Mike Williamson charged by the Football Association
Newcastle United defender Mike Williamson has been charged with violent conduct by the Football Association following an incident with Bolton Wanderer's Johan Elmander.
Williamson and Elmander squared up away from play during the weekend match, which Bolton won 5-1. The FA picked up on the incident via video footage and has put through what the organisation feels is an
appropriate charge.
"Williamson has until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, November 23 to reply to the charge and under the FA's fast-track regulations,
may admit the charge and accept a standard three-match suspension," said an FA statement.
If Williamson does appeal and the charge is upheld then it will leave Newcastle boss Chris Hughton with a stretched defence. Newcastle is already missing Argentine centre
back Fabricio Coloccini who was sent off during the match against Bolton for elbowing Elmander. The match was a classic case of Newcastle players losing their discipline in all forms.
"With Coloccini it is worth stating that he is not a malicious player. It
was a frustrating afternoon for him. I think Elmander was going to do him for pace. I don't think there is maliciousness in it," Hughton said on Sky Sports.
Hughton has also revealed that he is looking for his side to start acting a little more responsibly over the future weeks as a busy Christmas period is about to start. There
is no winter break in English football, which means clubs all over the country are forced to use every player in their squads. Newcastle cannot afford any unnecessary absentees.
"It is something we have to be a bit careful about because of the size of the squad.
It is a big blow for us. We do have a tight squad. Now we will go into more testing times over the Christmas period," he added.
Betting advice
If Williamson appeals the decision and is unsuccessful then the Newcastle defence will look very fragile over the next few games. Be wary of backing the side during this
spell because Bolton proved at the weekend how easy it can be to open Newcastle up.
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