By admin Hatters manager Rob Edwards believes Premier League match referees’ integrity should never be brought into question, following Luton’s involvement in a peculiar accusation by Nottingham Forest last week.
On Sunday, the Reds were defeated 2-0 by relegation rivals Everton, who thought they should have received three penalties, all for situations involving Ashley Young. First, he tripped Giovanni Reyna with no intervention from referee Anthony Taylor, before the ex-Watford winger’s handball inside the area went unpunished. The worst decision saw Young get away with bringing down Callum Hudson-Odoi as he attempted to go through on Jordan Pickford, with Taylor indicating the Toffees player had the ball.
Each time the verdicts were reviewed by VAR, it was a certain Stuart Attwell who followed his colleague’s on-field call, ensuring no spot kicks were awarded. After the game, Forest disclosed that they had voiced concerns with the PGMOL regarding Attwell’s appointment prior to kick-off, arguing that the Nuneaton-born official was a Luton fan and should not have been in charge of making decisions at Stockley Park.
Hatters manager Rob Edwards – photo: Liam Smith
Hatters manager Rob Edwards – photo: Liam Smith
The club, which employs former top-flight referee Mark Clattenburg as a referee performance and match analyst, even went so far as to issue a statement on their official Twitter page, stating that they will ‘examine’ their options moving ahead. When asked for his thoughts at this afternoon’s pre-match press conference, Edwards stated, “I don’t think anyone could doubt the integrity of our officials first and foremost.
“I don’t know who supports who, and we’ve been sucked into it, so I see why you’re talking about it, but I can’t say any further, and I don’t want to become too involved. I understand why we’re in the mix, but I don’t want to call into question the officials’ integrity. They have a challenging job, and mistakes might occur, leaving people dissatisfied. I think we should stick to that rather than question anything else.
“I absolutely understand why people are unhappy and anxious; we, too, would be frustrated with certain things, but in the end, we must all strive to control what we can, which is our own performance, our own clubs, and what we put out there to the world. Everything that has been said, and everything I will say right now, is under intense examination, so we must always exercise caution.
“It made some headlines, but I believe there will be mistakes. It’s challenging since the game moves so quickly, there are constantly viewpoints, and everyone sees things differently. We want as much consistency as possible, of course, but we can never really question the honesty of our officials.”
With Forest one of three teams, along with Town and Burnley, fighting for survival in the Premier League, Edwards was asked whether he believes the Reds’ claims will fuel the fire in the relegation dogfight over the final four encounters. “Stakes are already high. We all know what that implies, and it’s really crucial to everyone involved right now.
“There are a number of clubs still battling to avoid it and stay in the league next season; it’s critical, and we live in a society when there is 24-hour news and everyone wants to stoke the fire. We are participating in both a title chase and a relegation struggle. We’re in the thick of it, and it’s extremely thrilling that we’re still in the battle with a chance of getting out. But the only thing I’m concerned about right now is our performance tomorrow, not rivalries or anything else.
Luton have had their own VAR troubles this season, including not being awarded a handball against West Ham earlier in the season and conceding a harsh penalty for handball by Reece Burke in a 3-1 loss to Sheffield United. In the same game, Vinícius Souza was awarded a controversial spot-kick for handling, while Carlton Morris’ header was allowed to stand at Burnley due to Clarets keeper James Trafford’s belief that Elijah Adebayo stopped him.
All of this led to the boss saying, “I believe things have gone for and against us at times, and you must accept them, as we always have.” The issue about VAR today is that you may sometimes re-reference specific decisions, and more is considered. People examine mistakes more closely. I believe people would have accepted them before technology came along, therefore there will be more commotion over mistakes, as there has been this year, and I have not seen anything like that.
“But from my perspective, I always want to attempt to care after the club. I want to attempt to be honest, and I understand that this is a difficult job. I wouldn’t be able to ref, and I wouldn’t want to ref. It’s difficult. Yes, we want high standards; we want to keep developing and strive to support the players; nonetheless, it is a difficult task.”