Webb is in: Should we be worried?

By: Jack | May 3rd, 2011

Howard Webb will take charge of Sunday’s potential title decider at Old Trafford. Now, before you sink your pain into some unlucky bloke’s face, do we as Chelsea supporters even have reason to be upset?

webb2
Cordial debate

Webb is known for a pro-United bias. Ryan Babel, hell, he absolutely loves the guy.

But how much of that is fact and how much is perception?

The Telegraph went into some detail today to dispel the idea that Webb cuffs Ferguson’s scrotum on the weekends. Webb has officiated 20 matches that have involved either Chelsea or Manchester United – eight involving Chelsea, 13 featuring United.

United hold a win percentage of 77 percent when Webb takes charge of their games. We have won just 38 percent of the time under his officiating. Sounds fishy.

However, the Telegraph cites the averages as a much more accurate gauge seeing as Webb has refereed more United than Chelsea games. Using this approach, the numbers are fairly even. Yellow cards conceded (Chelsea 2.6, United 2.1) v. yellows awarded (Chelsea 1.6, United 1.4); Penalties conceded (Chelsea 0, United 0.1) v. penalties awarded (Chelsea 0.1, United 0.2).

Webb has officiated only one game between the two sides, a 3-0 win for United at Old Trafford on 11 January 2009. Well, that blows.

He certainly has made some boggling decisions in United’s favor, the FA Cup tie with Liverpool in January being this season’s glaring example. Furthermore, that penalty he handed United against Spurs in April 2009 was laughable.

But we also have been fortunate under his watch.

I remember Webb failing to give Spurs a penalty during our 3-0 win in September 2009. I remember Villa being denied one in last season’s FA Cup semifinal. I also recall EBJT being fortunate not to receive a red card for a woeful challenge on James Milner. Deco was lucky to remain on the field that day as well.

So, as one can see, it’s not as if Webb is running about in a United shirt – no matter how much Babel wishes for that to be the case. What the FA appears to have gone for in this decision is a man who has called it for both sides. Seems right at least on paper. Will it all even out Sunday? I fucking hope so.

Still, United can’t really lament a Chelsea supporter’s view of this appointment. The assignment of Martin Atkinson would have provoked a similar reaction from United supporters.

All we can really do is hope for a fair account on Sunday. Everything else will sort itself out.

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Category: Analysis, Chelsea Team News, Fixtures, Premier League

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Kenny Shackelford

i'm just prepared for 8 min of added time if United are trailing...
parker

United fan here. Webb favors United about as much as Atkinson favors Chelsea - make of that as you will. All I really want is a fair game Sunday. Too many matches this season have been ruined by refs who don't just do their job like they're supposed to. So, here's hoping for a good ref and hopefully the better team wins (it'll be us, but good luck anyway!)
Cyrusville

ManUtd 0 Chelsea 2
Mayor

Howard Webb is a fucking bastard and a Man U ref...FA is compromised.
arn00b

I don't mind any referee for this or almost any other game, except if we play Barca-Ovrebo.

I don't mind a mistake or two or ten even. He misses handball in the middle of the park, yellow-card for a 50-50, corner that wasn't, offside that wasn't, that's all okay. But not intentional handballs (Vidic), bullshit diving-handball-goals (Nani vs Spurs), violence (Evans vs Drogba), non-goals (Lamps vs Spurs) etc.

There's a difference between incompetence and corruption, refs do a very difficult job without the aid of technology and that should never be understated. You simply can't see everything. You could even miss everything. That's one thing. It's another to go on the pitch with the clear intention or instructions to eliminate a team, as we learned the hard way, the hardest way I might add.

Gooners, Inter and Madrid fans didn't believe me when I said that there's something extra fishy about that game at the bridge. Well, learn it the hard way then.

We could argue about Webb's competence, but there's no doubt that he's not one of SAF's goons, and that's all that matters.
Jawad- CHelsea

CHELSEA will win whatever the conditions or referree is...
trasnitii

We must to attack !!!
Devin Anand

I'm thinking it's somewhat irrelevant who officiates. The calls will fall how they may, but we shouldn't be reliant on a penalty decision or an offsides flag to win this thing. We have to go out and ATTACK from the jump, and take it to United. If we're aggressive and incisive attacking the net, then a decision on his part should not have as major of an impact as otherwise.
Sharinganfx

absolutely. if we are the best team then we should play in such a way that decisions should have no bearing on our game.
ph0bolus

Hopefully all this bad press will make him think twice about giving a decision in Man Uniteds favor.