Actually, maybe Alexander Isak should have been sent off!

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·27. Januar 2025

Actually, maybe Alexander Isak should have been sent off!

I usually tune out the commentary teams when I watch live matches.

The only combination I actually enjoy listening to are Coisty and Fletch (Ally McCoist and Darren Fletcher, for the uninitiated).

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Ally McCoist may have sullied his reputation by playing for the Mackems but I have always considered him a genuine pundit, who tells it as he sees it, who would be great company on a night out (if you could keep up).

Darren Fletcher isn’t one of those smarmy types who spends all week dreaming up pithy comments that he tries to pass off as spontaneities (are you listening Peter Drury et al?). He seems to be a student of the game and often makes what I consider to be very perceptive comments about the match he’s watching.

On Saturday, however, I became totally incensed by the completely one-eyed drivel that was spouted by the two clowns commentating on the feed I watched, courtesy of US sports channel, Peacock.

Efan Ekoku (Effin’ Ekoku, as he quickly became dubbed at Chateau Lass) and Jonathan Beck seemed so far removed from reality, that they would feel absolutely at home as regulars at a certain Sunderland online site…

I couldn’t believe my ears.

There was Ice Cold Alex bearing down on goal when Joe Aribo wrapped his leg around him to send him crashing to the turf. Hardly a Tangfastic tackle by Mr Haribo – a stonewall penalty for me. I couldn’t believe that the ref, Sam Barrott, only signalled a corner.

There then followed an unbelievable discussion between Dumb and Dumber as to how it couldn’t be a penalty. Ekoku pronounced “It’s a clash of legs. The player planted his foot.” Yes, Efan, it’s a clash of legs. A player running at full speed in a straight line in the penalty area had another player plant HIS foot directly in front of him and tripped him up. Foul and penalty.

On top of the clear trip, the interminable VAR replays showed that, without doubt, Aribo not only planted his foot in front of Isak, it was actually on top of the foot that HE was leading with AND he had completely missed the ball. Doubly a penalty.

Not to be outdone by his co-commentator, Efan’s mini-me, Jonathan Beck, not only agreed wholeheartedly but chipped in with, “Who initiated the contact?”

What a meltdown when Sam Barrott went to the screen and then quite rightly overruled his corner decision and signalled a penalty instead. Unable to process the clear evidence in front of his own eyes, Efan had to have the last word, “I think they’ve been gifted a penalty there Newcastle.”

The controversy didn’t end there, however. After the match, Saints boss Ivan Juric declared himself a disciple of Efan and actually took things to a rather ridiculous extreme.

Mr Juric obviously has problems. Not only does he wear glasses (possibly explaining his inability to see the evidence in front of his own eyes) and bear an uncanny resemblance to presenter Mark “Chappers” Chapman, but he is presiding over a club which looks destined not only for the drop back into the Championship, but to break Derby’s lowest Premier League points record in the process.

That hardly justifies his rather bizarre claim that not only was it not a penalty, but should have been given as a foul by Alex against the man who missed the ball, stamped on his foot and tripped him up.

“Watch it back now, it wasn’t a penalty,” the Southampton boss said following his side’s 3-1 defeat. “Joel Aribo is in front of Isak and, for me, this moment can never be a penalty. For me, it’s a foul for us because he’s in front of the ball.”

Words fail me (although I have managed to write 500 or so to this point). Yes, Ivan, try to deflect attention away from your plight and take some scrutiny away from some very poor defending during the game but don’t treat us all as complete idiots.

I’m almost surprised he didn’t suggest it should have been a yellow card for Alex for simulation. If he’d protested then he could have got another for dissent and the ensuing red. Actually, maybe Alexander Isak should have been sent off! Ivan, If you’re going to be silly go the whole hog, man.

Will he still be there when Saints inevitably drop? My feeling is that it won’t be long until we’re hearing that “the Juric is out.”

I awaited with interest the views of “former top referee” Dermot Gallagher, on this occasion I felt as though Dermot and I would be in accord for once. Which of course proved to be the case.

All I can say is, “Thank God for VAR.” It’s not a perfect system but it worked in this instance (and later with the Southampton ‘goal’ which was rightly ruled offside).