Managers in the dock for berating referees

WITH the season barely two weeks old, three Premiership managers and a coach are in trouble with the FA for berating referees.

Graeme Souness, Bryan Robson, Ron Atkinson and Gordon Strachan have all been charged with bringing the game into disrepute, while the Coventry pair have also been asked for their observations of events during City's game at Chelsea.

Souness let rip at the referee Michael Riley during half-time and at the end of the 2-1 defeat at Leicester on August 21st, following the dismissal of Southampton's Barry Venison.

Three days later Riley was criticised by Robson after booking nine players and sending off Middlesbrough's Nigel Pearson in the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Robson described Riley's refereeing as "farcical" while Forest's manager Frank Clark said he could not remember a bad tackle in the game.

Atkinson and his coach Strachan have been charged following City's reserve match against West Bromwich last week in which the Scotsman refused to walk after being sent off.

The referee, Tony Green halted the game for 15 minutes then afterwards was subjected to a verbal volley from Atkinson.

The Coventry pair have also been asked about events surrounding Chelsea's opening goal on August 24th which followed a blatant handball by Petrescu.

The Coventry defender Liam Daish was sent off for what he said to the linesman, while Steve Ogrizovic and Gary McAllister were booked for protesting.

Meanwhile, Wales and Sunderland defender Andy Melville is relishing the chance of adding to the troubles of arch rivals Newcastle at Roker Park tonight.

He said: "We've started OK and they are not having the best of times, so I guess you could say we re looking forward to it.

"We'll try to treat it like it's just another game but it's the one the supporters want us to win more than any other."

Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has called for his men to stand up and be counted after two defeats in their first three games with Sunderland unbeaten following their promotion.

Keegan expects to have a full squad to choose from, although Faustino Asprilla has not reported back yet after scoring a hat-trick for Colombia in Sunday's World Cup victory over Chile. Peter Beardsley who has not started a Premiership game this season could be recalled to the side.

Arsenal's good start to the season despite the controversial sacking of manager Bruce Rioch could soon leave them with a fight to hang on to caretaker-boss Stewart Houston, the man holding the ship steady until Frenchman Arsene Wenger's still undated arrival.

When George Graham was dismissed in February last year, Houston was put in temporary charge and steered the Gunners away from relegation trouble as well as into the final of the European Cup-winners' Cup with superb wins against French champions Auxerre and Italy's Sampdoria.

Now he has taken them to third place in the Premiership with two wins in the first three games - results achieved without injured England skipper Tony Adams and with star striker Ian Wright only a substitute.

And if he can pull off a win at Highbury tonight against second-in-the-table London rivals Chelsea the spotlight will be even fiercer on the modest Houston.

Spain's national team are to drop Seville as a permanent home for competitive games, coach Javier Clemente announced yesterday.

"There will be no more fixed headquarters," said Clemente, who was speaking in the Faroe Islands ahead of tonight's World Cup qualifier. Clemente added that November's tie with Slovakia would be played in Tenerife and that several other cities. among them Valencia, La Corunna and Alicante, were also being considered as future venues.