Mark Clattenburg

[crazyg]

I posted this just after the game:

Unfortunately Sky didn't replay this one and I couldn't freeze it at the moment the ball was kicked - this is 1/2 a second after Yaya kicked it. And even then you can see Aguero is clearly on side (note the Spurs defender just out of shot on the left). He was even more on side when the ball was kicked.

Now look at where the official is. He can see perfectly well that Aguero is onside, and yet he raises his flag. Basically, he's bent.

I'm in the top tier of the East Stand, and sit almost exactly above where the linesman was standing. It happens too many times for the match officials to get it wrong for it to be coincidental, not only over the course of the match, but over a season.

The cynic in me says that the decisions are pre-ordained, ie, put your flag up in the second half if you're under the East Stand and City are attacking the North Stand, but be more "circumspect" in the first half. I suspect the same situation arises on the other side with decisions given by that linesman (judging by the howls from the CB Stand), but it's too far away for me to see. THOSE INSTRUCTIONS CAN ONLY COME FROM THE REFEREE BEFORE THE MATCH.

I could, of course, be completely delusional as I have blue eyes (as it says in my passport), but having watched City since 1959, a very worrying pattern is beginning to take shape, and has done so for 3 or 4 years now with increasing regularity. Decisions are given/not given which have a direct bearing on the result, are generally (but not always) against us, and the referees are always "the usual suspects". Sunday was, once again, one of those days. In fact, before the match, a friend said that Clattenburg will always get one or more MAJOR decision wrong in a match, usually at a crucial moment. He was not wrong!

 

[Saddleworth2]

Sorry, but they can't be marginally offside or onside. They either are or they aren't. If it is 'marginal' it should always be onside as the benefit of the doubt always goes to the attacking side. A good example is the first Spurs goal at WHL. Let's assume that the assistant, for whatever reason, hasn't seen the offside (and we have to presume he hasn't) then he can't give it. By the same logic, they cannot give Aguero offside. A decision means your sure you've seen something. No decision means you haven't or aren't sure. The latter one is much easer to understand than the former.

Not sure I follow that. The first decision IMO, Kun was offside by a fine margin. I came to that conclusion by watching freeze frame. How the linesman could be sure enough to give the decision is very questionable. The second instance Kun was onside by a good margin therefore the linesman couldn't have seen it. Third instance Kun was onside by a fine margin, again the linesman got it wrong and has 'guessed'. These decisions cost us just as much as the clattenburg guess. What point are you trying to make?

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Not sure I follow that. The first decision IMO, Kun was offside by a fine margin. I came to that conclusion by watching freeze frame. How the linesman could be sure enough to give the decision is very questionable. The second instance Kun was onside by a good margin therefore the linesman couldn't have seen it. Third instance Kun was onside by a fine margin, again the linesman got it wrong and has 'guessed'. These decisions cost us just as much as the clattenburg guess. What point are you trying to make?

I think I'm saying the same as you. They should never give an offside that isn't. That means they've guessed and that should never be part of decision making. Allowing goals to stand, that are subsequently shown to be offside, is just part of the game everyone should just accept, as is not getting getting penalties. It's a bit like the Sterling ball going out. A perfect example of not refereeing by guesswork. No one saw whether it was out so no one gave it out.

 

[Saddleworth2]

I think I'm saying the same as you. They should never give an offside that isn't. That means they've guessed and that should never be part of decision making. Allowing goals to stand, that are subsequently shown to be offside, is just part of the game everyone should just accept, as is not getting getting penalties. It's a bit like the Sterling ball going out. A perfect example of not refereeing by guesswork. No one saw whether it was out so no one gave it out.

ok, got it :-)

 

[the originalkippaxman]

I posted this just after the game:

Unfortunately Sky didn't replay this one and I couldn't freeze it at the moment the ball was kicked - this is 1/2 a second after Yaya kicked it. And even then you can see Aguero is clearly on side (note the Spurs defender just out of shot on the left). He was even more on side when the ball was kicked.

Now look at where the official is. He can see perfectly well that Aguero is onside, and yet he raises his flag. Basically, he's bent.

That is the one that incensed me and still does, Aguero had to run past the Defender to get the ball and was clearly onside. Cuntenberg could himself easily have seen that and ignored the flag and played advantage then speak to the official at the next break of play. That was when you could see that something wasn't right with this game and I wonder how long it will take before teams start doing an Argentina and refuse to continue playing with these corrupt officials.

The worrying thing is this has now been brushed under the carpet and all seems to have been forgotten. The club needs to be more ruthless and make a public statement that we refuse to play under any game that Cuntenburg officiates due to the ever growing suspicions that he is on the take or flaunting the Gambling rules.

 

[TerryMadeiraRosyBin]

Sitting in the South Stand, we were too far away to see, but the fans in the East Stand were convinced. As for the penalty decision, we could see & it stank to high heaven. Still too pissed off to watch the whole match again.

 

[TerryMadeiraRosyBin]

That is the one that incensed me and still does, Aguero had to run past the Defender to get the ball and was clearly onside. Cuntenberg could himself easily have seen that and ignored the flag and played advantage then speak to the official at the next break of play. That was when you could see that something wasn't right with this game and I wonder how long it will take before teams start doing an Argentina and refuse to continue playing with these corrupt officials.

The worrying thing is this has now been brushed under the carpet and all seems to have been forgotten. The club needs to be more ruthless and make a public statement that we refuse to play under any game that Cuntenburg officiates due to the ever growing suspicions that he is on the take or flaunting the Gambling rules.

Some one may have answered my query elsewhere in the thread.
How is it possible for officialdom to allow the same referee and linesmen to be appointed to both the home and away leg of the same fixture ???. This is a recipe for favouritism/Agenda/corruption. Clattenberg and his officials were at Spurs v City and City V Spurs...this has potentially cost City 6 league points.I obviously am a city fan BUT NEVER should the same officials be allowed/picked to referee or lino both legs for ANY team

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

Some one may have answered my query elsewhere in the thread.
How is it possible for officialdom to allow the same referee and linesmen to be appointed to both the home and away leg of the same fixture ???. This is a recipe for favouritism/Agenda/corruption. Clattenberg and his officials were at Spurs v City and City V Spurs...this has potentially cost City 6 league points.I obviously am a city fan BUT NEVER should the same officials be allowed/picked to referee or lino both legs for ANY team

Especially when one of them was so abysmal in the first game.

Is it confirmed the same lino from WHL? If so the club need to be preventing this in future.

 

[forensic onions]

But it didn't hit his fucking arm you plum! And the idea that Ya Ya not being booked is in anyway comparable to Tottenham being effectively given a free goal is too laughable for words

Even your own fans acknowledge it hit his arm.

Check the facts. We get far more bookings than opposition players do in most gamesmdespite dominating possession.

Make of that what you will.

Spurs had the most yellow cards in the EPL despite having the same average possession (55%) as ManC.

I don't think checking facts are part of his remit mate. Check out the joining date (same day we played Spurs away) and the number of posts. Wumming cockney twat. Surprised the mods haven't given him the shepherd's crook yet

I think you'll find my joining date wasn't the day ManC played Spurs away. It was the day I wrote a very pro ManCity piece for my blog about the travesty of them (and clubs like them) being hamstrung by the limitations put on owner investment which coincided with the G14 old money clubs signing a new agreement with UEFA.

Forensic onions is def a Spurs fan. He fancies himself somewhat as a stats man and posted on here originally with links to his blog. Simply, he was looking for traffic.The problem was he was drawing incorrect conclusions from the stats he was using. Talking bollocks. As he is now.

What incorrect conclusions did I draw? The biggest stats piece I did was about how Tottenham's front four had gone from being flimsy to being the most industrious by far (back when I did the piece they were miles out in front). This has since been written about numerous times, including in the Telegraph last week (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...How-Tottenham-cracked-the-defensive-code.html) and is one of the reasons IMO why ManC are massively underachieving while clubs with vastly inferior individual components are above ManC in the league. There is no one better with the ball than ManC, but they are not good enough without it. It was going to be a more neutral piece but Tottenham's front four were so far ahead of everyone else in the league (averaging 4 tackles and Interceptions per game more than the next hearest - and nearly 10 more than ManC for example) they became the focus.


As I said, I think Clattenberg's a twat and always has been. I could easily understand if that pen wasn't given yesterday, but likewise, if you do a fucking star jump with your elbows out and the ball ends up hitting your arm it's not exactly an outrageous decision either. Most Spurs fans I know hate Clattenberg. I'm pretty sure it was him who managed to disallow the Mendes goal that was two yards over the line at ManU and was him who allowed Nani to score from a spurs free kick, also at ManU.

 

[fergal_oc]

If anyone is bothered enough, you could use the Freedom of Information Act to request that the FA share the reports from both games. Success would mean getting an explanation from Cunty on why he gave the penalty.