Trial by TV.

[mat]

This is at the heart of the whole Agenda debate.

Everyone involved in football should be asking:

1/ is skysports coverage influencing the actions of referees and the FA by highlighting specific incidents through constant repetition and discussion?

2/ does skysports treat all similar incidents with equal coverage?

3/ If not, is this resulting in the uneven distribution of player punishment?

4/ Do the owners of skysports have any commercial interest in any particular Premier League football club? (i.e. a joint venture in mutv)

5/ If so, can they be relied upon to be impartial and even-handed? ( return to question 1)

Interesting quote:

And at the end of the Manchester City-Spurs game we weren't going to focus much on the Balotelli incident but that all changed after Harry Redknapp's post-match interview, when he was clearly angry about it and spoke about it at length.

so they were going to ignore it before that tax dodging twat kicked off to his mejja mates.

 

[awest]

This is at the heart of the whole Agenda debate.

Everyone involved in football should be asking:

1/ is skysports coverage influencing the actions of referees and the FA by highlighting specific incidents through constant repetition and discussion?

2/ does skysports treat all similar incidents with equal coverage?

3/ If not, is this resulting in the uneven distribution of player punishment?

4/ Do the owners of skysports have any commercial interest in any particular Premier League football club? (i.e. a joint venture in mutv)

5/ If so, can they be relied upon to be impartial and even-handed? ( return to question 1)

Interesting quote:

And at the end of the Manchester City-Spurs game we weren't going to focus much on the Balotelli incident but that all changed after Harry Redknapp's post-match interview, when he was clearly angry about it and spoke about it at length.

so they were going to ignore it before that tax dodging twat kicked off to his mejja mates.

How come he was angry when he didn't complain at the time (no-one did) he was alerted to it by someone at sky, perhaps his son. It worked wonders for dodgy harry as all the spotlight was taken away from a poor spuds performance.

 

[Blue Tooth]

Agenda maybe...inconsistency....definately...on final score recently after sunderland played swansea Garth Crooks commented on a two footed lunge by seb larsson and said it would 'anger any watching man city fans'...Ref was Chris Foy...no action was taken...i have been unable to locate any footage of said lunge or for that matter any reference to it at all....no highlights of it on motd that eve either...it appears to have dissapered...presumably footage does exist and could be used to ask Foy specifically about his actions.

 

[Mr.Banks]

Agree with most of that but he has set the wheels in motion for Balo to be sent off in the home derby tosser ;-)

 

[Berkovic_blue]

From the Sunday Times:

Brian Marwood, Manchester City’s director of football, has written to referees’ chief Mike Riley over what his club perceive to have been a string of “inconsistent” decisions, working to City’s detriment this season.
Marwood acted after City’s Carling Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield on Wednesday when a contentious penalty awarded by Phil Dowd against Micah Richards for handball allowed Liverpool to open the scoring in a 2-2 draw.
The result saw City go out of the competition and the club are unhappy that so many decisions have gone against them in big games. Earlier this month, Vincent Kompany’s controversial red card for a tackle on Nani contributed to a Manchester United victory in their FA Cup third round tie and last week Mario Balotelli was banned for four matches, having been adjudged to have tried to stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker in an incident that Howard Webb, the match referee, did not see.
City are displeased that while stiff action is being taken against their players, those from rival clubs have escaped sanction on a number of recent occasions. Both Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and Liverpool’s Glen Johnson committed two-footed tackles in recent Premier League games that City officials, and manager Roberto Mancini, believe were more serious than Kompany’s offence yet neither received red cards.
While Balotelli was punished after a review of video evidence from the Tottenham game, the FA ruled there was no case to answer against Peter Crouch after looking at footage which appeared to show the striker gouging Jonas Olsson’s eye in Stoke City’s 2-1 home defeat by West Bromwich Albion last Saturday.
Marwood has asked Riley, head of the Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, the organisation which oversees Premier League refereeing, for an explanation of recent decisions. Depending on the response, Marwood may consider face-to-face discussions with Riley. City are not accusing referees of bias but there are fears that the club’s raised profile and the reputation of certain players could be conspiring against them.
Earlier this season Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, held talks with Riley after being aggrieved by decisions against his team. In the past, Riley or his assistants have visited clubs, at their request, to talk through certain issues with players. Everton did this when their Belgian recruit Marouanne Fellaini was booked several times during his first season in the Premier League.
City could also decide this would be a useful exercise for Balotelli, who continues to protest his innocence in the Parker incident, although his club elected not to appeal against their striker’s four-match ban — perhaps influenced by the fact he is carrying a minor injury.

Good to know the club have at least raised it with them. There is no doubt we've been shat on more harshly than others recently, effectively reffed out of both cups

 

[Graham99]

This is an old fashioned battle of good over evil.

The more you look - the more you see that all is not as it should be in our 'National game'.

Our Italian leader understands this better than anyone else in the league.

- Have faith - that 'good' will prevail in the end.

City WILL win and break the spell currently cursing our game. The clouds will part and clear blue sky be seen as the evil bacon faced prince of darkness is banished to a retirement home in Fife.

Graham99.
Beswick.

 

[rogdogblue]

Obviously doesn't apply to Arsenal.
RVP got away with an deliberate elbow tonight. Would love to see it in slo-mo about three hundred times tomorrow. Not even mentioned it in the after match comments yet. If that was Balo?????

 

[tiggsywiggsywoo]

Obviously doesn't apply to Arsenal.
RVP got away with an deliberate elbow tonight. Would love to see it in slo-mo about three hundred times tomorrow. Not even mentioned it in the after match comments yet. If that was Balo?????

Yes he did I saw it! Also Cabaye retaliated in last nights game against Brighton. He actually made the opposing players mouth bleed after kicking out. Commentator mentioned it but none of the lynch mob media reaction we saw against Mario last week. Its so obvious, personally I don't think Mario intended to harm Scott Parker. ok if he did it was an ugly thing to do. But if he didn't then the media assassination that pro ceded was much more ugly.

 

[Daventryblue]

Now I didnt agree that what Vinnie did was a sending off and said at the time that football is going soft but the fact is if they want to play football that way (WHICH I DONT WANT THEM TO as in football you should be able to TACKLE) then I have AGAIN seen a match between two teams (Sunderland v Middlesboro) which was full of what I would call tough, challenges but the FA see as RED CARDS. I have seen yellow cards for these challenges and even seen them ignored with no card but havent seen a red for one since Vinnies ?

Every match seems to have a challenge worse than Vinnies and nothing gets done. All the FA had to do was admit the ref made a mistake... But it seems if the ref sees something and makes a mistake they stick by him and when he doesnt see anything they also find that acceptable .... EG: Howard Webb agrees to not seeing something that is later deemed as violent conduct and his next game is a League Cup Semi Final. Its a disgrace.

It'll just make everything so much sweeter if we do win the league though.

Its hard to ignore when it seems there is a witch hunt against us.

 

[Sky Blue]

Obviously doesn't apply to Arsenal.
RVP got away with an deliberate elbow tonight. Would love to see it in slo-mo about three hundred times tomorrow. Not even mentioned it in the after match comments yet. If that was Balo?????

Yes he did I saw it! Also Cabaye retaliated in last nights game against Brighton. He actually made the opposing players mouth bleed after kicking out. Commentator mentioned it but none of the lynch mob media reaction we saw against Mario last week. Its so obvious, personally I don't think Mario intended to harm Scott Parker. ok if he did it was an ugly thing to do. But if he didn't then the media assassination that pro ceded was much more ugly.

Ray Stubbs kept mentioning the incident with the pundits but ex Newcastle John Barnes and Steve Harper who still plays for the club refused to condemn him so no surprises there... Chris Waddle on commentary knew what Cabaye had done but hardly pushed the matter!

No way should Cabaye get away with this....but we all know he will.