Little doubt what the RCA talking point is these last few days, a succession of red cards. No doubt others will comment so I won’t say much, but everybody seems to think we were more than a bit unlucky with at least the double yellow sendings off. Rough with the smooth, rough with the smooth, is all you can say really, and buckle in for the next match.
Two defeats stopped our progress, that's for sure, particularly losing down at Pickering, a real body blow.
Still on we go, it looks like this is going to be a proper trappy league this season, with plenty of sides winning and losing against expectations already, and that will continue I expect. We won’t be the only surprise losers. Heaton Stan were the star turn this last week with their excellent win up at Ashington, a bit of a hangover for the Colliers after their superb FA Cup exploits maybe, but Heaton Stannington are really flying now after a slow start following their promotion. No great surprise, they have a great set up, a lovely ground and facilities, and are getting excellent crowds and they will only get stronger in coming seasons. No reason why they couldn’t flourish higher up the pyramid.
Ashington still look a real good bet for the top spot come April, although Bishops and Whitley Bay will be expecting to be there or thereabouts. But a few of those surprise results and who knows which other little old clubs could be in the mix.
Meanwhile SAFC are in the same sort of mini-slump as ourselves, still playing good stuff so folk tell me but not getting the results. Strikers would help, although that doesn’t account for conceding four at home.
They will be fine, if you think the Northern League is trappy, and as you know I do, then the Championship is something else. For instance, I think the Boro will get promoted, doesn’t look likely at the minute, but I have a feeling as they say.
More controversy over VAR, with decisions taking longer and longer, and looking more and more pernickety. Offside by an elbow? I don’t think so.
The obvious answer is just to abolish it and go back to referees and linesmen making the mistakes like in the good old days. No chance of that of course. The genie is out of the bottle now and no amount of complaining will put it back, it will just get more and more complicated.
Still anything that upsets Kane and Conte is not all bad, never been much of a fan of Spurs, loads of money and serial under achievers as they are..
The good news in the Champions League this week has been the number of “Super League” clubs who haven’t qualified for the knock out stage. Of course if the likes of Juventus and Barcelona get their way they won’t have to qualify at all in future, and Man United will be lurking in the shadows egging them on as well.
And finally, the corruption World Cup is getting closer, in Qatar. I’ll say that again, the World Cup is in Qatar. In the winter. Nothing is too absurd for the masters of World Football.