Martin O’Neill On The Penalty Decision

Blimey, it really is a slow news day today!

In an article by Lisa Smith in The Birmingham Post Martin O’Neill discusses the penalty awarded against Richard Dunne in our 2-1 loss v Blackburn Rovers.

He said he spoke with the ref asking for the situation to be clarified calling the decision ‘disappointing’.

‘There are a new set of directives and I think it is something to do with if your hand is in an unnatural position, you can be adjudged to have handled the ball.’

To be fair it did look harsh but we’ve all seen those sort of penalties given, so it wasn’t a major surprise surely? It could just have easily gone the other way for the overhead kick could have been deemed a foul against Villa. Just one of those things and these decisions do even themselves out over a season, we had a good few penalties at the start of last season that were ever so slightly generous!

MON added ‘The point really that I am making is if Richard Dunne puts his head in and is hit in the head with the lad’s foot so high it would have been a free kick out.’

Quotes from Sam Allardyce: Delighted Allardyce pays compliment to Aston Villa