Well the only question (unless you’re Jose Morinho, in which case there are thousands of BIG questions) about West Ham’s win against Chelsea yesterday is: does this in fact count as the Hammers run of beating ‘big teams’, after their earlier season dispatching of Arsenal and Liverpool. Do Chelsea still qualify as a ‘big team’? As they are currently 15th in the league and, should the absolutely unthinkable happen and Spurs lose at Bournemouth this afternoon, Chelsea would then drop to 16th. Just one spot above the relegation zone.

And although I hate to be some harbinger of doom, a gloom-mongering sooth-sayer, for Chelsea, I’m prepared to live with it.

Christmas is just around the corner. And should Chelsea be bottom at that time (I know, but I’m saying, kind’a hypofetical, innit) then the chances of them being relegated go up by a factor of 6.9. I worked it out empirically. Or plucked a random number out of thin air; same difference.

There are three photos in the paper today. One shows Zouma’s effort with the ball photographed not crossing the line. Ok, it was only a quarter in shy but that’s no goal. Does Jose think his eyesight, from 70 yards away at a funny angle is better than ‘goal-line technology’. In which case he’s a bigger tosser than even I previously thought. And believe me, that’d take some doing.

The second photo is Cesc Fabregas, a touch offside for what would have otherwise been his goal. Again, a miss is as good as mile, or if its happening to Chelsea, its much better than a mile. Its sixty miles.

The third photo is the game’s referee immidiately after sending off Matic, with John Terry’s pointing finger about an inch from his eyeball. Aggressive, threatening, intimidating. I’d have sent that bastard off too.

Instead Morinho was sent off to spend the second half in the stands, his assistant was sent off and five other Chelsea players were booked.

I’m no strict disciplinarian. I don’t advocate national service for the young, I’m not into corporal punishment (unless you’re paying someone for it and she’s wearing slinky black underwear and high heels). But when I watch rugby I simply love and admire the respect with which the referee is treated. And when I see the horrendous scenes that plague football in the same situations I simply hate it. And furthermore cannot understand why it is tolerated. So easy to correct.

Refereeing decisions are not democratic. They can’t be. And even if they were, democracy doesn’t work in an environment of threats and intimidation.

Now come on Spurs, let’s win, and let’s do it in a nice, calm, gentlemanly way.

Happy Sunday

A xxxx