Last updated 09:13, Saturday, 03 May 2008

PLAY-OFF talk ought to be banned until much later this afternoon, but just in case the four-team roulette is what we are faced with by 4.45pm, here’s a thing.

Carlisle could face Nottingham Forest in the Wembley final on May 25. If they do, Scott Dobie, the striker who swapped clubs in January, will be watching on frustratedly from the new stadium’s clean plastic seats.

The United striker has already endured 180 minutes of heel-kicking time when the two clubs faced off in the league in the last two months. Due to an agreement struck during his transfer, he might have to make that 270 in the coming weeks.

Sure, Carlisle accepted Forest’s demand in order to get the deal done. But that doesn’t stop the arrangement being utterly rotten. Loan moves we can understand, but if a club wants a player off their books permanently, they should have no power to prevent him from pulling on his new club’s shirt from that day forward.

Once they’ve cleared away the ashes of Leeds’ 15-point appeal, the game’s authorities ought to spend a few minutes scribbling a new law to put this right.