Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp will be in hot water with the Football Association after branding referee Steve Tanner’s performance as ‘scary’ following his side’s 2-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
Redknapp said the Somerset official was unfit to referee in the Premier League after he failed to spot a push on defender Michael Dawson by Roman Bednar as the Albion striker headed home the first goal.
Ironically, the only decision he did agree with was the dismissal of defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto for a reckless challenge on Albion’s Gianni Zuiverloon, which left his side to compete with ten men for nearly an hour.
“I couldn’t even put into words what I thought of his performance,” said a visibly seething Redknapp.
“I saw that he was refereeing the game and I knew what was coming. I expected that kind of performance. I have had him before many times and I know what he is like. He is not good enough for this standard.
“Darren Bent chased a ball down into the corner and gets clattered by their centre-half (Jonas Olsson) and he doesn’t see it. Bent runs through, he gets pulled down and he doesn’t see it and then Michael Dawson gets pushed in the back for the goal and he doesn’t see it.
“Dawson has headed every ball, so what does he think he has flown through the air for? Everyone has seen he has been pushed, except the referee.”
However, Albion boss Tony Mowbray had an opposite view of both major incidents. “I was very surprised he showed a red card,” he said.
“I didn’t recoil from the challenge, I didn’t jump out of my seat and think it was a red card, yet the referee was right on the spot and thought it was.
“Maybe it was because I have had flu all week and it has affected my vision, but I didn’t see any pushes. I saw a diagonal ball come into the box and I saw Bednar head it into the top corner and we were happy enough with that.”
