FA play race card

By Jr
February 19 2005

The FA seem ready to haul Millwall Football Club across the coals, regardless of the evidence or lack of it. Though the club make huge efforts and have made massive strides when it comes to combating racism, it's never enough if someone at the FA has their own agenda and just to make things worse...

Millwall 0 Stoke City 1

Millwall’s poor run of form continued with a 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City last Saturday.

Despite fielding an extremely inexperienced side, the Lions did manage to create a few chances yet without really troubling Stoke keeper Steve Simonsen.

After the game, Millwall player boss Dennis Wise admitted he was frustrated by the defeat: “Stoke had two efforts on our goal and one went in.

“It’s a massive dent to our play off hopes.”

For the only time this season, the Lions had a conventional left back in the side with Tony Craig playing his first game for the club since his return from Wycombe Wanderers.

Another 19-year-old, Anton Robinson, was playing in front of him on the left hand side of midfield and on the subject of his youthful side Wise said: “We had eight youngsters in our squad.

“Sometimes you need to bring in other players as you can only have a certain amount of kids.

“I was told six weeks ago that I’ve got to get on with what I’ve got.

“The strategy has all changed and you’ll need to ask (chairman) Theo Paphitis and (incoming chairman) Jeff Burnige about that.

“If you look at teams around the play off area, Sheffield United have brought in three or four players.

“Preston have Matt Hill, who we half fancied but couldn’t get.

“And Leeds got all three players we wanted: Michael Gray, Shaun Derry and Rob Hulse.

“I got told I can’t bring players in, so we’re trying to bring the youngsters through.

“The crowd have to be patient. They have to accept the changes like I have to accept I can’t buy or loan players.

“I’m here to do a job, but it makes my job more difficult the way things have changed.

“I don’t think any football club has to use the amount of youngsters that we have to.

“It’s going to be slightly different next year, but I can’t go into detail.”

On the game itself, Wise added: “We were disappointed with a couple of penalty appeals turned down because Clint Hill was pulling Danny Dichio all over the place two or three times.”

After a Tuesday trip to Cardiff City, the Lions travel south to Brighton on Saturday where Wise will be up against his former Millwall boss Mark McGhee.

Wise said: “We’ve got 13 games left and we’re still in with a small chance of the play offs, but we need between 71 and 74 points.

“We need nine wins.”

Meanwhile, the club are due to attend an FA hearing in late March regarding alleged racist chanting at the Liverpool Carling Cup tie at the Den on the 26th October.

Despite a lack of evidence, the FA seem determined to make an example out of Millwall - which is particularly bizarre given the Lions’ zero-tolerance policy when it comes to racism.

Very few clubs in the country take the matter as seriously as Millwall, who arrest and ban anyone uttering racist abuse at the Den.

With the FA hearing in mind, the club are calling on fans to write in to: Millwall Football Club, The Den, Zampa Road, London SE16 3LN, should they be able to refute these charges of racism.