View From The Stands: Bitter taste left by Clattenburg

Oct 22 2007 by Mark McKenna, Liverpool Daily Post

OUR loveable friends across the Park fondly refer to us as ‘The Bitters’. Although I’d always distance myself from this title, the truth is it’s impossible to not feel bitter about proceedings in Saturday’s derby.

The unavoidable and inexcusable fact is that the Red Sox would not have won this game without the assistance of the referee. Had Mark Clattenburg just got one decision wrong then you have to accept that referees make mistakes and "it all evens itself out over the course of the season". However, in refusing two blatant pens for us, allowing Kuyt and Carragher to stay on the pitch and allowing Gerrard to change Hibbert’s yellow card to red, the bias shown by Clattenburg was there for all to see.

Of course, Rafa had the answer to the penalty decisions and saw what the rest of us could not see… that Lescott was actually diving to try deceive the ref. That assertion is now up there with Houllier’s "Robbie was pretending to eat the grass" comment. Rafa’s lack of class and grace has quickly promoted him to the least respected manager in the league.

Although despondent with the result and referee, I’m more than happy with our performance. Even when down to 10 men, we were still taking the game to Liverpool and creating chances. Yakubu was much more the player we need while Lescott was comfortably the best player on the pitch.

While Clattenburg has now etched himself into Everton folklore alongside Clive Thomas, Graham Poll and Pierluigi Collina, with the games rapidly coming up we need to regain our focus.

Adding Johnson, Cahill, Gravesen and Vaughan to the team will hopefully see us progress in the UEFA and Carling Cups while starting to move up the table… unless of course Mark Clattenburg is refereeing our games!