[Archived] Other Premier League Happenings

[tony gale's mic]

Yep Steve Bennett didn't even reply to Mascherano, so he couldn't have said 'enough or else I'll give you a red card' or any sort of warning. Admittedly Mascherano shouldnt have been doing that but he wasnt being aggressive, definitely not an extra yellow card offence.

[Exiled_Rover]

We don't know what Mascherano said.

[1864roverite]

he just bottled sending Torres off which is even more outstanding considering his inept performance so far, Bennett that is

[thenodrog]

Rubbish when Mido set off for that long through ball Clichy was behind him and Mido had his eyes on the ball the whole time. There was no intent whatsoever.

btw u ever played footy herhergeeh? If so tell me how you can get your chest on a ball thats a yard away from your body and then go on to let me know how you can control a 40 yard punt with your head!

Halsey reacted to the sight of blood like a fainting teenage girl. These things happen in football. I'll bet Clichy is traning Mon and playing in their next game. Head wounds are easy to do and spectacular to witness. Before aids players were bandaged up and played on.

Be interesting to see which of these Halsey will stick on Mido to cover his inept decision. Here's his choice.

Serious foul play

Violent conduct

Spitting at an opponent or any other person

Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball

Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick (known as a professional foul)

Using offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the same match

Anyway on MoTD Shearer agreed with me!

Serious foul play it is apparently.

[Hasta]

We don't know what Mascherano said.

But we do know that:-

Torres was being persistently fouled with no reprimand to the opponents.

Torres was unlucky not be booked for being fouled.

Mascherano was not being aggresive and his appearance to ecveryone else wasn;t one of disrespect, only that of someone questioning why.

Bennett ruined the game as a spectacle, somethng that 70,000 people had paid a lot of money to see.

Bennett could have avoided it all with a bit of common sense.

Looking at the pictures, and the fact he speaks broken English, it was unlikey Bennett was receiving a torrent of personal abuse.

[LeChuck]

Although when Mascherano scored last week, he ran at the crowd yelling "F*** OFF! F*** OFF!". Seemed to mean it as well.

Edit:

. Poor quality unfortunately.

[Rover4ever]

dont kno why i wanted manure to win this game, maybe it was the Liverpool fans who were claiming this match to be between "2 title contenders", or maybe the ones who feel that Liverpool are the best team in the country just because they fluke their way to a 4th spot every year, and are hopeless in the league

[philipl]

Just thought the Liverpool players weren't handling being up against a ref giving the 50/50s against them.

Rovers players are used to it but Liverpool players get themselves sent off when it happens.

No sympathy from me.

[92er]

Lawrenson on Radio 5 had made the comment a few times that Mascherano had to be careful about his hounding the ref as he had akready done it a few times.

In view of what has happened this week, hw wasn't surprised he was sent off.

He thought Mascherano had been stupid.

Beitez, on the other hand, according to his interview, was surprised.

[Rovermatt]

Liverpool, like Newcastle, need to consider forfeiting all games against United since their perennial capitulation against a side supposedly held up as their bitterest rivals is hugely embarrassing. It is becoming increasingly obvious that United will win the title at a canter, not only thanks to Arsenal's pathetic inability to see off inferior opposition, but also due in part to the guaranteed 12 points that Liverpool and Newcastle offer to Ferguson's nasty minions.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

When I first started watching Rovers in the early sixties it was 3 years before I saw a player sent off ( Mike England in a ferocious derby at Burnley) and another 3 years before the next one ( Harry Gregg of the red rats for poleaxing Mike England at Old Trafford ).These days you see as many games where 10 end up playing 11 as you see end up 11 versus 11. Yesterdays game was a classic example, 2 players sent off in a pretty tame game with hardly a bad tackle all afternoon.

I'm fed up of the officials having an overbearing effect on the result of nearly ever game you see, I don't go to Ewood as much as I used to now , in the main the frustration caused by officials today is the reason, they have no empathy for the game at all.

[thenodrog]

When I first started watching Rovers in the early sixties it was 3 years before I saw a player sent off ( Mike England in a ferocious derby at Burnley) and another 3 years before the next one ( Harry Gregg of the red rats for poleaxing Mike England at Old Trafford ).These days you see as many games where 10 end up playing 11 as you see end up 11 versus 11. Yesterdays game was a classic example, 2 players sent off in a pretty tame game with hardly a bad tackle all afternoon.

I'm fed up of the officials having an overbearing effect on the result of nearly ever game you see, I don't go to Ewood as much as I used to now , in the main the frustration caused by officials today is the reason, they have no empathy for the game at all.

Correct Tyrone. You should copy that, form it into a petition, circulate it to the all the supporters clubs you can think of and then post the results to the FA, The Prem, Uefa, Fifa, Sky, Beeb, the referees assoc, Uncle Tom Cobley and all.

[den]

It doesn't matter what Mascherano said, or didn't say to Bennett. That wasn't why he sent him off. Mascherano had already got on the wrong side of the ref with his first booking. He ran 20 yards to get involved in something that had nothing to do with him. Bennett gave him the chance to go away, but he kept on chattering, so Bennett gave him another yellow. Mascherano can only really blame himself. He should have walked away when the ref told him to.

[DaveyB]

It doesn't matter what Mascherano said, or didn't say to Bennett. That wasn't why he sent him off. Mascherano had already got on the wrong side of the ref with his first booking. He ran 20 yards to get involved in something that had nothing to do with him. Bennett gave him the chance to go away, but he kept on chattering, so Bennett gave him another yellow. Mascherano can only really blame himself. He should have walked away when the ref told him to.

How come both Carragher and Gerrard got away with doing exactly the same thing in the second half though? In fact Gerrard telling the ref 'You're taking the f***ing p***!' seems a lot more like dissent than Mascherano asking 'What's happening?' - but then maybe the ref would have incurred the wrath of the red-tops had he dared to take on one of the media's 'national treasures'. :!:

I'm not necessarily saying that what Mascherano did was right btw - but I don't think that the punishment fitted the crime. Surely just telling him to shut up and go away would have sufficed? Obviously if he continued after that, then maybe a yellow card would be appropriate, but I think that Bennett was far too quick in this instance.

[DaveyB]

Also, I don't know if anyone else noticed, but about 10 minutes into the 2nd half of the Chelski - Arsenal game Adebayor attempted to control a long clearance with his foot at head height. Free-kick given for high foot and everyone got on with the game - no red card though!!!

[RevidgeBlue]

Just casually flicked onto a replay of the Barcelona game tonight and they had a penalty awarded against them.

Six Barca players surrounded the referee practically nose to nose, snarling at him, and I think one yellow card was dished out.

That wasn't for the initial melee, but a couple of Barca players kicked off again before the penalty was taken and encroached in the area.

That's the sort of dissent that needs to be snuffed out imo, not the fairly good natured "what's going on ref?" sort of enquiry that Torres and Mascerano seemed to be indulging in.

I thought it was just a case of a Premiership ref playing to the home crowd at one of the big 4 as per usual.

[philipl]

Mascherano was being a constant pesky pain and in one of the papers today it was reported that he was continuing a feud against Bennet from the last time he had reffed a Liverpool game. It lookslike he will get his ban extended but probably by one game and not the two which would help the Rovers.

Incidentally, Wigan go to Pompey next week with three players suspended which is no good to us either.

Although Chelsea and Man U have pushed the boundaries of disrespect in the English game, nobody matches down to the sort of things that can be seen in the Italian and Spanish games where basically the refs are fed to the wolves by the national football associations.

When is Rovers' disrespect charge heard? Got a horrible feeling we are going to be at Soho Square when the FA is making examples of people.

[JAL]

Who says players are supposed to talk to the referee during a game, except for if he can take a quick free kick.

They the players should just get on with it or is it just too difficult for the multi million pound players to understand which direction the referees arm is pointing in.

[thenodrog]

Also, I don't know if anyone else noticed, but about 10 minutes into the 2nd half of the Chelski - Arsenal game Adebayor attempted to control a long clearance with his foot at head height. Free-kick given for high foot and everyone got on with the game - no red card though!!!

'Foot up' is only dangerous play if it is toward another player.

[thenodrog]

Mascherano scored a goal last week, ran over to the crowd and yelled 'Fukoff! Fukoff' at them! He gets booked off Bennett yesterday, looks at him and shouts exactly the same 4 words. Who exactly have Liverpool employed as his English tutor?

I guess he's hardly likely to realise that the 'F' word is very insulting and very rude living in and around Liverpool though is he?

[neekoy]

Mascherano was having a go at the linesman and the ref the whole game, why he ran 20 yards to ask "what's happening ref" when he is neither the captain or the player who received the booking in the first place is bewildering.

Add to that after all the kafuffle over Cashley Cole a couple of days ago you would expect a bit more common sense from players.

I did notice that Ferdinand received a booking and walked away, hardly one to shut his mouth on these kinds of things dare I say SAF told his players to shut their mouths prior to the game?

[speeeeeeedie]

I read that Bennett was the 4th official at Chelsea the other night when Ashley Cole only got booked for his show of dissent. I've no problem with the sending off as he'd been chirping for ages. What I do have a problem with is that the rule is not applied consistently. If it was there should have been about 20 sendings off last weekend. I'm all for treating ref's with respect but sending of players piecemeal won't do any good, it will just have managers moaning. Maybe next weekend they should take the "no tolerance" approach and book anyone who comes within 10 feet of a ref; the papers will have a field day, fans will go mad, the FA will get squeaky and they may actually do something to stop players acting up as fining them won't do any good.

Overall though a great weekend for BRFC. I just hope our lost points against West Ham, Pompey, and Villa don't come back to haunt us.

[USABlue]

Bizarre and irritating scenes at old Trafford. Torres booked for complaining politely to Steve Bennet that he was being repeatedly fouled. Then Mascherano, who does admittedly run 20 yards to question that booking, is given a second yellow card by Bennet for dissent. Replays show that the Argentine is smiling and hardly 'aggresive' to the ref.

Once again a referee has made an awful call and ruined a game of football. Fans pay hard earned money to watch competitve games and it is constantly ruined by referees producing the red card for two bookings way too easily. Maybe it's the fault of the laws and not the official. There was no lack of respect shown in the incident. In fact the biggest lack of respect was the referees inability to even talk or explain anything to the players.

Bennett has been week and has reacted to recent events. I'm sure Hackett, Poll and several others will support and back him. Either way it is a rather petty and trivial way to ruin a game off football. As it's at Old Trafford in front of 70000 Mancs I wonder if Ronaldo will get booked every time he fails to get a free kick and throws his arms up in disgust? I don't think so either. Weak.

Completely agree, as incidents of dissent go, I wouldn't have classed either as particularly serious - there's absolutely no way he would have done that had it been atv Anfield.

It is curious when one looks at that particualr decision and then compare it to the multiple instances of Chelsea players surrounding and visibly bumping refs without so much as a single yellow being brandished. Could we just please have some form of consistancy.

[T4E]

Mascherano scored a goal last week, ran over to the crowd and yelled 'Fukoff! Fukoff' at them! He gets booked off Bennett yesterday, looks at him and shouts exactly the same 4 words. Who exactly have Liverpool employed as his English tutor?

I guess he's hardly likely to realise that the 'F' word is very insulting and very rude living in and around Liverpool though is he?

I noticed this too. He kept on repeating it. Infact, I don't think Bennett was going to book Mascherano for the original foul, but chose to after the persistent swearing from him.

Apparently Benitez insisted that Mascherano worked hard on his English as he doesn't like players talking in the dressing room in any other language. I bet he wishes he hadn't bothered now.

[American]

Mascherano scored a goal last week, ran over to the crowd and yelled 'Fukoff! Fukoff' at them! He gets booked off Bennett yesterday, looks at him and shouts exactly the same 4 words. Who exactly have Liverpool employed as his English tutor?

Gerrard.