Charlton Wednesday

I have always had a problem with this fixture, especially now that I do not follow fixture lists that closely. My conversations are a bit like a Marx brothers sketch,

"You going Charlton Wednesday"
"No and its Tuesday at Palace"
"No I mean Wednesday"
"Oh are the reserves playing Wednesday?"
"No they are playing Reading" bomm boom!

Talking of Reading lets get back to that style of play tomorrow. Wednesday are unlikely to be as open as Reading or Wolves, but then they are less likely to have the potency of either of those clubs. I am sure we'll hear from Pards how clubs like Wednesday coming to the Valley are always hard to beat.

Tomorrows referee is D Whitestone. Quoting from QPR's Vital site I am less than inspired by this appointment again

"Despite his refereeing career commencing in non-league in 2003, Mr. Whitestone does lack some of the experience of the higher echelons of the football league. His superiors seem not to deem him worthy of many Championship fixtures, and when you read some of the criticism levelled at the official it is an understandable decision.

With the majority of his games being played out at non-league level, the official refereed the Conference play-off final in 2006 - a match played out between Halifax and Hereford, with the latter edging the game 3-2.

Mr. Whitestone was granted five Championship fixture in 2006/07 but some criticism was levelled at the official for losing control of the game and the players, and this has become a re-occurring theme upon criticising the referee."

In 9 games he has presented 26 yellows and 2 reds, and once again like last week he is officiating at his first Cahmpionship game of the season.

The respest campaign has taken a bit of a battering this week.

I am well in favour of the campaign, I think televised attitudes of players towards authority permeate through soiciety especially influencing kids. That said there is give and take on both sides and the FA's campaign seems to be one way, you respect us whatever and we'll continue to treat you like a bunch of wasters. I wouild have liked the young referee at Watford to have apologised publicly to the team and the fans. mistakes happen even inexplicable ones, he is going to spend the rest of his career with players suggesting to him that the ball never went near the goal when he gives a goal. The FA should have waived the rules and accepted that there was a catastrophic mistake and apologised on behalf of the officials and thanked Coppell for moffering the replay but turning it down. Instead it has all been heavy handed. Maybe when Boothroyd is exiled to the stands for his behaviour they can at least lay on a hot cup of Bovril for him!!

A bad day for West Ham, a bad day for Football

A loss against Watford yesterday was the least of West Hams problems, with a tribunal ruling against them in the Tevez case, two full years and in the third season since the two Argentinians came to ply their trade at Upton Park.

The ills of West ham are unimportant to me, the wider issues continue to be my concern. Two years for something to resolved that should have been done and dusted by January of the season they arrived, but the Football League, bottled it and prayed West Ham would go down, but sadly due to the efforts of one Tevez as ruled by the tribunal they did not and both ourselves and Sheffield United went down.

Had West Ham received the warranted points deduction in the season I honestly believe that we would have had a chance of sustaining our run and avoiding relegation but who knows.

We could still however, along with all other Championship clubs, suffer at the hands of the cowardice of the Football League or FA or whoever should have been in charge.

Sheffield United have claimed £30 million compensation, which I would be surprised if they received it. There claim is based on £30 mill lost revenue. As we all know every £1 of revenue has a cost, but even if they receive half that amount, representing their profit, £15 million in the Championship is a huge windfall and along with this seasons final parachute payment un balances the Championship to the detriment of other teams that have had no interest in the Tevez affair or at best suffered from it (i.e. us).

There is no fair solution to this conundrum, the answer was to have sorted the problem out when it happened not now, but we can't turn back time!