Football Focus

[Bhoy in Singapore]

Haha! Shame as I used to enjoy reading some of the ding dongs. Serious question for Rangers fans - or anyone else who would like to voice an opinion - do you think you will get through the playoffs and if you dont, do you have confidence that you would survive another season.

I personally think you will go up but if you dont, I dont see where the money will come from to pay the wages next year.

[spaul88]

Stevie G doesn't get his dream ending. Liverpool should have done better Aston Villa simply outplayed them. Really dissapointed would have liked to see a Arsenal V Liverpool final.

[Otta]

Liverpool were shit.

Yes we had a goal disallowed which should have forced extra time, but we hardly deserved it.

And next time Sterling thinks he's too good for LFC someone should show him his performance yesterday.

[Mick Mac]

Alan Green made the same point about Sterling on R5 yesterday.

[Otta]

Me and Alan, we're so in tune.

[Parkdrive]

Otta Wrote:

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> Liverpool were shit.

>

> Yes we had a goal disallowed which should have

> forced extra time, but we hardly deserved it.

>

> And next time Sterling thinks he's too good for

> LFC someone should show him his performance

> yesterday.

Sterlings attitude reminds me of a quote one of my eldest sons sports tutors used to spout when confronted by lads with similar traits. "Never confuse confidence with ability"

[Otta]

Indeed.

Sterling does show a lot of promise, but if he hinks he's going to be "the man" at a top club next year he's dreaming.

And if he loses a yard of pace that's his whole game buggered.

[Jah Lush]

He is a top club though.

Happens a lot these days. Kids who think they've made it when they've only been in the first team five minutes. Too much money in the game. I think he's holding out for bigger wages because his agent has told him to.

With the new TV money everybody will be on silly money soon (as if they're not already) and he's just the first of a lot of players who'll be doing the same when their contracts are up for renewal.

[Parkdrive]

Otta Wrote:

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> Indeed.

>

> Sterling does show a lot of promise, but if he

> hinks he's going to be "the man" at a top club

> next year he's dreaming.

>

> And if he loses a yard of pace that's his whole

> game buggered.

He wouldn't be "the man" at any of the top 4 clubs in the Prem , or La Liga for that matter. Without his pace he would struggle. He reminds me of a younger version of Walcott, and I'm beginning to think his days at Arsenal are numbered.

[Mick Mac]

Sterling is good but perhaps he is too young to realise Liverpool are a big club. He should ask his Dad.

[Jah Lush]

Great article that will have the Arsenal fans drooling. I may be a Spurs fan and dislike the Gooners intensely but that doesn't stop my from having enormous admiration for Arsene Wenger.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/apr/21/arsene-wenger-arsenal-the-martyr-of-islington

[Sandperson]

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Sterling is good but perhaps he is too young to

> realise Liverpool are a big club. He should ask

> his Dad.

Or his Grandad Mick ;)

[Otta]

Look who's back!!!

Greetings SP.

You could have popped your head in last year when you were shit! ;-)

[Sandperson]

WE've been pretty shit this year too. But we're still top four....just! ;)

[red devil]

And with Matthew123 in the bike hanger thread, it's just like the old days...FIIIIIGHT!!!

[Mick Mac]

SFA cite a player and discipline a player with a one game ban for a handball of a goalbound effort, which was missed by the referee.

FIFA disagrees and says such post match sanctions should be only for violent offenses.... ?

http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/572270/FIFA-issue-warning-to-SFA-over-Josh-Meekings-handball-verdict

Boyce said: ?This sets a very dangerous precedent.

?I am absolutely, 100 per cent against the compliance officer becoming involved because the referee?s decision is final.

?It is a totally different matter if someone has gone over the top, or committed a serious foul, or head-butted someone and the referee has missed it. Those are disciplinary issues.

?But what happened here is that the referee has made a mistake regarding a handball and that?s the end of it.

?There is no way the player should now be disciplined for that.

?Who is to say it was even intentional?

[SCSB79]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> SFA cite a player and discipline a player with a

> one game ban for a handball of a goalbound effort,

> which was missed by the referee.

>

> FIFA disagrees and says such post match sanctions

> should be only for violent offenses.... ?

>

>

> http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/572270/FIF

> A-issue-warning-to-SFA-over-Josh-Meekings-handball

> -verdict

>

>

> Boyce said: ?This sets a very dangerous precedent.

>

>

> ?I am absolutely, 100 per cent against the

> compliance officer becoming involved because the

> referee?s decision is final.

>

> ?It is a totally different matter if someone has

> gone over the top, or committed a serious foul, or

> head-butted someone and the referee has missed it.

> Those are disciplinary issues.

>

> ?But what happened here is that the referee has

> made a mistake regarding a handball and that?s the

> end of it.

>

> ?There is no way the player should now be

> disciplined for that.

>

> ?Who is to say it was even intentional?

MM - what's your thoughts on it?

Are you embarrassed by the actions of Celtic (i.e. writing to the SFA)?

[Otta]

?Who is to say it was even intentional?"

That's a bit dumb. If a panel of experts can watch a foul again and again and decide whether it was intentional, then I'm sure they can do the same for a handball.

I've not seen the incident, but if a player intentionally uses their hand to stop a goal, then I think they should receive bans even if the ref missed it.

[SCSB79]

Here you go Otta.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yIpT-jUQLU

[Jah Lush]

That's a deliberate handball if ever I've seen one.

[Mick Mac]

It's not a handball, its a save. :)

[Mick Mac]

I think if the referee had seen it he'd have been sent off. Therefore I don't see why he shouldn't be suspended post match.

As for Celtic writing to the SFA - that was "apparently" based upon a Celtic player having "apparently" heard the official behind the goal shouting penalty and being ignored by the referee and I think Celtic asked for clarification of whether this was the case and if so why was he ignored - nothing to do with wanting to have the player punished but still I think its looks bad for Celtic.

Celtic manager said 6 officials obviously wasn't enough that day - that's about the height of it.

[SCSB79]

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think if the referee had seen it he'd have been

> sent off. Therefore I don't see why he shouldn't

> be suspended post match.

>

> As for Celtic writing to the SFA - that was

> "apparently" based upon a Celtic player having

> "apparently" heard the official behind the goal

> shouting penalty and being ignored by the referee

> and I think Celtic asked for clarification of

> whether this was the case and if so why was he

> ignored - nothing to do with wanting to have the

> player punished but still I think its looks bad

> for Celtic.

>

> Celtic manager said 6 officials obviously wasn't

> enough that day - that's about the height of it.

Funny how the Celtic players had perfect hearing and could hear the assistant ref say that when they missed the racist remarks by Tonev against the Aberdeen player a few months back.

Strange indeed.

So, so, so, so, so many examples out there of things going your way and hardly a peep from the oppo and then one thing goes against you, there's an uproar. As your own manager said after a game when you got a very dodgy penalty decision (St Johnstone I think, or could have been Hearts) - "these things even themselves out over a season".

Well, that evened it out.

[SCSB79]

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> That's a deliberate handball if ever I've seen

> one.

I'm not so sure... he's not looking at the ball when it is struck, head down, eyes closed.

Anyway, he was let off at the hearing so it's over now anyway.

[????]

Oh come on you tedious bastards, same old crap and no mention of West Ham's magnificent pricing policy? I will be treating my kids to two ?99 Season Tickets (between 3) and a big one for me in 16/17 a whole ten years after I gave up my last one. It's brilliant, we'll fill that stadium, I'm genuinely chuffed and excited now all we need is a fit for purpose manager. Spurs pushed down to London's 4th biggest club, Millwall on the brink of relegation, my bets on watford for championship and Juventus for the Champions League both traded for a tidy profit...all is well in my football focus