Another manic Saturday and Sunday.

I’m almost at the point of exhaustion with our hapless officials. Perhaps that’s their idea though? To be so bad we give up analysing and asking questions because we’re all losing the will to live.

Where to start? It’s been another awful weekend and I know as I type Howard Webb’s army of apologists are out spouting nonsense trying to justify some bemusing calls.

Ok. Who said this? ‘That touch on the ball doesn't negate the possible award of a penalty. We've seen other examples where the ball may touch a player but there's still heavy contact on the follow through and it's a penalty.’

Yep. You’ve got it. Howard Webb. Why? Because he was explaining why Brighton got a pen v Arsenal last season when Saliba got a good head on the ball, but followed through and caught Joao Pedro on his head. I have to say I agreed with the decision.

The words I want to focus on are ‘we’ve seen many other examples where the ball may touch a player but there’s still heavy contact on the follow through’. In other words - momentum. On VAR that day was Darren England.

If you apply the same reasoning - why was Arsenal’s pen denied by VAR at Newcastle? Pope got the tiniest of touches on the ball before cleaning out Gyokeres. It was a pen. Nailed on. Jarred Gillett got it right.

He certainly hadn’t made a ‘clear and obvious error’ so why did VAR get involved? And I’ll bet some of you are ahead of me - who was in VAR? You’ve got it - Darren England of course.

Howard Webb must now admit they got it wrong. He has no choice. His own words prove that. But, doubtless they’ll  be spinning some sort of excuse, once again treating us like idiots.

You can apply the same criteria to the incident at Villa. Martinez clearly clatters Josh King. It’s a pen. Andy Madley got it wrong, but added insult to injury by booking King for simulation. Honestly. You couldn’t make it up.

‘They can call us, they can write to us what they want, but it’s clear it was a penalty’ said Marco Silva after the match. The Fulham boss was also raging about another incorrect call - when King’s shot hit the arm of Marty Cash.

These are often subjective - but not this one. The shot was on target and beating Martinez. That’s what made it a pen. Had Cash been five yards further back and on the line Madley gives it. It’s also given in the CL, where these decisions tend to be made more accurately.

How did Collins stay on at Brentford? He intentionally pulls Mbeumo away from the ball as he’s about to slide it in. It’s a clear denial, with no attempt to play the ball. He’s got to go. Nope - this time we were told ‘the on-field decision stands because Mbeumo didn’t have control of the ball’. Of course he didn’t ffs. He was pulled off it. And he would never have controlled it anyway - he was scoring with one touch.

Inconveniently for Webb and his inept charges we had the very same incident at Chelsea later that day. Chalobah was sent-off when he denied Gomez in the D. Did Gomez have control of the ball? No. It was some two/three yards away from him, but Simon Hooper called this one correctly. It was a clear DOGSO. My question is ‘how was it different to the one at Brentford?’ The answer is ‘it wasn’t’.

I often hear people say ‘ah well, it doesn’t matter, because so and so went on to win anyway’. That’s not the point. It does matter. The inconsistency is scary. And the decision making generally poor. Those two things, and the stream of excuses post match, is what drives coaches to distraction. You can have nothing but sympathy for Silva and Fulham, who’ve been hit harder than most this season.

Now let’s talk about football. Top marks to my title-tips Arsenal. I was critical last week, but they were terrific at Newcastle. I’d have to say the match-winner Gabriel was lucky to be on the pitch when he scored mind you. He should’ve gone after punching Woltemade in the face in the first half. That was violent conduct, so it comes into VAR’s orbit, so what were they doing in the bunker? How didn’t they see it?

I wasn’t surprise to see Palace beat Liverpool. What a run Palace are on - 18 unbeaten now. I’m still not convinced by Liverpool. I don’t think they’re as good as their results suggest. If we’re all honest we enjoyed seeing them ‘Liverpooled’ didn’t we? The late winner was deserved. Like me, how long before others start asking questions of Wirtz? What does he do?

I’m staying with my self imposed ban on discussing United. I’ll say just this - I’m not sure what was worse - getting beaten by a rookie coach, half the team Brentford once were or being denied a little piece of history - winning back to back games under Amorim.

Good luck to Nuno. He’s going to need it at West Ham. It was a certainty Potter would go once Brady and Sullivan started getting it in the neck, but what a treacherous manner in which to sack the coach. The morning after you’ve let him conduct his weekly press conference and part way through preparing the team for their next game.

Look. He was a poor appointment. He was never ever going to be the man ‘to deliver further success’ as Brady predicted. He’s a myth. A rich one mind you.

The press decided he was a genius because he tried to ‘play the right way’. He’s not. He’s a nice guy heavily over backed and over promoted. He won’t get another big job.

As for West Ham - Nuno will eventually regret ever having taken the job. It’s only a matter of time before he leaves saying exactly the same things about Brady and Sullivan as all the other coaches they’ve abused.

I’ll say it again - I genuinely feel sorry for West Ham fans. Coaches will continue to come and go through the revolving door there and the club will remain a mess behind the scenes

You could do something about those things but what they can’t change is the fact they play in an athletics arena. Hammers fans were sold a dream, but in reality it’s a nightmare. They were conned. Brady delivered that con. She should follow Potter out of the door.