Re: The Football Topic

Just so you know, Brack, I was not 'hating' on your team or your manager. I was hating on the ref and on the system that doesn't allow errors to be corrected, and on that unspeakable Blatter, whom I pretty much see as the root of all evil in today's game.

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Did anyone else here watch last night's Real-Barca Spanish cup game? Another toally deserved win for Barca in Madrid, where the local fans must really be good and sick by now. tongue

The main talking point was once again the behavior of Pepe after he already had a yellow. This time, he pretended to have been hit in the face and spent so long writhing on the ground that the game had to be stopped. Replays showed beyond any doubt that he had not been touched, at all! Then, he walked by Messi who was on the ground after being fouled, and deliberately stepped on his hand! See here -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1TP3YqDPSI

Since the ref did not punish either incident, one can only hope that the Spanish FA will do its duty and suspend this animal for at least four games. Pepe is an utter disgrace to the game!

Even Rooney had something to say on Twitter:

"What an idiot. Sometimes people wind u up"

"Haha. That goal serves pepe right." (after Abidal scored the winner)

Some examples why this idiot should never again be allowed on a pitch -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11enIeWN … re=related

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Comes back onto my favourite theme of cheating and delieberate foul play.

Todays football leaves me utterly despairing at times. This type of incident - the hand stamping - and others like that have been around for ever of course. It hurts and it is intimidatory tactics.

Before the advent of the all capturing camers players could get away with it. Now they shouldn't be allowed too.

This type of behaviour is not up to the referees to clean up. It must come from the managers and the clubs that employ the players.

Draconian, and I mean draconian penalties against the clubs and by the clubs for such deliberate infringements. With bookings and red cards it costs them valuable players at key times, potential loss of revenues through cup exits and lost league positions.

It is an educational duty of the clubs to stamp this out. The Fair Play League should be the most important of all in my book. Give a Champions league place to the winner of that and see if you can help clean up your game!

But seriously, kids will see someone like Pepe doing this on the pitch and they will do it in their school match and get away with it. It is the very worst kind of example to set.

FIFA and UEFA should lead and inform the national associations and clubs that their standards of play and conduct of players will be reviewed. Clubs should be mandated that they must educate players on the law and rules of conduct of the game.

Club / Player performances should be monitored and the cheats and offenders named and shamed.

No one wants to see outside bodies (Police and the courts) involved in football, but some of these incidents would or could, in the real world, be regarded as assault, with the evidence to back it up.

I actually hope a high profile player will one day take this action and call a policeman from the side of the pitch and have someone apprehended for assault. The game needs to take this issue seriously. Cameras show it up so clearly. For me it is a cancer that must be cut out.

These arrogant millionaires need to be brought to book. As for Rooney having something to say about it, frankly he is a culprit! Unable to control his petulance and temper when he is sinned against. He often undermines the gravity of the foul play against him by instantly reacting.

Real will probably do nothing. There will be no internal discussions, no reprimand. Just a foul and a yellow card. The price of doing business on the pitch.

I find it unacceptable.

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

346

Re: The Football Topic

Pepe is a thug - pure and simple!!

Re: The Football Topic

Two highly televised stamping incidents in a week. Who knows how many others  go unpunished.

I haven't watched the Balotelli incident. If it was, and there is no convincing argument for his action to be explained away then the FA should force the club to act against the threat of censure of some kind.

Until this type of action becomes to some extent self policing by the clubs it will riddle our football for ever.

Name and shame. Friend of mine said had it been any more severe Parker could have suffered eye damage. If that were the case I hope Parker would have complained to the Police and had him charged with assault. If you did this on a public street you could be looking at G or ABH.

I am just praying for the day an injured player or his manager does this on the pitch. It could have a Bosman like effect on the game.

Cheats and thugs out!

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

Re: The Football Topic

thanks for the sympathy Brack agree with your point about Balotelli, - but unfortunately for us I think City have now adjusted to the loss of Toure and Company so this game came a week too late for us. - They are a very good side.

I am in two minds about Police involvement on the pitch, it would be a sad day for the game and an unnecessary one because if the FA acted with a bit more common sense there would be no need, - they have the power to stamp out (excuse the unintentional pun) cheating and violent play.

Arsenal....Really not sure if Wengar is the most stubborn man in the world but it does look that way because I cannot believe that he is stupid, - but poor substitution decision may have cost him the points. Bizarre that we are the end of the month and the transfers have still not kicked in!

Last comment from me: Well done Robie Keane, cracking goals this weekend.

My YouTube channel with plenty of my Joe's videos dating from 2009 inc his first Hammersmith Odeon ones:
http://www.youtube.com/ian916fun

Re: The Football Topic

hansamike wrote:

Two highly televised stamping incidents in a week. Who knows how many others  go unpunished.

I haven't watched the Balotelli incident. If it was, and there is no convincing argument for his action to be explained away then the FA should force the club to act against the threat of censure of some kind.

Cheats and thugs out!

Couldn't agree more, Mike. Watch it and weep.

http://i.imgur.com/GwL4h.gif

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Thanks George. Shocking absolutely horrific.

No doubt in my mind now. He was annoyed at being caught and even though his body had forward motion he stamped his foot backwards.

I suspect he thought he could just rake his studs down Parker and made a far 'better'contact than he intended. The he throws himself theatrically to the ground.

Hideous, callous. I don't call it premeditated, although the players volatile make up ensures that it is the kind of cowardly thuggery that is a calling card of his.

With this footage available the authorities must take action. If I was the referee and saw this after the game I would be writing a report to the FA demanding retrospective action. Refs can have a part to play too. It isn't any kind of judgement against them for not taking action at the time. They could improve their own lot by joining together to force action. If every ref acted on post game footage like this it would bring the ruling body, clubs and players to their senses.

It disgusts me, and frankly negates the result. Make them pay and the clubs they play for. Deduct points for consistent and serious foul play. That would make them think a bit!

Every player has a contract and somewhere within that will be clauses as to conduct on and off the pitch. If I was an employee and comitted an offence like that in the real world I could lose my job.

This type of behaviour can incite crowds and cause problems off the pitch.

Name and shame the cowards and cheats!

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

Re: The Football Topic

this video shows a bit more of the wider incident:

http://youtu.be/ZHg0M1ukzE8

our Harry was n't impressed although as an aside George might be pleased to hear that he was in court today ;-)

http://youtu.be/hsEPsaQurrE

David Platt seems to have developed Wengar syndrome!

http://youtu.be/8eRZxUCuVKU

My YouTube channel with plenty of my Joe's videos dating from 2009 inc his first Hammersmith Odeon ones:
http://www.youtube.com/ian916fun

Re: The Football Topic

Ian916 wrote:

our Harry was n't impressed although as an aside George might be pleased to hear that he was in court today ;-)

http://cupwinkcook.net/trout/arry.gif

big_smile

Shameful that the Spanish FA apparently intends to do nothing about the Pepe hand stomp.

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Hey Mike! Absolutely stunning gossip from East London!

Carlitos Tevez may return on loan!

Apparently, Citeh are unable to sell him in this window and they won't let him go abroad on loan, though I don't understand why not. Obviously, they won't loan him to another Prem club, but have no objection to him getting and staying match fit with us. He wants to come and play for us, for whatever the loan period would be, either till the end of the season, or shorter. The stumbling block is clearly his wages of 250k PER WEEK, but they are, according to the rumour, negotiating about this right now. This would be too amazing if it happened.  big_smile

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Hadn't heard it George. Bit of a surprise as WH floated the idea a while back when the problems first arose. That was a bike of sharp marketing practice by Brady and co as usual - all good fun of course.

I'm not a great believer in going back. It mostly doesn't work out as you would like. OK there would be a joint interest. Tevez knows he would be well recieved and happy at Upton Park, plus he would get back amongst the goals. Great for WH as the forwards we have just don't seem good enough to get goals from open play and that is something Allardyce must be very concerned about. They make plenty of chances but there is no one there good enough to put them away regularly.

Promotion will be all for nothing if they don't solve that.

I can't see it coming off somehow unless he agrees to play for a substantially reduced fee. At the moment City don't have to pay his wages because of his actions. Maybe City will sue through the courts and the contract torn up. He'll have to pay or he will never be able to play again.

His agent will thrash have to thrash out a deal with City eventually somehow. Maybe over the next 4 months WH could be the benficiary, but I wouldn't break the bank for him - no way!

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

Re: The Football Topic

What in hades is going on in Egypt? This has got to be one of the most violent sports on the planet, but it's the fans and not the sport itself. Looks like a real tragedy now, more security garcon?

Tres

As corn through a goose, so are the days of our lives

Re: The Football Topic

ahsmith33 wrote:

What in hades is going on in Egypt? This has got to be one of the most violent sports on the planet, but it's the fans and not the sport itself. Looks like a real tragedy now, more security garcon?

Tres

Whoa there, Tres. This is very much a one off occurence, let's not go blaming the game itself.

Yes, there is an occasional tradition of serious violence attached to some games, very often in parts of Africa. Europe also has groups of extreme supporters attached to many clubs, some of which have fights from time to time, but you simply don't ever get hundreds of people rushing onto the field and attacking. It is very, very, unusual for any deaths to occur in Europe as part of 'soccer violence'.

Stadiums in Africa, especially older ones, were not primarily constructed with the safety of the patrons in mind. I suspect that most of the deaths in this latest, very extreme, tragedy were people being trampled in the rush to escape.

As far as I know so far, this is what happened. The visiting 'Man Utd  of Egypt' team, Al-Ahly, lost to the local team in Port Said. At the end of the game, the local crowd stormed the field and started attacking (reason unknown so far) the visiting players and fans with stones, bottles, and fireworks! Result = 75 dead and around a thousand injured, which are utterly horrific numbers. I think that the entire world of football will be keeping a close eye on the investigation into this horrific disaster. sad

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

Brack wrote:

I suspect this had nothing to do with football Tres - more like, politically motivated - and the match was the ideal venue. This wasn't in isolation, a  a match in Cairo had trouble too.

...would seem to be the correct explanation for this appaling disaster. Film here showing police in riot gear standing around doing nothing to stop what's going on, though admittedly, they are very much outnumbered.

Two films -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16848876

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16847569

RIP Iron Man

Rock On and keep the Faith

Re: The Football Topic

yeah, I posted before I heard the whole story, very political confrontation. I was not trying to run down soccor in general as a sport, but seems like through history there have been some very violent fan outbursts in many different countries, not all resulting in deaths. It is sad that some cannot just leave it as a game, but choose to see it as much more than that.

Tres

As corn through a goose, so are the days of our lives

Re: The Football Topic

Some unique circumstances here, exploited by extremist elements in one set of fans. The match has clearly been used by those elements.

The worrying feature is that the police/security forces appear to be complicit, standing by and allowing the anarchy and murder to take place. Just another example of a sporting event being used to further a political agenda or literally settle some scores.

Arabs killing other Arabs. Africans killing other Africans, Asians killing other Asians. One minute they fight together to get freedoms and a better way of life. The next, the old scores come out, religious, political and whatever and they are killing each other.

I know in the 'old world' we still aren't averse to it, but most times we can look beyond the hate and see the greater goal, for betterment of all.

For a country that relies so heavily on tourism and the need to earn foreign currency these scenes of anarchy will damage Egypt for decades.

Many Germans still plan to go there for holidays because it is so cheap. You couldn't pay me enough.

No Hits, No Hype.......................Classic Rock Jan 2012

Re: The Football Topic

and yesterday's Man U v Chelsea match was a great tribute to that sad event. - It was a brilliant game of football regardless of the score and points awarded (or not).

My YouTube channel with plenty of my Joe's videos dating from 2009 inc his first Hammersmith Odeon ones:
http://www.youtube.com/ian916fun