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Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
WHAT'S up with everyone at the moment? Is there something in the water?
The football scene seems to be just one big punch-up (if media headlines over the last few days are to be believed).
And leading the way must be amateur footballer Paul Cooper: The 39 year old received six red cards in the same match and has now announced that he thinks his career is over after receiving a two year ban.
Cooper got a second yellow card for dissent while playing for Hawick United against Pencaitland in the Border Amateur League in Scotland in November. He then received another five red cards for verbal clashes with the referee!
A contrite Cooper is quoted as saying:"I completely overreacted after I had been sent off and I know I said things to the referee I should not have." He says that after a 22 year playing career he will now have to find something else to do on a Saturday afternoon. Border League referees have no doubt welcomed the news!
Dave Bayliss, joint-manager of Blue Square Premier side Barrow has been fined by the club for his role in a brawl which took place after their 2-0 defeat by Kettering in February: The 33 year old was fined an undisclosed figure at the hearing and has also been placed on a support course to help channel his frustrations. He is still waiting on disciplinary action from the Football Association.
Championship club Derby County could be in trouble after their players were involved in a mass brawl for the third time this season: The incident happened during their 1-0 home defeat by Swansea. Derby,who had a player sent off earlier in the game, were incensed by Swansea substitute Gorka Pintado's two-footed tackle on Robbie Savage for which he received a red card and Derby players had to be restrained from a confrontation with the Spaniard as a mass confrontation involving at least 18 players was sparked.
The club are already facing an FA charge after a touchline flare-up in last month's home game against Nottingham Forest, which followed a suspended fine for a similar incident when the two clubs met in Nottingham earlier in the season. However, the Derby manager Nigel Clough said of last Saturday's incident: "Our players did nothing out of order. The officials were right there in the corner when it all kicked off and didn't show one yellow card to any other player. We don't want our players to walk away from that situation, we expect them to support their team-mate in the manner they did. No-one wants punches thrown or anything like that but they are entitled to be there to support a player, especially after a tackle like that."
And Clough and his players received further endorsement on Monday when Derby chief executive Tom Click said on the club website: "We are fully supportive of our players and believe the incident was nothing more than a passionate reaction to a team mate being scythed down in a potentially dangerous tackle. They showed togetherness and unity in standing up for their captain and in no way did their actions escalate beyond that. Of course we do not encourage ill discipline or unacceptably aggressive behaviour from our team, but we do expect them to stand up for themselves and their team mates when they are wronged. As a club we believe we should stand up for fairness and what is right; this is a duty we have to our supporters. This philosophy resonates from the ownership, to the management, players, officials and most importantly the fans. If further action is taken against us we will respond accordingly, but we will continue to stand as one on this issue."
So there.
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