Studs Up

“BrokeBack Trafford“, because it’s where dudes have been getting screwed for years. OHHH SNAP! ZING! POW!

Although in reality, despite Clattenberg cocking up in about 5 different ways starting with not awarding Nani a penalty in the first place, the bottom line is that he never blew his whistle and so play never stopped, regardless of if it should have. Gomes should’ve been playing to that whistle. It can be tough to turn a blind eye at bad refereeing at Old Trafford, but in this case you have to play to what the referee is doing and not what you think should be happening.

It’s just a shame that Clattenberg continues to be such an abject referee as far as consistency… and basic competence. If I was a player, the worst part would be the smug faces he pulls in every match. You can at least be sympathetic to the refs who get on with it but “Clatters”, as he probably insists on being called, choose to conduct himself with supreme arrogance and reverse insolence. If you looked up “Punchable Face” in the dictionary you’d see a photo of Clattenberg’s mum, because she should have raised less of a dick-ish son.

Pierluigi Collina respected the players and that’s exactly what he got back in return, he didn’t treat them like babies who weren’t worth explaining a decision to, and so they didn’t act like ones.

It’d be nice if there was an air of accountability, too. Why do refs get stick? Maybe because they never explain themselves. If they at least owned up to errors or explained their decisions post-match, the fans would get off their back whether they agreed or not. But maintaining silence drives people nuts, it’s like comparing cutting someone off on the sidewalk vs on the road. On a sidewalk, people apologise or gesture kindly and can diffuse situations quickly. On the road, the person who has wronged you can’t explain themselves and so we all just assume they’re a massive dick who’s doing it out of spite.

Just like refs.