Royal Blue: Why has PGMO chosen to re-unite Everton and Mark Clattenburg?

Jan 14 2012 by Greg O'Keeffe, Liverpool Echo

KATIE PRICE and television, Maggie Thatcher and Merseyside, a roast dinner and tomato ketchup – some things in life are just better apart.

Why then, has the organisation responsible for allocating referees with Premier League fixtures, the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMO), decided to reunite two parties who would have happily continued in splendid isolation from one another forever more – Everton FC and Mark Clattenburg?

It’s been more than four years since the controversial referee has been asked to officiate a Toffees game, and with such a lengthy passage of time most Evertonians had perhaps been lulled into the false sense of security that he would never again be allowed to ruin a game for David Moyes’ side.

Clattenburg has taken charge of 131 Barclays Premier League matches since that infamous Merseyside derby in 2007 when he seemed to allow Steven Gerrard to influence him into sending off Tony Hibbert, ignored an X-rated lunge by Dirk Kuyt on Phil Neville, and decided that Jamie Carragher’s judo throw on Joleon Lescott in the penalty area did not warrant a late spot-kick.

The Blues lost that game 2-1, and Moyes had to defend an FA disrepute charge afterwards for venting his entirely justifiable fury.

So why now – after all this time – is Clattenburg back in charge of an Everton game, as Moyes’ side take on Aston Villa in the Midlands today.

It can’t be a shortage of top flight referees.

The PGMO have managed not to match the pair since 2007 so far, and if they believes his catastrophic handling of that game was OK, why have they waited this long?

As for Clattenburg, he has never contacted Everton or Moyes to explain, or apologise for his inexplicably bad day at the office in that derby. Neither was Moyes consulted before the recently promoted ref was given this game.

Moyes is too shrewd to say it, but this is a match made in hell. Let’s hope today’s game passes without controversy, and let’s hope even more that Clattenburg does not get another game at Goodison. Ever.