IT’S clear to me that Bolton Wanderers have got an absolute gem in Zach Clough – but the young lad needs to be very careful.

Watching the game on Saturday, I felt the penalty he won early in the second half against Nottingham Forest was soft, and that’s putting it mildly.

Referee Carl Boyeson felt there was a push in the back from Matt Mills, but for me the incident in the first half where Gary Madine was pulled down by Jack Hobbs looked much more of a foul.

You hear lots of good things about Clough, who is clearly a very talented young lad, but he needs to make sure he doesn’t develop a reputation for going down too easily.

Referees talk, and perhaps when Boyeson looks at that one again, he’ll file it away and think twice the next time he referees Bolton. I know when I was refereeing and found out I’d been conned, I’d think ‘you’re not having anything out of me next time pal.’

The classic example is Luis Suarez. In his last season at Liverpool he lost out on two or three penalties simply because of his reputation.

Clough looks like that kind of player who will win them naturally; he’s got quick feet and he’s quite a slender lad.

It’s a fine line, I completely accept that, because players are told to go down in the penalty box if they feel contact. That asks the question of a referee, who has to be very strong to turn down an appeal.

Are they wrong to do it? Not completely. Winning a penalty can mean the difference between three points and a point, which could add up to play-offs at the end of the season or a near-miss, so I understand the margins you are working in as a player.

There is a subtle difference between simulation – straight out diving – and going over when you feel someone’s hands on your back, which is what I think Clough did on Saturday. You can argue it’s a less severe offence.

But it is part of the same disease for me and it needs to be stamped out of the game. As someone who looks at things from the referee’s perspective I want to see the players being more honest, even if it means you don’t get that one penalty in 10 for something trivial.

Stakes are high and that is why that side of the game has become such an issue, particularly in the Premier League.

Adnan Januzaj has received plenty of yellow cards for simulation and I’m amazed he didn’t add to his tally on Saturday afternoon when he went over against Newcastle.

The more instances like this we let slide, the more that younger players pick up the bad habits and try it themselves.

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JOHN Terry knew he was banged to rights when Mark Clattenburg showed him a red card for denying a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity at West Brom on Sunday.

Jose Mourinho might have had a little moan but for me there was no doubt that the Chelsea defender deserved to go after pulling back Salomon Rondon.

Clattenburg is in excellent shape and had kept up well with play, getting himself in a good position to make his decision.

When deciding whether to issue the red card, referees should consider these points of law: distance between the offence and the goal; the likelihood of the players keeping or regaining control of the ball, the direction of play and the position and number of defenders.

Terry was last man, the wrong side of the player, who was bearing down on goal and in control of the ball; nailed on.

There have been a few instances already this season when things have not been so clear-cut.

Jon Moss sent off Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois against Swansea when he brought down Bafetimbi Gomis – although the striker’s touch had taken him away from goal, adding an element of doubt to the decision.

It was the same for West Ham’s Carl Jenkinson against Bournemouth on Saturday. Max Gradel had actually moved the ball back towards the ‘D’ of the penalty area, and so you have to ask ‘was this a clear and obvious goalscoring opportunity?’

In the cases of Courtois and Gradel I would say ‘not necessarily’ but neither do I think you can criticise the referees involved.

Meanwhile, I am disappointed to see Bolton referee Lee Mason sat on the naughty step again by the PGMOL.

He is fourth official at both Southampton and Bournemouth this weekend, which means he won’t be back in action until after the international break. That’s too long a gap.

Lee has had a couple of difficult weeks out on the pitch and needs to get them out of his system. You can’t do that on the sidelines.

Sitting around and kicking your heels as a fourth official means you’re not keeping up your match sharpness, your match fitness, and piles extra pressure on you when you do make your return to action.

It’s another case of poor man-management from the powers that be, in my own opinion.

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PAUL Tierney is one of the most experienced Football League referees, and I think he’s a good choice to take charge of Friday’s big derby between Blackburn and Wanderers.

I watched him recently in the Watford v West Brom game and he handled it very well, so I have no fears he will handle this big game comfortably.

As with any derby that first 15-20 minutes is absolutely crucial. Tackles will be flying in from everywhere and so you have to make sure you set your tolerance levels just right.

If you let too much go, you’re asking for trouble. There will always be an opportunity for you to stamp your authority on the game and good referees take that chance.

But no-one wants to see things get fussy, and when you start producing yellow cards early on then it can backfire on you later in the game.

That first big key match decision is the one you want to get right. Referees need confidence just as much as players, so if you get that first big call correct then all of a sudden the world is your oyster.

You get it wrong and the next 90 minutes can feel like 900.

I’m hoping Wanderers can use Saturday’s result as a springboard. They created loads of chances against Forest but couldn’t take them – but hopefully Stephen Dobbie’s goal at the end will give them a boost.

The atmosphere was great at the Macron and I’m sure a lot of those fans will be there at Ewood Park making a lot of noise again.

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OFFSIDE continues to hit the headlines – and this time it was Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey who bore the brunt in Monday’s 0-0 draw against Liverpool.

I’ve said before that the Football Association have brought this confusion on themselves by allowing Premier League officials to interpret a long-standing law their own way.

They wanted more goals, particularly in the top flight, so they did things differently from the rest of Europe.

I’ve since found out that FIFA wrote directly to the FA to tell them to get in line, which has led to this mass panic and all these odd decisions early on in the season.

The Premier League even wrote to its clubs to clarify the new interpretation – not rule – which probably tells you just how head-scratching this has been for the players and managers.