Ian Hart: I don't like to batter officials, but I had to join in chant at Chelsea after that display
It will probably come as no surprise but across the decades I’ve joined in more than one terrace chant, and last Saturday afternoon was no different.
A classic away day, with the recent history between the two clubs a really spicy encounter, and there was I at 61 years of age, in the wake of Albion being denied a blatant second half penalty after the Blues French defender Gusto had kicked Minteh in the head in the area, I along with the massed ranks of the Albion travelling support broke into “The Premier League’s corrupt” (To the tune of ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’).
But is it?
In the cold light of day, well Tuesday actually, I don’t think it is.
If it was there’s hundreds of thousands of genuine football supporters the length and breadth of the country wasting an awful lot of money, Harty Junior and I included.
Having been a man in black previously, referee-battering is not my bag, but there seems to be frustrating decisions in nearly every game in the top flight.
Very much a game of two halves at The Bridge, when the Chelsea wheels started coming off, in amongst all the excitement and eventual elation, some of the decisions were to reiterate ‘head-shaking’.
And I don’t think the gross inconsistency is just reserved for the officials on the field, more than once this season VAR has come up with a decision that appears to favour one of the ‘big teams’.
Back in August, if Chelsea had taken the lead in similar circumstances to Fulham would VAR have come up with the same answer they did when they chalked off the Cottagers taking the lead?
Is there an answer?
Eradicating human error, is easier said than done but the EPL clearly have to be more vigilant in the training and development of their officials, otherwise questionable decisions will just becoming recurring instances.
Thankfully Albion-wise, everything turned out right in the end, a thumping 3-1 win, and truly marvellous, unforgettable scenes in front of the away end.
One point I feel I have to raise, ‘old man alert if you like’, I don’t remember when we played against former players like Mark Lawrenson, Steve Foster, Michael Robinson and Glenn Murray, any of them, whilst clearly playing against their former clubs, not behaving in a respectful manner – Joao Pedro and Moises Caciedo, what have Chelsea turned you into?