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Mark Clattenburg - Hero or Publicity chaser

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The theory behind it is massively flawed. If Tottenham's players committed red card offences, and Mr Clattenburg dismissed them nobody would say a word. Same applies with Chelsea - they were no angels themselves with their crybaby antics of remonstrating with the referee to send off players for the smallest of offences.. and the tackles flying in at the start.

Publicity chaser - 100%.
 
Doe's make you wonder why he is making the comments, smacks of publicity seeking. Probably thinking to himself now I am no longer employed by the FA, I can say what I like.

Although it does go some way to explaining some of his decisions that night.... or lack of them as the case maybe.

He is right though, Tottenham imploded big style and lost their heads completely!
 
Either way, he was the Prem's best ref and none of the current crop even come close to him
 
I read this and I don’t know how to process it in terms of my game and my development.

Looking at it in hindsight it looks smart because the narrative played out....but with all the yellows and no red what if spurs scored (god forbid as an arsenal fan) - that strategy is not fair to Chelsea. And how many times have we all given reds and been told we ruined the game - he is essentially confirming that comment.

I am (was?) a big fan of his but I am really disappointed in those comments.
 
As he effectively screwed Spurs over......hero!

And very aware of exactly what would have happened had he dismissed 3 Spurs players.....he would have been vilified by the club, the media and Spurs would forever blame him for costing them the title, rather than having to face up to their own shortcomings.
 
You know what, some things are better left unsaid, we've all had games i'm sure when you know you can change a result, a dubious penalty, some extra extra time, some no extra time. I certainly wouldn't go around bragging about it, basically admitting you've affected a game to the detriment of one team. I'm no Spurs fan but i'd wouldn't be a happy bunny. It also besmirches any other ref in a similar position as questions could be asked as to motives etc instead of all games finish at the last whistle!!!
 
You know what, some things are better left unsaid, we've all had games i'm sure when you know you can change a result, a dubious penalty, some extra extra time, some no extra time. I certainly wouldn't go around bragging about it, basically admitting you've affected a game to the detriment of one team. I'm no Spurs fan but i'd wouldn't be a happy bunny. It also besmirches any other ref in a similar position as questions could be asked as to motives etc instead of all games finish at the last whistle!!!

Not exactly....if anything he's done them a favour by not sending off 3 of their players. Not dismissing 3 players is hardly a detriment.......

What he is actually saying is that he took a more relaxed approach so that the game didn't turn into the "Clattenburg Show" and that Spurs still managed to self destruct despite his soft touch management.
 
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Maybe it was though PF, if after a first Red Card if they don't change their ways then they've only got themselves to blame, no guarantee that the triple red scenario would have followed as the yellows did!!
 
I think it is taken a little out of context. Most senior referees go into massive games like cup finals, derbies, title deciders, etc, with a game plan. Like it or not if you don't it often finishes your career. Howard Webb has spoken about the World Cup final, and Valentin Ivanov was castigated by the World's media, plus Sepp Blatter, after the Battle of Nuremberg in 2006.
 
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I agree with Padfoot on this one (for a change :) ). One cleverly chosen headline can completely change the angle a reader reads an article. If you read the article again with only the bits that are quoted from Clattenburg you will see that all that he is implying is that he did not make the game about himself (game plan). Self destruction of Tottenham was a consequence.

The comment about "could have sent-off" is commonly used by many referees including myself. Its either about orange cards (could be red) or managing a players who is on a yellow rather than sending him off for a second yellow dissent. I cant recall any player being send off for a second yellow dissent in EPL.
 
The Premiership since day one became a show, a big stage production of which the referees are huge players. Thats one reason they became full time, salaried, so they are part of the crew.
Never met the guy, but followed his career since he burst onto the scene, heard from colleagues that he was a loose cannon on his first FIFA adventures and decided I liked him even more.
Absolute legend to refuse to comply, effectively be sacked, then come back, show the establishment that as he was the best referee around, they simply could not ignore him. He even suffered the indignity of Jon Moss beating him to the cup final! Was refreshing to watch his career and refreshing now to read about some of his experiences.
We have all done it. Been appointed to a game where we know number 5 causes us problems and we know number 11 is a diving wee sh1t. So we go in with a plan, either to "do" 5 for his first foul to show your taking no crap, or we talk, manage, give him a wee soft foul and try work with him through the game
Same with 11, we maybe ignore his first maybe fall but boom, next time, card out, and everyone knows you have nailed him
Thats all Mark seems to be discussing here, allbeit on a bigger scale to majority if not all of us on here.
Hero for me.
 
ONE comment below that article does make sense - even if Tottenham HAD won that game they wouldn't have won the title.
 
"...speaking on the NBC’s Men in Blazers podcast, Clattenburg has controversially said he “went in with a gameplan” so that he could not be blamed for Tottenham losing the title.

Clattenburg, who quit his job as a Premier League referee in February to take up a lucrative position as Saudi Arabia’s head of referees, said: “I allowed them [Spurs] to self-destruct so all the media, all the people in the world went: 'Tottenham lost the title.’

When asked if he had helped to ‘script’ the game, he replied: “I helped the game. I certainly benefited the game by my style of refereeing.

“Some referees would have played by the book; Tottenham would have been down to seven or eight players and probably lost and they would've been looking for an excuse.

“But I didn't give them an excuse, because my gameplan was: Let them lose the title.”"

This reads really badly for me. As someone on F365 pointed out, this was a game with major effect on prize money, and there were massive fines handed out to the teams afterwards. Love MC, big fan, but I would sack him for these comments - essentially admitting to not following the laws or his training. It also comes across as self-aggrandising. It also strikes me that he shouldn't be proud of this. His approach absolutely failed: the match, the "game" and Tottenham, and also the fans. How he can presume they would be down to 7 or 8, had he actually applied the LotG!, I don't know.

Gutted about this really because he comes out looking bad and other refs will get accused of "managing" games off the back of this.

One learning here: I have been thinking that it would be healthy to have refs explain more post-match - but based on this - they (we) should probably shut the eff up!
 
Whenever I hear the Radio phone in calls for refs to explain decisions after games I just shake my head and fists with anger. Players miss shots, managers pick the wrong players and play poor tactics, Refs get one look in a fraction of a second with eyes that only see 1% of their total spectrum in clear HD in effect (the brain puts the rest together into a 2D picture). BTW, I heard that fact from an eye professor explaining how we actually see!! To come on TV and say something which you know isn't the 499 other decisions that he made right is a licence to say the wrong thing and get crucified by the press and the wronged fans!!! Move on to the next game boys, its only a game!! ,
 
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