Sunday, August 20, 2006

Paul Scholes for England (v Croatia), 21 June 2004



So, the FA have upheld their initial decision and decided to ban both Wayne Rooney and Paul Scholes for three Premiership matches following their sendings off against Porto in the Amsterdam tournament a fortnight ago.

Ignoring the incidents which led to these red cards (Rooney's in particular) the decision to ban them is an absolute disgrace and yet more evidence of the lack of consistency the FA displays and their nonsensical desire to make examples of certain high profile clubs and players.

If you get a red card in an international match, you are banned for a number of international fixtures. If you get a red card in the Champions League, you are banned for a number of European games. So, someone explain to me how a red card in a meaningless pre-season friendly match, against Portuguese opposition, can lead to a three match domestic ban? Surely the most appropriate and logical punishment is a ban for a number of friendly matches? And seeing as the opposition was Porto, perhaps at a push a ban for some European games.

This is all notwithstanding the fact that, for example, Liverpool's Neil Mellor was sent off in the very same Amsterdam tournament in 2003 and received no ban at all. Or how Sheffield United's Ade Akinbiyi was sent off the day after Rooney and Scholes in a friendly match against Sparta Rotterdam and also received no domestic ban.

I am not sure that is is some sort of FA anti-United vendetta, and I am not sure that Rooney throwing his toys out of the pram with the FA is necessarily the best response but I just cannot understand the rationale behind this decision. It strikes me as yet another example of the bungling ineptitude of the FA who couldn't make a consistent decision if their lives depended on it. Sooner or later someone needs to take a grip of the rules of the game and starting treating clubs and individuals fairly and with consistency and not just making an example out of a big name player or club to make themselves look clever.

13 comments:

adem said...

It is a load of rubbish really. Apparently it's all because the ref in that game reported the incident to the FA, and so they HAD to deal with it.

I hate Man Utd but still think it's not fair, and would say that the fairest way would be to get bans in future friendlies, presumably the ones they still had left to play.

bollocks eh?

weenie said...

Same here, I'm no fan of United but this is ridiculous. There must be some FA rules about bans, which the FA should stick to.

weenie said...

Have those predictions points on the right been updated? I think I should have a few points from some correct results and I deffo had Chelski to beat City 3-0. I just don't want to be at the bottom of the table! :P

Dom said...

For once I agree it's nonsense - I do usually enjoy seeing Man Utd punished just for the hell of it, but the FA have made an error this time.

As you have with the prediction charts! - how did I manage to get 0 points when I correctly predicted the winners of 6 games this weekend?!
& my predictions were there in time 12.29pm on saturday!

LB said...

I would refer my honourable friends Weenie and Dom to the post about the predictions where I explained we were using a "Grand Prix" style of scoring. Only the top eight points scorers in a week score any points - 10/8/6/5/4/3/2/1 respectively. In this instance, Dom got 6 (but no correct scores so those people who scored 6 but got a correct score took the points) and Weenie, you got 5 points (and as there were eight people who scored more than 5 you get nothing).

(for reference this week, Ben scored 10, Flash 9, Andy 8, Alabama Worley and Sarah 7 each (with equal correct scores so they share 9 points rounded up) and Statue John, KJ and Paul A scored 6 points with one correct score each so share the remaining 3/2/1 points. There were a few others on 6 points (me included) who got nothing as we had no correct scores.)

make sense?

Ben said...

Off to a flyer! If it wasn't for that pesky Drogba scoring a third for Chelsea I'd be rolling in points...

weenie said...

Thanks LB, I forgot about the new scoring and it makes sense.

I really am at the bottom...oh nooooo!

kj said...

Did you mean to say that I shared in points? I'm showing as zero in the table right now.

Dom said...

OK! - sort of makes sense, will have to be more precise next time!

LB said...

sorry, KJ, my error, it was Charby, Paul A and Statue John that shared those points.

You scored four, hence "nil" (if that makes sense).

and Ben, "....If it wasn't for that pesky Drogba scoring a third for Chelsea I'd be rolling in points..."

That's not actually true, as you scored 10 points anyway, so even if you had got all the scores right you'd still only have scored 10 points. I'm just sayin'.

Good lord. I feel like Daryl Hair.

adem said...

Wahey!!! I'm in 9th place on alphabetical order!!

kj said...

That's what I thought, LB. Though I was hoping you were right to being with. :)

swisslet said...

but I got results right. what gives?

this new scoring is BOBBINS.

ST