Tom Ross Column: Birmingham City's Jolly Jack loved and admired by all

Aug 19 2009 by Mark Woodward, Birmingham Mail

He was well known for his quirky sayings – for example, when asked how he was, his reply was to stick his thumbs up and say “swinging”.

When the manager, directors or anyone arrived in the boardroom, he would acknowledge them with “The first team’s here”.

There was not a woman he met who did not fall a little bit in love with him.

The world, the game, the FA, and the Blues are all poorer with his passing.

■ THERE has been a lot of talk about the need for goal-line technology since a Crystal Palace goal was amazingly not given by referee Rob Shoebridge in the game against Bristol City last weekend.

By the way, he was the referee for the Baggies’ Carling Cup tie at Bury and did OK.

However, Shoebridge can have no excuse for missing the goal at Ashton Gate; in fact, Stevie Wonder would have given it as the ball hit the back of the net and then bounced straight out again.

If you need technology to help you decide it was a goal then you should not be refereeing in the first place.

However, I have to say it could not have happened to a more deserving manager than Neil Warnock.

I was at the ‘Battle of Bramall Lane’ when Warnock’s disgraceful Sheffield United team successfully got the game against West Bromwich Albion abandoned because they were down to less than seven players.

They and their manager were guilty of some disgusting antics that had absolutely no place on any football pitch anywhere in the world.

What is that saying Neil? What goes around comes around. Justice has been seen to be done, even if a little late.

■ IT WAS with some surprise that I read that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson wants the cheats driven out of the game; kettle and pot immediately spring to mind.

Now I am a huge admirer of what Sir Alex has done in his reign at United, but come on, this is the same Fergie who signed Cristiano Ronaldo – one of the biggest divers the English game has ever seen.

United, as a team, continually harangue referees trying to persuade or bully them into making mistakes. Is that not cheating?

Yet another saying springs to mind Alex: “People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

If you really want to clean up the game perhaps you should start at the Theatre of Dreams.