The ref got it right on all three penalties

[Olly]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/26092011/58/premier-league-warnock-unleashes-referee-rant.html

This clip just shows the incidents, and all in slow motion.

Everyone's turned on the ref because of his overall foul decisions, but he got every penalty call spot on.

1) Derry's header. The defender was drawing his arm in at point of contact. Not hand to ball. Yes, refs will give them, but he's technically right.

2) Smith's cross hits same defender on left arm. Penalties are not given now where the player has no chance to avoid the ball at close range.

3) This one I've saved till last, because there are controversial issues around this one. But firstly the accusation that the villa fans didn't protest. They didn't see it. Simple.

Agbonlahor goes down because he feels shirt contact. He's not looking at Traore, who has just ever so slightly and quickly pulled him off-balance. You know as well as I do that this is the name of the game now, "accidental contact".

"I didn't touch him, it was an accident"

Accident my ar.se, the "touch" on the shirt, the accidental running into a player from behind, the accidental nudge when players are jumping for the ball. Arms around players waists at set pieces. I'm sick of it. More refs should give more penalties.

NW is going on about, "well if they give it for that, they'll be giving thirty penalties in every game". I'll be glad when they start. The whole lot stops overnight. There and then. Penalties cost points. Simple. But no-one's got the bottle to do it.

Except one brave ref who gets slaughtered.

When I played football some 50 years ago, there was NO hand or arm contact at all. But since football started becoming a bigger and bigger money business, the cheating element has got progressively worse. You could call it mision creep.

Why is it alright to automatically cheat the game in football? It wouldn't be tolerated in any other sport. Yes players do it, but they get severely punished, recent incidents have been bloodgate in rugby and spot fixing in cricket. The punishments were severe, but the message gets across immediately.

Athletics is also a problem, but it's one individual cheating for theirself. My gripe is football. I say what I see, not follow the crowd, and I think I'm right on this one.

[Mellowhoop]

He was already going down trying to reach the ball.

[Vish]

Traore may have caught him ever so slightly.

but it was never a foul.

[paulmason]

2) Smith's cross hits same defender on left arm. Penalties are not given now where the player has no chance to avoid the ball at close range.

I find this very hard to believe, as every defender will legally go to close the player down in and around the penalty area like a star fish.

[Sprocket]

If that was a penalty there would be 10 pennos per match

[oldhoop]

[Olly]

He was already going down trying to reach the ball.

He's turned round looking at the ref, he's been pulled

[Jamie]

[maddix]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/260920...eree-rant.html

This clip just shows the incidents, and all in slow motion.

Everyone's turned on the ref because of his overall foul decisions, but he got every penalty call spot on.

1) Derry's header. The defender was drawing his arm in at point of contact. Not hand to ball. Yes, refs will give them, but he's technically right.

2) Smith's cross hits same defender on left arm. Penalties are not given now where the player has no chance to avoid the ball at close range.

3) This one I've saved till last, because there are controversial issues around this one. But firstly the accusation that the villa fans didn't protest. They didn't see it. Simple.

Agbonlahor goes down because he feels shirt contact. He's not looking at Traore, who has just ever so slightly and quickly pulled him off-balance. You know as well as I do that this is the name of the game now, "accidental contact".

"I didn't touch him, it was an accident"

Accident my ar.se, the "touch" on the shirt, the accidental running into a player from behind, the accidental nudge when players are jumping for the ball. Arms around players waists at set pieces. I'm sick of it. More refs should give more penalties.

NW is going on about, "well if they give it for that, they'll be giving thirty penalties in every game". I'll be glad when they start. The whole lot stops overnight. There and then. Penalties cost points. Simple. But no-one's got the bottle to do it.

Except one brave ref who gets slaughtered.

When I played football some 50 years ago, there was NO hand or arm contact at all. But since football started becoming a bigger and bigger money business, the cheating element has got progressively worse. You could call it mision creep.

Why is it alright to automatically cheat the game in football? It wouldn't be tolerated in any other sport. Yes players do it, but they get severely punished, recent incidents have been bloodgate in rugby and spot fixing in cricket. The punishments were severe, but the message gets across immediately.

Athletics is also a problem, but it's one individual cheating for theirself. My gripe is football. I say what I see, not follow the crowd, and I think I'm right on this one.

1 First one was a SOFT penalty but technically a penalty . Can't blame the forward for taking advantage of a situation .

2 Smith cross where ball struck hand /arm would have been a harsh one to give against Villa but it would have evened up the SOFT one given above . Hence a penalty

3 Derry header is ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS PENALTIES you'll see all year .

It was a f......g save !!! Hutton knew the ball was going in and he instinctivly 'moved' his arm to stop the ball going in . He had guilt written all over his face as he jogged away !!!

To say that wasn't a penalty is frankly laughable !!

How can you defend Agbonlahor for basically diving when Traore sneezes on him ...AND Hutton for clearly saving a goal with his arm ....THEN you go into one about cheating !!!! How much more obvious an example of cheating do you need !!!!!!

[Connell10]

1 First one was a SOFT penalty but technically a penalty . Can't blame the forward for taking advantage of a situation .

2 Smith cross where ball struck hand /arm would have been a harsh one to give against Villa but it would have evened up the SOFT one given above . Hence a penalty

3 Derry header is ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS PENALTIES you'll see all year .

It was a f......g save !!! Hutton knew the ball was going in and he instinctivly 'moved' his arm to stop the ball going in . He had guilt written all over his face as he jogged away !!!

To say that wasn't a penalty is frankly laughable !!

How can you defend Agbonlahor for basically diving when Traore sneezes on him ...AND Hutton for clearly saving a goal with his arm ....THEN you go into one about cheating !!!! How much more obvious an example of cheating do you need !!!!!!

correct mate!!!!!!! that was a stonewall pen!

[silvercue]

sorry you have got it wrong - and senior ref said the same on Talksport today.

Ball to Hand is irrelevant if your arms are not at you sides. If he was running around with his hands in the air and ball went to hand - would it be handball? Of course it would.

The defender had his arms out wide - like a starfish, making it very hard to get the ball passed. So it is a deliberate action to block and therefore hand ball.

[Olly]

His hands were already there for balance, not for ball stopping

[Olly]

1 First one was a SOFT penalty but technically a penalty . Can't blame the forward for taking advantage of a situation .

2 Smith cross where ball struck hand /arm would have been a harsh one to give against Villa but it would have evened up the SOFT one given above . Hence a penalty

3 Derry header is ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS PENALTIES you'll see all year .

It was a f......g save !!! Hutton knew the ball was going in and he instinctivly 'moved' his arm to stop the ball going in . He had guilt written all over his face as he jogged away !!!

To say that wasn't a penalty is frankly laughable !!

How can you defend Agbonlahor for basically diving when Traore sneezes on him ...AND Hutton for clearly saving a goal with his arm ....THEN you go into one about cheating !!!! How much more obvious an example of cheating do you need !!!!!!

Maddix sort of agrees with me on the first two. 3) He 's trying to move his arm behind his back

[paulmason]

His hands were already there for balance, not for ball stopping

So what you are saying is a defender can close a ball down like Peter Schmeichel used to spread his body ?

[w12dave]

dermot gallagher was on sky this morning and said the ref got it wrong! He was too to quick to point to the box, If the ref have to give pen for that then ref must give pen every time there a free kick or corner kick if only a player get his shirt tug in the box which would be stupid because we would see 10 pens in one game!