Fulham Manager Chris Coleman fears he could again be in trouble with the Football Association after accusing the officials of playing a part in his side’s downfall in the 1-0 defeat by Wigan.
Coleman has been in hot water before, and following this defeat at the JJB Stadium, was angry and frustrated at referee Andre Marriner and his assistant.
Virtually every key decision during the first half seemed to go against Fulham, notably when goalkeeper John Filan handled outside the area, as did Wigan’s skipper Arjan de Zeeuw inside the penalty box.
Add to that a de Zeeuw foul on Collins John on the edge of the box and a booking for Moritz Volz for diving when it was clear he was challenged by Alan Mahon, and Coleman’s frustration was understandable.
His mood was not enhanced by the fact his side had missed two gilt-edged chances in the opening five minutes, and then conceded a winner to Pascal Chimbonda in the second minute of injury time.
“I hope he (Marriner) can sleep tonight because I won’t be able to,” stated Coleman.
“You can’t keep getting major decisions wrong, with these all within the opening 45 minutes.
“I know it’s hard for him, and everybody gets one wrong, but three or four wrong?
“I had to change my team talk at half-time. Rather than saying to the players ‘well done, keep going, you are doing well’, I had to try and calm them down because they were going nuts.
“He has booked Moritz for a dive when it was a blatant free-kick on the edge of their box, while Collins was also denied a blatant free-kick on the edge again.
“There was also a handball in their box, and then one outside the box, although whether they were deliberate I don’t know.
“But some of the referee’s decisions – and it wasn’t just him, it was his assistant at the side too – have contributed to us coming away with nothing from this game.”
When asked whether he had spoken to Marriner, Coleman replied: “What’s the point? Nothing ever gets done.
“I got in trouble once or twice last season for maybe saying the wrong thing, and maybe I am saying the wrong thing now and I will get into trouble again.”
