Sir Bobby’s ref rage

Last updated : 27 December 2002 By Martyn Elliott

Sir Bobby

"Shearer said to the referee 'before you take a card, go and have a word with (Bolton's Mike) Whitlow'.

"I have to hold up my hands to Whitlow. He told the referee he had fouled him, he had tripped Lua Lua.


"But he still gave him a yellow card for diving. Shearer, speaking plainly, got a yellow card as well.


"Can you explain that to me? Because I will be explaining it to the FA and the Premier League.


"I will now lose Shearer for the West Ham match after his fifth yellow card.


"Not only that we might have got a point if we had got the free kick we had deserved.


"Instead we got two yellow cards which I find is absolutely outrageous - but there is nothing we can do about it.


"I can't understand fans making obscene chants at Alan.

"He is a nice guy, a great professional and he has captained his country.


"It is a great record and his second goal you won't see a better one anywhere in the world.


"You can talk about your Peles, your Maradonas, all your great hitters but that is a stunning strike.


"It was a great match but a performance like that won't get us into
Europe.


"We have no problems at home defensively but away it is a different story and that is something we have to remedy."



Sam Allardyce

"To say I am delighted to get a win is an understatement. Of course at 4-1 with 15 minutes to go you think you are going to win comfortably at long last.


"Defensively we are a little bit suspect but the quality of goals we scored was magnificent.


"We've got three points from this game and one point from West Ham and hopefully we can continue our run at Everton. We want to try and claw our way out of the bottom three by January.


"I don't think you will see a better game in the country on the day as this one.


"I am glad to get on the end of a victory. A win at home is overdue after getting draws against
Chelsea and Blackburn.


"Michael's goals were two superb finishes. It is usually the case that once a striker gets the one he goes on to get a few in a short space of time.

"That's happened to him and I am really pleased. It was the calm, collective Michael Ricketts again. He looked confident in scoring.


"To be honest, I thought he may have lost some confidence as he was snatching at chances. But he hasn't shirked the responsibility when he's had a chance.


"Not too many in the game can finish with a header like that - probably only Alan Shearer.


"Then he showed coolness when he latched on to a backpass and slotted it into the bottom corner."