The Rational Ref | From Manchester United to Joey Barton, it's all about luck, pain and complaints
Some players have it all their way, but others just spend their time pointing fingers
Some teams have all the luck, some teams have all the pain, some get all the breaks, while others do nothing but complain. The song lyrics - slightly amended - perfectly captures what happens every weekend on soccer pitches all over the world.
Take the EPL last weekend, where Sunderland's two goals against Everton were the result of lucky deflections. Burnley and QPR both suffered the pain of relegation. Chelsea got all the breaks against Liverpool after Cesc Fabregas escaped a red card in the first minute. And Crystal Palace did nothing but complain when a penalty was awarded to Manchester United.
A little luck plays a huge part in the fate of teams, leaving them with pain or ecstasy. Louis van Gaal summed it up with: "Football is crazy. When you see how we played against Chelsea, Everton and WBA [where United played well but lost all three] and compare it today, in that row of matches it was not our best match - but we won. That's also the beauty of football."
When you see how we played against Chelsea, Everton and WBA and compare it today, in that row of matches it was not our best match - but we won. That's also the beauty of football
Apart from unpredictable outcomes and lucky deflections, there are also deliberate diversions. Referees regularly encounter these when players attempt to hoodwink them by doing what all successful pickpockets do: misdirect. Whenever a referee makes a decision, you can be sure that another player will be right up next to him asking questions and arguing about some other incident. It's a psychological ploy that attempts to derail the referee's train of thought.
Often players foil referees this way so that their teammates are let off the hook from the proper sanction that they deserve.
Goalkeepers who foul an attacking player and therefore concede a penalty are always defended by teammates who hound referees. This occurs so many times that referees are often hoodwinked into forgetting the card.
However, Marriner incorrectly identified Chelsea's John Obi Mikel as the culprit and pulled out a red card. Realising it was the wrong card, Marriner then showed the yellow card to Mikel.
