Well Said Craig Bellamy!

It's not often I've agreed with something Bellyache has said, even when he was in a West Ham shirt (which wasn't often, let's face it!) Excellent footballer he may be under Mark Hughes but, as a man, few would disgree with the assessment, "Obnoxious Welsh runt", except to say that's not strong enough of course!

However, in coming out against fans who hurl foul abuse about family members, Bellamy has, for once, got it right. I spoke out very strongly on this blog against the abuse Lamaprd and Terry received at Upton Park for family related matters and, typically, received a tirade of abuse myself. Stuff like, "After what Fat Frank has said about West Ham" and "If your Mum goes shoplifting what do you expect?" as if none of us have ever bad mouthed a former employer or slipped a garlic clove into the bottom of our Tesco trolley and forgotten to pay for it. I know the argument that football is a passionate game and these guys are grown ups being paid a fortune, but that is no excuse. There should be a line of what is considered unacceptable and when that line is crosed, action should be taken.

It is not just banter of course. Banter is fair enough and when clever, generates a laugh amongst the crowd and often a rueful smile on the face of the player. John Terry's Mum shoplifting would have triggered some witticisms from the wags in the old days and Terry would have acknowledged them with a grin and a shake of the head, and everybody would have moved on. But now, everybody is so full of hate. Instead of banter it is abuse, with faces contorted by spite and malice as foul comments are delivered. I well remember a couple of seasons back when a fan ran down a block and a half of seats to hurl abuse at Lampard as he was about to take a corner. I called it cowardly at the time because the guy knew full well that Lampard could not respond as a bloke might in a pub, by lamping him.

Where Bellyache is wrong in saying that fans can rely on stewards to take action. That is nonsense. I have witnessed stewards ignoring the most appalling abuse. I was at the England v Scotland play off game a few years back and, despite my complaints about Nazi salutes during the National Anthem and the most foul abuse directed at black players on the pitch, the stewards did absolutely nothing about it. Similarly, I was at the Bridge for a Chelsea v Man City game and despite "Kick Racism Out Of Football" banners all around the ground, I witnessed constant racist abuse of Wright-Phillips (before her had joined Chelsea) and Thatcher (before the assault). Thatcher, as an ex Spurs player, was taunted with "Yiddo" and "F'in Yid" throughout the game, in the very week when the attrocities at Auswitzch were being remembered. A steward was sat in front of our section and a number of times looked directly at the worst offender, in a season ticket seat, and did absoltely nothing about it. This was not banter, this was not passion, it was racism of the crudest and most disgusting form and it was tolerated.

West Ham have now published pictures of the rogues gallery at Upton Park but I think this is too little, too late. The club should not be waiting for a Millwall style incident to happen before taking action. Let's root out the racists and the thugs earlier and kick them out of football, as the "Kick Racism Out Of Football" movement is supposed to want.

Mind you, players have a responsibility too. Tevez and Dunne have recently shown that common sense can suffocate passion, even in that moment of scoring a goal. Lampard and Joe Cole could learn from that when we are playing Chelsea and Bellyache himself should learn to control his gob when on the pitch. He doesn't think players should be abused so he should cut out the abuse of referees. How many times have we seen him using the F word at the ref? I remember very well our game at Portsmouth a couple of seasons back (0-0, late saved penalty?), not for the game, although bringing on Ferdinand as a sub was daft, but because of Bellamy's running battle through the first half with both Hreidarsson and the referee. He crossed the line in that game without question and should have been sent off.

The example Period Pains quoted about somebody taunting him about his dead cousin seemed a bit weak, of course, and I could be tempted to make a racist joke here... but I will restrain myself. However, you do have to say that, if you can be kicked out of football for abusing a player, isn't it fair enough, given all the warning signs, to be shot for worrying sheep? I'll get my coat...