Phil Dowd

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Phil Dowd (born 1963-01-26^[1]) is an English football referee in the FA Premier League. He is based in Stoke-on-Trent.

Phil joined The Football League's list of referees in 1997, aged 34. The 2005/06 Premiership season will be his 5th year refereeing the top flight of English football. His relatively late start as a referee seems to have prevented his nomination to FIFA's list of international referees.

Phil Dowd was the fourth official at the 2006 FA Cup Final at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Contents 1 Criticisms 2 Career statistics 3 Trivia 3.1 England team members sent off 4 References 5 See also

[edit] Criticisms

Wigan boss Paul Jewell recently described Dowd as "incompetent", after Dowd's performance in Wigan's 1-1 draw at Blackburn on 3 April, where both sides had goals ruled out and Rovers scored a late equaliser.^{[citation needed]}

Afterwards he called Dowd's decisions "nonsensical" and said his team had been "robbed" of three points. Jewell was annoyed that Arjan de Zeeuw had a first-half goal ruled out. He was angry that Dowd did not blow for a foul when Lucas Neill challenged keeper John Filan in the build-up to Shefki Kuqi's late equaliser.^{[citation needed]}

Dowd was heavily criticised by Jewell and Wigan owner Dave Whelan following his performance in the club's Premiership match with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 11 February 2007. Dowd denied Wigan, who were leading 1-0, a penalty kick following a challenge by Mathieu Flamini on Emile Heskey. Wigan were playing with ten men at the time (Josip Skoko had left the field for treatment to an injury), and Dowd then refused to allow Skoko back on to the field of play as Arsenal attacked. Flamini, who would have most likely been sent off had the penalty been given, received the ball in an offside position; however, the assistant referee and Dowd failed to spot the infringement. Flamini's cross was turned into his own net by Fitz Hall, and Arsenal then went on to score a winning goal.[1]

Once again, Jewell criticised Dowd strongly, saying that his decisions could cost Wigan 50 million pounds (should they be relegated) and told reporters that an unnamed Premiership manager had described Dowd as the worst referee in the league. Jewell also claimed that the referee had sworn at his players.[2]

[edit] Career statistics

Season	Games	Yellows	Y per game	Reds	R per game
1998/1999	32	125	3.91	3	0.09
1999/2000	33	85	2.58	4	0.12
2000/2001	33	120	3.64	10	0.30
2001/2002	29	109	3.76	13	0.45
2002/2003	38	130	3.42	8	0.21
2003/2004	28	104	3.71	6	0.21
2004/2005	36	115	3.19	7	0.19
2005/2006	46	183	3.98	8	0.17
2006/2007	33	99	3.00	3	0.09

[edit] Trivia

[edit] England team members sent off

• In April 2005, Dowd showed Gary Neville the red card in Everton - Manchester United clash at Goodison Park; a game which saw the home side run out 1 - 0 winners.

• Dowd sent off Rio Ferdinand with 2 minutes to go in the game between Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United in February 2006. Blackburn won 4 - 3, after leading 4 - 1 after an hour.

• Dowd issued 10 yellows and 2 reds in the derby match between Liverpool and Everton at Anfield in March 2006. First, he gave Steven Gerrard his marching orders for a second bookable offence after booking him just moments earlier, and then Andy van der Meyde, just five minutes after he had come on.

[edit] References

1. ^ Birthdate confirmation: The Football League Official website.

[edit] See also

• Dowd
• List of Football Referees