The league’s top referee Howard Webb is the man in the middle this Saturday as QPR head for Southampton.

Referee >>> Howard Webb (South Yorkshire), World Cup final referee in 2010, top of the LFW Referee League last season.

Assistants >>> Mike Mullarkey (Devon) and Matthew Wilkes (West Mids)

Fourth Official >>> James Adcock (Nottinghamshire)

History

West Ham 1 QPR 1, Saturday January 19, 2013, Premier League

Here it was all QPR could do to hold him at bay – often literally. Clint Hill and Wright-Phillips were fortunate to survive to penalty shout on the half hour when the former had both arms around Chamakh as he received the ball with his back to goal, then the latter arrived on the scene after the West Ham man had turned and appeared to trip him as he prepared to shoot. It fell into the ‘seen them given’ category rather than any kind of stone wall appeal and Rangers were grateful that referee Howard Webb ignored the home team’s prolonged pleas for a spot kick.

West Ham: Jaaskelainen 6, Demel 6, Reid 7, Tomkins 6, O’Brien 6, Noble 7, Diame 7, Nolan 8 (Vaz Te, 88 -), Jarvis 7, Cole 7, Chamakh 6 (Cole 62, 6)

Subs not used: Spiegel, Potts, Collison, Taylor, Diarra

Goals: J Cole 68 (assisted Jarvis/C Cole)

Bookings: Tomkins 72 (foul)

QPR: Cesar 9, Onuoha 6, Hill 7, Nelsen 7, Da Silva 7, Derry 6, Mbia 7, Mackie 5 (Bothroyd 67, 5), Wright-Phillips 5 (Traore 58, 6), Taarabt 7 (Park 82, -), Remy 6

Subs not used: Green, Ferdinand, Faurlin, Hoilett

Goals: Remy 14 (assisted Taarabt)

Referee – Howard Webb 8 It was something of a surprise to find Webb in charge of this one with Chelsea v Arsenal and Tottenham v Man Utd to come on the Sunday – and given the way Martin Atkinson and Chris Foy handled those fixtures I wonder if the authorities regret their decision. But this was a fixture that needed a strong referee and got one. I felt he should have produced a yellow card earlier and more often for the fairly obvious targeting of Taarabt, and West Ham will no doubt feel aggrieved by the first half penalty incident, but otherwise I felt he controlled the game well, was rarely more than ten yards away from a decision, and did his job extremely well.

QPR 1 Aston Villa 1, Saturday December 1, 2012, Premier League

Much of the early action in the second half revolved around Samba Diakite who first nodded the ball through for Wright-Phillips to run onto and draw a foul from Baker who became the first player booked by referee Howard Webb. Then the Malian committed a foul of his own and from the free kick Benteke smacked a bicycle kick over the bar, although he’d already been flagged offside by the terribly keen Darren Cann on the Ellerslie Road side of the ground who was wrong on that occasion and several others. In fact Cann may as well have planted a raised flag in the ground and gone off and done something else for the afternoon given that he seemed to think any attack whatsoever should be pulled up for offside. Perhaps he had a draw on his coupon.

I made five notes in the next 20 minutes of action and not one of them involved a piece of attacking play from either side: there was a booking for Matthew Lowton for a wild tackle on Mackie that Webb may have judged more harshly had the QPR man not immediately leapt to his feet and shaken the Villa man’s hand; an injury to Diakite that saw him replaced by Hoilett; and the introduction of Fabian Delph for Bannan and Karim El Ahmadi for Holman. I’ve got more entertainment out of filling in tax return forms than I did from the last half an hour of this match which at one stage slowed to a virtual standstill as Villa put together 20 passes on the halfway line with QPR now lacking the legs to win the ball back after the forced withdrawals of Mbia and Diakite and Villa lacking the inclination to do anything with the possession.

Rangers forced three corners in quick succession as the clock ticked past 80 minutes for no return whatsoever. When they did get one right their luck wasn’t in and Clint Hill headed against the angle of post and bar. Traore hit a tame shot at Guzan while sub El Ahmadi had Green scrambling frantically across his goal with a bouncing-bomb of a volley that he claimed had been deflected but Webb awarded as a goal kick.

Rather cruelly the World Cup final referee added four minutes to the end of proceedings during which Traore and Park contrived to concede possession deep in their own half only to be rescued by Bosingwa who covered in behind the centre backs well from right back and executed an important tackle on Benteke as he turned into the penalty area and prepared to play out a heartbreaking final act. For Rangers though, now seven points from safety with just 23 games left to play, the point it rescued was of little use. Now in a position where a succession of wins are required just to lift them back into the realms of a fighting chance, they appear completely devoid of any idea how they’re even going to muster one.

QPR: Green 5, Bosingwa 6, Hill 7, Nelsen 7, Traore 5, Diakite 7 (Hoilett 67, 5), Mbia 7 (Derry 40, 5), Granero 5 (Park 46, 4), Taarabt 7, Wright-Phillips 6, Mackie 8

Subs not used: Murphy, Cisse, Ferdinand, Fabio

Goals: Mackie 18 (assisted Diakite)

Bookings: Derry 61 (foul)

Villa: Guzan 8, Lowton 6, Clark 6, Baker 6, Lichaj 6, Westwood 6, Bannan 6 (Delph 67, 6), Holman 7 (El Ahmadi 70, 6), Herd 6 (Williams 65, 6), Agbonlahor 7, Benteke 7

Subs not used: Given, Ireland, Bent, Weimann

Goals: Holman 8 (unassisted)

Bookings: Baker 47 (foul), Lowton 62 (foul)

Referee – Howard Webb (South Yorkshire) 8 Did his usual calm, authoritative, unfussy job with only a few minor errors that are hardly worth mentioning. His most indecisive moment came when Mbia was injured when he seemed unsure whether to stop the game or not, and had Villa been so inclined to take advantage of a situation where half the players on the pitch had stopped and the referee was deep in thought they were actually in an excellent attacking situation. Other than that, excellent as always.

Chelsea 6 QPR 1, Sunday April 29, 2012, Premier League

Frustration too for Joey Barton who justifiably pointed to Howard Webb’s tolerance of a string of fouls from first Michael Essien and then Fernando Torres when he himself was then carded for a quick spate of offences but in actual fact can’t really argue at receiving the game’s only yellow card. His petulant stomp off down the field and refusal to adhere to the World Cup Final referee’s request to return and receive the booking was unnecessary and rather too Ashley Cole-like behaviour for my taste.

Chelsea: Cech 6, Ferreira 7, Bosingwa 8 (Hutchinson 81, -), Terry 8, Cole 7, Mata 9 (Malouda 67, 7), Essien 8, Lampard 8, Sturridge 8, Torres 9, Kalou 8 (Ramires 73, 7)

Subs Not Used: Turnbull, Romeu, Drogba, Meireles

Goals: Sturridge 1 (unassisted), Terry 13 (assisted Mata), Torres 19 (assisted Kalou), 25 (unassisted), 64 (assisted Mata), Malouda 80 (assisted Ramires)

QPR: Kenny 3, Onuoha 4, Ferdinand 3, Hill 2, Taiwo 2, Barton 4, Derry 2, Buzsaky 2 (Traore 66, 3), Mackie 4, Cisse 4, Zamora 2 (Wright-Phillips 78, -)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Campbell, Young, Smith

Booked: Barton (repetitive fouling)

Goals: Cisse 84 (assisted Onuoha)

Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) 8 Another highly accomplished performance from the league’s best referee. My one criticism was that Michael Essien committed several fouls, one of them certainly yellow card worthy and after he’d already been warned, without receiving a booking and Fernando Torres also went through a period of over enthusiasm when his pursuit of a hat trick led to several fouls that also failed to draw a card. That’s fine if the rules are applied equally, but when Joey Barton niggled three times in quick succession he was booked. A minor quibble though on a fine afternoon of officiating.

QPR 3 Liverpool 2, Wednesday March 21, 2012, Premiership

Thankfully - for all of Suarez’s movement, tricks and casual racism – he’s actually not much of a finisher and currently only has six league goals to his name, two less than our own Heidar Helgusonwho hasn’t played for three months. Here he was denied splendidly by Kenny who then did enough to save bravely at his feet and prevent the rebound being converted as well. Suarez kicked it out of the goalkeeper’s hands and was rewarded with a corner - one of only two decisions referee Howard Webb got wrong all evening.

QPR: Kenny 7, Young 6, Onuoha 6, Ferdinand 6, Traore 7 (Taiwo 46, 7), Barton 3 (Mackie 62, 7), Derry 5, Diakite 7, Taarabt 6, Zamora 7, Cisse 7 (Buzsaky 88, -)

Subs Not Used: Cerny, Gabbidon, Bothroyd, Wright-Phillips

Goals: Derry 77 (assisted Taarabt), Cisse 86 (assisted Taiwo), Mackie 90 (assisted Young)

Liverpool: Reina 5, Kelly 6 (Coates 34, 6), Carragher 5, Skrtel 6, Jose Enrique 4, Kuyt 7, Spearing 7, Adam 6 (Henderson 46, 6), Downing 7, Gerrard 7, Suarez 7 (Carroll 82, 5)

Subs Not Used: Doni, Aurelio, Shelvey, Flanagan

Goals: Coates 54 (unassisted), Kuyt 72 (assisted Downing)

Referee: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire) 9 As for the Man United home game before Christmas Webb was almost completely faultless, allowing the game to flow and keeping his cards in his pocket. A man right on top of his game, outstanding.

QPR 0 Man Utd 2, Sunday December 18, 2011

After 17 minutes Matthew Connolly took these issues into his own hands. Wayne Rooney collected the ball on the edge of the area and for the first time in the game a QPR player decided not to let the United man settle, turn and pick his next move. This time Connolly flew out of the line and executed a robust lunging tackle that left the England striker in a crumpled heap on the floor. Referee Howard Webb waved play on and suddenly the crowd and match came alive. United were furious, Alex Ferguson gesticulated wildly on the touchline as Rangers accelerated past him down the right flank with Jamie Mackie in possession. The former Plymouth man sent in a low cross that Bothroyd smacked a yard over the bar when he should have done better.

But God that felt good. Rooney was red of face and mood, Ferdinand was yellow carded for over vehement protests to Webb about the tackle, Ferguson moaned long and hard to the fourth official. We’d stumbled across a way to get something from the game. Sadly, once play restarted, the meek, mild and timid QPR team reappeared. It was nice while it lasted.

But it was the events at the start of the second half that summed up QPR’s problems in this game, rather than the ‘rabbit-in-headlights’ beginning to the match. Trailing 1-0 with 45 minutes to go Rangers had created enough chances after falling behind to suggest all was not lost – a fast, high tempo, committed start to the second period could have brought big rewards for the London side.

Instead a full set of Man Utd players emerged together from the tunnel, with the match officials, looking bright and focussed and ready to finish the job. Rio Ferdinand completed a circuit of nearly every United player reminding them of their roles and responsibilities. QPR meanwhile sloped out sometime later in dribs and drabs. Four players at first, then another three, then nobody else for a while, then another and another until eventually, after a scandalous amount of time, there were ten on the field.

The eleventh, Danny Gabbidon, was nowhere to be seen and with United ready and time up referee Howard Webb recommenced play. Within 30 seconds Wayne Rooney had marauded into the area and worked a position in the space left vacant by Gabbidon, who was by now on the touchline asking to come on, that he really should have done better from. Luckily Cerny was equal to the task. Gabbidon was apparently having a leg wound stitched which is a perfectly good enough reason for his late arrival but QPR should have come out together, as a team, when he was ready to join them and not before as a disorganised rabble ill-prepared for the restart. It also might have been a idea to designate somebody to fill in for him temporarily while he was off.

After the farcical beginning to the second half the teams exchanged probing attacks. First Wright-Phillips won a soft free kick from Jones wide on the left but the delivery from Barton came to nothing. Then at the other end Danny Welbeck appeared to be fouled as he accelerated around Danny Gabbidon and into the area but Webb waved the appeals away and awarded a goal kick – just as well given that Gabbidon was booked in the first half. That was a rare controversial moment for Webb in what was the best display of refereeing we’ve seen this season.

In the five minutes around the hour mark Man Utd doubled their lead, and then gave QPR a lesson in cynically protecting your own goal. First Joey Barton passed the ball straight to Michael Carrick who was then allowed to run unchecked to the edge of the area and dispatch a low shot past Radek Cerny and into the net. Then, when Phil Jones repeated Barton’s trick and handed possession toHeidar Helguson, he immediately chased back and deliberately fouled the Icelandic striker. A yellow card he was glad to take, something QPR should be doing a lot more of. First Shane Long and now Michael Carrick have scored goals at the School End after QPR passed up opportunities for tactical fouls earlier in the moves.

QPR: Cerny 8, Young 6, Gabbidon 7, Connolly 7, Traore 6, Mackie 6, Barton 5, Faurlin 5, Wright-Phillips 5 (Taarabt 65, 6), Bothroyd 6 (Hill 75, 6), Helguson 6 (Campbell 65, 6)

Subs Not Used: Kenny, Orr, Derry , Smith

Booked: Gabbidon (foul)

Man Utd: De Gea 6, Smalling 7, Evans 7, Ferdinand 7, Evra 6, Valencia 7, Jones 8, Carrick 8, Nani 7(Young 88, -), Rooney 8 (Giggs 78, 6), Welbeck 7 (Hernandez 63, 6)

Subs Not Used: Lindegaard, Berbatov, Park, Fryers

Booked: Ferdinand (dissent), Jones (foul)

Goals: Rooney 1 (assisted Valencia ), Carrick 56 (unassisted)

Referee: Howard Webb ( S Yorkshire ) 9 The best refereeing performance of the season so far. Webb was really on his game here, never more than ten yards from any decision to make and expertly using the advantage rule to keep the game flowing. I can think of a couple of soft free kicks and the Welbeck incident that had question marks over them but really, across 90 minutes, he was almost faultless. That said, QPR’s lack of physical presence in the game certainly made it an easy afternoon.

Tottenham 3 QPR 1, Sunday October 30, 2011

Gabbidon wasn’t given any time to settle in by the Spurs attack. Within a minute of him coming on Spurs won a free kick wide on their left, a second rather soft decision of the day from referee Howard Webb as Barton was adjudged to have fouled Bale. Van der Vaat came across to deliver the ball and produced a glorious, undefendable cross to the back post where Adebayor had the seemingly simple task of heading home from close range but somehow contrived to plant the ball past the post. Gilt edged chances missed would be the theme of the Togo forward’s afternoon.

Disinterest and lethargy is a lethal combination against a team with Spurs’ undoubted quality. The home side was marshalled magnificently by Scott Parker. The 31-year old, 1950s haircut slicked back with rainwater, was like an expensive dominatrix to QPR's German businessman. Time and again Rangers ventured towards him, time and again he butchered them – one uncompromising tackle followed another. Often he did so on the wrong side of the law, but Howard Webb seemed just as in awe of this all conquering midfield display as the rest of the players on the pitch and allowed the former West Ham man off without a card which he can count himself fortunate for. It didn't help QPR's cause that once won the ball was quickly moved from Parker to Modric and the torment began again.

Howard Webb allowed this game to flow reasonably well, and didn’t produce a card all afternoon, although he incurred the wrath, and puzzlement, of the visiting supporters around the hour mark when first he punished Jay Bothroyd for a high boot when the striker appeared to have actually pulled off a fine piece of ball control and then failed to yellow card Parker for a horrible lunge onLuke Young as QPR attacked down the right.

Their anger at the lack of a card for Parker soon turned into celebrations though. Webb had allowed an advantage to be played after the Young incident and Rangers won a corner. Given their lack of threat from set pieces so far this season and Tottenham’s height in the penalty area here wasn’t a great deal of anticipation among the travelling faithful as Barton stepped up to deliver but on this occasion Heidar Helguson met the ball well and diverted it back towards Jay Bothroyd who just nipped in ahead of Anton Ferdinand to head home his first ever QPR goal at the back post. Now things were interesting.

Tottenham: Friedel 7, Walker 7, Kaboul 7, King 7, Assou-Ekotto 6, Lennon 7, Parker 9 (Sandro 86, -), Modric 9, Bale 8, Van der Vaart 8, Adebayor 6

Subs Not Used: Cudicini, Pavlyuchenko, Gallas, Defoe, Bassong, Livermore

Goals: Bale 20 (assisted Lennon), Van der Vaart 33 (assisted King), Bale 72 (assisted Lennon)

QPR: Kenny 8, Young 6, Ferdinand 7, Hall - (Gabbidon 9, 6), Traore 6, Faurlin 7, Derry 5 (Mackie 46, 7), Wright-Phillips 7, Barton 7, Taarabt 4 (Bothroyd 46, 8), Helguson 7

Subs Not Used: Murphy, Hill, Buzsaky, Smith

Goals: Bothroyd 62 (assisted Helguson)

Referee: Howard Webb ( S Yorkshire ) 7 Allowed the game to flow and kept the cards in his pocket, but was rather lenient with Scott Parker and others. No big decisions wrong in a pretty well run contest overall.

It’s amazing to think that prior to the Spurs away game Rangers have managed to avoid Howard Webb since way back in 2003 when we were a Second Division side. He refereed three QPR games that season and Rangers fans won’t forget two of them in a hurry.

His last QPR fixture was the play off final at the Millennium Stadium when Rangers were beaten in the last minute of extra time by Andy Campbell’s strike which promoted the Bluebirds and left Ian Holloway’s side to fight another season in the third tier. Webb showed five yellows that afternoon, three to QPR players. That was in stark contrast to Webb’s previous fixture with us a month previously when he was in charge for our famous 2-1 win at Brentford when Marc Bircham lashed home a spectacular winner with the final kick of the game – four yellow cards that day, three for Rangers. Back in the September of that same season he took charge of our 2-0 home win against Swindon with goals from Kevin Gallen and Richard Langley, one player from each side received yellow cards.

The previous season, 2001/02, he took charge of our 2-2 draw away at Blackpool when Leroy Griffiths scored twice and a 1-0 home win against Peterborough when the only goal came from an Andy Thomson penalty.

QPR 0 Chievo 1, Saturday August 2, 2008, Pre Season Friendly

Despite being second best to this point QPR actually got the ball in the net after 24 minutes only to find the goal very harshly disallowed by Premiership referee Howard Webb. This was QPR’s first corner of the game and it was immediately noticeable that Chievo approached the situation by leaving three men right up on the halfway line – one on the centre spot, one on the extreme wide right and one wide left. I’m a great believer in leaving men up when defending a corner because it forces the opposition to pull threats out of the penalty area and Chievo’s unusually ambitious set up meant that Gorkss, who scored eight goals for Blackpool last season, was back on the halfway line with Mahon, Leigertwood and Ramage – none of them slouches in the air.

Still from Ledesma’s delivery Damien Delaney bundled the ball in at the back post only to find Webb whistling for a foul by Hall at the near post – the fact that Hall had been wrestled into submission and almost had the shirt ripped from his back by his marker apparently worthy of a free kick against him. The decision was typical of Webb on the day who, with the assistance of a diabolical linesman on the South Africa Road side, looked very, very rusty himself making poor decisions and being needlessly picky throughout the game. QPR could count themselves unlucky to have this one chalked off.

Howard Webb, picky and fussy all afternoon, saved Blackstock’s blushes by ordering a retake and this time the striker made no mistake with a similarly tame effort to the other side of the keeper – the Chievo man dived the wrong way on this occasion. In fairness it was hard to get excited, it wasn’t a penalty in the first place and Blackstock’s first kick was so poor that Webb seemed to order a retake out of pity and charity, a point made rather too forcefully by Marco Malago who was booked for his comments to the referee in the aftermath of the goal.

Blackstock was replaced by Sam Di Carmine after this and in truth he’d done little in the 65 odd minutes he was on the pitch. I wasn’t impressed with Di Carmine either. He won little in the air, didn’t hold the ball up well enough, showed a poor touch on numerous occasions and posed Chievo no threat whatsoever.

The last half hour of friendly games are turgid to watch and seemingly pointless to take part in because every time the ball goes dead, and with Webb in an uncharacteristically whistle happy mood that was very frequently, both teams make substitutions. Dowie sent on Bolder for Mahon , Stewart for Gorkss and Ainsworth for Leigertwood and Chievo responded with four or five changes of their own. Gorkss certainly did himself no harm with a calm and composed display at the back and he really looks the part, particularly bringing the ball out from the back and distributing it. I have great hopes for the partnership between him and Hall on this evidence.

Having said that Stewart almost scored with his first touch ten seconds after entering the field. Another good corner from Ledesma found the Jamaican unmarked at the back post but Squizzi just about managed to palm the ball off his forehead and out for another corner in an aerial battle. Webb’s insistence on lecturing everybody in the penalty area before every set piece only added to the stop start nature of the game.

QPR Cerny 6 (Camp -), Ramage 6, Hall 7, Gorkss 7 (Stewart -), Delaney 7, Mahon 6 (Bolder -), Leigertwood 6 (Ainsworth -), Agyemang 5, Balanta 7 (Alberti 6), Ledesma 7 (Rose -), Blackstock 5 (Di Carmine 5)

Goals: Blackstock pen 69 (assisted Alberti)

Chievo: Squizzi, Mantovani (Scardina), Mandelli, Malago (Frey), Maroclini (Rigoni), Bentivoglio, De Oliveira (D’Anna), Iunco (Farias), Rickler, Bogdani, Italiano

Subs not used: Aldegani, Gasparetto, Moro, Sorrentino, Pellissier, Sabe, Grippo

Goal: Bogdani, Bentivoglio

Referee – Howard Webb (Rotherham) 5 - Normally a superb referee, certainly the best in the country, but got key decisions wrong today and was fussy throughout. Shouldn’t have disallowed the goal in the first half and it was never a penalty in the second half, although that decision was given by one of the equally poor linesmen. Like everybody else looked rusty after a summer break.

Stats

Webb booked 167 players last season (3.318 a game) and sent five off in 51 games. Four of his red cards came in his first eight appointments of the season, and he has only sent off one man in 36 appointments since. Webb booked nobody at the QPR v Liverpool game last month as part of a lenient run of 18 yellow cards in ten games but he’s suddenly got prolific again recently with 14 yellow cards in his last two games including nine in the Champions League semi final between Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Prior to that his biggest haul in a single game this season was six yellows and a red handed out in the Sunderland v Newcastle derby.

The season before he showed 141 yellows and six reds in 45 games – 3.13 bookings a game. Both his biggest hauls, six yellows and a red at Shakhtar v Roma and seven yellows for Hapoel Tel Aviv and Lyon, came in Champions League games hinting that he may referee European games slightly differently to English league fixtures.

Other Listings

Premier League >>> The Premier League’s big game this weekend is Spurs v Arsenal and Mark Clattenburg has been trusted with that one.

Championship >>> Mike Jones drops down to keep an eye on Leeds v Millwall. Michael Oliver does likewise for the televised match between Sheff Wed and Nottingham Forest.

League Two >>> Trevor Kettle has Dagenham v Chesterfield.

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