Refs need Alex on their side - Jimmy Greaves                           M Atkinson

ANOTHER WEEK goes by and we have another slaughtering of match officials.

What makes somebody want to be a referee nowadays? Last weekend referee Martin Atkinson got the mullering of his life from Alex Ferguson and his assistant Carlos Quieroz. He had, in their view, not protected Cristiano Ronaldo and was clearly the wrong man to do the job. Queiroz went as far as to call him a robber, while Ferguson went on to lambast refs chief Keith Hackett for even appointing him.

In most cases these comments are made when the managers have seen replays of the incidents before moaning about them to the officials.
That�s something not afforded to the match officials. They have to try and keep up with players half their age and make a snap judgement.
Sometimes they are bound to get it wrong. In the case of the penalty appeal for Ronaldo against Portsmouth, Atkinson got it right � Ronaldo bounced into Sylvain Distin. But whether it is right or not, Atkinson didn�t deserve the character assasination he got. It�s not as if United have never been on the right end of a few decisions. When did they put together a team of angels who never foul?

Ferguson�s words hold more weight than anyone in the game. It is time he made a stand for refs, instead of lambasting them.
Then other managers and the players might just follow suit. I am fed up with players contesting every decision and appealing when they don�t have a leg to stand on. But as long as the managers take the wrong lead, the players will follow.

It is time these match officials were afforded a bit of respect.

JIMMY GREAVES was talking to NEIL CUSTIS
THE SUN