The Curtain-Raiser

So the beginning of the Premier League season is fast approaching, and pre-season is almost at an end. What can we say about Sunday's Community Shield encounter?

Peter Walton took charge, and while his general control of matters seemed fine, he got it wrong on two key decisions. Firstly, Carlos Tevez was definitely fouled in the penalty area by Hermann Hreidarsson, who grabbed hold of his leg. That said, it wouldn't have been an easy offence to spot, and from Walton's angle it probably looked like Tevez was just going down easily. Tevez then reacted to this by grabbing Hreidarsson by the throat, for which he should have been sent off. I'm sure that if any of the officials had seen it, he would have been. So, while these two key decisions were both wrong, it was understandable, as they were both difficult to see.

Walton was also out on clear instructions to get the FA's "Respect" campaign going. He did this, cautioning two players for dissent in the first half. If this kind of line carries on, then hopefully players will get the message and start to show more respect for officials. However, the cynics would suggest that this sort of thing will last barely a month and then we'll be back to the bad old ways, where officials get complained at and abused at will. The promise of FA backing should hopefully see an improvement, at least for a while.

I was delighted to see Dagenham register an excellent 6-0 win over a woeful Chester side on Saturday, an excellent start for us. There are Carling Cup ties and European qualifiers this week, but everyone is looking to Saturday, and the kick-off of the Premier League season. The referee appointments have not yet been released, but I'd expected to see four of the more experienced officials on the four TV games, each of which involves one of the 'big four' clubs. Lets hope its another exciting season!