Premier League boss in hot water over 'appalling' and 'bonkers' ref rant

18 September 2023 , 08:37

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Paul Heckingbottom reacts during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sheffield United.

Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom is likely to face an FA reprimand after describing referee Peter Bankes as “bonkers” and “appalling”. The Blades gaffer raged at the match officials after his team lost 2-1 at Spurs having led seven minutes into a dozen added on.

Bankes showed 13 yellow cards, including a second to United striker Oli McBurnie at the end of a game packed with time-wasting but few hefty challenges. And Heckingbottom suggested the referee “does not understand the game” with the treatment of goalkeeper Wes Foderingham particularly leaving him incensed.

Foderingham was booked in the first half for handling the ball outside his penalty area and spent the rest of the match being warned by Bankes to hurry up. But Heckingbottom considered that unfair because his keeper was merely waiting for his team-mates to get into position.

“It is pointless seeing him after,” Heckingbottom said of Bankes. “I know how little they know about football. I am not moaning about decisions, it is game management, understanding the game. Appalling, appalling, that is what I told him after the game. Absolutely appalling. I bet Spurs will say the same.

“It’s my opinion, others may disagree. I get concerned where the game is going, it is not me moaning about Sheffield United, it is me moaning about football. I watch it all the time. I am watching all the games. Where I tear my hair out is that I don’t know what decisions are being given.

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"How can I go and make this player better when he is defending when I don’t know how to tell him to defend for a penalty? Does this make sense? Game management.

“We’ve worked really hard on our plan and it is working really well. Then we have to kick long. And we end up shouting on towards the end. Robbo [Jack Robinson] is still looking to split to play and we are panicking. We have seen Peter [Bankes, referee] wave Wes [Foderingham] all the time. He is going to book him, he is going to book him. And we have to make sure that Robbo is then sprinting up. So it wouldn’t be Wes’ fault.

“Wes can’t take the kick until Robbo is up and he is threatening to book our goalkeeper because one of our players has just made a sliding tackle in the bottom corner and can't sprint 50 yards. They don’t know what they are doing, because they don’t understand the game.

“It would have been a sending off. He got someone anyway, he got Oli [McBurnie, who was shown a second yellow in added time] for telling him that someone was pulling his shirt. He’s bonkers.”

Alan Smith