. Whose fault is that?
2)Henry shoots and Terry handles the ball on the line and is sent off? Whose fault is that?
3)Rio Ferdinad mis times his tackle and brings down Bellamy in the box. Whose fault is that?
4) Lampard goes running to the ref effing and blinding and gets sent off for abusive language towards an official. Whose fault is that?
This swearing thing will be a passing ship in the night. Jewell will be charged by the FA for improper conduct and will sit in the stands for 3 or 4 games and will be find about £5k
Dowd will be told to cut out the “friendly use” of bad language to players and will be dropped by the FA for 2 or 3 games.
And more importantly, Dowd will be back making his usually array of blunders and winding managers up to a frenzzy again. Thats the sad thing.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 12:13 pm
1) The shirt manufacturers for making the new shirt too itchy
2) The referee as it was clearly ball to hand
3) Rafa for buying players who dive
4) Mr Lampard Senior for not taking his belt to his son when he was younger.
I agree that the issue for Jewell and for other Premiership managers is inconsistent and poor refereeing, but in raising the issue of swearing then Jewell is clouding this issue (I think I might have made comment on such in the original article)…
OM
Feb 15, 2007 at 12:59 pm
If it was a penalty, then Clichy was certainly fouled in the box earlier. Whiloe we are at it, Hesky should have been off for the fol on Djororou much earlier.
Sour grapes by Wigan, and sorry but this gang up on Arsenal regardless of the facts is a joke and reeks of xenephobia by media and certain bloggers.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 1:20 pm
OM - Xenophobia? Wigan’s team is hardly all English? neither is Chelsea’s Man U’s nor Liverpool’s?
Why bring up “the fear of foreigners” when the clearly issue that Jewell had was that when his team was 1-0 up they were denied a clear penalty.
Seems to me you are trying to hide behind political correctness instead of coming out and proving your case, something that Wenger is also fond of doing.
Try reading the article again without your “rose” tinted glasses on…
adam
Feb 15, 2007 at 1:46 pm
it was a blanent penalty! heskey was through on goal, and would have got a shot away if it wasnt for flamini. flamini did not touch, nor was in a position to touch the ball and merely pushed heskey in the back = penatly.
those people conning themselves that it was ‘just contact’ is ridiculous, it was a clear pen and wigan hitting back at dowd is good because otherwise he would go and do the same mistake to a ‘bigger’ team and then there will be uproar - imagine if that game was man utd vs chelsea and chelsea were 1 - 0 up with 10mins to go and drogba was hauled down like heskey was??
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 2:05 pm
Droga is probably a bad example to use, he’s an even worse diver than Heskey….
OM
Feb 15, 2007 at 2:15 pm
Sack… i don’t hear comments of foreign legione, etc. lobbed at other clubs. Its simply jealousy that french manager is miles ahead of his english peers and he does it on a a fraction of the budget of his ‘real peers’.(consider tottenhahm, villa among others have a higer transfer budget.
actually, i’m not english so I have a pretty clear set of glasses. heskey dove and clichy dove. Heskey should have been off for the elbow. Yakabu dove.
I noticed you did not comment on the clichy penalty claim, the heskey elbow.
lastly, see the difference if Wenger complains by the british edia. now look at Jewell and then sam yesterday.
OM
Feb 15, 2007 at 2:21 pm
oh… and adebayour was onside for the disaalowed goal.
So let’s see. we have
1) Adebayour’s doisaalowed goal
2) Clichy’s penalty decision (if you count Heskey’s)
3)Heskey’s red card for the elbow
oh my, you have a poiint. the referee was biased
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Wenger has been a fantastic servant to Arsenal, and they football they produce is sometimes a joy to watch, and it is amazing how Wenger keeps coming up with all fantastic players, (although not sure about his venture into pop with the Wenger boys - think that was a poor decision on his part)
however Wenger’s sides, particularly since Viera moved on, lack the steel of the typical “British” sides, which is probably a key reason why they haven’t been challenging for the Premiership of late.
So it probably annoys other managers to hear his frequent complaints about their physical approach to the game, especially when he always claims not to have seen any blatant penalties against him, but always sees those for him.
OM
Feb 15, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I notice that you have conceded Wigan was out of order, but just in case you would like to try
1) Adebayour’s doisaalowed goal
2) Clichy’s penalty decision (if you count Heskey’s)
3)Heskey’s red card for the elbow
“British sides”, “english steel”…. sounds like xenephobia to me
it wasn’t so long ago that wenger was being critiszed for arsenal’s excessive steel and disciplanry record. Note, when they played hard it was an atrocity. too funny.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 15, 2007 at 3:49 pm
maybe its a case of the pot calling the kettle French?
OM
Feb 16, 2007 at 11:03 am
shocking (not reallY)…when your accusations of bias are quuestioned in detail, you are completely unable to respond, but knee-Jerk to xenephobic drivel.
I guess all can see even you acknowledge that Dowd’s actual bias was against Arsenal.
1) Adebayour’s disallowed goal
2) Clichy’s penalty decision (if you count Heskey’s)
3)Heskey’s red card for the elbow
OM
Feb 16, 2007 at 11:08 am
Oh my, how you just fail to answer the question. Its ok, all have already concluded the true motives for this xenephobic rant. And, all have already know at the gut level that arsenal were really the one’s cheated. Have a pleasant racist day…adebor pen, clichy pen, and heskey red
Sack the Juggler
Feb 16, 2007 at 11:39 am
actually the difference between clichy’s penalty claim and Heskey’s was that Heskey’s was a penalty, and Clichy’s wasn’t.
Hope that clarifies the situation for you. Not only did Dowd not give the penalty, but he allowed the goal that followed to stand even thoguh it was offside.
If you think that Dowd was biased against Arsenal you’re more of a wanker than I took you for (or should that be wanquer?)
For those who play the race card against others who are discussing football, just because things don’t go their way, the are not only trivialising a serious matter, they are also complete cunts.
Sorry if that sounded racist OM, but I’m afraid that you’ve lost all credibility by trying to claim the world and his wife are all against Arsenal because they are xenophobic.
OM
Feb 16, 2007 at 1:56 pm
The moment you started with this enflishness rubish to try and cover up bias you lost all credibility.
Any raesonable person can see that Clichy and Heskey’s play was the same. They were both “touched” and both fell like a sack.
Abebayour was onside for the disallowed goal and Heskey should have been off for the elbow.
You can close your eyes to your own bias, and a honestly wont lose any sleep, but will continue lmao at how outraged you become at the truth. If you don’t like the truth thrown out at you like this, keep that xenophobia hushed in a pub. Come on the net and you will be called out
Sack the Juggler
Feb 16, 2007 at 2:32 pm
OM - grow up lad, you’re the only racist on this board - claiming that British teams are xenophobic.
I think I’ve made my position clear on Arsenal. They play attractive football yet they lack steel, so you think this makes me a racist?
If you take your head out of your arse(nal) for one moment you will see yourself for what you really are - someone who has lost the argument and the plot…
OM
Feb 16, 2007 at 3:38 pm
You are a sorry case, the only shame is you’ll never acknowledge it. You claim that Dowd cost Wigan 3 points, and wehn presented with compeelling evidence that the rub of the calls likely favoured Wigan you’re only recourse is to argue some “britishness” issue.
The reality is that neither YaKabu, Heskey, nor Clichy deserved penalties for basically identical plays. (notice you nor the english media even talk about that)
The reality is that if Van Persie threw the kind of elbow that Heskey threw (Or Viduka on Dojorou) for that matter there would been have been Sky and idiots on blogs screaming holy murder for a red. (notice you nor the english media even talk about that)
The reality is that Arsenal were offside for one goal, but had another earlier goal disallowed when they were onside (notice you nor the english media even talk about that).
The reality is that when Wenger complains of legitimate bad calls, the british media and idiots like you attack him for it. But, you jump to the knee-jerk defense of idiots like Jewell who are even wrong on the facts.
The reality is that I njoy watching Arsenal and know whatever they get they deserve becayuse the bias against them is so strong in the premiership.
And, you wonder why England never peform well at the international level. the British players are thugs and cheats that barely compete with the foreign imports on tyhe weight of referee anbd media bias in their home market. God knows why an English player woiuld want to go to Serie A or Spain and compete on a level playing field. did you notice that the best English player plays in Germany where he is not coddled by the sport infrastructure.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 16, 2007 at 5:09 pm
So its the British Media’s fault that Arsenal haven’t been good enough to win the Premiership over the last couple of years (and this season no doubt?).
OM - one thing I will agree with you, is that the standard of refereeing in this country is appalling, although having said that, i guess its better than the Italian system…
OM
Feb 16, 2007 at 9:04 pm
I think the whole football infrastructure: media, management, players, and as a byproduct supporters that don’t really critically question just how appallingly bad some of the things are. That the ‘popular’ media and converstaion could even suggest that Heskey didn’t dive is a joke. that it has become the party line is just group think (or not thin, if you will).
For the love of god, so many english ’stars’ lack fundamental skills. The only ones worth a spit are Gerard and Ferdinand. If Thierry Henry was as absent in any game of important to the extent Frank Lampard is he would have been laughed out of the country.
The thing is, you can build these players all you want in the press, you can attack teams like arsenal with some b.s. duble standard and groupthink all you want because they don’t have enough ‘english steel’(whatever that is), and the referees can turn a blind eye to all of the thuggery that the Shearers, Scholes, Nevilles, etc. committ, BUT when they play internationally the English players no longer have this support system and they invariably and consistently not only fail but become a source of shame.
Sack the Juggler
Feb 16, 2007 at 9:24 pm
OM - I’m confused? Who is attacking Arsenal? Is it the same people who are attacking Man U, Liverpool and Chelsea - all the top clubs get criticised, usually unfairly by the media and fans alike.
What have you got against having some steel in your side? You used to have it when Viera was in the side, and Parlour, Davies, Petit, etc. It doesn’t need to be English steel, it could even be someone like Keane, but it would stop you getting turned over by the Bolton’s of this world.
Anyway going back to your point about the England team, it is an enigma, but I do beleive that we have a great side, it just doesn’t perform on the day.
Robinson is ok as a keeper, and the defence is very strong, then in midfield there is Lampard, Gerrard, Lennon, Cole, amongst others, its up front that we are a little light.
Rooney is great but needs to play off someone, and crouch is just embarassing. Owen is probably the only other decent striker we have, although Johnson, Bent and maybe dafoe could provide the next cover if required.
Charlton Fan
Feb 17, 2007 at 5:20 am
Tis a penalty, Mr. Juggler is very much correct on this. Heskey of course is a big boy, and could have stood his ground, but contact was made. Contact is contact, otherwise we would have a rule for big Heskey and another for Thomas Rosicky. You see, it’s called the power of reason!
“Sorry, but is this no longer a man’s game? Were Wigan intimidated by the hoodie wearing Phil Dowd’s words? I guess the answer is no, but they are feeling hard done by so they have decided to retaliate and hit back at “someone” for their current predicament.”
They have every right to feel hard done by, sure they lost all those games, but that doesn’t make the wrongs of ‘hoodie’ Dowd right. In other words, look at the situation and atomise it, if they got those three points it would have virtually finished off the relegation thingy. But as a Charlton fan I can only thank ‘hoodie’ Dowd, and he shouldn’t say not so nice things to players, footballers have feeling ya know, Mr. Juggler you must grow a sensitive side. Are all Everton fans a bit rough around the edges. I can assure you Charlton fans are all kind sensitive, and share team hugs.
Charlton Fan
Feb 17, 2007 at 5:25 am
“but it would stop you getting turned over by the Bolton’s of this world.”
No one can stop a team that is hell bent on kicking every living thing that walks on a football pitch. Admit, they are thugs, and English football should be ashmaed that such a team are even allowed to play in the premiership.
Honeslty, have you ever, ever, ever, ever seen exciting and attrative game involving Bolton. Two teams I cannot bear to watch - Bolton and Blackburn.
GG
Feb 21, 2007 at 1:37 pm
If a penalty had to be given for ‘contact’ then every corner kick would result in one. There has to be a push, pull, kick or some way in which a player has been fouled - none of which happened when there was ‘contact’ between Flamini and Heskey. Football is a contact sport which implies that contact is allowed. If you really want to see a cast iron penalty then watch the foul on Aliadiere against Blackburn in the FA Cup. Big clubs getting all the decisions ?
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