Like everything else in football today, the moment when Liverpool’s Andy Robertson approached the linesman at Anfield last Sunday has been analysed in microscopic detail — but I wouldn’t say it’s all that complicated.
Perhaps it’s because he’s a wide player, in the immediate vicinity of an official, but Robbo’s got a hell of a lot to say for himself and it was very much the case in that match against Arsenal.
There had been an earlier conversation between him and the official, Constantine Hatzidakis, and you didn’t need to be a rocket scientist — or a lip reader — to work out what he was saying when he approached him again, as the teams left the pitch at half-time.
Let’s just say that Robbo was not enquiring after the health of that official’s family. It was language for adults only.
Robbo is among the most guilty when it comes to Premier League players letting the officials have it. And to compound things, he then placed an arm on Hatzidakis.
Andy Robertson is among the most guilty when it comes to players letting the officials have it
Robertson alleged he had been elbowed by the linesman at the end of the first half (above)
Robertson (left) approached the linesman at half time and put his arm on Hatzidakis (right)
I don’t care how light that contact might have been, you never touch an official in a moment of criticism or aggression. Not in my day. Not now. And that’s why I have sympathy with the linesman in this case. I don’t see him throwing out an elbow.
What I see is a reflex response which says: ‘Get away. Go away’. In the days which have followed, this official has been hung out to dry by his peers.
I wouldn’t like to be on the receiving end of a proper elbow from Hatzidakis, by the way. He’s clearly someone who spends a lot of time in the gym.
But I don’t think there’s been a common-sense response to this incident. That’s just where we are in the world, not just football. Everyone goes overboard with their reactions.
I also have to say that my heart sinks when I see the quality of some of our referees and I have no compunction in saying I am their biggest critic.
I would love us to get away from constantly talking about VAR, in the way that all commentators and pundits do, as if the technology were in some way the source of some shocking decisions, rather than human error.
Let’s get it right. Instead of being an aid, this technology is embarrassing the life out of referees and showing some up in a very poor light.
I don’t care how light Robertson’s (left) contact might have been, you never touch an official
Back in the day, referees were allowed to engage with you but if you look at their body language now, it’s like watching politicians. When they are speaking, it’s an open palm
Graeme Souness writes for Sportsmail
But that still doesn’t justify the physical contact. As a player, I might have put my arm around a referee to say, ‘Well done ref’ but never in the heat of a moment. At Liverpool, we were told you must never get a card for talking, only for making a borderline or mistimed challenge.
I always felt I had a good working relationship with the referees when I played. I got booked a few times. I was sent off once in my career in English football, for throwing a punch at Stan Ternent playing for Middlesbrough against Carlisle.
He was a midfield player who would stand his ground against anyone. I deserved to go. No complaints.
Back then, referees were allowed to engage with you but if you look at their body language now, it’s like watching politicians. When they are speaking, it’s an open palm. They are never pointing at a player and when they are booking one, they are always backing off. They are all clones of each other.
This seems to be the way they are coached. When you said to one of them when I was playing: ‘That was a s*** decision, ref,’ they would give you something back. ‘Yeah and you’re having a good game, too.’ You laughed. You respected them for that.
Though it is right and fair that the FA have decided to take no action against Hatzidakis, those events at Anfield will make the scrutiny more intense than ever
When I was playing referees would give something back if you took exception to their calls
Those on-field relationships don’t exist any more and I wonder if it was different in the past because the referees let us get on with it a bit more? To me, they are adopting the role of the interfering adult now, rather than allowing players just to get on with it. Why is it that in the lower leagues they let more things go? Is it because the higher up you go, there are more cameras and scrutiny?
We will be a long way from any kind of laissez faire attitude this weekend. Though it is right and fair that the FA have decided to take no action against Hatzidakis, those events at Anfield will make the scrutiny more intense than ever. Officials will be more aware of the all-seeing cameras. But the basic principle applies. You never — ever — lay a finger on officials if you are approaching them in anger.
Reds shouldn’t blow budget on Jude Bellingham but they DO need midfield upgrades
I have never felt that Liverpool would get Jude Bellingham to the club this summer.
The idea of them pushing the boat out that far for one player didn’t seem logical, given that they need more than one midfield player, in my opinion. And then you have to factor in that the club is up for sale, with the American owners either looking for an investor or a buy-out.
It will cost north of £100million to buy Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, which is a lot of money for the potential in a 19-year-old. Liverpool aren’t the only club in the market. Real Madrid have a 37-year-old Luka Modric and a 33-year-old Toni Kroos in their midfield. From the outside looking in, that’s who Liverpool will be competing with for Bellingham’s signature.
It was on August 13 that I highlighted, on these pages, why I thought the midfield was the part of the Liverpool team that needed strengthening and my view on that has not changed. But I still don’t expect Liverpool to suddenly change course and start spending the kind of money that Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea have spent in recent years. It’s to their immense credit that they have landed a Champions League and Premier League trophy having spent a fraction of what those clubs have laid out.
Since 2017, United have spent a net £681million in the transfer market, Chelsea have splashed out £723m and City £449m, while Liverpool’s net figure has been £276.83m. There is no better illustration of how Liverpool operate. United and Chelsea have spent around three times more than them and City twice as much.
I have never felt that Liverpool would get Jude Bellingham (above) to the club this summer
From 2018, Liverpool had a golden period of buying players who turned up and performed immediately. Banking £142m from Barcelona for Philippe Coutinho, buying Alisson and Virgil van Dijk and still getting a £40m chunk of change was possibly the best bit of business in the Premier League’s history.
Can they do the same again? Well, they still have a transfer committee which oversees the purchase of the players they look to bring in. And Jurgen Klopp will still have the final say. They must make some smart moves and will require some of that commodity which everyone needs in football: a large slice of luck.
It was a fantastic result for Manchester City on Tuesday night against a Bayern Munich side who early in the game looked a really good outfit. But then Bayern’s two central defenders Dayot Upamecano and Matthijs de Ligt imploded in spectacular fashion. As I watched the game, I was reminded of that age-old saying in football: ‘You are only as strong as your weakest link.’
It puzzles me to see managers banned from the touchline being involved in the press conferences afterwards. That’s football wanting it both ways. Forcing managers to watch from the stand will suit some — I liked to watch the start of games up there — and if you really wanted to ban them, you wouldn’t have them in the stadium at all. The bans, like many of the managers’ touchline antics, are window dressing.
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