Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is expected to escape a Football Association charge despite his scathing comments about referee Steve Tanner.
Redknapp lambasted Tanner after Spurs' 2-0 defeat at West Brom on Sunday, particularly for allowing the opening goal after scorer Roman Bednar had pushed Michael Dawson in the back.
FA disciplinary chiefs have studied Redknapp's remarks and although the case is viewed as being borderline, are expected to decide against any charge unless further comments come to light.
The FA are much stricter against managers who suggest there is any bias on the part of the referee, or who deliver insults such as calling officials 'Mickey Mouse'.
Redknapp said after the game: "I never complain about referees - I haven't done that for years but this guy was scary.
"He's a poor referee and I've seen him make a mess of so many games."
Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate has also criticised Tanner.
Woodgate said: "If we [the players] make mistakes, we are punished but if the officials do, what happens to them? Nothing. Everyone could see it was a push on Dawson. Something has to be done.
"We are playing in the Premier League, which is the biggest league in the world. You expect it in a Sunday league but not in the Premier League."


fan54 : "...mega1992 (Manchester United fan)Obertan is not yet an amazing player. He has the potential to be one but I watched him for Lorient last season and they didn't start him every game despite their only being a midtable tea..." view full comment
Manchester United have asked about Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure amid growing concerns over the fitness of Owen Hargreaves.
More from today's press
TEAMtalk reflects on Manchester United's signing of Michael Owen - and believes few signings will raise as many eyebrows this summer.
Read today's Column
kneeheal (Manchester United) : "...The rumour mill out there is saying Ashley Young to United 20m. I can really see Sir Alex making a bid for this player i won't even be surprised if the manager sweetened the deal with Nani either 1 year loan or player plus cash..." view full rumour

| LATEST PHOTOS | TT COLUMN | LIVE UPDATES |
![]() |
|
|
| Go to the Gallery | Owen handed one final shot at glory | Twitter explained! |
Free Bet | Casino | Poker | Bingo
Your Comments
stneotsyiddo (Tottenham Hotspur fan)
"Harry is pretty honest after games with his interviews and calls the games as they are. I think anybody whos seen a decent amount of his post match interviews over the years will have seen that. At the end of the day, I think thats all he's done in this case, giving an honest and in my opinion truthful assessment of the referee, who was dreadful and also very influenced by the home crowd in my opinon. Tony Mowbray may not have seen the push on Dawson, but I'm pretty confident he'd have had something to say if it had happened down the other end. It's cost us a point, which I'd like to think won't matter at the end of the season, but the way things are going for us this season, it could prove crucial.
"
emmaemilie (West Bromwich Albion fan)
"So it was a push.... well get over it. The refs usualy gets 10-20 calls wrong in a game, sometimes important ones sometimes not, and sometimes against you and sometime not. Trust me, we at wba have had our fair share of bad luck with refs. Good luck with the rest of the season. Dont expect you guys to be down there come may. Danish Baggie"
magpies1 (Newcastle United fan)
"he is just bitter, yes refs make mistakes but he wouldnt complain if the decision went his way same as all managers, they are too quick to criticise refs. But they do need help with either replays or more training."
HK7 (Liverpool fan)
"FootyGuru believes that Redknapp SHOULD be let off. The number of times that Ferguson has negatively spoken about referee's and the FA without any disrepute is shocking. At worst, Redknapp's comments could be seen as a first offence and perhaps minor compared to Ferguson's outbursts."
HK7 (Liverpool fan)
"FootyGuru believes that Redknapp SHOULD be let off. The number of times that Ferguson has negatively spoken about referee's and the FA without any disrepute is shocking. At worst, Redknapp's comments could be seen as a first offence and perhaps minor compared to Ferguson's outbursts."
Villa101 (Aston Villa fan)
"I think Mr. Redknapp crossed the line there as did Woodgate."
spursdanno25 (Tottenham Hotspur fan)
"Coming from a Spurs fan, I'm quite surprised that Harrys expected to escape a ban. This is simply due to the FA's zero tolerance policy and respect campaign thats in place towards referees. I assumed he'd get a touchline ban of however many matches. Perhaps the FA are waking up to the realisation that sometimes certain refereeing decisions are just so ridiculous that its almost impossible for managers and players alike to hide their frustration. The push on dawson was so blatant. There was a free kick that should have been given when Bent was brought down but instead a throw-in was awarded, which subsequently led to the sending off; which even Tony Mowbray admitted he was surprised to see the red card shown. There was also a free kick awarded to WBA where the player simply fell over his own feet, with the referee standing right over it. Absolutely shocking. "
All comments on this story