Should the club stay silent or fightback?

[BrianW]

It annoys me that we are noted for the quality of the hospitality we give to the press when the return is that the club is slated from hill to dale at every opportunity.

From now on press hospitality should consist: 1. Pork pie, the cheapest and stalest that Aldi can offer. 2. Bag of cheap crisps. 3. Bottle of brown ale. And if anyone dares ask why, the answer should be that the club has to make economies to meet FFPR.

 

[spurspinter1]

If Webb had treated Parker the same as he did Balotelli (not the stamping but the booking) he would have been sent off 3 times over.

Perhaps but I haven't used Balotelli's booking as a means of comparison. If Mario's first challenge was a booking then every team would be down to about 4 men by the end of it. It was a shite decision, but it wasn't a game changing one. But in my opinion it's a case of seeing the wood for the trees as you can't really use the game as an example of harsh treatment to him.

It could have been game changing had he decided to apply the same rules to Parker and Van Der Vaart who systematically took it in turns to kick everything that moved in a blue shirt all afternoon. I'm not really having a go at you or your team. If they can get away with it then fair play. It's just frustrating. Ok, Balo got away with the stamping at the time which I agree looks bad but is still open to interpretation. Only he knows whether he meant it. However, he is going to be burnt at the stake for it. We're going through a period currently where is does feel like bookings are given against us and not others and video evidence used against us and not others. Luckily, we're still winning matches so we can remain level headed about it, or some of us can.

As I've said, I didn't notice the niggly fouls, often you don't tend to notice your team doing them, I can accept that. But a quick check shows we commited 10 fouls to your 7, which shows we didn't Stoke you over or anything. I'd be interested to see how many of those fouls Parker commited as it has been brought up a lot here, but honestly, part of me thinks that perhaps a big deal is being made of it because of big deals that have been made of incidents your club has been involved in creating a defensive attitude towards these things. I can understand that as you have had a rough time media wise with certain things but when challenging for the title you have to expect that to happen. I'm not trying to wind anyone up with this comment and I'm not even sure I fully believe it, but I think had you seen a thread like this on a certain Liverpool forum most of you would have been lapping it up...

 

[spurspinter1]

............it happened so fast.

....and yet you are convinced he's guilty, and that it was full of intent, that is where many of us have a problem with it all, there is no way of knowing, only one person actually knows. There was no reaction in the stadium on Sunday, not from Modric the nearest player, nor Parker (other than to hold his head - and its still not clear there was much contact), nor the rest of the players, or the officials (4 of them), nor the spurs away support. Yet a zillion slow motion replays prove he's a murderer.

The segment of the post you are quoting there is to do with the referee's chances of seeing enough of the event to make an informed decision which will have a massive effect on the game. That's different to my interpretation of the event as I am blessed with hindsight.

I think there is enough evidence to make your mind up now, perhaps Mario wasn't aiming specifically for the head but he definitely felt Parker behind him and lashed out, I don't think that's really debatable, I'm not saying the intent to stamp on Parker's head/neck area was there but there was definitie intent to harm Parker and in my opinion (I know I shouldn't say this as there'll be a shitstorm headed my way) a cowardly dive a splitsecond after the incident to increase the chances of it looking accidental.

 

[Marvin]

Why are you trying to re-live a game you lost? most WUMs do this after a win, not a shattering defeat

 

[Sigh]

Oh, sorry, I seem to keep wandering onto Spurs forums...

 

[cheddar404]

Perhaps but I haven't used Balotelli's booking as a means of comparison. If Mario's first challenge was a booking then every team would be down to about 4 men by the end of it. It was a shite decision, but it wasn't a game changing one. But in my opinion it's a case of seeing the wood for the trees as you can't really use the game as an example of harsh treatment to him.

It could have been game changing had he decided to apply the same rules to Parker and Van Der Vaart who systematically took it in turns to kick everything that moved in a blue shirt all afternoon. I'm not really having a go at you or your team. If they can get away with it then fair play. It's just frustrating. Ok, Balo got away with the stamping at the time which I agree looks bad but is still open to interpretation. Only he knows whether he meant it. However, he is going to be burnt at the stake for it. We're going through a period currently where is does feel like bookings are given against us and not others and video evidence used against us and not others. Luckily, we're still winning matches so we can remain level headed about it, or some of us can.

As I've said, I didn't notice the niggly fouls, often you don't tend to notice your team doing them, I can accept that. But a quick check shows we commited 10 fouls to your 7, which shows we didn't Stoke you over or anything. I'd be interested to see how many of those fouls Parker commited as it has been brought up a lot here, but honestly, part of me thinks that perhaps a big deal is being made of it because of big deals that have been made of incidents your club has been involved in creating a defensive attitude towards these things. I can understand that as you have had a rough time media wise with certain things but when challenging for the title you have to expect that to happen. I'm not trying to wind anyone up with this comment and I'm not even sure I fully believe it, but I think had you seen a thread like this on a certain Liverpool forum most of you would have been lapping it up...

I would argue that they got away with a few but then again I am going to be biased. To be fair, you argue your point well and I'm sure there is some truth in what you say. I've stated in other threads that we need to just keep playing the football and we've got the quality to come out on top.

 

[Vosey]

Appeal and appeal hard. You can slow it down and look at it from wherever you want, but at no point does Mario look where he is putting his foot.

It does not look good in super slow-mo but few things of this nature do. I fail to see how they can categorically say he meant to cause injury.

If all else fails we could send him in with Rooney's lawyer and a United club tie?

 

[cleavers]

............it happened so fast.

....and yet you are convinced he's guilty, and that it was full of intent, that is where many of us have a problem with it all, there is no way of knowing, only one person actually knows. There was no reaction in the stadium on Sunday, not from Modric the nearest player, nor Parker (other than to hold his head - and its still not clear there was much contact), nor the rest of the players, or the officials (4 of them), nor the spurs away support. Yet a zillion slow motion replays prove he's a murderer.

The segment of the post you are quoting there is to do with the referee's chances of seeing enough of the event to make an informed decision which will have a massive effect on the game. That's different to my interpretation of the event as I am blessed with hindsight.

I think there is enough evidence to make your mind up now, perhaps Mario wasn't aiming specifically for the head but he definitely felt Parker behind him and lashed out, I don't think that's really debatable, I'm not saying the intent to stamp on Parker's head/neck area was there but there was definitie intent to harm Parker and in my opinion (I know I shouldn't say this as there'll be a shitstorm headed my way) a cowardly dive a splitsecond after the incident to increase the chances of it looking accidental.

Which is exactly my point, you (and everyone) with the 'hindsight' of a zillion slow motion replays, AND being told by every possible media outlet, have made your mind up he's a murderer, and yet and more importantly, well over 47000 who saw the incident live on Sunday, at the speed it occurred, didn't think anything happened. (Incidentally by the final whistle 'arry knew about it, because your backroom staff would have seen the same replays, but at the time he didn't see a thing.)

Anyway this thread is about Manchester City not Mario Balotelli, and even less Spurs fans opinions on Mario, its about whether WE as a club should stand up for ourselves a bit more than we do, and for me that is resounding YES.

 

[Mr Rich]

Think an appeal would not be worth it due to the FA's current xenophobic tendencies. What would not surprise me, or rather I would like to see happen, is that Mancini does not talk to the press for a while, considering the happenings around the club and the rough treatment it seems to have been given, let Platt do post-match interviews etc. stick two fingers up to both the FA and the press

 

[Blue2112]

Bumping this thread before the final whistle so its not sour grapes but enough is enough. I don't give a flying fuck anymore about how undignified we might become, so fucking what everyone hates us now because of the money but tonights two penalty decisions in my opinion were both accidental and shouldn't have been given (Adams on Dzeko and Richards handball) but as is now the norm only one is given.

So bollocks to it come out fighting City and start to stand up for our players and fans because no fucker else is going to do it.

YESSSSSSSS DZEKO GET INNNNNNNNNNNN !