Premier League to Resolve Discipline Problems with Severe Penalties. Anthony Fry, the Chairman of the English Premier League, has announced radical new plans which aim to reduce the rising number of discipline problems in the game. From the start of the 2014/15 season a new rule will come into play which, for the first time in English football history, will mean it wonât just be the final result of a match that will determine the points awarded to a team. The rule states that âFor every red card issued during a league game, the offending player will earn his team a two point deduction; for every yellow card issued, the offending player will earn his team a one point deduction.â This means that should a team win but have a red card and a yellow card given to any of their players, they will gain no points whatsoever for the victory. If a team won and had two players sent off, they would finish the match with minus one point. Itâs hoped that these radical plans will drastically cut the problems that blight the game in England. Already in 2013/14 (up to 14th January) there have been 25 red cards and an incredible 691 yellow cards. Premier League chairman Anthony Fry explained his reasoning behind this plan, âWe have give better protection to the children who watch the game. They shouldnât have to witness some of the things that go on during a football match these days. We also have to protect the players, this is for their own good. If players are discouraged from making dangerous tackles there will be fewer injuries. UEFA allows teams to enter European competitions if they have a good disciplinary record, so we know how high on their agenda cutting out naughtiness is. We will be a country where itâs not the best football club that wins the league, but instead the team that can combine brilliant football with good behaviour.â David Moyes, manager of mid-table Manchester United, was not too happy with the plan, âThis is giving the referees even more control of the football match, as if they havenât been against me all season already. This plan cannot work, imagine a world where a great club like Manchester United are halfway through the season with minus six points (ed â see revised table below). It doesnât bear thinking about. I know everyone loves us so there isnât a person in this country who wonât agree with that statement. Please, donât give the refs more power than they already have.â Gillette Soccer Saturdayâs lead presenter Jeff Stelling gave his expert opinion in the matter, âThis should be fun, watching players back out of tackles so they donât cost their team the league title. Imagine at the end of the season when two teams are locked on points and the referee makes the wrong decision to yellow card a player and all of a sudden a whole seasonâs hard work is out of the window. However, with Hartlepool being in the middle of the League Two FairPlay league it might actually benefit us, so I wonât shout to loudly about this new rule.â A spokeswoman for the PGMO (Professional Game Match Officials Ltd) gave the collective response from referees, âWe have enough to worry about, we get abused by managers and players already, so this really wonât help at all. Imagine the abuse we will receive if a sending-off relegates a team, itâs a nonsense. The Premier League should just stick to what works already. It probably wonât make any difference to the league table at all. Not only that, it probably wonât change discipline either. Stop messing with the game and stop making our lives tougher.â In response to the comments of the PGMO, The Daily Skid has decided to look at how different the Premier League table would be so far in 2013/14. Here are the results, showing Crystal Palace and Cardiff City benefiting from good disciplinary records (up to 14th January); Alternative Premier League Table http://thedailyskid.com/2014/01/20/...ve-discipline-problems-with-severe-penalties/
