John Terry once showed me how easy it is to use dark arts in penalty area - and at Old Trafford referee Phil Dowd proved just how tough they are to spot at top level John Terry provided insight into tricks during event at QPR years ago Phil Dowd was given a kicking (although not by this reporter) after his display during Manchester Uniteds 1-1 draw with Chelsea Its easy to have a go at a referee when you have benefit of replays Hows official meant to see everything that happens on pitch? By NEIL ASHTON FOR THE DAILY MAIL HANDS OFF IN THE BOX is our new campaign to rid football of the dark arts of the penalty box. Whether it is wrestling, grappling, shirt pulling - or the outrageous headlocks witnessed in the Manchester United vs Chelsea match - the area has become a free-for-all for cheating. And that means fewer goals in the Barclays Premier League. For too long, referees have failed to punish players for blatantly stopping opponents from scoring. Its time to end that. So join us in our campaign to say Hands Off In The Box to players and referees. We’ll be naming and shaming the cheats and the officials who let them get away with it. A few years ago, during a promotional event with some journalists at QPR’s Harlington training ground, one of the world’s finest central defenders made his way into the penalty area to wait for a corner. As the ball was launched in, he pulled down hard on his marker’s shirt on the blindside of the referee to prevent his opponent jumping and used it to propel himself into the air. He scored with a header easily enough and made the sap on the end of it look like he didn’t fancy aerial combat with a top class centre half (true, as it happened). John Terry ran away chuckling, laughing at the naivety more than anything (plus the fact he had swapped sides at half-time with his team leading 5-0 and had brought it back to five-all). For the avoidance of doubt this is not an attack on Terry’s integrity because he is one of the finest defenders this country has produced. At 33 he is playing better than ever in Chelsea colours. He did, however, provide a fascinating insight into the tricks of the trade used by players competing at the very highest level. Stuff goes on and the players just hope to hell that the referee doesn’t spot it or, if he does, lets you get away with it. Which brings us nicely to the official Phil Dowd, the poor fella who is still being given a good kicking three days on from Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea. On Sunday afternoon, in the seconds before Robin van Persie’s dramatic equaliser for United, a text message arrived from the boss: ‘Are you mad?!’. Sat in the Mail’s Kensington office he was reacting to a tweet, sent from the press box at Old Trafford, that had the audacity to praise Dowd’s performance involving two highly-charged teams who did not want to give an inch. Here is the offending tweet: ‘This isn’t terribly fashionable to say, but Phil Dowd has refereed this game brilliantly’. In the marks awarded on MailOnline, Dowd was given an eight out of 10. That’s a decent mark in the biggest game of the season and more than any of the players or the managers received. What a crime that turned out to be on an afternoon when people were not quite sure who was man of the match and who had the upper hand. Still, when in doubt, give the referee the mother of all kickings. Sitting at home, or in the office, it is easy to re-referee a football match when there are 26 (sometimes more) cameras inside a stadium. Those replays, plus the commentary, along with full-time and half-time analysis, don’t half come in handy. Terry and Branislav Ivanovic were ‘double headlocked’ at ever corner according to Chelsea’s captain. The pictures of the pair grappling with Chris Smalling and Marcos Rojo backed him up. Dowd was given an eight for, by and large, keeping these warring teams on the straight and narrow by issuing eight yellow cards and dismissing Ivanovic. The default mechanism in the game is thus: there is a man in authority, so give him the coating because the PGMOL, the match officials’ guardian angels, prevent the poor sucker defending himself in a post-match press conference. Match officials are soft, soft targets. As reporters, we will never have to justify ourselves to Dowd, or any other match official, because we rarely come across them (apart from a nod and a handshake at St George’s Park on international weeks). The players and managers are different because we are more likely to come across them in press conferences or in mixed zones down by the tunnel area. Gary Neville believed Juan Mata was Manchester United’s best player in the first half. By the time he was substituted in the 66th minute he had touched the ball just 35 times. Marouane Fellaini, the man who smothered Cesc Fabregas and is now apparently fully acclimatised to life at United, had the third worst passing record in the home team. Fabregas, subdued it has to be said, was upgraded to a seven because he provided the killer ball for Drogba to put Chelsea in front. Goals pay the rent and all that. Back to Dowd. To put his performance at Old Trafford into perspective, the PGMOL asked a 51-year-old man to make key decisions when he is trying to keep up with twenty-something footballers who often hoover 100 metres in less than 11 seconds. In addition we are asking a guy who is usually on the move to make the correct decision in a top class sporting arena with 22 players launching themselves into a full-bloodied contact in all areas of the pitch. Sat in the office, the boss will benefit from the 26 or more cameras stationed at Old Trafford to help the broadcaster, in this case Sky, come to a conclusion. Read more: dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2810995/John-Terry-showed-easy-use-dark-arts-penalty-area.html#ixzz3HivjvC16 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 12:10:29 +0000