Newell rounds on women officials

[Batman]

Luton Town manager Mike Newell has launched a scathing attack on women officials following his team's home defeat against QPR.

Newell was furious that assistant referee Amy Rayner failed to award his side a penalty during the 3-2 loss.

He said: "She shouldn't be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist.

"This is Championship football. This is not park football, so what are women doing here? It is tokenism - for the politically-correct idiots."

Newell was incensed that Rayner and referee Andy D'Urso failed to award his side a spot-kick when QPR defender Marcus Bignot tangled with Carlos Edwards in the penalty box.

"We have a problem in this country with political correctness," added Newell. "And bringing women into the game is not the way to improve refereeing and officialdom.

"It is absolutely beyond belief. When do we reach a stage when all officials are women because then we are in trouble?

"It is bad enough with the incapable referees and linesmen we have but if you start bringing in women, you have big problems."
But Bignot, who used to manage a women's football team in Birmingham, was astounded by Newell's remarks.

He said: "Comments like those will stop female officials from trying to make their way in the game.

"Amy Rayner is a role model and full credit goes to her. What would he have said if it had been a male assistant referee making that decision?

"It's easy to blame officials and Mike Newell is entitled to his opinion but remarks like that do not help the game."

[jetsetwilly]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

I thought it was quite funny, but a ridiculous statement that should bring a hefty fine

[cowdrill]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

oh dear....

[Batman]

SH is totally correct there.

However, Urinal Rennie would just roundhouse him to the temple.

[warthog]

Newell's been busy. He's also slagging off his own chairman.

[cowdrill]

SH is totally correct there.

However, Urinal Rennie would just roundhouse him to the temple.

maybe so, but why bring racism into it?

guys got issues...

[thebish]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

I thought it was quite funny, but a ridiculous statement that should bring a hefty fine

Amy Reynolds is ethnic, isn't she? if not - what is she?

we're all ethnic aren't we??

[Montreal Wanderer]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

I thought it was quite funny, but a ridiculous statement that should bring a hefty fine

Amy Reynolds is ethnic, isn't she? if not - what is she?

we're all ethnic aren't we??

C'mon, Bish. Arguing with SH for a hundred different reasons is one thing, but deliberately misunderstanding him is another. He has a fair point here.

[officer_dibble]

Think it was a crazy statement to be honest. We all know women can see things men can't...like after we wash up and they spot some marks on the plates or summink.

Seriously though, she can't be as blind as the bastards we get in front of the East stand every other Saturday, can she? All as bad as each other I'm afraid, sex doesn't make any bit of difference (unless she fancies the oppositions number 9?)

[communistworkethic]

SH is right, newell seems to think it's acceptable to slag off the official because it's women he's offending. Say she's incompetent - fine, but don't blame it on her two X chromosomes.

[thebish]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

I thought it was quite funny, but a ridiculous statement that should bring a hefty fine

Amy Reynolds is ethnic, isn't she? if not - what is she?

we're all ethnic aren't we??

C'mon, Bish. Arguing with SH for a hundred different reasons is one thing, but deliberately misunderstanding him is another. He has a fair point here.

twas a bit mischievous I'll admit!! (But coming from you - who, I seem to remember having picked at grammar and spelling with glee in the past....)

But I don't agree he has a fair point, and if he has - I'm not entirely sure what that point is.

this is a straightforward story about a bloke and his reprehensible old fashioned sexist/misogynistic views - it doesn't need to be set in a racial context or compared with any racial equivalent to help us understand it or to help us get it into any sense of proportion.

I can see no benefit in "imagining" any such racial equivalent situation - I am quite capable of seeing this for what it is without such comparisons...

[communistworkethic]

sh is just drawing a parallel. If he'd said "blacks" shouldn't be officiating there would be massive uproar, i think rightly so ( i doubt SH does in quite the same way), but the uproar about sexism should be just as big.

[CAPSLOCK]

i think it depends on whether said woman has big gazungas

[Gertie]

In which case I hope she has a decent sports bra. It sounds like she needs all the support she can get.

[boltonboris]

Now, imagine he had said the same sort of things about ethnic refs, after a poor Uriah Renee performance.

He would be sent down.

I thought it was quite funny, but a ridiculous statement that should bring a hefty fine

Not sure about prison but his job would be gone and he would never have a part to play in football again.. ever. As far as this goes he will get a slapped hand by his club (Just to make it look as though they are bothered about it) and everyone will laugh it off. I would however be interested to hear his views about the assistants capability than her gender.

Still funny though...

[CAPSLOCK]

In which case I hope she has a decent sports bra. It sounds like she needs all the support she can get.

No, no, no

Sports bras are the devils work - theres nowt like a good womens 100 m hurdles

Commie says his is very uncomfortable, too

[Gertie]

In which case I hope she has a decent sports bra. It sounds like she needs all the support she can get.

No, no, no

Sports bras are the devils work - theres nowt like a good womens 100 m hurdles

Commie says his is very uncomfortable, too

Is this the male version of watching the mens 100m sprint??????

Commie indeed mentioned his, he also told me he was dying to get his girlfriend's pants off... they're far too tight...

[Montreal Wanderer]

sh is just drawing a parallel. If he'd said "blacks" shouldn't be officiating there would be massive uproar, i think rightly so ( i doubt SH does in quite the same way), but the uproar about sexism should be just as big.

That, Bish, was more or less what I meant. We cannot condemn racism and accept sexism. SH may be off the walls on many things, but he has a fair point there.

As for grammatical corrections - only in self-defence as a rule.

[CAPSLOCK]

Is this the male version of watching the mens 100m sprint??????

Pervert

You should be watching sport for the competition

[thebish]

fair enough... but sometimes we can condemn something in its own right without having to condemn all other bad things at the saem time..

but to move on.. as I listened to R5 phone-in this morning, I couldn't believe my ears - and so my comment needs revising anyway. Before this morning I didn't believe that fans in general were sexist in the same neanderthal way as they can be racist..

how wrong can you be??

apparently - according to many of the callers -

men have a genetic predisposition to football - so girls should keep out
referees are amongst the elite top athletes - no girl could keep up with the pace of the game
girls are more sensitive and can't handle the abuse
girls only want to copy men - that's why they want to be refs
young daughters shouldn't be exposed to swearing at football matches (though it's OK for young sons)
ladies should let us men look after them - we don't want them to be sworn at - we'll protect them by leaving them at home


(I haven't made any of this up!!)