Blackwell asked to explain comments

Last updated : 18 February 2010 By Bladesmadeditor

1373949

The Blades boss shared the away fans' frustration after Tuesday night's loss at Nottingham Forest, with the officiating from referee Nigel Miller, and one his linesmen especially, being at a poor standard. The officials made some astonishing and baffling decisions at the City Ground, for both teams it must be said, but especially for the visitors who perhaps should have had a spot-kick, conceded a goal from a corner which never was, and had one of their players dismissed for a debatable elbow.

After the game, a heated Kevin Blackwell said: "I can't say what I want to say, the game, in terms of that, is wrong. A manager should be able to come out and say what he wants to say, otherwise I don't see the point of the interviews.

"As managers we cannot speak our minds in press conferences because we get punished by the FA for berating the officials.

"There were a lot of decisions we didn't get but I have to be careful what I say. The whole crowed was mystified on five or six occasions following decisions...it shouldn't be me talking about the referee, it should be the media.

"The referee (Nigel Miller) has a responsibility to control the game and I think he lost it. It was a big game for both sides, two teams and a crowd full of passion and then there is someone in the middle who doesn't seem to understand it."

Despite carefully selecting his words in his post match interviews at Nottingham, Blackwell has been contacted by The FA, who demand the Blades manager to explain his comments in further detail about the inept officiating.

The image used on this article is copyright to Action Images