Paul Hecking bottom took aim at referee Peter Bankes’ performance after his Sheffield United side suffered late heartbreak at Tottenham Hotspur this afternoon.
The Blades led 1-0 in 12th injury time before Spurs scored two late goals to head back north without any notable performance.
Hecking bottom claimed the referees did not understand the game and were “killing the game straight away” using the new time-wasting rules introduced this season. This meant Spurs needed twelve minutes of injury time to build up the pressure.
Goals from Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski led to happy seasons around the home game and continued their good start to the season.Sign up to our Sheffield United newsletter
There is now one point from five matches for United, who took the lead through Gus Hamer’s 73rd minute opener, and Hecking bottom was then asked if he had any complaints about United’s yellow cards, which which led to Oli Mc Burnie receiving a second yellow card late on.to highlight him for next weekend’s match against Newcastle United.”Yes.
How much time do you have left? It’s not funny, the referees are destroying the match right now, they’re completely ruining it. I have no worries about the result.
From 0-0 I told our goalkeeper to hurry up. We split up [our central defenders] to play [goal kicks].
We play against Anel, we play against Bash and we play forward.“We go out a couple of times so that Spurs change.
We put the ball down, Spurs make a substitution, then Wes has to make another decision and is told to play.
So why play? Spurs have adapted to us, so we have to change again and play something different.
If he behaves outside the box he will be warned. I have no problem with Peter, but the refs just show how little they know about the game and that they are directing it.
How can this be possible? I wanted to show it to them during the break, but I know they can’t see it.
From the moment the ball stops [for a goal kick] we get the ball in ten seconds, but because we go out and play Oli, Spurs change, so Wes has to make a different decision.”He can’t make a decision until Spurs have moved.
The referees have no idea, they don’t know what I’m saying. The answer was: ‘Long kick then’. We’ve been working all week on how we want to play and the referees tell us they dictate how we play.
It can’t happen, but it happens.”Asked what he wants to change, Hecking bottom added: “Understand the game.
They are obsessed with wasting time with yellow cards for this, this and this. He came four times and complained about the multiball.
The idea is to get rid of it if you’re not happy with it.“He kept coming and then guess what happens? This further slows down the game. They have no idea what they are doing.
They don’t have that. They spoil the game. A central defender jumps on Wes, turns his back, leads with his elbow, Wes gets stitches and it’s considered a yellow card.
“Oli Mc Burnie approaches him and says: ‘He’s pulling my shirt’ – without swearing – and gets booked. It is considered the same crime. Now one player is missing.
They just don’t know what they’re doing and that has nothing to do with the results.
Both sets of players are frustrated, both sets of fans are frustrated.
Why? Because whoever directs the game has no idea about football. They don’t know football.”
