Why didn’t Sky Sports have Sir Alex Ferguson as well… or was he on VAR duty? | OneFootball

Why didn’t Sky Sports have Sir Alex Ferguson as well… or was he on VAR duty? | OneFootball

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·16 May 2024

Why didn’t Sky Sports have Sir Alex Ferguson as well… or was he on VAR duty?

Article image:Why didn’t Sky Sports have Sir Alex Ferguson as well… or was he on VAR duty?

So it ended Manchester United 3 Newcastle United 2.

Eddie Howe’s side with more possession, more shots, more clear chances, more strikes of the woodwork.


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However, not more goals, indeed one less.

A game that Newcastle United for sure, could and should have won.

Key moments making the difference as poor defending was punished, whilst at the other end the killer instinct going missing when we most needed it. United did score two of them but Man U took advantage of our weak moments and got one more.

For those of us without a ticket and watching from home, the direction of travel off the pitch was obvious from the start.

In the Sky Sports studio covering the match, a mixed and varied trio of Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney and Andy Cole, with presenter Dave Jones.

So that is three former Manchester United players and a Sunderland AFC Director.

Andy Cole may well have been a brilliant striker when he was at Newcastle United for 23 months BUT obviously he is Man U through and through. Spending six years there as a player and showing just what a pathetic character he is when disgracefully singing that anti-Kevin Keegan and anti-Newcastle United song on the pitch. The manager and club that had made him.

The only question was, why didn’t Sky Sports squeeze Sir Alex Ferguson into the studio as well, just to ensure complete impartiality, or maybe he was too busy overseeing VAR last night…

Speaking of which.

The most obvious penalty you can imagine, when a case of VAR reviewing it.

As Anthony Gordon has said himself, in a split second and from distance, difficult for the referee on the pitch to know for sure if any contact.

However, perfect for VAR, what it is there for.

Gordon running into the penalty area and ready to shoot, only for Amrabat to quite clearly rake his studs down the back of Anthony Gordon’s achilles and bringing him down, before then Casemiro gets across and clears the ball with Gordon stricken on the floor.

Gordon even having the evidence of a shredded sock to prove it!

A stonewall penalty as the forward is through and the defender brings him down from behind.

If the refusal by VAR to act was a disgrace, well, that has been matched by the shameless media.

I can absolutely guarantee that if this had been the other way round and Man U not given such a penalty, you wouldn’t be able to move for cheerleaders in the media saying this is the biggest disgrace in football history, the VAR should be banned for life, game replayed and so on. Well, you know what I mean, we would simply never have heard the last of it.

Erik ten Hag wouldn’t even need to say anything, as the media would be all over it. Though he would have plenty to say AND the media would make a LOT of it.

Instead, in the aftermath of this match, you get journalists, pundits, presenters and so on, saying along the lines of ‘Newcastle claim they are hard done by when not getting a penalty…’ and ‘Eddie Howe thinks VAR got it wrong…’

It is so downplayed as to be all but irrelevant.

Meanwhile, all I am seeing instead are countless journalists quoting the likes of Wayne Rooney, Andy Cole and Roy Keane saying how brilliant Man U were, the comments so biased and slanted against Newcastle United.

I have to admit, when I saw the Mackem presenter and the three Manchester United cheerleaders in the Sky Sports studio, I muted the sound until the match was on / back on.

Don’t worry, we will bounce back next time against Newcastle United.

Just to balance things out when Newcastle United are playing Manchester United at St James’ Park, I am sure that Sky Sports will do the honourable thing and have Amanda Staveley as presenter, with in the studio a trio of pundits being Alan Shearer, Kevin Keegan and Shay Given. Whilst Ant and Dec will be on VAR duties…

Stats via BBC Sport:

Manchester United 3 Newcastle United 2 – Wednesday 15 May 8pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Gordon 49, Hall 90+2

Mainoo 31, Amad 57, Hojlund 84

(Half-time stats in brackets)

Possession was Man U 45% Newcastle 55%

Total shots were Man U 17 Newcastle 21

Shots on target were Man U 8 Newcastle 8

Corners were Man U 9 Newcastle 9

Referee: Robert Jones

Newcastle United team:

Dubravka, Trippier (Schar 63), Krafth, Burn, Hall, Longstaff (Barnes 77), Bruno, Anderson (Joelinton 62), J Murphy (Almiron 62), Gordon, Isak

Unused subs:

Pope, Dummett, Ritchie, White, A Murphy

(Manchester United 3 Newcastle United 2 – Instant Newcastle fan / writer reaction – Read HERE)

(Manchester United 3 Newcastle United 2 – Shocking VAR decision denies NUFC – Read HERE)

Newcastle United matches now confirmed for rest of the season:

Sunday 19 May 2024 – Brentford v Newcastle (4pm)

Wednesday 22 May 2024 – Tottenham v Newcastle (at MCG – Melbourne Cricket Ground)

Friday 24 May 2024 – A-League All Stars team v Newcastle (at Marvel Stadium, Melbourne)

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