28.5.12 Soccer Aid

What a thoroughly entertaining game, even if it was played at a rather slow pace.  Well done to most.  I did notice that Clarence Seedorf was trying to make sure he passed to other players, thus giving celebrities a helping foot throughout the game.  Now, he's not exactly an 'old timer' considering he's only 36 and has literally only just stopped playing, so perhaps it was fair that he adopted this approach.  At the other end, though, we had Teddy Sherringham and Kevin Phillips who were trying rather harder to score for themselves.  Roy Keane went off injured before he could end anyone's career, which is his party-piece of course.  Serio Pizzorno's goal for ROW was excellent.

Whilst Jaap Stam was a beast who was not massively 'friendly' in this friendly match, it was Teddy Sherringham who was the villain of the day.  Now, I know this match was not under the jurisdiction of the FA, and so there was tolerance and leeway in the refereeing department.  However, if Mark Clattenburg can give Paddy McGuinness a yellow card for kicking the ball away, then I suggest that Howard Webb should have sent off Sherringham.  Not to have given him even a yellow card shows deplorable refereeing by someone whose reputation seems to be rather ahead of his actual ability.

There is much talk of red cards in football for players who commit dangerous challenges, and the expectation is that this always surrounds studs and jumping in, whether with one foot or both feet.  However, serious foul play and reckless challenges do not have to involve feet or studs - as so very clearly demonstrated by Teddy Sherringham.  If you did not see the game, and have not caught up via the internet, watch the input that TS has.  He quite simply 'took out' Gordon Ramsay with a brutal charge into his body/back.  It was no better or worse than some of the red card challenges we've seen this year.  Completely thuggish, and as bad as anything you'll see from John Terry.

So, Teddy Sherringham, same on you.  Poor.

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