On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[Atila Reincarnate]

I've always thought Gerrard was a bit of a thug but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he gets off with the charge, one rule for those with dosh one rule for those with nowt.

[Mick Mac]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> SP - How on earth does that come across as

> sounding proud - I've corrected Mick Mac who

> assumed Gerrard was in the clear.

>

Yes my fault - I thought Gerrard had been elbowed and then defended himself, seems that was perhaps not the case - so I'll butt out as obviously did not pay enough attention to news article. Would be amazed though if he did not get off, seems both groups were being aggressive.

[Ted Max]

i it'll be funny to see them crying after we show how to play the beautiful game and send home crying into their super strength lager

It's nice to have one of the squad posting. What position do you play, Atila?

[Atila Reincarnate]

Ted Max Wrote:

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> i it'll be funny to see them crying after we show

> how to play the beautiful game and send home

> crying into their super strength lager

>

> It's nice to have one of the squad posting. What

> position do you play, Atila?

Yet another budding comedian who has clearly missed his vocation. You should seriously think of a career as a script writer I'm sure there are millions of would be stand up comics just waiting for you to write some biting sardonic one liners for them. But then again..............NAH!!!

[matthew123]

Adebayor just won't let it go...

"I had played my heart out for that club [Arsenal] and gave it my best and the way the fans behaved towards me was not nice at all."

?I only ever told him [Wenger] I loved the club and wanted to stay, but I think the club needed money. They had to sell someone and they pointed the finger at myself. Wenger told me they had accepted City?s offer and I asked him why ? at the end of the day I found out that Arsenal needed the money and that I was the target. I never wanted to leave but now it?s all behind me and it is about what I am going to do with City.?

[Atila Reincarnate]

matthew123 Wrote:

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> Adebayor just won't let it go...

>

> "I had played my heart out for that club and gave

> it my best and the way the fans behaved towards me

> was not nice at all."

>

> ?I only ever told him I loved the club and wanted

> to stay, but I think the club needed money. They

> had to sell someone and they pointed the finger at

> myself. Wenger told me they had accepted City?s

> offer and I asked him why ? at the end of the day

> I found out that Arsenal needed the money and that

> I was the target. I never wanted to leave but now

> it?s all behind me and it is about what I am going

> to do with City.?

Is this the same bloke that was thinking of a move to AC or Barca at the end of last season? Just leave it Ade, you're digging a very big hole for yourself which is bound to result in a tumultuos reception when you come back to Ashbuton Grove.

[Mick Mac]

I think he's being honest, Arsenal are a selling club and he was sacrificed.

[Sandperson]

Sorry Matt, I was joking. I should have used one of these ;)

Is that Everton shirt their away kit or some sort of training kit/leisure wear?

[Rhinestone Cowboy]

Stevie G found not guilty of affray hmmmmm

[Ladygooner]

Must have had all Liverpool supporters as Jurors!

[Keef]

Interesting that the other 7 people with him are all guilty, yet somehow he isn't evern though he's one of the most involved.

Gerrard comes across as a nice enough lad, and I'm sure he's not a thug, but that still doesn't excuse this, and I would have much rather seen him at least get a slap on the wrist, instead, he's just been taught the lesson that he can do what he likes, because his fame will get him out of it!

[Keef]

Ladygooner Wrote:

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> Must have had all Liverpool supporters as Jurors!

I wondered about that Lady G, surely someone like this should be tried in a court with a non biased jury. As if any Liverpool supporter was going to find him guilty! Obviously, it would be just as unfair to try him in a Mancherster court, the guy wouldn't have stood a chance!

[matthew123]

So Gerrard has been found innocent and some people think Judge and Jury have it wrong - I suppose that's based on a few headlines in the newspapers huh rather than sitting through the trial and hearing all the evidence!?

The others pleaded guilty to the charges - if Gerrard had not contested the charge and also pleaded guilty he to would have been guilty. Gerrard acted in self defence and the Judge and Jury having weighed up all the evidence, and agreed that Gerrard was innocent of the charges.

[Mick Mac]

I wonder which of the 8 people had the best lawyer

[Keef]

No Matthew, it is not based on a few headlines. It is my opinion, based on the fact he's admitted to punching the bloke. The other's may well have pleaded guilty because they knew they wouldn't get quite the same sympathetic views as Gerrard has.

FFS, just because he's Liverpool captain, get off your high horse. How would you see this if it was John Terry, Wayne Rooney, or Frank Lampard in exactly the same position? Call me cynical, but I suspect you wouldn't be so firmly in their corner!

[matthew123]

Keef they found him Not Guilty because they believed he'd acted in self defence. The DJ thought Gerrard had hit him with an elbow, should Gerrard have waited for the DJ to react by clobbering him?

I've followed the entire case Keef, I tend to ignore soundbites and newspaper headlines, by reading both the prosecution and the defence, and as the judge suggested Gerrard believed he was acting in self defence and that is why he was found innocent.

[mockney piers]

"should Gerrard have waited for the DJ to react by clobbering him?"

I'll turn that around, should Gerrard have punched a bloke just trying to make a living?

[ratty]

It is certainly a weird decision. Wish I had enough money to avoid justice! :(

[Keef]

The DJ thought Gerrard had hit him with an elbow, should Gerrard have waited for the DJ to react by clobbering him?

Maybe this should just stay on the other thread now, and let this one be about footy, but just to answer this point, WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!? If a rude boy thinks you've disrespected him, should you stab him, just in case he might stab you?

I've followed the entire case Keef, I tend to ignore soundbites and newspaper headlines, by reading both the prosecution and the defence, and as the judge suggested Gerrard believed he was acting in self defence and that is why he was found innocent.

I believe you have, just as I have read most of the lit surrounding Hillsborough, rather than just the stuff the Liverpool fan sites would have you read. It didn't howver make you agree with any of my points about that.

You are blinkered Matthew, simple as that. Doesn't make you a bad person, just a loyal fan.

[matthew123]

I've read everything on Hillsborough Keef from day one - and very little of it from fans websites.

What has stabbing a rudeboy or OJ shooting his wife got to do with Steven Gerrard - WTF indeed!?!

[Keef]

Fair enough RE Hillsborough, lets leave that there, sorry for mentioning it.

What has stabbing a rudeboy or OJ shooting his wife got to do with Steven Gerrard - WTF indeed!?!

Well, the OJ comment was in response to

Gerrard acted in self defence and the Judge and Jury having weighed up all the evidence, and agreed that Gerrard was innocent of the charges.

Michael Jackson was not guilty too you know.

The rudeboy thing was just an example of how you wouldn't usually use violence in a preemptive strike, just in case someone was going to use violence on you, then call it self defence.

Anyway, lets agree to disagree. I shall be cheering him on to the pitch when the season starts, and hoping he scores lots of goals for the reds. I just think he got off because he was a celeb, end of.

[Sandperson]

I can't understand how you can say you are acting in self defence when you get approached by someone (who is obviously angry, but not necessarily violent) grab him by the shirt and hit him in the face three times. Once, maybe. Twice, hmmm. Three times seems a bit excessive. I'm sure he would have been punished if he'd have been an ordinary punter.

[red devil]

even once is too much, this verdict sends out the wrong message to society, that it's ok to violently attack someone because you 'think' he's going to attack you...

[matthew123]

Gerrard hit the guy once, his other 'punches' failed to connect - and the punch that did connect left neither a bloody nose or a broken jaw. The way people are talking you'd swear Gerrard had left the guy battered and bruised in intensive care. Steven Gerrard was subjected to abusive language by the DJ when he tried to take control of the music system after he'd just been given permission to do so by the manager. The crux of the matter in finding Gerrard innocent is that, Gerrard unaware of his mate elbowing the DJ, took the aggressive reaction of the DJ (who thought he'd been attacked by Gerrard) as a direct threat to his safety.

[Sandperson]

That's not true according to the reports I read Matt. I'm not on a witch hunt here, he got of and that's that but according to The Guardian he landed all three punches.