I watch a lot of football from all over Europe each week and believe me, it's not only in this country where the standard of the officials is so abysmal.

There is such a big difference between the top refs and the poor ones all over the continent, but the best guys are usually those who adopt a more common sense approach to some of the crazy directives imposed by UEFA and FIFA.

Did you see what Blackburn's Lucas Neill was sent off for against Everton? It was a joke and Rovers are quite right to appeal.

Then there was Andy D'Urso waving yellow cards around like there was no tomorrow during the Fulham-Birmingham game yet I don't think there was more than a couple of bad challenges in the game.

Albion fans don't need reminding about bad officials after the penalty decision by Phil Rejer which cost them a point against Derby County last Saturday.

When I saw the highlights I thought they were showing an Albion penalty appeal turned down when Adam Hinshelwood took a tumble in the box, then I realised he was giving a penalty to Derby.

If those sort of interpretations of the rules had been around in my day then most games would have finished 7 v 7.

Can you imagine how many times players like Ron Harris or Norman Hunter would have been sent off?

It was tough on the Albion. By all accounts they deserved a draw and instead of picking up six or seven points from their last three games my old club have got just two.

At least the news that Bobby Zamora is staying, until the end of the season anyway, will cheer the fans up. He is absolutely crucial to their hopes of survival in Division One although it doesn't surprise me that Steve Coppell hasn't had any serious bids for him.

The days of the big money transfers between English clubs are over, the financial position which even supposedly cash-rich Premiership clubs find themselves in has seen to that.

A year ago you would confidently have forecasted that clubs struggling at the bottom of the Premiership would have been splashing the cash on talented lads like Zamora during the transfer window, but several managers have been told there's no money for new faces unless players are moved on while others, like West Brom's Gary Megson, realise it's pointless hijacking their club to big transfer fees and wages to match when the odds are they will be back in the Nationwide League next season.

The lessons of clubs like Leicester, Derby and Bradford have been learned. Loans and Bosmans are the way forward for all but the richest clubs and it makes so much sense.

I see Ronaldo has been named both UEFA and FIFA player of the year this week. What a joke that is.

Okay, the guy proved he remains the best striker in world football at the World Cup when he did more than anyone to win the tournament for Brazil. But in the year he has played 17 league games for Inter and Real Madrid so how can he possibly be given the awards based on performances over the last 12 months?

I don't object to a panel of 52 European football writers deciding the UEFA award, but surely a fairer method would be to award marks weekly or monthly based on performance.

How can guys like Michael Ballack, who starred for Bayer Leverkusen and Germany, and Thierry Henry, who finished top scorer in the Premiership and helped Arsenal win the double, not even get in the top three?

Barcelona fans were reaching for their hankies this week and it wasn't so they could blow their noses.

When the Nou Camp faithful start waving them in the air it usually means bad news for the coach and I would be amazed if Louis Van Gaal is still in charge when the Champions League resumes in February.

Last week's 3-0 home defeat by Seville means they are 16 points behind the leaders Real Sociedad in La Liga. Never mind winning the title, I don't even think they will get in the top four and qualify for the Champions League next season unless they go on and win it.

There's no money for the coach to strengthen the squad during the transfer window and too many of their best players are either out of form or injured. The talk in Spain is that Arsene Wenger is being lined up as a possible replacement, but can you see him swapping Highbury for Barcelona at the moment? No, neither can I.

A lot of us ex-pros are a better barometer of the weather than the forecasters at this time of year. I certainly know when it's getting cold because my joints start giving me a bit of gip when the temperatures drop.

Like a lot of players from my era 20 years ago, when we were injured we would inevitably be patched up and sent out on to the pitch even though we were less than fully fit. If it meant having a cortisone injection to ease the pain then so be it. In those days managers operated with squads of around 16 or 17 first team players so there were few opportunities to rest.

I was luckier than some although my back still gives me a bit of gip. Several ex-pros dread the winters now because of the problems with arthritis caused by injuries which were not properly diagnosed or treated.

The players of today are so much better off in a lot of respects, but perhaps the most important thing is that they get the best possible medical treatment. Like previous generations, they still play too many games but in 20 years time I can't see guys like David Beckham hobbling around and struggling to get out of bed in the winter mornings. Surely that's got to be worth more than any amount of money or flash cars.