August 19, 200718 yr I've watched City-United this afternoon. Lucky victory for City! But is there still one club in the Premier League which doesn't get money from an (foreign) investor? :confused:
August 20, 200718 yr 'Sorry' Styles axed after Liverpool blunder Last updated at 17:37pm on 20th August 2007 Comments (8) Rob Styles has apologised to Liverpool after wrongly giving Chelsea a penalty at Anfield on Sunday. The official will not take charge of a Premier League game this weekend after his bosses ruled he made a mistake and also apologised to a furious Rafael Benitez. Scroll down for more Turning point: Malouda tumbles Styles said: "All referees enter into matches hoping not to make any mistakes but understanding that they may happen, what none of us want is for any mistake to potentially affect the result of the match. "Yesterday, in mistakenly awarding a penalty, I accept that I may have affected the result of the match and for that I apologise." The Liverpool manager branded yesterday's decision "unbelievable" and Styles will also say sorry after the spot-kick allowed Chelsea to share the points at Anfield. Benitez's side were ahead through Fernando Torres but the referee thought Steve Finnan fouled Florent Malouda in the 62nd minute and Frank Lampard converted the penalty to give Chelsea a 1-1 draw. The result could prove crucial in the title race and the Professional Game Match Officials board are getting tough when mistakes are made. In addition to punishing Styles for an all-round poor performance at Anfield they have dropped assistant referee Ian Gosling after he denied David Healy's equaliser for Fulham when it clearly crossed the line in Saturday's 2-1 defeat by Middlesbrough. The Premier League have blown the whistle on Rob Styles Referees' chief Keith Hackett said: "I have spoken to Rob this morning. He has looked at the video with the decision and obviously he is extremely disappointed. "He has admitted he has got it wrong. I tried to make contact and left a message with Benitez to apologise on behalf of the PGMO for the error. "I did in pre-season say to managers and the public in general that accountability exists and we do expect referees to get the big decisions correct. "On this occasion it is wrong and therefore Rob will not be officiating next weekend. His initial view was that he believed an offence had taken place. Having looked at the video and seen a better angle, he recognises he got it wrong. "He is deeply apologetic for that and he too will be making contact with Liverpool to offer his apologies." Styles made several other mistakes and appeared to show Michael Essien a second yellow card after booking John Terry in the second half. He raised the card twice, the second time with the midfielder immediately in front of him and the defender nowhere near. Rob Styles adds to a penalty controversy by apparently booking Michael Essien twice - without sending him off Essien thought he was off but Styles insists he was showing the card to Terry. Hackett said: "He forgot to put the card away. It was a basic administrative error as against an error of application of law but it is something we will look closely at on the video to ensure we do not get a repeat." Another area the authorities are studying carefully is goal-line technology and Fulham's defeat will increase their focus. The Premier League are working on a camera-based system from HawkEye, which has systems used in different guises in cricket and tennis. It will soon be examined by FIFA. Referring to Gosling, Hackett said: "Clearly the assistant referee has made an error and will not be operating for us next week. "We share the view at the PGMO with the FA and Premier League in wanting goal-line technology. We have got to get the technology into a position where the International Football Association Board will give us permission to use it as an experiment. "We are some months from that. Referees are human and errors are made. We are making moves forward but this weekend was a step back. "I apologise to Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez and Benitez publicly. We want referees to get the major decisions right." Red rage: Liverpool's Steve Finnan (above left), Jamie Carragher and Xabi Alonso surround referee Styles after the penalty award Former Premier League referee Graham Poll agreed that Styles had not had the best afternoon. He said: "It was a big mistake. I'd be happy to have a weekend off to lick my wounds and regain my confidence." Poll, who booked Croatia's Josip Simunic three times during a World Cup match in 2006, also felt that the Essien yellow-card incident had looked a mess. "At the first look I definitely thought he had booked Essien a second time," said Poll. "Having looked I can see that as Rob raises the yellow card he points over to John Terry and says that it is John he has cautioned. He had just given a penalty and you have a gut feeling as a referee that you might have made a mistake." Benitez had no sympathy with Styles and Steven Gerrard said: "I don't want to say too much because I will get into trouble, but the referee didn't play well. "Whether it was because the Chelsea players were talking I don't know, but in the end he's cracked and made a bad decision. I hope he says sorry now."
August 20, 200718 yr but he already showed a yellow card to terry and terry wasnt even around when essien got booked. doesnt make sense at all!
August 20, 200718 yr Are they just now discovering that Rob Styles is an idiot? That ranks right up there with the discovery that water is wet. :rolleyes:
August 21, 200718 yr Are they just now discovering that Rob Styles is an idiot? That ranks right up there with the discovery that water is wet. :rolleyes: :laugh3: Maybe they'll bring the Pollster out of retirement next!!:P
August 21, 200718 yr Disgraced footballer gets out of jail early - and walks straight into £80,000-a-year job Last updated at 00:26am on 21st August 2007 Comments Disgraced footballer Lee Hughes has been released from jail after serving half of his six-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving - and has walked straight into a £80,000-a-year deal with a new team. Hughes, 31, is expected to join Coca-Cola League One side Oldham after being freed from Featherstone Prison near Wolverhampton. Scroll down for more... Lee Hughes' mugshot at Birmingham prison Former Coventry striker Hughes was jailed in August 2004 after crashing his £100,000 Mercedes sports car into another vehicle, killing a father of four. Hughes, whose £16,000-a-week contract with West Brom was terminated after his conviction at Coventry Crown Court, was driving home from a post-match drinking session when the accident happened. Scroll down for more... The scene at the crash which left one dead and two injured after Lee Hughes crashed his Mercedes Douglas Graham, 56, was killed in the collision and his wife Heather was seriously injured. Douglas Graham, 56, who was killed in the crash The crash also left the driver, Albert Frisby, 63, with multiple injuries including a broken hip and pelvis, two broken kneecaps and a broken foot and hand. A spokesman for Oldham Athletic said the club would not comment on whether Hughes had signed, but said a press conference would be called at a "more appropriate time". In May Barry Owen, one of the club's directors, called on supporters "not to pass moral judgment" on Hughes. "Lee Hughes has paid the price for what occurred. As far as the club is concerned, Lee deserves a second chance," he said.
August 21, 200718 yr bah! liverpool got out-dived by chelsea! what a horrible call Well that's always going to be probable when you have Drogba in the side......................... :rolleyes:
August 21, 200718 yr :laugh3: Maybe they'll bring the Pollster out of retirement next!!:PI can't believe the Pollster had the balls to comment on anything another ref did. :laugh3:
August 22, 200718 yr 2-1 to ze Germans at half-time :( Mostly thanks to Blobinson!!:rolleyes: Anyway, he's now been replaced by "Calamity"!!:D
August 24, 200718 yr Everton fans vote for Kirkby move Everton fans have voted in favour of the club's proposed move to a new stadium in Kirkby. The club balloted more than 36,000 supporters on the move, which chief executive Keith Wyness described as "the deal of the century". Everton vowed to abide by the outcome of the vote but 59% of the 25,761 votes returned supported the proposals. The 50,000-seater new stadium will be financed alongside supermarket giant Tesco and the local Knowsley council. It is part of a planned £400m redevelopment of a 32-hectare (80-acre) site. With Liverpool set to move into a new £300m stadium in Stanley Park in 2010, Everton are keen to keep up with their fierce rivals. The new ground will be modelled on the traditional four-sided structure modelled on Cologne's World Cup stadium. The plans caused consternation among some Everton fans as well as Liverpool Council, who were upset at the idea of the club moving outside the city boundaries. However, the club argue that Goodison Park, the club's home of 115 years, is too old and impractical to expand while other suggested sites within the city were too small. As they revealed the results of the vote, Everton pleaded with opposition groups to end their protests. "We believe that now is the time for all supporters of Everton Football Club to set aside any differences of opinion and unite for the common good," said Everton's statement. "The simple truth is, we all want the same thing - a thriving, ambitious and prosperous club away from the field of play and an attractive, competitive team on it." But opponents of the plans have vowed to continue their fight. Keep Everton In Our City spokesman Dave Kelly said: "The ballot has served to split the fans. "That makes me sad as an Evertonian. There is still a long campaign ahead because public opinion in Kirkby against a football stadium is growing." Knowsley Council are facing opposition from local residents over the prospect of a football stadium being built as part of their town centre regeneration scheme.
August 25, 200718 yr At least it was only 1-0 the Russians beat us by.Aren't you owned by a Russian? :thinking:
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