SOAPBOXES are in danger of splintering into thousands of shards after a weekend of wobble-vision across the Premiership.

But all the hot-air served was to point up the hyper-inflation football elite's smug self-importance and, at the same time, demonstrate what a blimpish dirigible of bluster FIFA's chief Sepp Blatter truly is.

While the sport was better off concentrating on the glory game that is that paraded in all its pomp and panache by all-conquering Arsenal or focusing on the battling qualities of the likes of Bolton and Norwich City, the Cyclops gaze of the Premiership instead alighted with all its wrath upon referees.

Yet the two main decisions which detonated the greatest debate were correct.

Mark Halsey changing his mind to rule out a penalty for Fulham against Arsenal in their London derby was, excuse the pun, spot-on. Yet somehow that about-turn engendered enough jaw-jaw to have had the chattering classes go down with lock-jaw.

Come on. Halsey was quite within his rights to change his mind. Indeed, his honesty was 'a refreshing change'. He not only corrected what was originally a mistake, but then came out to face the television cameras to explain why he did what he did.

It wasn't a penalty when Ashley Cole tangled with Andy Cole. They both knew it and after a re-think occupying a mere few seconds, Halsey knew it too.

But the subsequent reaction suggested that Halsey was culpable of the most heinous of crimes.

At the least, he was accused of denying Fulham a rare way of breaching a formidable Gunners' defence. At the most, his actions were about to radically transform the complexion of football in the biggest change since Jean Marc Bosman loped out of a European court clutching a piece of paper in his mitts.

The flaky argument went that Halsey's reversal of fortune would open the door to screaming, yelling and caterwauling footballers forever imploring officials to change their minds after blowing their whistles to signal a particular offence. So what's different there, then? The pampered ones have been bulging their veins in their foreheads for many a season already.

It makes you wonder just what furore would be generated if the clamour for having television technology in place to resolve key decisions was agreed. A referee changes his mind - rightly so - and football's fraternity goes apoplectic. If that luxury was afforded television the game would implode.

Then there was the other big talking-point. The sending-off of Everton's Tim Cahill after his passable impression of Fabrizio Ravanelli by lifting his shirt over his head in bare-chested glee of what proved to be the winner at Manchester City.

Cahill was soon on his way back to the dressing-room booked for his revelry under FIFA current guidelines. But what was omitted in the subsequent brouhaha was that Cahill had previously been booked, so he wasn't sent off for passionately celebrating his strike. It was his second yellow-card offence and we know what that means, unless your name is Barry Ferguson that is.

Being booked for rejoicing in a goal is sheer folly in itself. But it is the law that needs to be changed, which brings us to blathering Blatter. He rounded on referee Steve Bennett for booking Cahill yet it is his own FIFA organisation which issued the ludicrous guideline to referees in the first place.

Listen Mr Blatter, if you're going to insist on referees booking anything to do with shirts then caution those players who kiss whatever club crest they are wearing that week, or fine the clubs that sport the most hideous-looking strips. Liverpool's new away incarnation instantly springs to mind.

And as for the Premiership and its battalion of pundits. Stop being so bloody precious and just get on playing the game for which you are all so handsomely rewarded.

Updated: 10:26 Tuesday, September 14, 2004