Not just the fans but the clubs as well with their own self interest. I include all clubs in this including city and united. We've both had our fair share of bad lads coming through who the club have defended until it becomes blatantly obvious they are a liability.

I agree about fans sometimes blindly supporting their players whatever they do, but while Terry is innocent till proven guilty and Gerrard was acquitted, they are entitled to stand up for them.

comment by gratedbean (U4885)
posted 4 hours, 8 minutes ago

I thought he did a good job of reffing the game too, those two incidents were ones that most refs would have missed in realtime and other than that he got everything pretty spot on.

He's obviously seen the media frenzy surrounding Mario in the aftermath of the match and thinks this is the way to save his credability. How Lescott has been given the benefit of the doubt but Mario has not is strange at the least.

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Bean

I agree. He actually did have a good game, apart from the two incidents.

My take is this.

He saw the Mario stamp, and knowing he had already yellow carded him, bottled sending Mario off.

Had City not got the penalty, won and scored by Mario, he would have probably got away with it.

Now, the only way Webb could really get out of this with the FA, was to say he did not see the incident.

If Ballotelli didn't make contact with Scott Parkers head why did he go up to him whilst he was on the floor looking concerned. Surely if Ballotelli hadn't actually made contact he would know about it and he would be furious that Parker was acting hurt when he had done nothing wrong rather than worried and checking he is okay.

He did make the original connection with the back of his leg but that wouldn't have been enough to warrant Parker going down like that and I doubt it would have left Ballotelli that concerned and apologetic.

Is Parker usually the type to go down easily and stay down for a little knock ?

If Ballotelli didn't make contact with Scott Parkers head why did he go up to him whilst he was on the floor looking concerned. Surely if Ballotelli hadn't actually made contact he would know about it and he would be furious that Parker was acting hurt when he had done nothing wrong rather than worried and checking he is okay.

He did make the original connection with the back of his leg but that wouldn't have been enough to warrant Parker going down like that

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Parker was already "going down" when the first contact was made, and he rolled over onto his stomach before the stamp occurred. You or I have no idea how much that first contact did or did not hurt Parker.

There is no doubt that contact was made with the first (accidental) collision. There is doubt that contact was made with the second.

There is doubt that contact was made with the second.

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Not if you have eyes that work.

Not if you have eyes that work

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Prove, beyond any doubt whatsoever, that there was contact with the stamp.

I don't want to hear your opinion, just the proof.

What about Ballotellis reaction, I am not saying this proves it but I don't think Ballotelli would have been as concerned as he was had he only connected with Parker the first time.

That's just conjecture Captain. Which in all honesty is no more or less valid than my own opinion (which is also conjecture).

For the record, I'm not saying categorically that there wasn't any contact with the stamp, just that I'm not convinced that there was.

I said this earlier, but if the stamp had made contact then I can't help but feel Parker's injury would have been a lot worse than it was. That is the predominant reason that leads me to believe that no contact was made with the stamp.

It's a moot point really. For whether there was or wasn't any contact, it doesn't prove whether Balotelli's actions were deliberate or not. Nor does it prove whether, if deliberate, Balotelli was aiming for Parker's head or not.

The important thing is that Parker wasn't seriously hurt. And whether contact was made or not, whether it was deliberate or not, I do feel that it was the correct decision to retrospectively ban Balotelli.

The vast majority of ex-pro think he tried to stamp on him, and I think most City fans, if they removed their blue tinted specs, would agree.

There's little doubt that he does get singled out, but you have to ask why? He's a fool at times. Time and again he sets himself up for a fall, nobody forced him to stamp

captain if you watch the last time balotelli got sent off for a coming together with another player was mulumbu of west brom. In that incident balotelli certainly did not offer a sorry handshake as he was certainly aggreived by the initial foul and let the perpetrator know it full well. So the reaction this time is one of genuine apology as far as i can see not an effort to get out a situation. balotelli went down under a challenge from parker. Parker fell behind him when balotelli has finally seen parker, after all the hullabaloo he mustve seen he was injured or something which to me is why he offered his hand which parker readily accepted i might add.

Don't get me wrong I am not saying it is the piece of evidence that proves Ballotelli did stamp him I just think it adds to the case that he did.

You could be right Captain. Put it this way, I can't say with any certainty that you're not right.

Which is essentially my point. There is doubt either way.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

comment by Captain_7_The_Best (U5768)
posted 11 minutes ago

Don't get me wrong I am not saying it is the piece of evidence that proves Ballotelli did stamp him

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You don't need it. The video replay is all the evidence you need.

It quite clearly shows Mario stamping on Parker. Not sure how anyone can see it any other way.

Mario lifts his leg up, stamps it down on Parker.

Maybe RipleysCat thinks Parker put up some kind of force field that stopped the stamp connecting with him.

I do think he stamped him Vc I am just looking at other things around the incident (players reaction and such) which may point to him doing or not doing the stamp.

I do think he stamped him Vc I am just looking at other things around the incident (players reaction and such) which may point to him doing or not doing the stamp.

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I can not see anything to suggest otherwise than it being a stamp.

Even Platt came out and said they are going to accept the ban.

In fact, I would imagine they will be making the official statement very soon.

Vidicshin

I asked for proof beyond any doubt. You've provided nothing, instead resorting to re-hashing your original comment and throwing in a bit of hostility just for the sake of it.

Calm down fella, and try to remain civil.

As far as the tv replays go, we don't see the stamp connect with Parker's head. That is a fact. That fact however doesn't prove that it didn't connect any more than it proves that it did. Parker was already on the floor, had already been bashed in the head from the accidental collision and was reacting to that accidental collision when the stamp came down.

If that stamp had connected fully with Parker's head, then I'm in no doubt that the injury would be a hell of a lot worse. It's possible that the stamp brushed Parker's head, which naturally would mean there was contact and explain why the injury wasn't so severe. It's also possible that the stamp didn't make contact, in which case the minimal injury that Parker did suffer was as a result of the first accidental collision.

No one has yet proven which one of the above scenarios is the one that actually happened. I can't prove which one it was either.

So there's doubt in that respect. Which is pretty much my point summed up.

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 23 seconds ago

Vidicshin

I asked for proof beyond any doubt.

It is in the video reply.

What can you possibly not be seeing, to have any doubt.

Mario lifts his leg up. He then brings his foot down and stamps on Parker.

What more proof do you need?

I've seen the video replay. I've explained what happens in the video replay. I've categorically stated that it is inconclusive as to whether contact was actually made with the stamp.

In simple terms, it doesn't prove whether contact was made or contact wasn't.

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 23 minutes ago

I've seen the video replay. I've explained what happens in the video replay. I've categorically stated that it is inconclusive as to whether contact was actually made with the stamp

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Inconclusive my jacksy. You need to go to specsavers.

"Yes it was deliberate and if it could be proved that Balotelli knew it was Parker's head that was there then I think police should be involved."