THESE days, managers are dragged in front of the radio microphones and television cameras before they’ve even had chance to draw breath.

So is it any wonder that so many of them are getting in trouble when they haven’t had a chance to digest the 90 minutes they have just seen?

Like Owen Coyle, Harry Redknapp doesn’t duck the responsibility of coming out after the game and speaking directly to the press, and doesn’t send his assistant like others I could mention.

They are honest blokes and I don’t think if you are getting them on the TV that soon after the final whistle that you can worry about a few moans and groans with referees or linesmen, especially if they’re taken within the context of the game.

Thankfully, the Football Association took no action against Harry for what he said after the United match, and that Nani goal. Even the commentator on the television didn’t know what was going on there. It was a right mess.

Owen had his two penny worth after the Liverpool game as well, feeling that we should have got two clear penalties.

Thanks to daylight saving, my plan to watch the game before going to Las Vegas was blown out of the water – so while I saw the first half claim for handball against Jamie Carragher, which was a penalty, by the way, I had to rely on the radio commentator to convince me that the second one, a foul on Kevin Davies, probably was as well.

It’s another kick in the teeth, so it was no surprise that Owen made sure those two calls were the talking point.

He hasn’t changed a jot from when he was a player. He sticks to his beliefs and if he feels aggrieved at something or somebody, the tells them so.

In a way, he’s protecting his players and while you don’t want to come across as a moaner, it’s right to get it off your chest and then move on.

Back when Big Sam Allardyce was in charge, he used to target officials and foster a siege mentality. He wanted his team to think everybody hated them. I had the same thing when I was playing at Millwall – we thrived on it.

Owen isn’t like that. He wants people to like his side for the football they play, but you’re never going to deny him his say on things. He’ll stand up for his players until he’s blue in the face.

I agree with Gary Cahill, who said in this paper earlier this week that we don’t want to be seen as moaners. You do lose sympathy pretty quickly if you do it week-in, week-out.

But Wanderers won’t sit around feeling sorry for themselves. A team looking up in the table should dust themselves off and get on with it.

IT does not make great reading for Wanderers this week, but I’m afraid all the hype about Gareth Bale looks absolutely warranted.

If there is a better left-sided midfield player out there anywhere in the world, then I haven’t seen him. The thing I’ll bet a lot of readers are thinking is: “I wish he was English”.

The kid has got everything – great pace, puts crosses in the box, and scores goals by the bucketload. What more would you want?

For me, Tottenham are a top-four side this season. It will be interesting to see if the really big clubs come calling, exactly what they do with Bale.

If they want to be a club challenging for the title every year, then he’s exactly the kind of player they have to keep hold of. But if someone comes waving a huge wad of cash, will they really be able to resist?

One thing’s for sure, it’s a game I’m really looking forward to. Two teams who will look to get the ball down on the floor and play football the right way. I’d be amazed if this one was last of Match of the Day.

WE parade the managers in front of the cameras immediately after a game – but why not the referees?

Week after week, we get the big decisions played out on the television, and picked apart by technology. But we so rarely get to hear from the people themselves, and that just antagonises people.

Referees are human, and capable of mistake just like every one of us. So why, if there is a debatable incident can an official not come out afterwards and say “this is why I did this”, or “fair enough, I didn’t spot that”?

There are referees who are willing to sit down and talk – just ask Wanderers, who have a great relationship with Mark Halsey. But his example is few and far between.

Aside from a camera on the goal-line, which would be relatively instant, I’m not for taking any of the human error out of the game, nor am I looking to put referees on trial.

You put too many delays in the game and you get what we have over here in the NFL, stop-start every few minutes, giving the broadcasters a chance to throw a few more adverts in and make a bit more money.

It’s about time, though, that we gave referees a chance to fend for themselves and remove the need for managers to go banging on their dressing room door after a game and getting themselves into trouble.

CALL me an old romantic, but this week, my wife Lee and I celebrated our silver wedding anniversary by renewing our vows in Las Vegas.

As I write this, we got married at 11am this morning, exactly 25 years since we last tied the knot.

The whole second wedding thing was a big surprise to my wife, who just thought we’d come away for a short break without the kids to celebrate the occasion.

And, as another part of the surprise, I was delighted to bring over some very good friends from Bolton to help us celebrate.

Moray and Denise Boyd, and Richard and Ann Harrison came over to Vegas, which has been fantastic.

Me and the boys have spent a bit of time on the golf course out here, which has been absolutely fantastic. But I tell you, for Moray in particular, it’s been a long way to come for lessons.

OVER here in Cincinnati, I’m getting ready for my busiest time of the year.

Of the two teams I coach directly, my under-17s have done particularly well, winning their second Ohio South State Championship. We have a ratings system at this level, and my team is ranked second in the whole of the country.

There’s a lot of talent here – and at this time of year, the big colleges are on a recruitment drive, so we’re hoping for some offers.

The tournaments start coming thick and fast, so with me overseeing 22 teams, and the club boasting some 153, it’s absolutely non-stop.