Offside Ref

For quite some time now we have seen players waving imaginary cards around and asking for the opposition to be booked. I despise this act and think if the player wants to be making the decision that bad he should quit being a player and become a ref.

I’ve said for sometime that I’d like this act to be cracked down upon but no one appeared to be doing anything about it. Step forward UEFA just before the latest round of Euro 2008 qualifiers and issue a directive saying that and player asking for another to be cautioned should themselves be cautioned.

EUFA also wanting to crack down dissent have said that at least one player should be booked if a group surround a referee.  I also agree with this and can only hope that the directives filter down into the leagues and up to FIFA.

More often than not great players don’t go on become great managers, it seem that its often the really average midfielder or defender who rises to the top of the management game, its almost as if they knew what they wanted to do as a player but couldn’t do it with their feet but were able to put it into words for others. There are of course exceptions and increasingly now days you don’t get a second look if you didn’t make it as a player.

So we come to Roy Keane whose pedigree as a player can’t be argued about. Having just been appointed manager of Sunderland everyone has begun to wonder what sort of a manager he will make.

Keane has as good as admitted that he will need to be a bit more subtle.  For good reason too, the fact is that you just can’t shout at your squad for the entire season as the shock value losses its effect and players end up ignoring the person doing the shouting.  So it looks like Keane will have to mellow a little.

I have to admit that I have no idea how this one is going to go but feel that he will that to it like a duck to water or after a positive start, crash and burn.

I hope for the Sunderland fans it works out as surely they suffered enough last season.