Any sports fan will agree that it was a brilliant weekend of action.

Premier League football, the Ashes, the Rugby League World Cup and, of course, the Carl Froch v George Groves fight.

All made for great viewing, but some of it was overshadowed by controversy.

Kevin Friend, Neil Swarbrick, Phil Dowd and Howard Foster were all the men that were at the heart of the talking points.

Those four were referees whose decision-making put their sport – and themselves – in the spotlight.

In the Premier League, three incidents caused uproar.

Friend, Swarbrick and Dowd ensured everyone was talking about the games they were officiating.

Friend sent off Sunderland’s Wes Brown for a firm, but fair, tackle.

Swarbrick and Dowd caused controversy after failing to produce red cards in their respective games.

Swarbrick was in charge of the Manchester United v Cardiff game and didn’t see Wayne Rooney’s kick on Jordon Mutch as a sending off.

In the Mersyside derby, Dowd thought a knee-high challenge on Liverpool’s Luis Suarez by Everton’s Kevin Mirallas warranted just a yellow card.

Decisions by the referees – particularly in the Premier League – cause debates on a weekly basis.

Foster was the referee in charge of the Froch and Groves fight.

This was billed as the biggest grudge match in British boxing since Nigel Benn against Chris Eubank in the early 90s.

It was one of the best bouts in a long time and certainly lived up to the hype.

However, the decision by Foster to stop the fight in the ninth round in favour of Froch caused uproar for both people watching from home and the 20,000 in the Manchester Arena.

One thing that all of those incidents have in common is they were split-second decisions.

It’s all down to interpretation, opinion and how it’s seen at that particular time.

We all have our own views on these talking points.

How would you have dealt with them? What decision would you have made?

When we watch sport from the comfort of our sofa, we all become the player, the manager and the referee.

We get everything right, whichever role we take on. We are somewhat perfect and never make a wrong call.

I respect what referees do in all sports, because in that role you can never please everyone, never ever get applause and hardly ever are given credit for what you do.

I suppose referees are always seen as the pantomime bad guy, everyone takes a dislike to them straight away.

So what would I have done if I had been in those situations?

The Rooney and Mirallas challenges both warrant red cards and are easy decisions.

The Brown challenge is a tougher call – but it’s certainly not a red.

I can see, because of the ferocity of the challenge, how the official might have been influenced into going for the red.

I have watched each incident both in real time and slowed down, and my opinion remains the same.

If I were the referee in the Froch v Groves fight, I would have done things a lot differently.

Groves should have be allowed to fight his way out of trouble and not been stopped when he was.

I believe my decisions on the four incidents are the correct ones, but know I would have probably have got stick from some quarters as well.

Refereeing decisions will never please all and more often than not they anger many.

If only Carlsberg did referees . . .