Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Nuno Espirito Santo has blasted referee Lee Mason and suggested that he doesn’t want him to take charge of another Wolves game. The anger towards Mason, who has been on the list of Select Group Referees since 2006, comes after his side’s 2-1 loss to Burnley on Monday night, which leaves them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
Nuno Espirito Santo Unhappy With Referee Lee Mason
Mason Does Not Have ‘Quality’ for Top Flight
Speaking after the game, Espirito Santo told reporters: “I just don’t want to see him more and I told him I hope he does not whistle a game of ours again. He cannot control the players, they are constantly arguing. He did not have the quality for a Premier League game.”
How much of this criticism is justified will depend on your view of the game. Although there were some suggestions of iffy time-keeping, mainly made by Sean Dyche when he tapped his watch towards Mason at the end of the game, little happened during the match that could have warranted the Wolves boss’ comments.
The game did go beyond the five minutes of stoppage time that were added. However, Wolves provided no threat from a corner after that marker.
Difficult Period for Wolves
Espirito Santo’s side are in a tough situation. Their 2019/20 season lasted for over a year due to the early start for the Europa League and the extending of the campaign due to lockdown, and their inconsistency suggests they are still feeling the effects of that. As well, they are playing without star striker Raul Jimenez, instead relying on wingers Daniel Podence and Pedro Neto as well as teenager Fabio Silva to do the business for them up front.
It was Silva who netted last night, beating Nick Pope from the penalty spot after he was felled by Josh Benson. However, that came too late to change the outcome after Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood had netted either side of half-time for Burnley.
The result leaves Wolves 11th in the table, but recent results such as an away win at Arsenal and a home victory against Chelsea show there is still a lot of fight left in this team. The best thing for them, though, would be to freshen up the squad in the January transfer window to stop the regress from last season becoming so extreme.
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