They say in football that bad decisions – such as the ones Leeds United were lumbered with during Tuesday’s trip to Middlesbrough – tend to even themselves out across a campaign.
Of course, there is no guarantee of that. The universe does not work that way, after all. Karma is far from an exact science. Sometimes, what goes around does not necessarily come around.
So Daniel Farke would presumably take issue with the comments former England international Danny Murphy made after Leeds United saw two perfectly good goals disallowed in that 1-0 win on the Riverside.
Ao Tanaka and Patrick Bamford were both denied in either half. Just to add to Farke’s frustration, Darren Williams – the linesman who stuck up his flag just before the interval to leave Tanaka in disbelief – was also the man who wrongly ruled out efforts from both Joel Piroe and Willy Gnonto against Cardiff and Coventry City respectively.
No wonder Daniel Farke is praying he doesn’t see Williams patrolling the touchline in any of Leeds’ final five Championship fixtures against Preston North End, Stoke, Bristol City, Oxford and Plymouth Argyle.
Danny Murphy gives alternative view amid Leeds United controversy
Yet, ex-Liverpool, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Murphy feels that, if Leeds find themselves suffering a repeat of last year’s play-off heartbreak, the current Championship leaders will only have themselves to blame.
Those officiating blunders against Cardiff, Coventry and Middlesbrough will have no material impact on how the table ends up, after all. Leeds won all three of those games.
What’s more, they still retain a healthy goal difference advantage over both Burnley and Sheffield United.
“I understand the argument but it’s like everything, isn’t it?,” Murphy begins. “There is a chance that, even if they did have VAR in the Championship, we would be in here this morning having a debate around those managers complaining about the really poor use of VAR, being used too option, a bad decision…
“We are always going to get managers competing at the top end of the league moaning about when they feel hard done by.
“I feel the majority of people who watch Championship – who I listen to on radio or I speak to in person – love the fact that they go and watch football and don’t have VAR to contend with.
“Ultimately, if the financial aspect is too great for some of the clubs in the lower league, why would you put that burden on them? Surely it would go to a vote anyway.”
Leeds have had luck on their side a few times in the Championship
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg sided with Leeds in midweek. Two wrongly disallowed goals in the same game, he exclusively told Leeds United News, is simply unacceptable.
Never afraid to speak his mind or fire a daggers at a nearby official, meanwhile, Neil Warnock hit out at the ‘disgrace’ of Tanaka’s chalked-off finish just before the interval in the North East.
Yet, on the other side of the coin, Leeds were arguably fortune to receive a penalty during that 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on New Years’ Day. Then-Rovers boss John Eustace was later charged by the FA after hitting out at what he felt was a ‘really, really soft’ spot-kick.
Sky pundit Michael Brown also felt Middlesbrough would have been ‘bitterly disappointed’ not to be awarded a penalty of their own during December’s 3-1 defeat at Elland Road.
“The other thing as is, say if Leeds don’t go up and they look back to a certain time where they should have had a goal, they’ve had God knows how many opportunities to win enough games to go up,” adds Murphy.
“They will have had spells this season where something has gone their way, where something will have been disallowed if they had VAR.
“That’s the truth of it.”
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