So Why Exactly Was Andy Gray Sacked?

Ok, so you’re in a shoe shop, second in the queue…….

Is that the kind of thing Andy Gray and Richard Keys had in mind when they suggested Sian Massey would need the offside rule explaining to her? I mean, it is rocket science that only males of the species could understand isn’t it? Oh no wait…..

Because if we’re honest, anyone with an ounce of sense could understand it couldn’t they? In fact, irrespective of their gender, race, religious beliefs, etc, anyone above the age of 5 with an interest in the game could pick it up. And anyone with an ounce of sense would know that wouldn’t they?

So, did Andy Gray lose his job because he doesn’t have an ounce of sense? I’m sure he’d argue otherwise but then again, I’m sure Sian Massey would argue that she does indeed know the offside rule. In fact, whilst half of us might have been second guessing the Meireles decision ahead of the replay, this linesperson, probably with the audacity to wear perfume and everything, had already judged it right – how many of her male counterparts get those decisions right on a regular basis?

Shouldn’t Gray and Keys therefore have been saying ‘she should be teaching the rest of them the offside rule’? No of course they shouldn’t because they didn’t actually wait to see if she could do her job before they passed judgement – or had a bit of banter – as they tried to excuse it. Nor did they bother informing themselves of her CV, which qualifies her a lot more than the rest of us (Gray and Keys included) to stand on that line.

If she’d turned up in high heels, then fair play you could question the appropriateness of her running the line but we don’t know what any of the officials wear in their spare time do we? The point is, she was dismissed as incapable simply because of her gender because as far as I’m aware, there aren’t any health and safety laws around refs risking black eyes – or at least not for managing to keep up with play anyway.

Is this whole thing really so shocking though? Weren’t they just saying the same sort of thing that’s roared by dinosaurs up and down the country all the time? Probably, but then again, the Neanderthals who’ve come out in support of Keys and Gray aren’t in the public eye are they? Even if Leon Knight – whose comments on twitter yesterday would embarrass a 5 year old – would like to be.

The fact is, women having any kind of knowledge of the game at all is still something those beating their chests in their caves find hard to grasp – kind of like women and the offside rule eh Andy?

So, back to the original question of whether Andy Gray lost his job because he has no common sense?

Answers on the back of a stamp please!