It was Feb 24 1998 when I first came across the referee Rob Styles and he certainly left an imprint in my mind.
Two red cards and 10 yellows were handed out in an English League Two game between Leyton Orient and Hartlepool. It was a typical lower league affair with bundles of courage but not enough class. It never warranted such heavy-handed disciplinary action from the official.
Mick Tait, the Hartlepool boss at the time, had been a midfielder at Portsmouth and had been brought up in an era when tackling was tough and cards were minimal.
He felt Styles - who booked eight and sent off two in his first league game six months earlier at Orient - was out of his depth with football at that level. According to Tait, he was just too card-happy.
Fast forward 10 years and little seems to have changed, except Styles is now taking charge of Premier League games and is part of a refereeing brigade that is constantly being ridiculed for errors that are shaping how the season unfolds for many clubs.
Mr Styles has upset Bolton this season for giving a penalty to Cristiano Ronaldo when Jlloyd Samuel had clearly won the ball. He upset them even more on Saturday when he ruled out a Gary Cahill header in their 2-0 defeat at home to Liverpool because of a foul by Bolton's Kevin Nolan on keeper Pepe Reina.
The Spaniard had actually pushed Nolan a couple of times so was it right? Had it been allowed, it would have been 1-1 and Liverpool could well have had a stiffer test in their bid to stay joint top of the table. Later that day, Andre Marriner made an even worse blunder when he showed a second yellow card to Wigan's Emmerson Boyce for a perfectly legal challenge on the Newcastle striker Shola Ameobi. A 2-2 draw ensued when Steve Bruce's side had been in control and heading for a victory.
With both sides hovering near the relegation zone, how much difference will those two extra points make come the end of the season?
Apologies may follow, or maybe not, but in this day and age - with technology and far greater public awareness than in 1998- it seems ridiculous to keep bleating on about awful refereeing decisions.
Yes they are human and mistakes do happen, but surely it is time to give referees extra help to avoid such errors.
The pleas to have a video referee like in rugby seem to be continually ignored, but would it have taken that long to replay such crucial moments? And what is the point of the fourth official when he can't help out?
Results can change on such decisions, so action has to be taken now.
There is no excuse.
@Email:akhan@thenational.ae
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
Jordan Onojaife
Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
Devante Onojaife
Followed older brother Jordan into England age-group rugby, as well as the pro game at Northampton Saints, but recently switched allegiance to Scotland.
If you go
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Seattle from Dh5,555 return, including taxes.
The car
Hertz offers compact car rental from about $300 (Dh1,100) per week, including taxes. Emirates Skywards members can earn points on their car hire through Hertz.
The national park
Entry to Mount Rainier National Park costs $30 for one vehicle and passengers for up to seven days. Accommodation can be booked through mtrainierguestservices.com. Prices vary according to season. Rooms at the Holiday Inn Yakima cost from $125 per night, excluding breakfast.
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia