As always, it is the bungling rich owners looking for playthings and screwing up the lives of genuine fans. I'm very grateful that we have a board that are genuine fans, I'm sure you are all grateful that the Pozzo's seem to be the best kind of rich owners. I have fallen out with many QPR fans on not 606, but there are thousands of genuine fans that have possibly had their dreams ruined by ineptitude! Very sad!
I think last night proved England have little chance of success so in reality there should be no massive hype or pressure on Hodgson's men. Maybe we'll do better!
I must admit it's hard not to feel a rather delicious sense of schadenfreude over this. I notice that the report says the fines under FFP would be donated to charity. Clearly it's very hard to argue against such a gesture but, given the circumstances under which FFP was brought into play i canlt help thinking a better gesture for the long term health of the game would be to invest some of the money in grass roots football.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25019015 An apology is better than nothing I suppose - but is it really enough?
Not really, but unless you change the game along the lines of American football, with stoppages for video review then clubs and fans will have to live with it. You cannot change the result of a game a week or two after it has been played.
I am quite a critic of PMGO's as you all know but two things get me about this: the referee clearly got this wrong, it was at best a poor decision. True, they only get one go and this error of judgement is only as bad as, say, a top centre forward blazing over from 6 yards. 99 times out of a hundred they'll get it right but occasionally they'll get it wrong. This is an 'in the opinion of the referee' call, a judgement call rather than application of the law. It was a crass error which brings me to my second point (and you all know what's coming here...) - I would bet all the tea in China, India and right across the Himalayas that no referee would have given that decision at the other end... WBA wouldn't get it, say, Fulham wouldn't get it and we certainly wouldn't get it. There is a big club mentality among PGMO's and it sickens me to my stomach. Moreover these officials have not played a competitive match since they were 13 or 14. This is just wrong in my view. I'm not saying that former pro's should be referees, far from it, but there is plenty of decent competitive football out there that would benefit officials if they had a regular game for two or three seasons in adulthood. But they don't. They are forced out of playing and it shows. Time and time and time again.
They would soon pick up on how the pros cheat and con the officials by playing a game or two themselves!
I find the idea that a referee can be put under pressure by a team complaining for 90 minutes is wrong and when a player gets knocked over, gets to his feet waving in a give the other player a card way even worse. Admonish the waver.
I think refs do not set out to favour either side but there is clearly huge pressure on them when acting in front of large hostile crowds. So while I expect them to act fairly I think one-eyed supporters make it a much harder job. Less hostility towards referees would make their job easier.
Totally agre Theo - how many of us could carry out our jobs to the standard we expect from refs if there was a crowd of tens of thousands questioning our parentage, making assumptions about our sexual proclivities or just shouting and booing at us? Not many I would wager.
I see that someone has worked out how to get Joe Garner into gear - he's now scored in five successive games. His double tonight takes his tally to seven in that run - sign him up GFZ!
Just how long will the Coventry fiasco continue? A 'home' game tonight and the Att: 1,961. Sooner or later something has to happen.
They are contemplating acquiring the old Hinckley United ground - just over the border in Leicestershire ... not without some issues but a lot closer to 'home' ...
Funny old game really - I seem to remember when Dyche replaced MM there were a few dissenting voices who wanted this guy instead. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25136636 A lot can happen in two years...
Sheffield Wednesday have sacked Dave Jones. Another manager who seems to be able to get a job on a regular basis.
They'll probably appoint Hollowhead just in time for their visit to The Vic - and he'll rub our noses in it.....
Hull are reporting a loss of £25.5 Million for last season.....wages were an eye watering £25.9M on a turnover of £11M.....net debt is now £72M.
