Officials Chant

[Bristol Red Rover]

This is a curved ball... 

I noticed the ref at Birmingham was called Brendon Malone, my head starts playing Molly Malone on it's Jukebox, and I substitute Brendan for Molly and...

I wonder if chanting the refs name before the start of the match would endear him to us. I know they're professionals and all that, but I can bet not one ref has had his/her name chanted at a game, certainly not in a positive way. After that experience, try as they might to be unaffected, they are bound to feel just a little bit warm towards the side whose fans are chanting their name. Come that crucial decision hanging in the balance - send him off or not, penalty or not - it could well tip the balance. But, more so, if they made a bad decision and then got abuse from the Donny fans, it would hurt, just a bit. They'd feel they had to make it up. I bet you it would make a difference.

And why stop with the ref, the ref assistants too.

"we love you Brendan Malone, we love you Brendan Malone, we love you Brendan Malone! Oh Brendan we love you!"

[River Don]

In Birminghams fair city, where the girls are... alright
I first set my eyes on sweet Brendan Malone?

Errr?