Newel Blasts Officials

By: Rob Sedgwick
Date: 25/02/2009

TOWN boss Mike Newell blasted the referee of last night's game against Morecambe and launched a scathing attack on the game's rule makers, calling them "idiots". Newell's comments came following the sending off of Town striker Chris Llewellyn in the first half, when the Mariners were leading 1-0.

Town went 2-0 after half time but eventually the extra man told and Grimsby lost 3-2 to plunge them into serious relegation trouble,

Newell said in his post-match comments: "The game is not going in the right direction at all. They are going to do away with tackling.

"Pros know when somebody could break someone's leg or injure somebody seriously. Referees don't and the people making the rules and enforcing the rules haven't got a clue. Not a clue.

"At the start of the season we are never even consulted. People in football are not consulted. There is a new directive every single season. For the last 18 months it has been 'going over the top' or it has been 'jumping in'.

The Town boss felt that Chris Llewellyn won the ball and that the tackle would not have warranted a free kick several years ago.

"He (Llewellyn) won the ball and there was no chance the lad was ever going to get injured.

"And that's twice that referee (Chris Sarginson) has done us in the last three weeks now (after ending off Rob Atkinson at Bradford last month) - but what can you do?

"You can't do anything. It falls on deaf ears, particularly when you are in the situation that we are in, at the bottom of the league.

"They just patronise you, that's what they do, these idiots. That's what they are, they're idiots. It's frustrating. Idiots."

Grim Rob Says: The rule changes are annoying, but you have to abide by them, frustrating as it is. They are the same for everybody. The fact that the player got sent off was not the only reason why Grimsby surrendered a 2 goal lead with half an hour to go. We just have to concentrate on not losing at Rochdale.

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