Tony Cottee believes the Irons were hard done by at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Commenting on the Kevin Nolan offside ‘goal’ against Manchester United he declared in his London 24.com column: “There used to be an unwritten rule that it is only when there is daylight between the striker and the defender that the flag would go up.
“When you look at the replay you can see Nolan’s head and chest are past the defender, but the rest of his body is in line.
“What happened to the benefit of the doubt for a striker? I know I am biased as a West Ham fan and a forward, but this needs clarifying and it seems clear that the away team does not get the rub of the green, especially when they play at the big teams.”
As to the Rooney sending off, he declared: “I think it had to be a red card. I could sort of see what he was doing.
“It was a professional foul to stop a dangerous move, but if he had just clipped him and put his hands up then he would have got a yellow and moved on, so I have no idea what he is doing kicking Stewart Downing.”
TC doesn’t appear to know what he is talking about. As West Ham fans we are all disappointed that the goal did not stand but FIFA’s handbook “Interpretation of the Laws of the Game and Guidelines for Referees” states:
“In the context of Law 11 – Offside, the following definitions apply:
• “nearer to his opponents’ goal line” means that any part of a player’s head, body or feet is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the
second-last opponent. The arms are not included in this definition”.
What further clarification doesTC think should be given? His own comments regarding Nolan’s head and chest only serve to confirm that the referee made the correct decision. Also, football is a codified game, the rules are written, so there are no “unwritten rules”. He should know better.
If in doubt give the benefit of the doubt to the striker,how far does this rule go.It will end up being offside if the tip of your nose is not in line.Sorry we were robbed,the ref gave goal,the linesman called it off.Old Trafford you dont benefit of the doubt as the away side.There must have been some doubt in his mind because off his reaction. C.O.Y.I.