I really do not know what to make of this. On a weekend when I don’t write a preview the blog gets two hundred plus postings!!! I don’t ever remember hitting a number as high as that even during the World Cup. Am I really needed? Thanks for all the contributions over the last three days – fantastic stuff.
The Gretna fairytale has turned into something much darker as reality set in.
Before step-overs in English football there were comb-overs and Ralph Coates had one of the most famous.
Spurs had some of their legendary players in attendance at the Carling Cup Final. But one legend was tragically struck down in his prime. As a youngster John White’s death was a “Kennedy moment” for me only months after the original “Kennedy moment.”
A piece on Sky’s Jeff Stelling who we see from time to time in North America.
Monday Topic This goes back to the sending off of Marco Materazzi on Tuesday for Inter against Liverpool after receiving two yellow cards. There seems to be a general consensus that by the rules the referee was probably correct but that the eventual punishment seemed harsh.
The “two soft yellow cards and you are off” predicament has been bothering me for a while. On one level tugging on a shirt or holding a player back is cheating and robbing the fans of excitement and entertainment. Same thing goes for time wasting. On another level does the punishment really fit the crime?
And then I found myself reading the latest copy of Champions. The final article is an interview with 1970 World Cup winner Tostao. One of the questions that he was asked was whether he saw the need for drastic rule changes in the game.
He suggested three areas. The first was am electronic chip in the ball to indicate whether or not the ball crossed the line. The second was that it should be forbidden to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper – not just with the feet.
The third suggestion I thought was the most interesting. He said, “I would limit the number of fouls by a player and by a team with a light punishment – perhaps forcing the offending player to be substituted.”
Perhaps that is an option in the case of “two soft yellow cards and you are off” predicament. Why not have the offending player substituted? He’s out of the game and the coach loses a possible substitution – but the team still has 11 men on the field.
If all the substitutions have been made then the team is forced to play with one less player. What do you think or do you have some other creative options?
I still don't believe that first yellow was deserving of a yellow at all. But then again he's gotta know better, that when he already has a yellow he can't be doing things like that, which earned him his second one...
And I don't like that substitution rule at all. There are many times when players earn 2 yellows and deserve to get their marching orders and for their team to play down.
I think the REAL solution to this, is for referees everywhere to learn to grab control over the game early on, without resorting to handing out a yellow. A lot of times you see a game that's starting to get edgy right away, and the ref takes control by giving someone an unnecessary yellow, to set a precedent, they need a better solution to gaining control over the match.
"Pumas might be invited to play in the Tri-Nations this year! ...love it when they sing the anthem-- they scream it to the top of their lungs-- unlike footballers! They get totally into it. :)"
If that happens, I'll be looking forward to their away match against the All Blacks at Eden Park- Pumas passion against the Haka ...
But what's with ignoring Benitez' FA Cup win with LFC (in your Ramos comparison)? I'm all for your "the universe does NOT revolve around the EPL" shtick (Barca is gunning and the Madristas are running- the end of the Primera season is gonna be fun), but ignoring the FA Cup while listing the Copa del Rey? Isn't that carrying it just a bit far??!!
"Benitez has squandered money, largely on a long line of strikers who aren't up to the quality demanded at clubs with similar ambitions (Morientes, Kuyt, Bellamy and, yes, Crouch)."
I guess I'll be dead and buried before I have to stop repeating this: your point is at least partly undermined by the fact that- for Morientes and Bellamy- LFC recouped most of the money initially spent bringing them in when they were transferred out:
- Morientes £6.5m + Bellamy £6m = £12.5m to acquire
- Morientes £3m + Bellamy £7.5m = £10.5m received on departure
You may of course criticize Benitez' judgement in acquiring these players in the first place (though show me any manager without some transfer "duds"?)- but in these two cases, there was comparatively little money "squandered" at the end of the day ...
LGB: "Do you really need to wait till the end of the season to see how badly we've played this season?"
I'm not interested at all in "how badly we've played this season"- or how well, for that matter. I only care about the final result (well, not entirely- style DOES count, but it doesn't win any silverware, does it?) ... which we will only know at season's end.
LGB: "... we will have 83 points in the league which will eclipse our best mark of 82. That means 13 straight league wins...do you see it happening? We've got a better squad than 2 years ago and I think you can agree with that."
Straight-up points comparisons with other years is largely meaningless. Two years ago the team crashed out early from CL, and so could concentrate on EPL (that's not trivial- six pressure matches in two months against the best in Europe to get through knockouts to final, and three of them away in strange locales, is a strain by any standards).
Judge by reasonable predictions from the start of the year and comparisons to final positions of the main competition. For example, if LFC were to finish in third place in the League- helped by a Chelsea reversion to the Avram Grant coaching mean ...- 12 points behind the EPL title holders, up from 21 points off the pace last year, would you consider that "under-achieving"? What about your season-long match-by-match tirade- would it have any meaning then?
I like the idea of the forced substitution, especially for the two soft yellows and the professional foul resulting in a penalty. Playing a man down is often too harsh – in the case of Materazzi, Inter were just starting to come in to the game and then had to play with 3 midfielders and it changed the game, not to mention that he will miss the return leg too. That punishment does not fit the crime; and it’s more significant now that Cordoba is out as well.
Craigy:
Refs in the Serie A had another horrible weekend. Juve appeared to be denied at least 2 or 3 legitimate penalties (maybe even 4), and then done in by a questionable penalty at the end. There were another 3 penalties missed during Milan-Palermo, one of which was a very clear deliberate hand ball. There are a lot of young new refs in their early 30’s, and still a lot of cynicism, and excessive scrutiny with entire TV shows devoted to endless replays and analysis of every decision, and it’s starting to get out of hand. By the way, Inzaghi was onside for a change when he scored the winner! Was it Sir Alex who once said that Inzaghi was born offside?
I didn't see the match with Materazzi being sent off, but I have seen plenty where he should have been sent off. He's a dirty player who tries to get away with a lot, which I can see leading to a ref paying more attention to him.
Since I didn't see it, I don't know how many warnings the ref gave him, but usually refs give players several warnings before giving out cards. So I don't see anything harsh about Materazzi being sent off for 2 "soft" yellows. It's a part of the game.
I do agree that a ref needs to get the game under control early in order to not need the use of cards, but I disagree with the forced sub idea. Too often refs are too light with the enforcement of the rules, leading to some ugly defending -- pulling players down, tripping, bad tackles, etc. The tactics that poor defenders tend to use in order to match-up with better players.
IMHO the best way to address this is not to create or modify the laws but instead to improve the quality of refereeing. Improve the referee certification system for UEFA refs, or from FIFA, to require more training and conferences. The training and conferences could focus on a unified approach by the refs, a consensus on what calls to make and how to handle situations. This would make it easier for the players to know what is expected on the field for fair play and allow them to concentrate more on the game than the ref. It would also make it easier for UEFA, or even FIFA, to work to discourage unfair play, such as diving.
I know that the ref certification system already exists, but considering how inconsi
"But what's with ignoring Benitez' FA Cup win with LFC (in your Ramos comparison)? I'm all for your "the universe does NOT revolve around the EPL" shtick (Barca is gunning and the Madristas are running- the end of the Primera season is gonna be fun), but ignoring the FA Cup while listing the Copa del Rey? Isn't that carrying it just a bit far??!!"
Oops! Simple mistake. I have no idea how I forgot the FA Cup- I watched it and thoroughly enjoyed it!
VVV - There's a little room upstairs with a big kettle and a pile of tea bags.
Bobby - So how did your League Cup final preview read?
And the reason I refer to it as the League cup is because that's what it is ,Carling is just the latest sponsor ,and unlike NASCAR it is not required by law to mention a sponsors name every three words.
RINGO - I was torn in that I expected Spurs to play much better than they did last time out against Chelsea (the 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge) so I was factoring that in. On the other hand I have said from the beginning that Chelsea would not suddenly become a bad team because Mourinho left but Grant would be found out in the critical games. That edge was finishing yesterday and Ramos out coached Grant and Ten Cate. For all the praise Ten Cate received on his appointment the fact that Ajax could not get rid of him quick enough seems to have been overlooked.
Last edited by BobbyMcMahon on February 25th at 7:06 AM.
craigy--
"So the other week when Jamie-lah stops the ball with his hand was a pk?"
Yeah. It was close, but if they would start calling them, that one would qualify. It's not the ones where it hits the elbow tight against the body (which Carra's pretty much was), it's the ones where the arms are out. Like Ibrahimovic & Vieira's. BTB, thanks for the Mancini Ch.4 link. Vieira defending himself on the end line from a vicious ball to the head. Hil-lar.
"Or hauling lescott down was a foul?"
That one was closer to the 'foul' Rio gave Owen this weekend. Not sold either way. Mebbe that makes me a bad person, or poor rememberer. Also, I gave the ref a pass for the call on Clichy this weekend. Unless they bring in replay or another official, that's gonna be a hard one (or mebbe that linesman is terrible?). Dunn got one like that yesterday too. Great tackle, penalty given. ####.
"The rules are always open to interpretation (or missed because of blind, bought, stupid refs)... even the same ref will see the rules differently during the same game."
Well, I always try to look at it like 'if that were my team, how would I feel' in these situations. Seems most ppl think fouls are only for the most dire situations. Unless there's an injury like EdS, or it involves *their* team. (c;
Adventurous = if Arsene left, Moyes wouldn't be in my top 10 list to replace him. Again, $, system, talent all play a part. But I believe he's cautious by nature, like RB.
Liverpool recouped much of the initial fees spent on those two. That said, they were unmitigated failures and forced the club into reshuffling the deck again . Right now, Benitez is asking for more time, more patience and more money. Those two signings count against him as much as Agger and Torres sit in his favour.
Re: Soft yellows...Materazzi should have been warned for the first and booked for the second. That said, I do NOT like the substitution rule. That would just give license to clutch, grab, time waste, etc. The rule is there to discourage players from a second booking. I say leave it as is.
Gorn, Carragher on Lescott was an obvious foul and a penalty should have been awarded.
Re Benitez' signings: Bellamy and Morientes were cheaper options brought in because Moores couldn't afford the more expensive targets. Agger was a diamond in the rough (strange that Wenger missed him because he's excellent in finding those).
VVV--The only thing AC taught anyone last year was how to match-fix your way into a CL trophy and how to score goals with your arms.
ABG:
The only defense of Rafa there would be that RB hasn't had the funds to get the slightly better strikers. I made the point earlier to craighy about Yak; when RB bought, he was spending 6-7m GBP, not the $12m for a Yak or a RKeane, etc., and then there's the availability/timing issue. He still spent money, but it's a different bracket.
Support for Rafa's buys:
- RB recouped ~all the money from all but those 3 terrible Ged signings of Diao/Diouf/Cisse (I read Moro fetched add. funds on performance, so not sold that $3.5 GBP wasn't a higher final number)
- RB's big buys have all come good sans Kuyt, who was value last year but not this year
- RB would've brought in, by all accounts, D.Alves, Simao, Villa amongst others at *half* the price if backed by the board w/$$ when he wanted them
- I don't see a Veron or Forlan or Sheva on LFC's books during RB's tenure (c:
Unsurprising, but disappointing: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live rpool-news/local-news/2008/02/25/to m-hicks-jnr-how-visit-to-the-sandon -turned-nasty-100252-20520749/
I dont think I like that rule change. The Materazzi situation could of been avoided if the ref actually gave the player a chance. From what I remember in the game he didn't stop the game and give Marco a good grilling on this is how its going to be no stupid stuff or your off. From what I remember it was pretty much a quick double yellow without any attempt by the ref to interact with the players like the better refs do. A better ref in my opinion like Collina would of given him a stern talking to on the first (which I dont even remember what kind of foul it was) and a yellow on the second for not listening.
I wasn't around to weigh in on the discussion over the weekend so I'll bore everyone now:
First off, congratulations to Spurs, it would've been completely unfair if Chelsea had nicked a victory. Spurs totally earned that win. During the whole period of speculation about Ramos replacing Jol, as a gooner I got seriously nervous but as a lover of beautiful attacking football, I was hopeful. I saw Ramos' Sevilla play in person 4 times and followed his career with them. Last season I hoped somehow they'd manage to beat RM and Barca to the title. He did manage to get them into a CL place. A lot of gooners continued to underestimate Spurs when Ramos came in, but I knew the guy would soon force us to start taking them seiously. He's a proven cup winner.
The game on Saturday showed clearly the serious gap between Ramos and Grant. Grant may have surprised everyone in his winning streak but I agree with Bobby, it's more to do with the players he has at hand and the fact he hasn't changed Mourinho's basic style very much. Mourinho would've found a way to win the game at the Emirates and the CC final yesterday.
Spurs finally have a real spine -- superb attack, superb defense. What I find mystifying, however, is that it took this long for one of England's top flight clubs to grasp the importance of nutrition and fitness. Since Wenger arrived, Spurs have suffered constant defeat v. their N. London neighbors -- soon after his arrival it became widely understood that his teams' improvement was due to his dramatic changes in nutrition and training. At the same time foo
At the same time football clubs all over England were starting to change their entire regimen as well, some learning from and adapting Wenger's policies.
Yet in 2007, astonishingly, Spurs still hadn't learned this lesson.
Was going to turn away from this topic since Bobby doesn't seem to like it, however, this morning a bit of surfing brought up this little comment which is interesting enough to get my blood boil once again.
"Come on lets give Taylor a break, he did not mean tackle. No one would purposeley do this to a player. A hard physical aproach is the only way to compeat with the top teams. Like Alan Hanson and Mark Lawason say on match of the day its important to get in peoples faces.
Arsenal play very fast football but the refferee should give the underdogs a chance otherwise all we would see is the best footballing team win.
Whats great about this country is that footballs not all about passing and skills its about brave headers, full blooded challanges and scrapping.
Posted by: tom | February 25, 2008 at 01:02 PM"
The original article
http://timesonline.typepad.com/theg ame/2008/02/the-debate-shou.html>
has to be considered of minority opinion among the English media.
Please chime in if you'd like. Thanks Bobby for the space!
Last edited by foxcube on February 25th at 7:53 AM.
Morning bobby! I trust your PC is fixed and normal service is resumed?
Before the authorities start messing with more changes they should fix the bollocks-up that is the offside rule first. Our game with Boro a case in point.
Perhaps we should have chips in all the linesmen, or an electrical wire, like a cattle prod, to buzz occasionally, to keep them awake. One action for the FAs for refs and their like, should be to send them back to school if they make the kind of ####-ups we have seen lately.
Cont:
As for soft yellows:
What ever Materazzi deserved or not, the history is written. However I have to ask: How dumb and sill breathe can you be at that level, to commit the same error twice inside of 20 minutes? I blame Materazzi for firstly committing the fouls and secondly not being bright enough to realise the ref was going to protect Torres.
As Materazzi, Sami Hyppia and other backs have proved every week, if a striker or winger goes past you once you will stop him the next time and take the booking.
If a little tug on shirt will suffice you might get away with it and many do weak in weak out. As is and should always be, any tackle or interception that does not directly play the ball is likely foul play. Such foul play, be it professional or accidental, should be punished.
Watching todays games where so many fouls go unpunished I think making the rules more complex will make an even bigger mess.
"Keep it simple stupid", I say based on the experience of the offside rule.
Perhaps the players could start wearing lycra suits with nothing loose to grab?
Mind you the likes of Huddleston in lycra could be a sight!
All very good points. You could also add Rafa would have brought in Heinze, who would have been a very useful addition this year. Unfortunately, circumstances dictated otherwise.
Rafa's transfer record is OK, but probably remains a little short of his main rivals for silverware. There are no Verons, Shevchenkos or Forlans, but neither is there an Adebayor -- who was cheaper than Bellamy -- or Toure -- cheap signings turned into top players.
I also think Rafa badly misused Cisse out of position as a winger. Diao and Diouf were cleared out before his arrival.
On the positive side, I do see him working hard to bring in a youth set up that will start produce talent.
People like leche simply don't get it. It's completely IRRELEVANT whether or not Taylor's "tackle" was "malicious" or not. Totally, totally irrelevant. A drunk driver doesn't INTEND to hurt or kill anyone.
Nor is Flamini's tackle v. Nani comparable at all -- Flam's tackle was well-timed and DID NOT GO STUDS UP ON NANI'S SHIN. The fact that it is perfectly acceptable for Taylor to plant his studs on Eduardo's shin says all you need to know about the English game's "values." Of course, had Eduardo done the same to, say, Rooney, it would've been a different matter entirely.
I love how Man United fans froth all over about Arsenal's retaliation in our thrashing at OT while totally ignoring their players' unpunished flying elbows, stampings, tackles from behind and constant kicks. Foul after foul after foul went unpunished by Man U players. Yet heaven forbid Arsenal retaliate and defend themselves.
alberta's and JayAlves' posts about the hypocrisy of the English media are spot-on. It's also good to see the Italian perspective (Venti) about the English game's absolute belief in the validity of "getting stuck in" (one of the most stupid expressions in football), and how English players are like the walking dead by the end of the season.
Wenger is entirely correct -- the conventional wisdom about how to stop Arsenal is to kick Arsenal to death. Time after time you see English pundits on TV gleefully urge opposition players to do this -- and then discover moral outrage when Arsenal players retaliate. Arsenal players are
Arsenal players are simply supposed to take being kicked for 90+ mins. without ever retaliating or protecting themselves by "diving." The overwhelming majority of bad tackles v. Arsenal go unpunished -- so when an Arsenal player dives to finally get some justice, it's played up in the media for days. The English moralize about diving but have absolutely no problem with thuggery.
The stats clearly show that Arsenal are the most fouled team in the PL and commit the fewest fouls. Arsenal have won the fair play award for several years. Arsenal never go out on a football pitch to deliberately use the tactic of kicking players. They go out to play football. This season Boro showed that it is quite possible to beat Arsenal by simply playing good football, not by kicking them.
On a weekly basis, Arsenal suffer more fouls, more injuries from horrible tackles than any other team, yet you never see these incidents played up all over the media. Ferguson the bully loves to use this tactice v. Arsenal. Cesc was deliberately stamped on twice this season (Derby and B'burn), both stampings were clearly seen by the ref, yet went unpunished. And Cesc did not complain, he just got up and went on with the game. Neither incident was covered in the media. Yet the one time he dives all season, it's repeated for days on skysports.
The issue isn't whether or not Taylor was malicious, the issue is the ENGLISH GAME'S TOTAL BELIEF IN THE LEGITIMACY OF THESE TACTICS -- this idiotic notion of "getting stuck in" instead of concentrating on playing footballl -- developing players
ag, I'm not sure it's exactly fair that Rafa hasn't found a class player for cheap. Agger was only 6m and I'd take him over an overpriced Ferdinand brother any day.
How is this acceptable? I'm sure there was no malice on Taylor's part -- the fact is he does this all the time the way players in the PL do it all the time and managers tell them it is perfectly acceptable, and the FA tolerates it. The fact that this is kind of "tackle" is considered perfectly ok says it all.
What's your take on the midfield for England? You lauded Jenas in the weekend blog, so how about explaining your thinking regards the competition with, Barry, Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Hargreaves et al, all vying for a CM slot? Could Jenas run the right wing??
What do you think of Downing as an attacking winger and his defensive qualities going the other way?
Re the Inter debate, do you think they are truly a great side or just very consistant, unlike those around them and elsewhere?
Never mind Rafa's position, do you think Grant will start next season as Manager at Chelsea? Who do you think RA would/could replace him with??
Albert: What were your conclusions on the England win in Paris?
Re LFC transfers: Houllier signed Diao on a 6 yr contract and we could not get rid of him except on loan, until last season or so. He refused a move to Spain (amongst others) when FSP moved. He is now at Stoke I believe.
Diouff was first sidelined and then off-loaded by Rafa, after spitting at a Celtic fan, so tarnishing the LFC reputation.
Rafa made a profit on Sissoko and Barragan too.
Last edited by redfan2000 on February 25th at 9:08 AM.
Foxcube, I too was trying to get over the incident but that comment got my blood boiling as well. There were several comments like that. It didn't really help the fact that an expert surgeon claimed that Eduardo barely escaped from his foot being amputated and that he was not sure Eduardo would ever be 100% again. Like danielgregg and many others have said, English football is based on brute force rather than skill and finesse.
I am curious to see how the FA is going react to the incident. My guess is, Taylor will get away with a standard suspension.
The innocent is the one who gets punished here, while the villain will probably get away with a minor suspension.
Last edited by Sleeper000 on February 25th at 8:30 AM.
Capping the number of fouls touches on the contention in footballing philosophy, whether you appreciate passionate committed physicality or talented skillful artistry. To strike a balance, studies are needed to arrive at the proper number and more refs are a must for more accurate judgments.
The danger of playing with fewer players doesn't seem a problem to me. It simply means the team have lost the balance being overly physical.
Adopting such a rule would give the pitch back to the players who play football, those who are quick, clever, and have fine techniques.
Last edited by foxcube on February 25th at 9:35 AM.
daniel:
That’s why you can fit all the Brazilians playing in the EPL into a Mini Cooper, with room to spare. Same with Argentines, even though there’s a few including Teves and Mascherano who aren’t exactly finesse players. The EPL approach has it merits, but definitely not suited for skill players.
""Arsenal believe that striker Eduardo da Silva will make a full recovery from his horror leg break and could be back in action in nine months.
The Brazil-born Croatia international was left in agony by Martin Taylor's third minute challenge during Saturday's Premier League clash with Birmingham at St Andrews.
The Gunners have revealed that the force of the challenge broke Eduardo's left fibula and dislocated his ankle, with Taylor being shown an immediate red card.
The Birmingham centre-back has visited Eduardo in hospital, with Blues manager Alex McLeish revealing Taylor is 'mentally shattered' by the incident.
Eduardo, who is expected to be discharged from a London hospital in the next few days, could be back in action for Arsene Wenger's men before the end of the year.""
These injury details help us to understand the result of the challenge.
The fibula is easy to break and should heal fast. The dislocation could be worse as tissue damage is often worse than some breaks.
He could be back training in 6 months if the ankle tissue heals quick. This news for sure looks better than the tackle and its immediate aftermath.
Sorry Bobby, I used to like McLeish but listening to his comments he is a typical English ####(I know he is Scottish). To deny that his player is at any fault is a joke. This man has no shame. If there is justice Birmingham will go down. McLeish will get fired. Taylor will have a career ending injury and spend the rest of his life in poverty.
I am disgusted with this and the EPL. All evidence clearly shows Taylor going for leg and not ball.
The premier league will be the losers here if they allow this go on. I now wait for the day I don't have to watch, read and listen to the English at all.
If I was Wenger I would leave England as fast as possible. Let the English hacks have their league of savages, see if anyone watches.
Arsenal could always just sign Barton, Boywer and Smith throw them all out at once and hope they do more damage to the other team then themselves. Could even arm the crowd with batteries to throw and maybe hide clubs with nails in them behind the advertising boards.
As a Portugal supporter I sometimes cringe at the type of tackles Ronaldo shrugs off and avoids. The man is truly a tank but I fear for the worst that one day someone is going to get nicely 'stuck in' on him. He will end up at Real Madrid one day I bet as he will just get sick of avoiding lunges and body checks.
edit: I wonder if any of this can be proved through statistics in European play. If England was honestly as bad as we are leading on they are you would figure that the stats in European competitions with neutral refs would show. Only problem with this is you wouldn't be able to use the CL as Arsenal, Man U, Chelsea and Pool all play relatively clean games to European standards. There might not be enough stats as the teams that get rougher are more down the table and obviously don't play in Europe very often. Then again Abderdeen hardly went the "kick them off the park" strategy against a giant like Bayern from the highlights I saw. Maybe its a misconception we are blowing up in our own heads.
Last edited by JayAlves on February 25th at 9:57 AM.
Try to have a happy birthday today and I hope you're back playing again as soon as possible.
However ,perhaps you could explain to some of your clubs more rabid "supporters" that it was not a case of attempted murder ,and that these types of challenges and injuries are not only limited to English football.
Thanks.
P.S. You might also remind them of that "great expert" in the art of the tackle ,and non-Englishman ,by the name of Patrick Vieira.
And Mas ,Kiss my English arse.
Last edited by RINGO on February 25th at 10:00 AM.
I don't agree with forbidding passing the keeper. The keeper can't hold the ball with his/her hands that is enough for me. If an opposing team want to make things difficult then the forward players could press to challange the players.
I have to say the yellow/red card rules are what they are to discurage foul play. Sometimes in the case of last week's Inter game it can be harsh. But lets be honest, Materazzi is a dirty player. And even though he could have been given a warning for the first offense... he was also given the first card based on reputation. I am an Interista. And I have never hid the fact that I don't like Inter. I watched the game, I don't get mad at the ref. I was mad at Materazzi for being too agressive. He was pushing his luck assuming that the ref would cut him some slack because it was still early on in the game and things back fired. He deserved the red card and unfortunately it took us out of the game. I only hope that Mancini can find a winning formula for the return leg. I think Inter will still move on to the next leg.
What can be changed is the FA's response. Such as the number of games to be missed for the offense. Such as Taylor could be forced to miss the next 6-8 games while someone getting two yellow such as Materazzi would not have to miss any. The only back lash would be to force your team to play a player short in the game you receive a red card.
Ringo, that is why Viera was perfect for the PL. Regardless, to my knowledge Viera never broke anyones leg. And I think Mas has vowed never to kiss your English arse... so don't hold your breath.
Mas, regardless of how Taylor and McLeish's response has been. We should never wish career ending events on to anyone. Weeding these sorts of people out of the system should be through FA/UEFA/FIFA policies, club owners and managers not your ill wishes. You invoke karma on them, but it will be on you too.
I'm curious, do you have any comperative data on injury statistics of the leagues (ie. Serie A, PL, Bundisliga and La Liga). To me, it seems obvious that such career ending injuries seem to occur more in the PL vs the other top leagues.
Following Ciao's comments and my own belief that keeping it simple after the offside rule debacle is the right way to go, I have two other thoughts:
First thought: penalise all clubs in points for accrued cards.
When a club hits say 20 yellows in a season, they are docked say two points with a further two if they hit 30.
Same idea, though worse for accrued red cards. Five reds lose say two points. This would put the whole issue of discipline fairly and squarely in the clubs hands. Clubs like Chelsea getting seven players a game booked, would quickly sort out their players. If it went Europe wide with UEFA and world wide with FIFA, the whole game would be cleaned up and become more skill based.
Second thought is: Change the way the independent appeals panel works and change it to a disciplinary panel with greater scope to review games and refereeing decisions, based on an appeal by any participating club manager, within 48 hours of the end o####ame.
The power to revisit ALL appealed decisions with video evidence on top of the referee's reports and to penalise individual players not in points but in terms of bookings, would give all cheats and dirty players more reason to play fairly. I suggest this because FIFA has thus far resisted the call for two refs or four linesmen.
Bobby, sorry you are keeping your comments for the show. Unfortunately I've canceled FoxSoccer because this blog site that crashes daily is #### and doesn't do any good to your great work.
Ringo,
That boy Hunt tried to kill Cech, remember? Or did you disagree with the special one and consider it not even a yellow? Or did you simply shrug it off since Cech is just a bloody foreigner?
Re: Vieira. Foreigners aren't stupid. They learn how to play the English game from fellow English players/coaches, tackled and tackle. Of course only the non-English/British are to blame.
Ringo- half my arse is English. It must have been that part that made me write that vengeful comment. Quite right CIAO, I wish no one ill will. Just listening to these idiots defend this guy makes me sick.
Rigo- I made the comment yesterday that I have seen Senderos make some pretty crazy lunges also. My point is that the only way Taylor didn't know what he was doing is if his eyes were closed, and if they were it is still reckless and he should sit out the rest of a year.
However my biggest and most obvious point is that any entity's value lies in its assets. Allowing the accelerated depreciation of its assets is stupid.
This has little to do with Arsenal, other than they get a little harsher dose of what everybody gets in the Prem.
Last edited by MasMaz on February 25th at 11:14 AM.
If you made a world 11, how many come from the Prem? 2
Cech no longer. Never the same since Hunt. Which at the time I made the same claims as I do now. Hunt left his knee in and Taylor left his leg forcefully extended, he could have bent his knee, how come none of these respectable managers and players will admit this?
That leaves Ronaldo and Drogba. Drogba is now 30 and has been wanting out for years and Ronaldo will be in Madrid by the time he is 26. Torres is closing in but he will be gone a year after Rafa leaves.
Daniel:
Yes I did read that. (cut and paste from acmilan.com)
COME ON EDUARDO!
2/23/2008
MILAN - Eduardo Da Silva has broken his left leg in the match against Birmingham today, as reported by the BBC. The Rossoneri's family wishes the Arsenal striker all the best and a quick return to playing.
My persoanl opinion: Tough tackling is one thing. Players like Gattuso and Ambrosini don't shy away from many tackles, just like many other players on every team, it's their job. I'm sorry but it is impossible to stomp on someone's shin hard enough to almost break it off, by accident. Taylor tried to make a very hard tackle on a play were he was clearly beaten, and the outcome was disasterous. I don't know if he was trying to set the early tone as captain or what, but that is just unacceptable at any level.
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