Rate The Ref v Newcastle Utd (h) - Rob Styles

This weeks man in black is well known due to his unpredictable style. Usually quick to flash the red and yellow he’s learnt temperance and patience which has resulted in a more mature approach to the game.

Up until the dying minutes of today’s game I had little to comment on.

Today’s game saw the ref allow a more flowing football but that wasn’t always appropriate, especially when DJ lunged late with no intention to play the ball. Surprisingly the yellow remained out of public view. Advantage was allowed but not always called back and sometimes too much time was given for free kicks, particularly in the Toon 18 yard box.

Those who were booked, Woodgate, Savage, Bellamy and Viana, can have no complaints.

There were, to me, two moments of controversy. The first was late in the second half when Savage committed a foul, the ref blew up but both teams continued to play. The second was after the final whistle when the ref appeared to be attacked by Newcastle’s assistant manager. Once the fracas has died down, Mr Savage made a point of shaking the ref’s hand. What inspired this outburst on the official? Blues were awarded a free kick, Viana kicked the ball away to receive a booking for his troubles, Robbie asked to move the ball forward 10 yards and the ref agreed. Blues got the equaliser.

It wasn’t the hardest game to officiate but it’ll be interesting to see if the assault on Mr Styles is reported.

Overall, a decent performance. 7/10