Mariners to blow whistle on ref
By Ray Gatt
January 30, 2008
CENTRAL Coast officials will make a point of the club's poor record under referee Matthew Breeze when they ask for a "please explain" in the wake of the controversial loss to Newcastle Jets in the first leg of the major semi-final last Sunday.
While the club continued to maintain a cautious stance, it is understood the Mariners will soon send a letter to Football Federation Australia seeking clarification on a number of issues arising from their 2-0 defeat at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
The players and coaching staff remain upset that John Aloisi had what looked to be a legitimate goal disallowed in the first half after assistant referee Jason Power ruled him offside.
The goal would have levelled the match at 1-1.
That decision is unlikely to be the main complaint as the Mariners try to keep their championship hopes alive, but the club is understood to be ready to go in hard in noting startling statistics that show the Mariners have not won a game under Breeze in their past eight matches, five of them this season.
Central Coast has managed just two wins and three draws with seven defeats in the 12 Mariners matches that Breeze has officiated since the A-League kicked off three seasons ago.
Not surprisingly, Central Coast officials, wary of upsetting FFA and earning a charge for bringing the game into disrepute, refuse to be drawn publicly on the matter.
Coach Lawrie McKinna would not comment specifically about Breeze's performance last Sunday, or the match official's record involving the Central Coast.
"We have ways of dealing with these situations," McKinna said.
"And that will be going through the proper channels by forwarding a letter to the FFA.
"We want to discuss a number of issues regarding the refereeing and I'll just leave it at that."
Asked if Breeze's record in Mariners' matches would be brought up, McKinna bluntly replied: "No comment."
Asked if he could put a finger on why his team has such a poor record under him he again replied: "No comment."
McKinna did admit he wanted matters from Sunday's loss cleared up as quickly as possible "so everyone can move on".
Assistant referee Power could also be put under scrutiny for his performance.
Questions are being asked as to why he was appointed to one of the biggest matches of the season with just six regular-season matches under his belt, while more experienced officials were ignored.
Power, who was on the line for the Australia-Paraguay match at Suncorp Stadium in October, 2006, has officiated in 19 A-League matches over three seasons and is a FIFA-sanctioned assistant referee.
Interestingly, Central Coast's record under Australia's No.1-rated referee, Mark Shield, is not much better than under Breeze, with the club recording just four wins in 16 matches.
By contrast, the Mariners have enjoyed their best results under referee Peter Green, winning five games, including all four this season, and drawing once in the past two seasons.
Shield, who is expected to be handed the grand final next month for the third season in succession, is clearly rated Australia's best man in the middle, with Breeze rated No.2.
They are again expected to officiate the return legs of the Sydney-Queensland minor semi-final and Mariners-Jets major semi on Friday and Sunday week.
If the FFA sticks by its usual practice of handing the preliminary final to the No.2 referee, Central Coast are likely to again be confronted by Breeze on February 17.
The minor premiers need to win by three goals to overturn the first leg 2-0 loss to the Jets in the return leg at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday week in order to advance straight to the grand final.
By Ray Gatt
January 30, 2008
CENTRAL Coast officials will make a point of the club's poor record under referee Matthew Breeze when they ask for a "please explain" in the wake of the controversial loss to Newcastle Jets in the first leg of the major semi-final last Sunday.
While the club continued to maintain a cautious stance, it is understood the Mariners will soon send a letter to Football Federation Australia seeking clarification on a number of issues arising from their 2-0 defeat at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
The players and coaching staff remain upset that John Aloisi had what looked to be a legitimate goal disallowed in the first half after assistant referee Jason Power ruled him offside.
The goal would have levelled the match at 1-1.
That decision is unlikely to be the main complaint as the Mariners try to keep their championship hopes alive, but the club is understood to be ready to go in hard in noting startling statistics that show the Mariners have not won a game under Breeze in their past eight matches, five of them this season.
Central Coast has managed just two wins and three draws with seven defeats in the 12 Mariners matches that Breeze has officiated since the A-League kicked off three seasons ago.
Not surprisingly, Central Coast officials, wary of upsetting FFA and earning a charge for bringing the game into disrepute, refuse to be drawn publicly on the matter.
Coach Lawrie McKinna would not comment specifically about Breeze's performance last Sunday, or the match official's record involving the Central Coast.
"We have ways of dealing with these situations," McKinna said.
"And that will be going through the proper channels by forwarding a letter to the FFA.
"We want to discuss a number of issues regarding the refereeing and I'll just leave it at that."
Asked if Breeze's record in Mariners' matches would be brought up, McKinna bluntly replied: "No comment."
Asked if he could put a finger on why his team has such a poor record under him he again replied: "No comment."
McKinna did admit he wanted matters from Sunday's loss cleared up as quickly as possible "so everyone can move on".
Assistant referee Power could also be put under scrutiny for his performance.
Questions are being asked as to why he was appointed to one of the biggest matches of the season with just six regular-season matches under his belt, while more experienced officials were ignored.
Power, who was on the line for the Australia-Paraguay match at Suncorp Stadium in October, 2006, has officiated in 19 A-League matches over three seasons and is a FIFA-sanctioned assistant referee.
Interestingly, Central Coast's record under Australia's No.1-rated referee, Mark Shield, is not much better than under Breeze, with the club recording just four wins in 16 matches.
By contrast, the Mariners have enjoyed their best results under referee Peter Green, winning five games, including all four this season, and drawing once in the past two seasons.
Shield, who is expected to be handed the grand final next month for the third season in succession, is clearly rated Australia's best man in the middle, with Breeze rated No.2.
They are again expected to officiate the return legs of the Sydney-Queensland minor semi-final and Mariners-Jets major semi on Friday and Sunday week.
If the FFA sticks by its usual practice of handing the preliminary final to the No.2 referee, Central Coast are likely to again be confronted by Breeze on February 17.
The minor premiers need to win by three goals to overturn the first leg 2-0 loss to the Jets in the return leg at Bluetongue Stadium on Sunday week in order to advance straight to the grand final.
