Robbie Savage and Glenn Hoddle outraged as four-way argument erupts in BT Sport studio during West Ham United loss to Brighton
Glenn Hoddle and Robbie Savage were outraged by the penalty West Ham conceded at Brighton while Peter Walton and Rachel Brown-Finnis disagreed.
Jarrod Bowen brought down Kaoru Mitoma in the box after Ben Johnson had been beaten too easily in the first half at the Amex, allowing Alexis Mac Allister to put the Seagulls on their way to a comprehensive 4-0 win.
Former Premier League referee Walton and ex-England keeper Brown-Finnis were clear that it was a foul by the Hammers winger, but Savage and Hoddle were very unhappy over the situation.
Cutting into the conversation live on BT Sport Score on Saturday (4 March, 3.19pm) Savage said: “Is that a penalty?”
When Brown-Finnis said it was because there was contact on the legs he wasn’t convinced.
Hoddle said: “I think he’s bought it.”
But Walton thought it was a straight-forward decision, saying: “He’s got the wrong side of the ball and he’s gone through the person so there’s a foul there.”
“He hasn’t gone through him at all!” cried Savage.
Walton replied: “It may be a soft foul but it’s a foul and a penalty kick.”
Hoddle wasn’t impressed though, muttering: “Never a penalty in a million years.”
Immaterial
It was a clumsy foul that probably was a penalty so the fervour that Hoddle and Savage had against it was unexpected.
Had the game been close and West Ham were battling to come back from a one-goal deficit then maybe it would have mattered, but they were so disappointing on the way to a thrashing that it didn’t look like it would have made any difference.
David Moyes’ job has shot back into major doubt, having built a bit of cushion with a few more positive results, but that has all gone out the window now.
It has reached the point where, regardless of what track record the Irons boss has at the London Stadium, if there was an obvious candidate who the board thought they could bring in, they would have done it by now.
However, Leeds United discovered that high-quality options largely don’t want to take over in an emergency, so it only leaves those who have gone under the radar or whom clubs have doubts about.
Rafael Benitez was on BT Sport on Saturday for the Manchester City win over Newcastle, and it is likely no coincidence that he is putting himself about, but David Sullivan would surely have turned to the Spaniard by now if he wanted him, so it remains to be seen whether any decisive action is imminent.