You Don`t Know What You`re Doing

It is a familiar chant at football grounds these days. Last season, with Bolton labouring at Birmingham, Wanderers fans chanted ‘you don`t know what you`re doing` at Sammy Lee. Later on, Sam Allardyce got the same treatment, as Newcastle United went down to another pasting. The Tyneside top brass, reacted in their usual way and sacked the manager. Reading supporters joined in, the following February, but this time the target was referee Phil Dowd, who had seemingly missed Heidar Helguson being in an offside position as he slotted home Bolton`s second goal. Replays showed the match official to be correct in his decision.

Yesterday at the Reebok Stadium, the Geordies showed they hadn`t forgotten the words, as they pilloried deputy manager Chris Hughton for substituting Obafemi Martins, instead of the spectacularly ungifted Shola Amoebi. For those of you struggling to keep up, Hughton is standing in for Joe Kinnear, who was appointed after the departure of Kevin Keegan, the man who replaced Allardyce. Diagrams can be provided on request.

Of course, the visiting faithful had a point. Martin`s had a barren time against Gary Cahill, but Amoebi was only slightly more effective as an attacking threat, than Lofty the Lion, Bolton`s mascot. At least Lofty intended to give Whites fans a laugh.