If the FA had balls!

If the FA had balls

 

It passed largely unnoticed and unremarked but last Friday, 26 October 2008, was the 145^th anniversary of the first meeting of the Football Association. The discussion, over a few ales in the Freemasons Tavern in Great Queen Street, sorted out the basic rules of the game and set the illustrious governing body on its way. Fast forward some 144 years to August 2007 and a few miles to the east from that very spot, the pockmarked, snaggle-toothed mug of one Carlos Alberto Tevez is beaming for photographers as he and fellow countryman, Javier Mascherano, are paraded for the press. In a deal comparable to Spurs capture of Ardiles and Villa twenty odd years previously, West Ham had stunned the footballing world with the signing of a pair of top-notch Argies. Hammers fans dropped their jellied eels in disbelief. But it was clear to all and sundry that Carlos and Jave hadn’t waved goodbye to the land of the tango and corned beef to ply their trade in the East End for too long.

 

And so it transpired. Carlos trotted up to Old Trafford for more “love this club” badge kissing with Manchester United left scratching their heads as to who they actually had to pay for his services when the initial “loan” arrangement ran out. Amid the claims and counterclaims over the involvement of third parties in the ownership of his registration, it soon became apparent that West Ham had breached any number of Premier League rules in his unorthodox signing. That the Hammers had escaped the relegation trapdoor by the skin of their teeth whilst fielding an ineligible player did not go down well with the teams who had taken the drop, chief among them Sheffield United and their universally adored manager Neil Warnock.

 

What the mandarins at Lancaster Gate should have done when first alerted to West Ham’s indiscretions was to show strong leadership and instruct the Premier League, in no uncertain terms, to dock points from West Ham, irrespective of the consequences for league position. There are plenty of precedents for draconian action in the face of financial jiggery pokery and transfer shenanigans. What they actually did, unsurprisingly, was prevaricate and fudge, imposing an initial £5.5m fine for the third party transfer dealings which the Hammers Icelandic biscuit tycoon owner knew would be easily dwarfed by the rewards of another year on the Premier League gravy train. Sheffield United continued to press their case, the FA gratefully accepted the shovel they had been handed and kept digging, their non-appealable tribunal awarding a rather more eye-watering £30m in damages against West Ham for loss of earnings. Spurred on by their cub’s successful action (and, presumably, the cajoling of sportslawyers4U.com) a group of individual Blades players are now seeking recompense for their lowered earnings.

 

It is high time that the “big clubs” are shown that they are not above the game’s rules and regulations, and if that means making an example of one of them, so much the better. The FA are very good at being tough with behemoths like Luton and Rotherham but seem strangely less steely in their resolve at the prospect of facing down one of the  bigger members of the old boys club. Dog and Duck teams the country over know that if you get caught fielding a ringer on a Sunday morning, the league will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Why the same principles should not apply in the rarefied echelons of the Premier League is unclear. With its failure to take decisive action the sport’s governing body has gone a long way to ensuring that the courtroom and not the football field will be where contentious promotion and relegation issues will be settled in future. Good work lads! But then did you expect any less from the suits who assured us that Steve McLaren was definitely the man they had wanted for the England job all along….

 

 

Doctor Bet’s Wealth Tonic – keeping you wealthy and wise

 

Bet with other peoples money before you bet with your own.

 

Many of you will have an account with Ladbrokes, Bet365, Corals, Hills etc. Most will have one account, some of you two and far fewer have three or more.   The question is why do you not have an account with all of the leading sites?  There is no cost to have an account. You are simply giving your money away. First, all of the bookmakers offer free bets as inducements to open an account and regularly have additional offers or bonuses.  Second, by having multiple accounts you have access to the best odds available for every event you wish to bet on and have access to all of the offers in the market place. Limiting yourself to one account is simply playing into the hands of the bookmakers. They already have the betting edge in their favour, don’t make that edge any bigger than it needs to be!  

 

Bets of the week

 

We are venturing far afield this week to the NRL Grand Final in Sydney, Australia, where the Melbourne Storm take on the Manly Sea Eagles. Between them they conceded a mere 6 pts in the semi finals.  In a previous article I remarked upon how good defences nullify strong offences.   Load up on a points tally of under 34, available at even money with a number of firms and dont forget to take advantage of those free bets.