When Slaven Bilic moaned that the penalty wrongly awarded against West Ham at Chelsea was merely the latest in a long line of injustices to strike his side this season, he had a point.
In fact, the disgruntled Irons manager may have had four points – going by the calculations of national newspaperman HARRY PRATT’S Hypothetical Premier League, where video is used to correct referee howlers over the course of the campaign.
Forget about being in the thick of the race for Champions League qualification – as they are in real-life – in our parallel universe the Hammers are eyeing an even bigger prize…ruling the English elite supreme.
Yes, an astonishing Double is still a distinct possibility for the FA Cup quarter-finalists.
That’s because in the latest HPL Wk 31 table, Bilic’s Irons find themselves only four points behind leaders Leicester City. And, lest we forget, the Londoners have a game in hand on Claudio Ranieri’s Foxes.
No, this not an April Fool’s joke. This is just a sideways glimpse into the future and how fortune does not always even itself up over the course of a campaign.
For if Leicester are the luckiest of the title challengers, having amassed EIGHT points too many, West Ham are the unluckiest as they are down by FOUR.
In between, Tottenham are still second but have four points too many in the official standings. Then it’s Arsenal in third (one point better off in the HPL) and Manchester City, who have three too few in real-life.
Can you imagine the five-way title scrap we would be enjoying with TV referees already in operation?
HARRY PRATT is currently with Express Newspapers and has worked for Sky Sports, Football365, and Hayters.
Follow on Twitter @gharrypratt
It is just SO baffling that a multi billion pound sport can be so idiotically backward. (Hopefully) it is just a matter of time before Blatter is jailed. But it makes me wonder if his objections to TV replays for decisions was based on wanting to maintain
match fixing. V unlikely in reality, but I hope so. Then he will get extra time in the slammer, and TV technology will be used…
The game is fast so referees are reluctant in most cases to award a penalty erring on the
side of caution . however the game is a business and incorrect decisions can cost. teams
thousands of pounds so it’s about time video technology is used to assist the officials in
the area.
Lovely theory , be corrected perhaps too late for this year
and
We were swindled in the FA Cup by pigstickers outrageous block