Steve Bruce has joined David Moyes in having a good rant at the atrocious standard of referees and their assistants. Birmingham boss Bruce was absolutely incensed at a gaffe by a linesman which resulted in a goal for Manchester City, and it looks like he’ll be carpooling with Billy Davies and Lawrie Sanchez to the nearest opticians. Bruce claimed that the Man City winner came courtesy of a linesman’s foul up, failing to notice a ‘blatant foul’ on Fabrice Muamba. Linesman Trevor Massey appeared to be in cloud cuckooland as Muamba tangled with Michael Johnson right in front of him.
“The linesman’s there to do his job. He can’t make a mistake. The whole game hinged on it. He cost us big-style.”
“It was a blatant foul.I heard the contact from where I was. The linesman was only three yards away. We asked why he didn’t give it, he argued that there was a foul by Muamba in the first place, which you can accept if he thinks that, I’ve seen them given, but he let it go.You can’t then allow their lad to take Muamba down (to make up for it). He was caught. It wasn’t six-of-one and half-a-dozen of the other, there were two separate incidents.”
Bruce, by now worked up into an apoplectic rage, wiped the brine from his mouth and added:
“Cheating – is that the right word? You just want it to be fair. You wonder whether it’s the big club scenario with the big crowds, the pressure getting to people.”
So Manchester City are a officially a big club now? Steve Bruce said it first…