Albion blog: Discipline

The Easter draw at Charlton turned out to be a good result as many of the other challengers for automatic promotion also dropped points,

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It means we still have our destiny in our own hands.

Games in hand are only good if we manage to win them, but with Colchester at home being our next game we should be confident of getting three points and placing more pressure on those teams around us.

We witnessed again at the Valley that super Kevin Phillips is the master goalscorer in this division and when fit must surely start the remainder of our games this season.

The formation in the first half was a little baffling, and when we went 4-4-2 in the second half we looked a lot better.

However the point turned out to be a good result when I nervously watched Saturday's games unfold.

The big talking point this weekend was the sending off of Liverpool's Mascherano. On the back of the Ashley Cole incident last week it was almost inevitable that there would be a reaction from referees.

In both incidents the players showed a lack of respect to the officials involved, but who is to blame and how do we solve it?

The most common thought among football fans is to adopt the rugby rule of only allowing captains to address the officials. Others include lengthier bans, docking of points, and sin bins.

One of the reasons the rule of only captains talking to referees works in rugby is due to their combined use of video play back.

If a player feels like an incorrect or disputed decision has been made he knows that the likelihood is that someone has looked at the incident a number of times and come to the correct decision.

So maybe now is the time to introduce both?

Maybe what Steve Bennett did on Sunday is enough, if all referees adopt the same mentality towards harassment from players then managers will instruct their players to behave and the problem will recede.

Either way I feel the problem has become such an issue that the powers that be must address it now.

Anyway back to the Baggies, hopefully this week we will see some of our injured players return to the fold, we have particularly missed Brunt, and with his normal replacement being Morrison we have consequently missed him too.

Barnett was replaced by Cesar on Friday and although not playing for a while looked ok, as did Pele in a holding role.

They must all be wondering if they will be playing in the semi-final and I hope it acts as motivation, I hope they all realise what an opportunity now rests in their hands (or feet might be a more appropriate), they may never have a better season, but they must now finish the job they started back in August.

Three points on Saturday is a good start.

Come on you Baggies

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