Evening all,
I've not been on here in a while, but something caught my eye whilst watching the Fulham-Sunderland match the other night, and please excuse me if this has been discussed to death already
Much has been made of the 'Campaign against Chelsea' comments from Jose, which is no surprise. In some instances, I believe that it is complete and utter nonsense. For instance, Costa could've/should've been sent off for either one of those stamps against Liverpool. People will argue that there have been other cases with similar circumstances where the player has received no punishment (Aguero on Luiz), however this does not get Costa off the hook for me. Cases of violence like stamps/elbows or just cheating such as shirt pulling etc are fairly commonplace now and only a fool would claim that all players from his team are above this form of behavior.
However, what is less common is trying to get the ball to prevent time wasting. The most high profile case being Eden Hazard 2 years ago at Swansea, where the ball boy was holding onto the ball and Hazard kicked the ball out from underneath him (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8dMmpC7cH8). He received a ban for this.
Compare this with the Fulham-Sunderland game, and almost exactly the same thing happens. A Sunderland player is holding onto the ball and a Fulham player comes across and kicks the ball out of his grasp http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/31123862 The time wasting Sunderland player in question then received a booking.
Could someone please explain how two such similar yet unusual incidents led to 2 completely different outcomes.
Cheers
Campaign against Chelsea?
posted on 4/2/15
Hazard should have kicked caaaaant in the nuts.
posted on 4/2/15
Chelsea should be champions, the Villa and Sunderland games last year were a disgrace, 0 points should've been 6. We will be champions this season.
posted on 4/2/15
This isit still talking rubbish with his 17yr old kid
posted on 4/2/15
The lads age isn't relevant.
1. Because he's not a player
2. Because Hazard had no idea how old he was.
This is a pathetic article from an idiot.
posted on 4/2/15
Bale/Phil - so you agree with the ball boy actions, he had previously boasted about time wasting on the Twitter before the match.
you're just hypocrites, bet you would be talking a different language if it were you in the receiving end.
posted on 5/2/15
Jose just said the campaign thing to create the siege mentality within the club. I do not for one minute believe he thinks it exists.
I do think it has backfired though as refs like any other group of people will look out for each other and in cases where the benefit of the doubt may be given, let us just say, he brought it upon himself
posted on 5/2/15
I wouldnt expect a utd fan to understand, but we have been consistently on the wrong end of decisions this year. Costa bookings over nothing, fabregas booked for diving when it was a stonewall pen, costa getting taken out by skrtel just last week was a STONEWALL pen and many more. For a top team we never seem to get the decisions, maybe the home fans not appealing sways the referees decision, as opposed to say anfield where they appeal for anything.
posted on 5/2/15
I wouldnt expect a utd fan to understand
-------------------------
I think Utd fans understand it very well, especially the ones that watch us play regularly, they have eyes afterall. It's just not in their interest to publicly admit it.
The decisions that went against us against Liverpool were inexplicable. The penalty decision was as blatant as could be be and how Henderson, Lucas and Skrtel were still on the pitch was something I'll never be able to understand.
Yet all the media wanted to focus on after that was Costa and his "dangerous play" while conveniently ignoring the horrendous and far more dangerous elbowing we saw from Skrtel.
posted on 5/2/15
So - how did Rooney get away with banging out that Wigan player a couple of seasons ago?
When you see someone not get retrospective punishment for that and Costa dropped on like a ton of bricks, you're giving some one the excuse to come up with 'conspiracy' theories - and lets face it, whats the reason?
posted on 5/2/15
Superb, Chelsea beat Liverpool, that is why Lucas and Henderson staying on the pitch matters less than Costa in terms of news. Malouda scored a screamer via the bar in the cup final v Everton. The ref could not see it. Chelsea won so it hardly got a mention.
The ref said he would have sent Costa off. That may have made a difference. He would not have been brought down for the pen if it happened after and Skrtel would not have him to deal with.
Unless you watch all the teams in the league, you cannot say for example Chelsea get a worse deal than Spurs or Everton. Look at the 2 Liverpool pens v Leicester at Anfield for example.
As for a campaign, how is it supposed to work in reality. Do all the journalists get together and agree to write bad things .Some like Rob Beasley are Chelsea fans. I am sure he would 'grass' if that were the case.