Source: Daily_Mail
Graham Poll: Hats off to Houllier for keeping his cool
Gerard Houllier proved in his post-match press conference on Saturday what a class act he really is - and just how much influence a Barclays Premier League manager holds. [LNB]Sian Massey was supposed to grab the headlines but, thankfully, she had an uneventful afternoon - as did virtually all the top-flight officials this weekend. [LNB]There were no glaring errors and hardly any penalty appeals for Match of the Day or Sky Sports pundits torant over. [LNB]There was only one sending off: Aston Villa's Jean Makoun for his reckless challenge on Blackpool's DJ Campbell. It was a poor tackle and deservedthe red card given the instructions offered to referees with regard to two-footed tackles. [LNB] Delivering his card: Howard Webb sent off Jean Makoun after he fouled DJ Campbell[LNB] More from Graham Poll... Graham Poll: Nolan and Diaby should have seen red but penalty was baffling06/02/11 Graham Poll: Retired United defender Neville was a pain in the a***!06/02/11 Graham Poll: Martinez and Pulis were wrong... Fabregas and Dempsey are no cheats24/01/11 Graham Poll: Outdated Sky duo Keys and Gray are a smug and sorry mess23/01/11 Graham Poll: Rooney should have gone off with Rafael at Tottenham17/01/11 Graham Poll: My assessment of Attwell as the he returns to Premier League17/01/11 Graham Poll: Liverpool star Maxi Rodriguez 'clever' to win vital penalty17/01/11 GRAHAM POLL: Theo Walcott's dive exposes our flaws with the laws10/01/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVEWorld Cup final referee Howard Webb had no hesitation in showing Makoun the red card and he was absolutely correct to do so. [LNB]However, given that Makoun kept the tackle low and didn't cause any injury to Campbell, there are plenty of top-flight managers who would have taken issue with the decision. [LNB]By not doing so, Houllier took any potential controversy away from Webb and he should be applauded for this. All too often a manager will highlight a particular incident and harp on about it after the match in an effort to deflect from either a bad challenge by one of his players, or perhaps a poor team performance. [LNB]People often ask me why the big teams appear to win more decisions than opponents and while I would never accept that any referee goes into a game with the intention of favouring any team - big or small - there is a level of sub-conscious self protection which some allow to affect decision-making. [LNB]A referee will enter the field of play knowing that if a questionable penalty is awarded against, say, Manchester United, Arsenal or Chelsea, then their manager will disagree once the full whistle is blown. The damning headlines are then inevitable. [LNB]If however, that same penalty decision is made in favour of one of the big four, then there is not the same level of scrutiny. [LNB] Cool: Gerard Houllier refused to complain about the incident at Blackpool[LNB]The same thing happens with referee committees at the top level - especially FIFA, where a major power losing will prompt a far more thorough look at the officiating than if the result goes the other way. [LNB]Despite some people thinking that referees like to be noticed and enjoy seeing their pictures in the paper that is just not true. So given this it should not be a surprise that fewer penalties are awarded against the top sides as that sub-conscious self protection kicks in. [LNB]That's why I admire Houllier's honest support of our No 1 referee Webb. I just hope his example is one the League Managers Association cite to all their men. [LNB] Good week for... Roberto Martinez Bad week for... Radoslaw Majewski [LNB]The Wigan boss, who often bemoans his team's luck with refereeing decisions, benefited from an offside equaliser that gained his team a vital point at Anfield.[LNB]The Nottingham Forest midfielder was rightly sent off for a dreadful challenge at Loftus Road on Sunday. Some dismissals can be debated but not this one.[LNB] Blackpool 1 Aston Villa 1: Massey back to show that she knows bestWatch all the Premier League goals every week on our brilliant video player[LNB] Explore more:People: Sian Massey, Gerard Houllier, Roberto Martinez
