BBC Reporting

[Gemmel]

The striker made two challenges in his 38 minutes on the pitch - a body check and then late tackle from behind, both on Maya Yoshida - both of which were more clumsy than callous, and was booked for both.

 

Swansea boss Monk was irate at the decision, even more so when Jose Fonte escaped a second yellow card for a similar offence to Bony's

 

I fully accept that I have red and white rose tinted glasses, but these comments have got me at a loss.

 

For me, the first tackle/assault, Bony made absolutely no attempt to play the ball and completely played "The man" (Based on what had gone on before and then after was probably a directive from management). How anyone could argue that wasn't a yellow card is beyond me ......Am I just being too precious?

 

The second tackle by Bony, could have been a straight red (Happy to accept we would have been ****ed off if a red was given against one of ours for that) based on the letter of the law, but for absolute certainty it was a yellow (in my eyes)

 

And the rose tinted glasses get worse.....

 

I didn't think Fonte's booking was a free kick, let alone a booking. He got there first, he played the ball first.

 

As for the him escaping a second yellow for a similar offence, , It was a crowd shout ( We would do it) but he went to absolutely play the ball and there was absolutely nothing in it and no connection with a Swansea player.

[Saint_clark]

Totally agree. The sky commentators infuriated me with Fontes booking, banging on about how "Fonte knew full well he was absolutely never going to get there" etc etc, WHILST the replay was showing that he DID get the ball first. It wasn't even as if he took much of the player out either.

 

Bonys by comparison were both very malicious to my eye.

[Professor]

Dear Gemmel, I agree entirely that the referee got the decisions over Bony right, but I would also say that he got both decisions over Fonte right as well. You are correct that Fonte did get to the ball first but his lunge was careless and could have injured the other player. Getting to the ball first isn't a defence if a tackle is careless, reckless or disregards the safety of the other player. Yellow meant that the ref treated it as careless. The second Fonte incident wasn't a foul at all since there was no contact between Fonte and the Swansea player. The ref did give a free kick, which could be questionable but he rightly did not give a caution.

 

On MotD, I thought the pundits pretty much agreed with what you have said but the voice overs weren't so accurate. It does show that quick judgement by commentators who like to behave as if they are the font of all football wisdom, should be discouraged by the BBC so that there is more consideration when opinions are given. A commentator's opinion is of no more value than any other reasonably knowledgeable spectator but it is too easy for them to abuse their position.

[cellone]

Thought the Ref was standing in a different field from the start.

[Lazlo78]

Dear Gemmel, I agree entirely that the referee got the decisions over Bony right, but I would also say that he got both decisions over Fonte right as well. You are correct that Fonte did get to the ball first but his lunge was careless and could have injured the other player. Getting to the ball first isn't a defence if a tackle is careless, reckless or disregards the safety of the other player. Yellow meant that the ref treated it as careless.

 

I agree with your interpretation that touching the ball doesn't make it acceptable to take down the player. Ramirez vs. Brown as an infuriating example of a ref thinking that even the slightest touch of the ball could excuse the horrific challenge afterwards...

[Picard]

Garth Crooks on Final Score quoted by BBC live text commentary:

 

"Wilfried Bony has been sent off for a second yellow card but it could have been a sending off on its own. Unnecessary and reckless. Both legs come round and he almost sits on the player's ankle. I have seen those break legs, ankles, or do the ligaments

[Baird of the land]

Couldn't understand why on match of the day they said fonte's first challenge was a booking. He got the ball well and truly first and while his trailing leg caught the man I can't see how that makes it a foul anymore than any other tackle.

[Seaside Saint 2]

The second challenge by Fonte definitely wasn't a booking. The slow motion replay showed the Swansea player jumped over him, no contact made.

[benjii]

I think Bony's first challenge should have been a straight red. He took Yoshi out in mid air quite deliberately. That's a red card in rugby FFS as it can cause spinal injuries.

 

As for Fonte: first challenge wasn't a foul. Second one probably was because their player had to take evasive action but it was an attempt to play a loose ball, not a cynical foul, and there was no contact so ref quite entitled not to book him.

[OldNick]

I think Bony's first challenge should have been a straight red. He took Yoshi out in mid air quite deliberately. That's a red card in rugby FFS as it can cause spinal injuries.

 

As for Fonte: first challenge wasn't a foul. Second one probably was because their player had to take evasive action but it was an attempt to play a loose ball, not a cynical foul, and there was no contact so ref quite entitled not to book him.

Bonys first was an assault. It could have seriously injured Yoshidas neck and back.

[ericofarabia]

Due to p!ss poor Streaming I missed the Fonte booking and subsequent replays as the action froze just before the challenge each time!!

 

However, although no contact was made (thanks to the Swansea player taking evasive action!!), Fonte, already on a booking shouldn't have been flying into challenges like that, especially at that end of the pitch, and giving the ref the soft option of appeasing the baying home crowd with an evening up sending off.

 

Luckily we survived until HT and Ron got the lads to calm down and get refocused. Was Maya subbed a tactical one to avoid a red, or did one of Bony's acts of GBH take it's toll?

[max_saints]

I think Bony's first challenge should have been a straight red. He took Yoshi out in mid air quite deliberately. That's a red card in rugby FFS as it can cause spinal injuries.

 

Agreed. He was charging full speed at maya without any intent of getting the ball at all. seemed like a man possessed, eyes staring straight at maya, roaring even lol

[tajjuk]

Most pundits/commentators seem to have generally agreed that both challenges were very fair yellows, not seen much on the Fonte one but he did seem to get the ball and the second one that they reckon he should have been sent off seemed to be a player going for a 50/50 ball, Routledge didn't get touched anyway.

 

Don't think Swansea can have any complaints really.

[Barry the Badger]

I thought the ref got them all right.

[CB Fry]

Couldn't understand why on match of the day they said fonte's first challenge was a booking. He got the ball well and truly first and while his trailing leg caught the man I can't see how that makes it a foul anymore than any other tackle.

Getting the ball doesn't then mean you can do whatever follow through you like without fear of punishment.

[Baird of the land]

Getting the ball doesn't then mean you can do whatever follow through you like without fear of punishment.

 

But there's always going to be contact with the player after 99% of tackles. I didn't get any sense of reckless follow through.

I actually thought fonte's second was a yellow. Completely reckless and if the guy hadn't of jumped he would have taken him out.

Jumping out of the way shouldn't get the fouler out of jail.

[Whitey Grandad]

I thought the ref got them all right.

 

Me too.

[The9]

The second challenge by Fonte definitely wasn't a booking. The slow motion replay showed the Swansea player jumped over him, no contact made.

 

Irrelevant whether he made contact with the player or not if Fonte's challenge was reckless or dangerous, still worthy of a card if the player is smart enough to get out of the way so he doesn't get injured.

 

You'd think we'd know this having had Marsden sent off for a ridiculous two-footed lunge on Vieira over ten years ago which was 2 yards short of injuring him. (Though the interpretation of the Laws has changed since then).

[The9]

Getting the ball doesn't then mean you can do whatever follow through you like without fear of punishment.

 

In fact it's that which has caused the new interpretations of the law, to stop all the "get the ball and injure the man" tackles.

[Saints foreva]

I think Bony's first challenge should have been a straight red. He took Yoshi out in mid air quite deliberately. That's a red card in rugby FFS as it can cause spinal injuries.

 

Agree with that.

 

He didn't even have his eyes on the ball and went into the challenge roaring.

[John Boy Saint]

Agree with that.

 

He didn't even have his eyes on the ball and went into the challenge roaring.

If you notice while he was still on the floor Yoshida was holding his head and neck in obvious pain.

 

As for lazy reporting the fact that most Journos (and Merson at the time) still had the first yellow for a tackle on Fonte even in Sundays papers.

[Kenilworthy]

It wasn't just about Yoshida/Bony/Fonte. There were other poor challenges by both sides that went unpunished. Schneiderlin went lunging in within seconds of the kick-off. While before the red card Dyer committed a dreadful foul on the touchline and got away with a warning. This was though the same ref that allowed Wiemann to get away with a murderous challenge on Shaw in last season's home game against Villa. Mr Moss simply can't distinguish between genuine challenges and serious foul play.

[Wade Garrett]

Monk is a cry baby.

 

And he's ginger.

[OLDER BUT WISER]

If Yosh had been a full back in rugby and was jumping for the ball it would have been a foul by Bony and I think rugby allows slightly more contact.

[Professor]

Today the BBC are reporting that Phillip Neville (ex-player who has miraculously become the BBC's football expert), thinks that Manchester Utd, in spending £150m, have bought the wrong players this summer and will need to spend another £100m before they can compete for the title. Obviously Man Utd made a serious error in appointing a respected international manager, Van Gaal, as their club manager when they could have had Phil Neville. Neville's opinion on behalf of the BBC is that there were no world class CBs available for the club to recruit and as a result they are letting in goals at an alarming rate.

 

What absolute rubbish Southampton must have signed in Belgian international Toby Aldeweireld and Romanian international Florin Gardos. Unlucky that Lovren, who's reputation was better in the close season than it is now, was so sold on playing for Liverpool that unlike Luke Shaw, he would have rejected Man U out of hand.

Edited 23 September, 2014 by Professor

[the saint in winchester]

Bonys first was an assault. It could have seriously injured Yoshidas neck and back.

 

Agree. Probably one of the worst attacks I have seen. No attempt to play the ball, eyes on the man and deliberately charged him, with a vocal war cry! Straight red for that. The 2nd challenge, also a red card, two footed and a potential ankle breaker.

I was left wondering whether he had history with Yoshida, or the Ivory Coast had history with Japan ... certainly this was a brutal assault, and my liking for Bony as a player was diminished after Saturday. I hope he uses his 3 game ban to reflect and adjust himself.

[Jesus Reigned]

It'll only be a one game ban for two yellows I think?

 

If so Bony can count himself very lucky.

[Whitey Grandad]

It'll only be a one game ban for two yellows I think?

 

If so Bony can count himself very lucky.

 

Correct. On both counts.

[farawaysaint]

Agree. Probably one of the worst attacks I have seen. No attempt to play the ball, eyes on the man and deliberately charged him, with a vocal war cry! Straight red for that. The 2nd challenge, also a red card, two footed and a potential ankle breaker.

I was left wondering whether he had history with Yoshida, or the Ivory Coast had history with Japan ... certainly this was a brutal assault, and my liking for Bony as a player was diminished after Saturday. I hope he uses his 3 game ban to reflect and adjust himself.

 

Hah! Did some digging. In the world cup, Yoshida against Ivory Coast made a bad tackle on Toure that could potentially have been a penalty for Ivory Coast but none was awarded and Zakora was shown a yellow for protesting. This yellow was Zakora's second and meant he missed the crucial game against Greece and threw his team into a defensive crisis in a game that Ivory Coast needed to win to progress. Yoshida effectively ended the Ivorian's World Cup hopes by ruining their defence against low scoring Greece who everyone expected the Ivorians to steamroll.

 

I am an investigative genius

Edited 23 September, 2014 by farawaysaint

[Lorne Malvo]

gg Crooks.

 

Chelsea 1-0 Hull City

 

 

"Twice Chelsea players have dived in the first 60 minutes - first Willian and now Gary Cahill. It's disgraceful. Managers can't say what I'm about to say - it questions the integrity of the refereeing. Is he intimidated by Stramford Bridge? The ref is not being fair.

 

"Cahill is on a yellow card and dived - he should have got another booking for that. It's not fair. The only conclusion you can come to is because it's Chelsea.

 

"And it's Chris Foy, an experienced referee! And now the injustice has got the Leicester players' blood boiling. They're thinking they might as well take the law into their own hands."

[Lorne Malvo]

CLOSE!

 

West Brom 0-0 Aston Villa

 

Posted at 16:23

 

Sam Allardyce described Andy Carroll as unstoppable after he scored two goals last week, he hasn't had too much of an influence in this fixture but he goes close with a clipped effort that is just over the bar.