QPR's [Joey] Barton was sent off after Referee [Neil] Swarbrick was advised by his AR [David] Richardson in an off-the-ball incident; http://bit.ly/x29gG9. Did anyone follow this Premier League clash at Loftus Road?
I saw bits and pieces of this - and was watching when this happened. IIRC the AR advised the Barton head-butted Johnson - honestly in live action it reminded me of the Kaka send off in the WC where his opponent made not just a meal, but a banquet of it. That said, I always tell my players: DON'T put yourself in a position to be made a fool - Barton put himself in just such a position yesterday. From the AR's angle it likely looked bad (like in this picture), only from a side view can you get the full enjoyment of Oscar-winning magic! The sad part was Barton was clobbered a few times previous and there were no cards issued - in one case not even a foul. I'm not sure if I recorded this one - I'm P.O.'d because I forgot to record City and Liverpool...
WOW. How has this appeal failed? This was nothing compared to Dempsey's vs Bellamy last month. Who is on this panel and how can they justify not rescinding the card. This type of situation is one that gets a lot of people frustrated. They make a decision and don't provide any clarity or analysis on how they came to that decision..interestingly enough, in this case, they wouldn't be able to. Two players, in the heat of the moment going head to head/face to face or whatever you want to call it. One player feigns or pretends to be headbutted and knocked back and Barton get's sent off without anyone seeing it clearly.
I saw the game and I've seen some replays. I have yet to see anything definitive. If he head-butted him (however slightly, no matter what the private provocation) well, the refs would have had little choice. OTOH, If there is a definitive replay to the contrary, essentially proving that the AR saw what wasn't there, then it's a simple (albeit grave) error. What more is there to discuss?
Exactly. It's not even close -- there is no head butt. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6131Eg-7S1E"]Joey Barton's headbutt - YouTube[/ame]
Who cares if he didn't head butt him...he attempted to, and the view of the AR was that he did. And it's Joey Barton, he's been known to attack opponents with reckless abandon. So knowing that about himself, why would he put himself into a position for the referee crew to see him do something yet again? I don't blame the referee crew for the wrong decision, I blame Barton.
I'm concerned about the inconsistency of the "panel" and the way different referee's view different situations and make decisions that leave people wondering if they are following a different rule book. Everybody can accept that the referee sent Barton off. That happens. It was mainly Johnson's fault for pretending he received a headbutt and he made it look very real...despite what looks like a regular "face to face" however Johnson pulled out at the last second and jumped back. The refereeing team failed to spot two clear trips/kicks and a few pushes on Barton leading up to the incident and the linesman also didn't flag straight away after the coming together which suggests the referee received advice from the fourth official. The Norwich forward Grant Holt was pleading with the referee to not send Barton off. Two former referee's who analyse games on Sky Sports said the card was wrong. YET, after QPR's appeal, the "panel" dismissed the appeal and upheld the three game ban without further information on how they came to that decision. Previously, the referee in the Fulham/Liverpool game saw Dempsey aggressively thrust his head into Bellamy's and he kept pushing forward, yet both received a yellow card. Off the topic, but Mick McCarthy of Wolves, is also feeling very frustrated. His player was sent off vs Arsenal for what was deemed a dangerous tackle however Frank Lampard received only a yellow card for a worst tackle on his player a week later...
the interesting thing for me is that there was no signal at all from the AR when the incident happened and play continued along for a little while before the referee stopped the play to find out what was going on. I guess this guy is a rookie in the EPL (at least I have not seen him before this season) and he looks to be a little bit over his head in each match I have seen. Lets a lot go, positioning is a bit odd, players don't appear to give him much respect...
Honestly, I still can't tell. Could just be the resolution of my monitor? I'll take your word for it. I feel your frustration, but don't these statements logically contradict each other? yes I think it is very dangerous for any player to think that there is such a thing. I would love to see behind that curtain, too. Don't hold your breath.