Davies wants strong officials

16 October 2009 08:56
// A bit of a hack but it works// The article snippet is wrapped onto a second line, even when #article-sub is emptyif( $("div#article-sub").children().length == 0 ) {$("div#article-sub").remove();} Kevin Davies has called on referee Mark Clattenburg not to be overawed by Manchester United ahead of Bolton's trip to Old Trafford on Saturday.[LNB] Gary Megson's Trotters make the short journey across the North West in decent spirits having picked up their form of late to move to 13th in the table.[LNB]A visit to the champions is never an easy proposition though and Davies believes referees have an obligation not to be swayed by a partisan home crowd and vociferous touchline.[LNB]Sir Alex Ferguson's assessment of Alan Wiley's fitness has put match officials firmly in the spotlight and having been on the receiving end of a questionable decision in the same fixture last season, Davies is eager for there to be no repeat.[LNB]"At Old Trafford last year we had a penalty given against us that was never a penalty in a million years," Davies said in The Independent. [LNB]"Big teams so often get those decisions, don't they? It was 0-0 until then, and we'd been working so hard. [LNB]"That penalty just knocked the wind out of our sails. I don't know whether some referees are maybe intimidated by going to Old Trafford. I don't know why they should be." [LNB]Fergie baitingDavies is not alien to the attention of referees having committed more fouls in his six years at Bolton than any other player in the same period - a statistic that has not been lost on Ferguson.[LNB]Last season the United chief accused him of being a bully prior to the two sides meeting in the league and Davies admits it was no surprise when he picked up a booking.[LNB]"Two years ago it was spread all over the papers," Davies added. [LNB]"All this stuff from Fergie about me bullying and kicking. And I went there and hardly made a tackle, because I knew I'd be straight in the book. So I suppose he did his job. That's what Fergie's good at, isn't it?[LNB]"The way I play there are going to be fouls. If you're challenging for long balls 20 or 30 times, it's inevitable. [LNB]"But at home against Stoke [last month] I got a yellow card from Mark Clattenburg for diving, and I just couldn't believe that. I was gobsmacked, to be honest with you, because he knows I'm an honest player. [LNB]"I thought I was getting up for a free-kick for us, but he booked me. That was just embarrassing, and it meant I was treading on eggshells for the rest of the match."[LNB]

Source: SKY_Sports