The Premier League/PGMOB need to explain how the three most anti-Manchester United referees were the individuals selected to officiate the Big Match yesterday between Chelsea and Manchester United.
Martin Atkinson, the supposedly impartial match referee, has the most significant negative bias against United, while the original choice as 4th Official, Phil Dowd, has the second most anti-Man Utd tilt in his officiating.
Then, when the John Colquhoun Experience worked on getting Dowd to officiate at the heavily rigged Wigan Athletic versus Fulham match, the new 4th Official was none other than Man Utd Hater Mk III, Andre Marriner.
The statistical chances of Atkinson getting the match was 1 in 15 (as Halsey is injured).
The statistical chance of Atkinson being referee and Dowd 4th Official, and then Dowd being replaced by Marriner is around 3000/1.
A very long shot indeed.
As Wayne Rooney nearly correctly mouthed to the camera: "12 men", when, in Reality, he meant 13 men.
Or 14...
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The last three key fixtures for Chelsea in England have ALL had Mr Atkinson officiating - the FA Cup Semi Final victory over Arsenal last year (Webb had already been given the Final), and the home victories over both Liverpool and Manchester United this year.
Similarly, over 3000/1 against one man getting these three matches.
As the Premier League and the PGMOB claim, with repressed hilarity, that the selection of the match officials is on merit and that no one club has influence over the choice of officials, Scudamore/Hackett need to explain exactly how these statistical anomalies keep arising.
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And the whole atmosphere of 'something fishy going on' emanated from on high throughout the weekend.
There were refereeing changes across the league without neither announcement nor reason.
Firstly, without any warning and at the very last minute, Mark Clattenburg replaced Chris Foy for the Aston Villa versus Bolton fix. Then Clattenburg replaced Mason as 4th Official under Mike Dean for the Hull/Stoke market; then Dowd was moved from Chelsea 4th Official to referee at Wigan; and this allowed Marriner to arrive at the Bridge in a nautical stylee.
The PGMOB need to also explain Mr Clattenburg's appointments this season as it would appear that a bookmaker, ##############, are having undue influence on the selection of match officials.
Since Clattenburg was allowed to return to the criminality known as the PL following his ban for threats of physical menaces to a former business partner, he has officiated at the following matches:
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Just imagine the degree of control that one bookmaker might be able to have over Premier League outcomes if we made the obviously outrageous assumption that Mr Clattenburg exhibits criminal tendencies.
Just imagine!
Which brings us finally to the John Colquhoun Experience.
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Obviously this is just another statistical fluke of ScudamoreWorld.
Except, we could also name several other referees who also appear conducive to the market activities of one particular football agent.
Of course, we may simply step off the ride in the themepark of ScudamoreWorld.
Choose to do something with our limited lives.
Because the Real battle at the weekend wasn't between Chelsea and Manchester United on the football pitch, but between Abramovich and the bookmakers in the marketplace.
The gamble on Chelsea was obvious, mug heavy and significant in one of the biggest betting turnover events of the season. The bookmakers were left forlornly hoping that they could balance the books with the usual disinformative claptrap that their spokespeople put out.
So, Abramovitch has bought the league.
The bookies have taken a hit.
The mugs can pay off some debts.
And another nail is firmly hammered into the coffin marked 'English Football'.
Just pleased that I spent my time reading 'The Death of Ivan Ilyich' and '2666' instead of watching...
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