USING the words ‘football’ and ‘loyalty’ in the same sentence is taking a chance with your credibility, but there are still some fans who really think that the two are somehow related.

They are not even on nodding terms.

West Ham fans have been clogging up the phone lines to rant at Dimitri Payet because he doesn’t want to play for the club any more; Chelsea are getting uptight about the claim that Diego Costa is to get a £30m deal from a Chinese club I can’t spell.

The next thing you know they will ask you to believe that contracts are worth the paper they are written on.

Yet I have still to hear any Hammers fans complaining about their club’s fishing expedition for the likes of Hull City’s Robert Snodgrass or Brentford’s Scott Hogan. Aren’t they expected to stay loyal to their clubs?

Money makes the football world go round – just ask the Chinese – so bleating about a player who has just signed a five-year contract, and was recently given a £1m loyalty payment (seriously?) now wanting to leave is asking to pretend football is real life.

Calls for Payet to be dumped into the academy; made to polish the 50,000 seats at the club’s new home; or sold on for another outrageous figure so that he can become somebody else’s problem are all part of the ‘beautiful’ game.

When you remember Payet’s dazzling performances of a year ago, perhaps it’s no surprise that the 29-year-old has become the target for abuse straight out of Monty Python Life of Brian – He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.

As sure as Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp would square up on the touchline during a United-Liverpool game, we get weekly evidence that football is for fun, folks. Enjoy it.

OR maybe not... “Philippe Montanier drew a sigh of relief after his Nottingham Forest side were able to secure a point.” Those were the opening words of a match report of Forest’s 0-0 draw with Birmingham City. An hour later, the Frenchman was out of a job.

He was just another statistic – the 32nd manager to get the sack this season. That’s more than a third of the entire Premier League and Football League management population who have been given the boot.

Kenny Jackett only lasted 39 days at Rotherham, who have sacked two bosses this season – and are still rock bottom of the Championship.

Likewise Swansea City, also on their third manager of the season and still bottom of the Premier League.

Replacements for sacked bosses Alan Pardew at Palace and Gary Rowett at Birmingham are Sam Allardyce and Gianfranco Zola, who are still looking for their first wins.

Clearly football management does not appear anywhere on the list of concerns for the ever-alert Health and Safety brigade.

POLITE request to the board at Craven Park after Sunday’s enjoyable 22-22 draw with Oldham.

Numbers on jerseys are there for a reason – so that players can be identified, especially for the paying customer.

White numbers on pale green jerseys doesn’t work, so the supporters around me had no idea who had done what.

If you must have the Raiders playing in something the colour of a faded lime, at least can we have black numbers so that we can give credit where it is due and not just hazard a guess?

Luckily, Luke Cresswell was wearing his cap so we had no trouble identifying the exciting young full-back giving another impressive performance.

WHEN Barrow went 2-0 down to Matlock in the FA Trophy game on Saturday, the Fans Forum was bursting with a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Inside eight minutes the score was 3-2 and all was well with the world and Paul Cox wasn’t such a bad bloke after all.

Ah, the fickle finger of the keyboard kings.

PETER WILSON