Moyes angered by penalty award

, 1 December, 28comments  |  Jump to most recent

David Moyes was left fuming at another penalty decision that didn't go his side's way as Manchester City earned a point in today's tightly-contested game at the Eitihad Stadium.

The Everton boss complained in vain to fourth official Anthony Taylor after referee Lee Probert had awarded the Champions a penalty so questionable it's still unclear whether it was given for an infringement by Leon Osman or Marouane Fellaini.

"It is not a penalty kick," Moyes said after the game. "I don't know how many penalties Manchester City have had in their home games recently, but as far as I know it is quite a few. They got another one today.

"You can't be giving ones like that. There'd be a penalty every time there's a corner kick."

"The fourth official told me that it was given for a foul by Leon Osman, so I've got my doubts if the referee saw the incident.

"But even if it was Fellaini, it's not a penalty kick, nowhere near. They say it levels itself out. We'll see."

So far this season, the balance of penalty decisions has been tipped overwhelmingly away from Everton's favour, with a number of clear-cut spot-kicks going un-awarded by a succession of officials.

Moyes was happy with the point, nonetheless, though, pointing to an impressive defensive display by his team that enabled them to become one of the few teams to deny City all three points at the Etihad in 2012.

"It was a good draw for us. We've had some bad draws but that was a good draw," he admitted.

Quotes or other material sourced from Daily Mail



Reader Comments (28)

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Steve Guy
1 Posted 01/12/2012 at 20:07:28
They say these things even out: on the evidence of this season so far, we are due about 10 penalty decisions our way after Christmas !
Ciarán McGlone
2 Posted 01/12/2012 at 21:06:27
I'd happily take the decision against us if it was the start of a campaign to stamp out all the nonsense that goes on at set pieces around the box... However, I doubt that'll be the case..
Terry Myers
3 Posted 01/12/2012 at 21:14:21
Moyes needs to have a word with Mike Riley, the referees' boss. We're having terrible decisions made against us in nearly every match and it's proper getting on my tits. Have a word, Moyes.
David Barks
4 Posted 01/12/2012 at 21:21:13
The excuse is always given when these decisions every so often occur, and it's always for the likes of Man Utd or Man City, that it is technically a penalty. Those idiots commentating today said the same, even after seeing the replay that showed the player throw himself to the ground.

But whenever we have appeals against the likes of City or Utd, every single time the same commentators will say something along the likes of "Well that's not a penalty for me". Another horrendous decision, ironically coming only a couple of days since we were denied a clear-cut penalty of our own, which was only a couple weeks after we were denied two blatantly clear penalties.

They also said the "top" sides who play passing football are going to get those calls because they're passing puts defenses under pressure. Well everyone has talked about how we play some of the best football around, not getting any penalties. You just cannot deny the blatant fact that a few sides get the calls, and it never, ever, evens itself out.
Andy Crooks
5 Posted 01/12/2012 at 21:22:54
It seems to me that referees with the blessing of the morons at the FA have a different set of rules for set pieces round the box . It's impossible to commit a foul most of the time so Osman was unlucky. The ludicrous fouling at corner kicks etc makes referess look like imbeciles and the FA like the incompetent corrupt outfit they are.
Phil Gardner
6 Posted 01/12/2012 at 21:38:33
Although I'd rather it wasn't necessary, and I'd like to think that things will 'even themselves out', isn't it time that Moyes and Neville did a Rodgers and Stevie Me stunt? You know, the one were you hold three press conferences to complain about decisions going against your club and contact Mike Riley.

Then you get a compliant media to campaign on the issue so that the referee scheduled for your next home match (Kevin Friend at Anfield v Wigan wasn't it?) comes along to your training ground for a 'meet and greet' session with your players the week before the said fixture? Just a thought like... it seems to work for some clubs!
Nick Millington
7 Posted 01/12/2012 at 22:07:06
Wouldn't make any difference if we complained to Mike Riley, he has a long history of bad decisions against us from his refereeing days
Patrick Murphy
8 Posted 01/12/2012 at 22:14:39
The main reason I gave up my season ticket was that I realised that when it comes to big calls, Everton will always be on the wrong end of them.

It started in the mid 90s and has been going on ever since. I accepted when we were a pretty awful team that most calls would go against us.

As we began to be more competitive and challenge for European places I believed that we would gain our fair share of Pens and free-kicks, but it hasn't happened, in fact the higher we go in the table the more the officials seem to give against us.

Referees can do what they like against Everton and clubs like us because we don't have millions of armchair supporters and therefore the media couldn't care less what happens to us.

No amount of complaining by the players or staff will alter the way the game is managed and that is why it will be a long-time before I pay good money to attend any top flight game.

If you think I'm wrong, just listen to how often the commentators, pundits and journalists will justify an incorrect call if it favours the chosen few.

Frank McGregor
9 Posted 01/12/2012 at 23:21:04
Patrick Murphy, I agree with you, it is no accident or error of judgement in the moment of hast during the game; it is happening to frequently.

This season alone we have the follwing decisions made in error which impacted on the games and the end result to my reckoning we have lost 10 points to bad decisions:

Newcastle, QPR, Reading, Arsenal, Manchester City.
I stand to be corrected if this list is wrong...
Phil Sammon
10 Posted 02/12/2012 at 01:23:08
Patrick.

Refereeing decisions stopped you going to the game? Come on! It's been ridiculous recently but that surely isn't enough to make anyone throw the towel in.

There is an unwritten rule about conduct in the penalty area, particularly on set pieces. It either needs to be cracked down on or not. You can't just dish out the odd peno whenever you want.

Si Cooper
11 Posted 02/12/2012 at 01:43:35
Well, it was a penalty in that Fellaini had an obvious hold on Dzeko, in an attempt to stop him getting clean away, in the vicinity of where the ball was delivered (I am assuming the fourth official's comment was wrong as Fellaini admitted the ref had singled him out as the culprit when the decision was made).

That said, it was no worse a challenge than the majority of the 3 or 4 wrestling matches that accompany every corner taken, and I am sure the favoured sides will continue to get away with worse on a regular basis for the foreseeable future.

Patrick Murphy
12 Posted 02/12/2012 at 01:57:19
Phil it is not just the recent incidents that stopped me buying / renewing my ST it is the constant drip drip effect of decisions in many games that Everton have played in the last 15 - 20 years.

I was a ST holder from the mid 1970s until a couple of seasons ago and yes it is the officials that broke the camel's back. I endured all the heartaches of the 1970s and the mis-management of Everton in the 90s. Obviously there were many highlights during the 80s but even that decade was tainted with regular bouts of incorrect calls by officials usually when it mattered most.

Even the dire days of Walter and parts of DM's tenure never stopped me going the match.

Until or unless something is done about the ineptness of the officials, I believe many more people will turn their back on the game.

I'm still an Evertonian but one who is not prepared to feed the beast which is Premier League football.

Eric Myles
13 Posted 02/12/2012 at 01:54:30
Frank #254, you forgot Wigan where we should have had a couple of penalties at least, and the RS when they should have only had 9 men on the pitch.

Steve #215, for things to 'even out' we are due 10 penalties that we don't deserve, now given that we've had 10 nailed on penalties denied what's our chances of getting ANY we don't deserve?

Ajay Gopal
14 Posted 02/12/2012 at 03:42:41
I agree with Patrick Murphy (#246) above. It cannot be mere coincidence that most of the big decisions go in favour of the media darling clubs with their vast "markets" in Asia, Scandinavia, Africa, etc. It is almost impossible for the 'unfashionable' clubs like Wigan, West Brom, Stoke, Sunderland and yes, Everton too, to get important decisions in their favour.

In that sense, we are effectively playing 11 vs 12 when we play one of the media clubs. It really is gut wrenching to see the support that Liverpool gets in the media even when they have long fallen out of the elite group of clubs. Quite sickening, really.
Peter Barry
15 Posted 02/12/2012 at 10:06:51
I know it happens sometimes but it seems that this season particularly the standard of refereeing in the Premier League is getting beyond a joke. Yes, Everton have been on the end of some very partisan refereeing decisions, costing us between 8 and 11 points in my estimation, but many other teams too have been harshly dealt with by match officials' incompetence or bias.

It's getting to the point that managers such as Davey Moyes can issue virtually the same pres release 'I am very disappointed with the referee" after almost every game. That's not good for Everton but, more to the point, it's not good for the reputation of Premier League football.
Wayne Smyth
16 Posted 02/12/2012 at 10:11:48
I really don't understand the point in bitching about things in some half-hearted fashion.

How many years has this been going on? What is "having a word with the fourth official" ever done? What does saying that "we'll see if it evens out over the season" get you?

If you're going to complain, then cause a big fucking stink that all the media outlets will pick up on. Take your FA fine, but make it so uncomfortable for the refs that every time they're thinking about giving a dodgy decision against us, they'll think again.

Otherwise, best to shut the fuck up and start working with the players on Monday morning on simulation techniques and referee intimidation so that at least we have half a bloody chance of competing on a level playing field.

The ref aside, I thought we looked good against a team of better players. I think we shaded possession and had the better chances for most of the game.

Phil Sammon
17 Posted 02/12/2012 at 10:32:21
A side note really, but while we're having a go at the ref - How on earth did Yaya Toure come out of that game without a yellow card?! I know it's petty, but these things add up. Fellaini will miss 3 games a season for niggly fouls. Toure can hack away for 90 minutes and not so much as a word.
Steve Cotton
18 Posted 02/12/2012 at 11:04:47
Phil Sammon, spot on, we were all watching the game and saw at least 3 occasions when Yaya or whatever his name is could easily have been carded, whereas Fellaini was carded for something of nothing....

We also noticed that our lads didn't surround the ref like some of the bigger teams would; perhaps we are too soft and the refs feel they can get away with decisions against 'soft' teams?

Perhaps what this teaches us is that we don't make enough of being fouled, we are generally to a man too honest and most of the top teams have players who can't wait to hit the grass with one arm in the air screaming for a stretcher...
Matt Traynor
19 Posted 02/12/2012 at 11:14:53
Actually it was a penalty, but as others have pointed out, if that is going to be given then every corner won should be as good as a penalty.

There was also several other fouls going on, including fouls against our players (Tevez on Jagielka for one).

Put this in the context of the recent penalty City got at home against Villa (handball when the defender clearly pulled his arm away and headed it) and there's some merit to the favouring the bigger (in terms of media value) teams.

And it doesn't even itself out. It's been proven time after time, season after season. Only idiot pundits care to trot that nugget out.

Mike Powell
20 Posted 02/12/2012 at 14:34:52
I have said many a time now that the FA do not want us in the top four. What other reason is there for so many dreadful decisions that go against us?

How many fouls did Man City get away with never mind the penalty they got? I am sick of these refs giving us nothing.

No it doesn't even its self out so don't go there. If we manage to get in the top four they will most probably bring old frog eyes back to ref our qualifier.
Tony J Williams
21 Posted 02/12/2012 at 14:57:15
Jags was fouled just before the Fellaini/Osman incident but that was ignored by the ref. Neville on Match of the Day said the old "even things out" line but then said that we should expect ten pens soon. It's clear to see that we are getting shafted by refs so take the fine and kick up a massive stink in the after match interview.
Brian Denton
22 Posted 02/12/2012 at 15:17:39
To be honest, Tony, I'd rather kick up a massive drink anyway..................
James Stewart
23 Posted 02/12/2012 at 22:10:19
They should give them every week and all the holding at corners would soon stop! They don't have the balls though. This was just another instance of a referee bending over for a Manc club.
Richard Pike
24 Posted 02/12/2012 at 23:26:27
On top of dodgy penalty decisions, look at the number of early goals we've conceded recently that owed something to luck.

Wigan: offside.
QPR: deflected.
RS: deflected.
Fulham: free-kick off a post onto Howard.
Arsenal: deflected.

Hopefully these will start to even themselves out as well and we won't keep finding ourselves having to chase the game. But anyway it's worth bearing in mind that despite all this, we've still only lost two league games. Only the reigning champions have lost fewer.

Bob Parrington
25 Posted 03/12/2012 at 09:09:49
Richard (#380): Add Norwich – no foul but free kick in just the right position for the cross to the far post (our RH post), which we can't defend.
Andy Meighan
26 Posted 03/12/2012 at 09:51:10
One decision we've had in our favour all season when Cilla scored in the derby and even then Coates (or 'Ker-what-ess', as the media like to call him) was climbing all over Jagielka. Moyes is right to complain.

But he'd be wasting his time going to Riley, that pot herb doesn't know his arse from his elbow. We've had one pen all season and that in a game where we should have had at least three. It's laughable.
James Stewart
27 Posted 03/12/2012 at 13:38:10
Some action would definitely have merit. Similar situation to when Moyes took video evidence of Andy Johnson. We have been denied some stonewall penalties this season and I don't think it will even out at all. We very rarely get them and thats not sour grapes its fact.
Lee Mandaracas
28 Posted 03/12/2012 at 17:33:12
Si Cooper (262) Sorry mate but you are wrong in saying that Fellaini admitted the ref had singled him out as being the cause. All quarters reported Leon Osman to have been the alleged perpetrator, in spite of him making no contact with anyone, bar falling over the prostrate Dzeko

Furthermore, when is someone, ANYONE, going to acknowledge that as much as Fellaini had a grip of Dzeko's shirt (acceptable form in any other corner for pretty much all Premiership footballers - if not for us spectators) but Dzeko had a fistful of Fellaini's too and for longer than Fellaini held his. In fact, right up to the point where he chose to throw himself to the floor with no more than Fella's arm across his chest. Not a single pundit chose to draw any attention whatsoever to that observation.

As such, the focus is on mean old Marouane and not 'six of one and half a dozen of the other' as that would have created a more even-handed analysis, thus no doubt highlighting how we had been done yet again this season. It is no wonder our players are losing confidence when being officiated by an absolutely inept shower as we have already in less than half a season. Shocking and disgusting.


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