Coyle’s Clarets are no vultures

While Sheffield United continue to count how lucky they were to finish as high as eighteenth during their last Premiership campaign the rest of us must stop working out ways we could get compensation off West Ham.

First we had Neil Warnock claiming Sheffield United’s unfair relegation cost him the chance of being a Premiership manager.

Next was the ex players dreaming of cashing in on their faltering careers, while today, the leech that is Ken Bates has stated he believes Leeds should get money for missed out add-ons from the transfers of Rob Hulse, Matthew Kilgallon and Ian Bennett to Bramall Lane.

What’s next? Hotdog sellers, taxi drivers and local prostitutes all complaining at the loss of Premiership pounds.

The compensation culture over this incident has gone mad. It wouldn’t surprise me if Carlos Tevez was taking legal advice claiming the stress was causing him to lose his good looks.

Neil Warnock has now taken centre stage in the saga. It seems his sense of “injustice” has become so strong that when he looks into his wallet he sees his giant head replace Her Majesty’s bonce on all his currency.

A bloke who’d feel hard done by in a lottery win, Warnock’s known for his extreme case of small man syndrome. So small in fact, that if it wasn’t for his gargantuan cranium he would have swapped football for a career with Ken Dodd’s Diddymen.

Perhaps a man whose Crystal Palace side sit ten points out of the playoff places should be concentrating on becoming a top flight manager once more instead of dreaming of becoming the new Declan Swan.

In fact, I can imagine him becoming Swan’s replacement in one of those “Claims Direct” adverts peering worryingly into an incubator hoping his ego doesn’t recover from the trauma of being back in the Championship so he can sue the arse off anyone he can.

If I were a Palace fan I’d be worried, Warnock’s become parody of a hung up bitter old woman who can’t make anymore social bonds because she’s still pining for her bastard ex. I just hope for Mrs Warnock’s sake it’s not the imagery of sitting cosily next to Stuart McCall in the dugout that’s spurring Neil on.

We’ve seen this season that managers embroiled in media slanging matches see their team’s hopes falter almost instantly. And on the day Warnock declares he wants a couple of extra quid because his side were relegated two years ago? Palace were beaten three one by relegation flirting Barnsley.

This is why he should put this to bed and concentrate on proving he is a Premiership manager instead of whining.

Warnock has the option to put all his efforts into becoming a top flight boss once again or fade into obscurity and end up leaving the game with a legacy of bitterness and resentment (although whatever he ends up doing that is still possible).

With the Championship’s run in becoming ever shorter, Palace along with a number of other teams now look to be out of the running. It’s likely that those who currently form the top eight will make up the three promoted teams at the end of the season.

After back to back wins against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forrest, Burnley’s point away at Ipswich last night was vital in the playoff push.

Currently sitting in fifth place and with seven games to play, our Owen Coyle is still in with the chance of topping off this remarkable season by earning Burnley promotion.

And if President Coyle does pull it off it would be no accident. Not one you he could claim compensation for anyway.