SOFIA, SO BAD Having been ordered by the Bulgarian FA to play two home games behind closed doors, Lokomotiv Plovdiv have had the sanction overturned after proving that a stone thrown at a policeman during their match away to CSKA Sofia was not hurled by one of their fans. Since it matters which club the miscreant supports, what happens if a neutral throws a stone at a policeman? Do they penalise the club that they support, even though their club weren’t present?
PALACE OLD GUARD Three present Barclays Premiership managers were Crystal Palace team-mates in 1995: Chris Coleman (Fulham), Iain Dowie (Charlton Athletic) and Gareth Southgate (Middlesbrough). Alan Pardew, the West Ham United manager, was at Palace in the early 1990s.
THIRD TIME LUCKY Back in Bulgaria, congratulations to Chernomorets, newly promoted to the Premier League, for managing to play a match at the third attempt. Their first game was abandoned because they had not registered five under-21 players from their academy as professionals and the second was called off after they failed to arrange appropriate security.
READING WRITING HISTORY Reading’s 3-2 win over Middlesbrough on Saturday was the second time in three home matches against Premiership teams that they have won by that score after trailing 2-0 at half-time. They did the same against West Bromwich Albion in the FA Cup last season.
THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT Three seasons ago, Bolton Wanderers had a player with a two-letter surname (Ibrahim Ba) and now they want one with 20 letters (Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink).
Advertisement
WATFORD WATCH It is said that luck evens itself out over a season in terms of refereeing decisions, so we will check whether that proves true for Watford. On Saturday, when losing 2-1 away to Everton, they conceded a penalty when Chris Powell, their defender, headed the ball, while Alan Stubbs’s handball for Everton in the area was unpunished. Moral result: 2-1 to Watford. Luck balance so far this season: minus three points.