EPL referees are playing for their jobs.

The standard of officiating in the english premier league is at best, average, maybe above average.
Last Sunday I watched a key premiership game Tottenham at home to Manchester United, the day before the game Chelsea had just cut the gap to 3 points with a facile victory at Charlton. I settled down to the game not really knowing who I wished to win the game. There are many factors related to this in my own personal world. First and foremost I am an Arsenal fan and wish any/all results to help the cause of the gunners. I have become tired of the Chelsea show for the last 2 years and after Ashley Cole's departure to Chelsea to "win trophies" as he put it, I had been hoping for one of two things to happen... either Arsenal surge to the top of the league with a fantasticly weird combination of results which would see Man Utd and Chelsea lose an extraordinary amount of points over the next 12 games or LET MAN UTD WIN IT. The latter being the more likely given their huge points and goal difference advantages.
Marc Clattenburg had been a referree I had a lot of time for. Almost every game I had seen him take charge of I had marvelled at the extreme amount of control mixed with calming of the players to diffuse flash points which can all too often occur in the premiership. Such calmness was immediately taking out yellow cards when the crowds in the stadiums wanted blood red cards. Talking to players asking them to play football and not go over the top.
The game started out fast and furious but controlled, Scholes fouled in the first minute and was excused, he would later foul three more times and each one on their own warranted a yellow. Had the referree lost his memory? Scholes was a lucky boy and escaped the whole game without a card. Later in the half Larrson was taken from behind and went down in the penalty area, Clattenburg said No Penalty, immediately after the incident and for many moments after the united players charged up to him and went to work on the referree. They constantly questioned his decisions and when one of the united players got booked they pointed back to where a Tottenham player had tackled a united player and wondered why they did not get a card. After previously watching Clattenburg be strong in other games I felt sure that he would remain that way, but on the stroke of half-time a united cross was half cleared and it fell to Ronaldo. He took the ball in full flight just as he had done at Middlesboro and forged between Malbranque and Lee, just like boro moving at such speed there was negligible contact and Ronaldo was only too happy to fall to the floor. Clattenburg was not strong enough to deny United a second penalty appeal and as Ronaldo got up to take the spot kick he gave his fellow professional player a look as if to say "it wasnt me...it was the ref who gave it". Ronaldo knew it was not a penalty, united needed to win to maintain the gap to Chelsea and in the end united won 4-0, pundits will say that they won so handsomely that the penalty decision was not the game breaker. I am not so sure about that. We will never know the answer to that.
Every referree is assessed on his performance by an official of the referrees, we know that it is a hard job to do with the speed that a full blooded EPL game brings and with the stubborness of the footballing powers to implement video replays of controversial incidents. All that I ask is that the referrees stay impartial and dont allow big named players to influence their judgement. Uriah Rennie used to be a premier league referree and after some high profile mistakes he is now in the championship taking games like West Brom and Preston. Be warned Mr. Clattenburg.