Former Prem referee on infamous Cattermole clash that saw pair go head-to-head

27 March 2024 , 12:14

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Sunderland's Lee Cattermole confronts referee Phil Dowd (Image: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

Former Premier League referee Phil Dowd was involved in one of the most famous bust-ups - and the picture taught him a lesson.

Dowd went head-to-head with Sunderland ’s Lee Cattermole during a highly-charged Tyne Wear derby game in October 2010 and ended up on every newspaper back page the following day.

But not only did the fall-out serve him well as a referee but it has undoubtedly shaped the way he deals with issues and particularly man management now.

Dowd said: “I’ve had run-ins with plenty of managers. I went head-to-head with Lee Cattermole once and that was one of the best pieces of man management I’ve had when Mike Riley was in charge of the PGMOL.

“We came in the day after, we were in a hotel for breakfast and he put the paper down in front of me with the picture on the back page. He went off to get some breakfast, I looked at it and he came back and said: ‘What would you have done if he’d gone down holding his head?’

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“That stuck with me ever since. If he’d taken me aside and given me a rollicking then I’d have been annoyed. But it made me think and there’s ways of doing things.

“When I was a referee, if someone told me to do something then I’d have done the opposite. But now it’s about having ideas, putting things forward and it’s often about relationships.

Dowd has reflected on the infamous incident (Getty Images)

“If they want to have some banter then I have no problem as long as it doesn’t cross a line. When I first started, there was probably 30 people, including all the refs, one coach and the head of it all.

“It’s a huge network now. They get so much help and support. There’s so much more to come from this group and some outstanding officials for the future.”

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John Cross