6. The Officials Should Never Be The Stars
Though it is something of a cliche to criticise the over-zealous whistle-blowing of European referees unfamiliar with the more robust English game, last night's officials were inconsistent at best and just plain inept at worst. In the first half, any time a Maritimo player hit the floor (followed by unwelcome histrionics), the referee blew his whistle, meaning perfectly fair aerial challenges went punished with a free-kick that would never have been given in the Premier League. And that could have been justified by the difference in refereeing culture, if it weren't for the fact that the referee and linesman conspired to miss the three biggest incidents of the game, and then book Gael Bigirimana for a perfectly reasonable tackle that should never been necessary. The referee missed Steven Taylor's first half elbow that would have usually brought a red card, as well as a fairly blatant back pass from Mike Williamson, which were of course good for the watching Newcastle fans, but then the linesman also managed to miss a hand-ball by a Maritimo defender that should have brought the Magpies a penalty. But the worst instance of all was that Bigirimana booking, which came after the referee awarded a drop-ball after a clash of heads involving James Perch, and which saw Maritimo ignore the gentlemen's rules of the situation and try and attack straight from the drop-ball. Bigirimana's subsequent challenge was tough, but it was fair and should never have been punished with a card, particular as the ref should have used his common sense in a situation that was messed up by Maritimo's eagerness to profit from a usually uncontested moment. That lack of sense lead to an entirely unnecessary heated moment on the pitch which spilled out onto the sideline between the coaching staffs, and though it came to nothing and blew itself out, the fact that it boiled down to the failure of a referee to take charge of a situation says a lot about his performance last night. So, Newcastle United fans - what do you think? Were there any other positives from the Maritimo game? Should Newcastle be going for this competition no matter what the effect progress might have on Premier League form? Share your thoughts below.