LADYMAN
Ian
S
OME illuminating
feedback following
last week’s column
about the problem
of verbal abuse ofofficials in the Premier
League, but nothing quite
as startling as one
simple fact.
Nobody will be surprised to
learn that the last player sent off
purely for dissent — rather than
being given a second yellow card
for it — was combustible
Sunderland midfielder Lee
Cattermole. What is more telling
is that the incident took place
seven and a half years ago, in
March 2012.
Given the regularity with which
players are booked and sent off
in the modern game, that’s a
remarkable length of time. Just
imagine how many have been
scolded for removing their shirts
or celebrating with supporters
after scoring since a referee in
the top division had the gump-
tion to dismiss someone for an
offence as grave, ugly and funda-
mental as any in our game.
This weekend’s hot topic is
understandably VAR. Manches-
ter City’s lunchtime game at
West Ham on Saturday was
stopped for video intervention
so many times it is a wonder it
got finished by the time the 3pm
games began.
We will get VAR right in time,
however. It was always going to
be an evolutionary process. But
what about a problem that is
only destined to get worse unless
we actually address it?
Down the pyramid in the lower
reaches of the non-League game
and into junior and veterans
football, there has been an inter-
vention. There, a sin-bin system
is being used for the first time
this season, with players spend-
ing 10 minutes on the sidelines
for significant dissent of any
description.
Peter Smurthwaite, the chair-
man and owner of Bridlington
Town in the Northern Counties
East League Premier Division
told me: ‘At our level, players
copy what they see on TV in the
Premier League. So we get prob-
lems with dissent and things like
diving. The sin bin started this
season. I was a bit sceptical but
I am more open-minded after a
couple of games. We have one
player who was booked 18 times
last season and many of those
offences were related to dissent.
He has been on his best
behaviour so far this time.’
On its website, the FA explains
the new policy in detail beneath
a banner saying: ‘Sin Bins: It’s
Your Call’. It’s catchy but it’s
also misleading, as in terms of
the professional game, it’s not
our call at all.
The International Football
Association Board is the body
that takes care of the laws of the
game. So issues like this are
actually their call and the IFABcurrently only permits the use of
sin bins at what our FA calls
‘grassroots’ level. So until that
changes, our professional and
elite game will once again be
left to pretty much take care
of itself.
And this is the problem. We
can fiddle about all we like fur-
ther down the food chain but
nothing really happens in the
Premier League without the
tacit consent of our top players
and clubs. Changes to the way
games are refereed come and go.
The ones we like tend to stay
and the ones we don’t — such as
shirt pulling in the penalty areaseveral seasons ago — eventu-
ally drown in a sea of complaints
from players and managers.
Sin binning seems like a nice
idea but one with limited scope
for change where it matters.
Anyway, the rules aren’t the
problem. As this column dis-
cussed last week, dissent is
already an offence punishable by
free-kick, caution and, if neces-
sary, red card. We don’t need sin
bins. The rules have been in
place for a long time.
All we need to do is follow
them.GOOD WEEK
It’s time to hail the
homegrown bosses
THE Premier League season has
started with eight English
managers in position and a
Northern Irishman, Brendan
Rodgers, at Leicester. There
hasn’t been more than this for 11
years and it matters.
Just as players lower down the
game grow frustrated at what
they see as a lack of a pathway to
the top flight, so too do the
managers.
The routes taken by Dean Smith
and Chris Wilder through the
divisions is particularly
aspirational. And surely
supporters of most clubs feel that
bit happier if they think the man
in charge of their team is not
simply passing through?ROY HODGSON has done a
good job at Crystal Palace
and probably feels a little let
down by Wilfried Zaha’s desire
to leave and transfer request
after recently signing a long
contract.
But Hodgson chose his words
badly when Zaha first disclosed
in an interview with my
colleague Adrian Kajumba in
April that he wished to leave.
‘You just congratulate the
journalist,’ said Hodgson with
absolutely no sincerity. ‘He’s
caught Wilf at the right moment.’
It seems that moment lasted just
a little longer than Hodgson
anticipated.MARCUS RASHFORD
With Romelu Lukaku sold and
Alexis Sanchez all but forgotten
about, the Manchester United
centre forward now has an
opportunity to become the focal
point of his club’s attacking play.
So three and a half years after he
made his debut, we will finally
find out if Rashford really is good
enough.BAD WEEK
JURGEN KLOPP
The Liverpool boss was by all
accounts quickly on the front
foot at the Premier League
managers’ meeting last
Wednesday, demanding to know
why the season was starting so
early and seeking assurances
that it would not become a
regular pattern. Suffice to say, he
left the building disappointed.[email protected]It’s SEVEN years since
last red card for dissent
— how is that right?
Have a word: ref
Mike Dean sent
off Cattermole in
2012 GETTY IMAGESALISSON FACES 8 WEEKS OUT
ALISSON BECKER could be out for By DOMINIC KING
up to eight weeks after tearing his
calf in Liverpool’s victory over
Norwich City at Anfield.
The Brazil international, who is a
huge influence on Jurgen Klopp’s
side, crumpled to the floor in the
37th minute of Friday night’s game
as he attempted to take a goal
kick.
Alisson, last season’s Golden Glove
winner with 21 clean sheets, was
assessed at the club’s Melwood
training ground.
Liverpool were anxious to find out
if there was any damage to his
achilles and he will continue to be
assessed.
If he had ruptured that tendon, his
season would have been over. His
lay-off, as things stand, will run
towards the end of next month
and that is a considerableheadache for Klopp. Aside from
missing Wednesday’s European
Super Cup against Chelsea in
Istanbul, Liverpool will be without
their No 1 for key Premier
League fixtures at home to
Arsenal and Newcastle plus tricky
away trips to Southampton,
Burnley and Chelsea.
He is also expected to be out of
the opening round of Champions
League fixtures, which are
scheduled for the week beginning
September 16.
Liverpool signed Adrian, the
former West Ham keeper, as
Alisson’s deputy last week
following the £6million sale of
Simon Mignolet to Club Brugge
but they will also consider
handing a short-term contract toAndy Lonergan. A former Preston
and Middlesbrough keeper,
35-year-old Lonergan went to the
US with Liverpool on their
pre-season tour to cover for
Alisson when he was on holiday
after the Copa America.
Liverpool have had issues with
their goalkeepers all summer as
rookie keeper Caoimhin Kelleher
had been sidelined with a broken
wrist, while academy prospect
Vitezslav Jaros had damaged his
elbow ligaments.
Kelleher has returned to training
but is still not fully-fit. Shamal
George, 21, is another academy
option.
If Lonergan does sign a short-
term contract, Liverpool would
have to seek permission from the
Premier League board to add him
to their 25-man squad.MO SALAH
made a young
Liverpool fan’s
day by posing
for a photo on
Saturday —
after the boy
had been
knocked out
when colliding
with a
lamppost
while running
after his car.
Salah saw
Louis Fowler,
11, in pain and
stopped to
check on him
before posing
for pictures
with him and
brother Isaac.PICTURE PERFECT
MO SAVES THE DAY
@Ian_Ladyman_DM