BRUM IS BLUE!

It has been announced that following an unsuccessful appeal Blues will be fined £12,500 for their part in the altercation during the game against Bolton on 4th March. Bolton have been fined just £2,500 for the same incident.

It was an altercation that didn’t particularly look as though it needed to happen. It seemed to come from nothing and ultimately it’s ended up costing the club a pretty penny, the large discrepancy between the fines isn’t down to Blues being judged to be more responsible for the altercation than Bolton, in fact the opposite as the report has confirmed both parties were at fault and that due to the number of players involved it was difficult to determine who was trying to peace make and who was the aggressor.

The reason for the substantial difference between the values of the fines is that, not only did Blues appeal it which incurs a higher fine if the appeal isn’t upheld but also because it’s Blues third instance this season alone. The FA website even shows that the maximum is £25,000 and that this is then multiplied by the number of instances so Blues could have theoretically been slapped with a £75,000 fine if the FA had seen fit to.

For me the particular incident wasn’t needed but then most people will say it’s never needed. I don’t think that’s quite true, the fact the whole team is united is a positive for me. You can see the mentality behind it, it’s the unity, it’s the fighting for each other, it’s an old school camaraderie that you don’t see as much these days. It’s something that used to get the fans going and drive atmosphere but I suppose the impact of such altercations is that it can spill over into the stands and beyond.

I suppose camaraderie aside there is the issue that Blues have been warned about it previously so it gives the appearance of being unable to control the players. This is on the face of it a valid point, something we can’t really complain about, but it is nice to see the unity and the passion. You wouldn’t want it to spiral, I mean if it continued to happen and the clubs top limit fine was ever imposed it would be a substantial blow for all the work done to generate income for the club to be able to spend and build upon going forward once we’re back in the Championship and under the profit and sustainability rules.

It seems to be a recurring thing at the moment and it’s no doubt down to building a real sense of players that want to be involved with the club and each other. I suppose at the end of the day the club just needs to suggest that Davies and the lads find other ways to demonstrate this unity and passion without costing the club at each occasion.