Tugay dismissal unfair; Reed is suspect in Dowie departure

Before the football continues into the European sector oer the following 48 hours or so, a mention of issues over the weekend. I wonder if I am the only one outside of Spurs who believes the contact of Blackburn's Tugay Kerimoglu with Spurs' Hossam Ghaly was not a foul, much less a penalty? Am I also the only one outside of Blackburn Rovers who believes Ahmed 'Mido' Hossam did not handle the ball in the area?

Firstly, the Turkish midfielder struck what simply was a superb volley as Ledley King headed out a Michael Gray cross to put the Lancashire side ahead. But on the hour Ghaly was played through by a sweet ball from Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Tugay found himself the covering player with the central defence split open and came to thwart off the Egyptian. Tugay dived across inside the box with his right leg as Ghaly flicked the ball over him, and Ghaly then went down. Referee Phil Dowd checked with the nearest linesman and not only judged the contact a foul therefore a penalty but Tugay as the last man, therefore his dismissal.

Replays showed it was Tugay's trailing leg that Ghaly fell over and for me the question is how could Tugay be in control of his trailing leg in that circumstance to intentionally foul Ghaly? Jermaine Defoe finished off the penalty. Later on the Spurs box was crowded during a Blackburn freekick by Gray, which came to Mido who appeared to have handled in controlling the ball. Penalty appeals were denied and replays showed the ball came off his upper chest mainly than anywhere else, at worst it was inconclusive. Coincidentally Ghaly was involved in another dismissal, that of his own, when he jumped up to challenge Gray for a high ball, leading with an arm which then came down and beside Gray's neck. It was deemed an elbow offence and a straight red and I have no qualms with that decision.

Another question that I wished I had posted earlier when I though about over the weekend and have now seen being suggested in the papers. Who thinks Charlton's new coach Les Reed had some influence in the decision to remove Iain Dowie? Perhaps it is no exclusive, though of course it is strictly my suspicion and perhaps more rumouring elsewhere on the net, but something doesn't fit right with me regarding Reed. He seems to relish the occasion, I expected he would don a tracksuit rather than a suit as it is now strictly football business to get Charlton off the bottom. Charlton have an immense mountain to climb to get out of relegation, and I would like to know who the fans are behind more, Dowie or Reed. Or if they are indeed behind another person to come in instead of Reed.

Stephen Hunt backheeled for Nicky Shorey to cross and Ki-Hyeon Seol easily headed in, and the second came courtesy of Steve Sidwell, with Glen Little passing to him and his mis-hit came to Keving Doyle to score. Reading should have had a penalty when the ever-busy Hunt kept the ball in by the touchline and round Talal El-Karkouri, who clearly had his arms around Hunt before the winger fell down. It looked a certain penalty and lesser appeals have been given but not that one. Charlton were not out of the game and they had their moments through Dennis Rommedahl, Mark Holland's shot cleared off the line and Darren Ambrose going close.



RedsMan.