Christmas is for football. Apparently not.

Once upon a time Football League clubs scheduled plenty of matches around Christmas, Easter and the Bank Holidays. Peak times for peak attendances.

Now it seems as if the league wants the cash-strapped clubs to play more matches on Tuesday nights in November and December in freezing temperatures.

Many clubs will have just two festive fixtures this season - Boxing Day and Monday, December 28. The FA & Football League have decided to schedule FA Cup 3rd round day for Saturday, Janaury 2 meaning there will be no New Year's fixture for many League 1 & 2 clubs (there is a League 1 & 2 programme scheduled for that day but with a few clubs still in the FA Cup some of these will be cancelled).

The league recently removed the August Bank Holiday as a fixture date while Easter Monday will be without Premier League fixtures.

You have to be a real football obsessive (or a masochist, one of the two) to watch the game on cold wintery evenings when full snowman outfit is required. Southampton had to play a league match at Hartlepool only two weeks ago.

Yet another example of the FA, Football and Premier Leagues shooting themselves in the foot.

Seeds of doubt

I can't decide whether I'm looking forward to tonight's World Cup draw or not.

On the one hand, we can discover who everyone is playing, where England fans will scramble for accommodation and look forward to the greatest sporting event there is.

On the other, the draw is over-hyped (especially by Sky Sports who don't even have the rights to show the event) and there should be no great surprises. Once again FIFA's seeding system leaves a lot to be desired. Favouring the big teams (or the ones that give them the most money), all top eight seeds should qualify for the next stage even given the worst case scenario. Two of the eight seeds will have to face the not so mighty France and Portugal. Bless.

After the ridiculous seeding system for the play-offs, surely FIFA need to have a re-think. Everyone has qualified for the World Cup on merit. Surely they should have equal chance in the competition proper?

Raking it in

If ever football can be confirmed as being out of touch with the masses, now is it.

The FA, on behalf of FIFA, have released World Cup ticket prices to the Englandfans members (to become a member fans pay £85 every two years). To see the World Cup Final, members can apply for cheapest priced tickets @ £265 rising to £592 for the most expensive. Even quarter-final matches will set you back over £100.

This in a country where you can get a bottle of beer for £1 and comfortably get a three-course meal in a restaurant for less than a tenner.

And to put things into perspective, ticket prices for the test matches in South Africa over the next two months can be bought for merely £2.50 a day (rising to £7 a day for the most expensive seats).

So the next time you hear one of those Sepp Blatter speeches on what FIFA are doing for familes, the game, the community, the masses, ignore it. He'll only be talking claptrap.

arrogance.com @ St James' Park

Yes, Newcastle fans and observers are right to be up in arms over the decision to rename St James' Park, sportsdirect.com @ St James' Park Stadium. But the fact that Toon disgust has reached the Commons only sums up just how arrogant supporters connected to that club are.

Why are Newcastle so special? Why has the issue of stadium naming rights being sold off in the name of sponsorship only come into fruition now?

Bradford City's famous Valley Parade ground is sponsored. So too is Bournemouth's Dean Court, Dagenham's Victoria Road, Shrewsbury's New Meadow, Walsall's Bescot Stadium, Leyton Orient's Brisbane Road. All of these names are no longer - certainly according to their official titles.

The situation is just as bad in non-league football. Even UniBond North Division One side Bamber Bridge's famous Irongate ground has been renamed in favour of a few extra pounds.

Bradford once warned all media that their ground must be referred to by its sponsored name - or journalists would face the consequences.

My own team, Wycombe Wanderers renamed their Adams Park ground (named after the gentleman that donated the old Loakes Park ground to the club for free) to the Causeway Stadium earlier this century for a fee of just £10,000 per annum before coming to their senses.

All this is wrong, wrong, wrong. It crosses the line between a viable business revenue and something that is sacrosanct. It upsets the fans who matter the most.

But Newcastle are definitely not a special case.

Law 18 anyone?

I defended referees yesterday and said they need to make the most of their positions: "they are always right."

They were absolutely right again yesterday when it comes to the 17 laws of football. But perhaps the biggest rule in the game is Law 18: the rule of common sense.

Step forward Mr Hall and Mr Miller.

Hall refereed the QPR v Reading game and sent off Ben Watson in the first-half for taking a free-kick too quickly. Watson, the QPR player, had indeed taken it too quickly, was on a booking so should have been carded. But people are human.

Similary Miller sent-off Guy Moussi of Nottingham Forest after the French midfielder netted a winner in the dying seconds against Barnsley. Second booking, red card. Human emotion does not seem to come into it.

Mr Hall and Mr Miller should maintain their public stance that they were right (indeed they were by the rule book). But at the same time they should review their only performances and think about law 18 (a rule explained to trainee referees on training courses).

Loyalty?

Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson has been rightly praised for his loyalty to managers. He has kept faith with Bryan Robson, Steve McClaren and Gareth Southgate during the hard times. Most other chairmen would have sacked Southgate when Boro were relegated to the Championship in May. But not Gibson. Which makes the decision to sack Southgate now all the more staggering.

The former England defender (famous for that miss against Germany in the Euro 96 semis and the subsequent Pizza Hut commercials) was given his P45 AFTER Boro had comprehensively beaten Derby 2-0 at home to put them up to 4th in the Championship, just ONE point off top spot. In any other industry, it would be unbelievable. But to take a well-worn manager's cliche, "that's football."

Already we have seen Ian McParland sacked as Notts County manager despite being four points off the lead, Wycombe manager Peter Taylor fired the day before the game and Darlington boss Colin Todd sacked just four months into his reign.

It's time for a bit of loyalty in football. Just look at the managers who have stayed around the longest. Manchester United and Arsenal were not doing too badly the last time I looked.

Respect the ref? They should respect themselves

The FA's respect campaign has long been derided as a complete waste of time. And the situation with referees this season is getting even more ridiculous.

The one golden rule of football I grew up with was "the referee is always right, even when he's wrong." But sadly that adage is no longer true as the referees and the authorities are setting precedents.

Referees have been apologising to managers for making mistakes this season. How very noble. The referee's chief Keith Hackett has been calling club's up to apologise. How very polite. Referees are getting dropped for minor mistakes. These are referees for goodness sake. How can they earn respect if their bosses are blaiming them for every single thing they get wrong?

Sir Alex Ferguson has jumped on the bandwagon with his disgraceful outburst about Alan Wiley's fitness. The authorities should throw the book at him but managers can get away with any criticism of referees they like - because referees are not prepared to stand up for themselves.

Darren Bent's beach-ball goal at the weekend takes the biscuit. Who really knows the football law concerning beach balls? The attention seeking Jeff Winter and Dermot Gallagher should know all about respecting match officials. Their criticism of Mike Jones is appalling.

Football players make mistakes. Managers make mistakes. Aren't referees allowed them without fear of retribution? Stand up for yourselves guys please (and that goes for your bosses and former colleagues) ... or you'll make things worse.