Did you read Roy Hodgson’s plaintive cries folowing his Palace’s defeat to Liverpool? I particular, his despair at the current interpretation of handball.
Whether he gets a touchline ban as a result remains to be seen. But in the time it’ll take The Premier League to decide, it might not matter any more, he may no longer be manager of Crystal Palace. Because this latest defeat means he’s now tipped as being in line for a P45. Along with Erik Ten Hag and Steve Cooper. (And maybe David Moyes and Pep Guardiola by the time yoiu read this!) Alex Neil has just received his at Stoke after less than two years.
Does it work, this constant shuffling of men at the top? Did we not do it ourselves just a few years ago? It’s all the more relevant after the weekend’s defeat to Aston Villa at the hands of the man dispensed with back in 2019. There have been some social media suggestions after that result that the decision made back then was wrong and that Unai Emery should have stayed or even be brought back! All rather absurd considering how well we’re doing and how long it took Emery to get back on track. And for Villa to get a result over us. But it’s worth noting that we have him to thank for introducing us to our current stand-out players. Both Saka and Martinelli were in his final team. (So were Mustafi and Sokratis, mind!)
And I don’t think any supporter who was at a supporters’ meeting held at the Emirates in the summer of 2018 will begrudge him some success. He made an appearance before us all – something no manager in post has ever done – not counting Arsene Wenger at club AGMs – and impressed with his passion and determination. So I think most of us wish him well, and for him to continue to finish behind Arsenal while continuing to beat the teams that rival our bid for success.
But back to the weekend. And Hodgson. His bemoaning of the handball rule has echoes to us and the ruled out ‘goal’ by Kai Havertz. Video evidence shows that the ball brushed the hands of both Havertz and Villa’s Cash. Both players had similar postures, neither player intentionally attempted to play or control the ball with their hands, yet . . .
For Havertz, the goal was ruled out because the rules say any touching of a ball by player’s hands when attempting to score is an offence, irrespective of arm position (in Havertz’s case, natural) and intent (uninentional).
For Cash, a penalty couldn’t be given against him because his arm position was (like Havertz) not unnatural.
Two separate rules for two identical sets of actions. Geddit? No, me neither. Nor Roy Hodgson.
Sort out the rules? Nah, sack the manager.
Richard Smith 11/12/23