To be fair, I don't think it does any favours to just take the decisions and not say anything, as the club obviously had a policy of at the start of the season. I don't want to see him whinge every week but he needs to shout when they are plain wrong.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=534131&in_page_id=1779&ct=5[
size=14pt]Keane lets rip: We don't seem to get decisions with any referees[/size]Last updated at 21:58pm on 14th March 2008
Sunderland manager Roy Keane was in his usual fine form at his club's training ground this morning, venting his spleen on his chosen topic of the week in his pre-match press conference.
This week, it was Barclays Premier League referees on the receiving end of Keane's verbal attack, following previous rants on WAGs, the FAI, high-earning modern day stars and, just occasionally, his own players.
Keane is convinced that his team have been denied six points in their fight for survival and there is no doubt poor decisions from officials have gone against his side - who have not always played that well. They face Chelsea tomorrow and have yet to win a point against any of the top five.
But Sunderland drew at Derby and Aston Villa, where they were denied winning goals. They conceded a controversial penalty at Blackburn, after missing one themselves and that followed a last minute winner for Reading which failed to go over the line. Senior referees Rob Styles, Mike Riley, Steve Bennett and Steve Tanner were in charge.
Here is the full transcript of Keane's interview
"We are not getting the rub of the green against any club, not just the big four. Blackburn, Villa, Derby, Reading. I cannot sit here and say the big four have a monopoly over referees. We don't seem to get decisions with any referees.
"This week even the youth team had a good goal ruled out in the last minute (of the FA Youth Cup semi-final).
"I may ring Keith Hackett myself. I'll get his number off Gareth. (Southgate Boro manager)
"What is going on I haven't got a clue. I have not got a clue if it is revenge. I am not that paranoid yet but it worries me.
"Don't fall for this nonsense that things will even themselves out. There is no way anything can even themselves out for us. If you are talking about Liverpool it was the same referee who gives the same decision against Danny Higginbotham.
"I would love to say the big four get all the decisions but we have it against any club. I do get consolation when I saw the penalty against Boro the other night,. I thought 'thank God it doesn't just happen to us.' It was the same referee (as Villa v Sunderland). Mr Bennett., Work that one out.
"They went against us at Manchester United as well. I am not sure if they find it difficult to referee against the bigger clubs, but I look at the decisions we have had and the decisions have been honestly amazing, even ones where you go where has that come from?
"I can get my head round ones where it was 50-50, a bit close, but we have had decisions go against us that aren't even close and I am left going where has that come from?
"Villa last minute, we score Bennett disallows it. It was clearly a goal and no one was even appealing. Reading when it was over the line, surely you give the benefit of the doubt, but the guy gave it who was 50 yards away, other side of the keeper. These are vital incidents. Chopra's goal against Derby, we were told the benefit goes to the striker. He was onside anyway it was not even close and they disallowed it.
"The theory of things even themselves out. Sparky said it but I have abandoned that theory now at this stage of the season. I cannot remember one decision where we have thought we are a bit lucky with that one, none.
"I was watching the kids the other night in the Youth Cup and they had one disallowed in the last minute; nothing wrong with it and they disallow it. Everyone is left scratching their heads. It was not even a decision where you could look at it and get your head round it. Everyone is scratching their heads.
"Managers are under unbelievable pressure and I am not one to go and see referees every week, far from it, but like Gareth said the other night after the penalty went against them., that was unbelievable and these are vital vital massive decisions which have cost us six points.
"We had four thousand fans on the motorway that day. I went to see them because we knew at half-time the goal was fine.
"I said 'listen the goal was onside' and the referee said 'well Smartie told me at half-time that I got the call right'. I said 'excuse me, who is Smartie?' and he said 'oh it's John Smart from Sky'. I said 'he is dictating your decisions?' and he said 'he told me I got it right'.
"Then the assistant who gave it offside, said ;a Derby official said I got it right at half-time and why would he lie to me?' and I said 'may be so that when you went out in the second half you wouldn't even things up.'
"Trust me lads, the fourth official had the cheek to say 'I will watch it tonight on television and if I feel I have got it wrong, I will be upset'. I said well you won't be as upset as our supporters. There is no way he would be upset.
"On top of that the assessor is standing there listening to this and he rings me on the Tuesday night and says 'yeah, actually it was a goal. It wasn't even a close call'. What do we do? Say 'great. Crack open the champagne?'
"If the referee is being influenced by Smarties and the assistant by Derby officials, what chance have you got? I haven't got a clue if they have it in for me or the club. Ask Smartie.'
"Here is talk about this goal line technology, but I don't know I suppose it could help but having said that it is a great game the way it is. We were just hoping the referees would improve. You can't keep blaming referees for football results all the time but all we are asking for is fairness and this football club is not getting it.
"We are not getting the benefit of any sort of decision, trust me I have enough evidence to show that. I am very tempted to register an official complaint. I was watching Italian football the other week and found Juventus had written to their federation saying a lot of decisions had gone against them but what would happen if I did that do you think? If the FA ask me to go down there I could sit down with Keith Hackett and show him the evidence there has not even been a doubt about the decisions. That is nothing to do with bad luck that is about officials getting the decisions right.
"What would an official complaint be seen as? Sour grapes? What would change? If these referees are getting marked by the assessors, surely these are wrong decisions.
"Mr Bennett is apparently next in line to Keith Hackett. What is going to happen to him? Are they going to mark him down? Make him referee Altrincham next week? He did Middlesbrough the other night and made the same mistake, so Gareth is following up our conversation we had a couple of months ago. Will it make a difference? No chance.
"These young referees are coming through and basically they need to get experience, participate in big games, just like players but if the Bennetts of this world and others are getting it wrong, while top referees are speaking to Smarties at half-time. . .
"Gareth had his whinge the other night and rightly so. I had mine a few months ago but what has changed? Bennett is still refereeing in the Premier League and is still giving decisions. It is unbelievable. It is costing clubs dear.
"I referee games in training all the time, I have sent off loads and it's not easy, it's a hard job.
"A lot of people ask why don't they come and get interviewed after a game and I don't think that would be too bad. Even if they said 'yeah I got it wrong' that would be fine. But they don't. 'It is a natural reaction for supporters to say 'yeah he did get it wrong' instead of people venting their fury all week. As a manager we get it wrong, of course we do, players get it wrong, officials get it wrong.
"I am not here to crucify them or try and hang them but you are on about our situation and my situation at Sunderland and we have had so many decisions go against us it is unnatural.
"Some referees might enjoy television interviews too much, it could go the other way.
"What's his name? Jeff Winter from this area. Jesus. Can you imagine? You would not get me off the telly would you? It could go so much the other way they could believe they are celebrities. One or two have agents already, I think Rennie has. They've got agents, the lot."
