“Because Newcastle are invariably involved in a relegation battle, when you get to March or April, it means I can’t referee anyone around them towards the bottom three. If Newcastle needed a point to survive and the team they were fighting to get above was say [Aston] Villa, I couldn’t referee Villa’s game either. I wouldn’t want to. It’s not worth the hassle.” Tierney also took charge of United’s opening Premier League game of the season, when Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brighton.
