Should Donovan be suspended?

Talk about hyperbole.

 

Nope. Try re-reading the thread again. Check out the responses by QuakeAttack, Ringo1725, and billreeves.

Everyone has stated the following:

* Donovan was stupid and immature for his actions and words afterwords.

* Donovan should have received a red card (which carries a one card suspension).

However, several Quakes fans have pointed out the following:

* Donovan doesn't have a history of aggressive, reckless play.

* Donovan makes a statement that fans and analysts (see Eric) have all stated before, "Dallas sucks." BFD. When the Clash sucked, I could have cared a rat's ass if another player from another team said it. Everyone knew it.

* Officiating is inconsistant in the league.

* MLS League Policy is inconsistant as far as suspensions.

* Is there a difference in stated intent versus non-stated intent? Some say yes, some no. Whether he said it or not, it was pretty obvious what his intentions where...

So, until you tell me that the MLS has consistant officiating and suspension policy, I won't be definate in saying to suspend him.

Suspend him. Fine. Don't suspend. Fine.

 

Of course the one week I pledge to get back on the MLS boat, I end up falling asleep. And it's the week where something happens!!

So what's the word on suspension?

 

If you want soap-opera style controversy then follow the Metros saga.

They have been involved in some of the major off-the-ball controversies this season. Sometimes they are the perps, sometimes the victims. But they are involved.

To name a few:
Guevera getting tossed by Thornton, Guevera getting "towel whipped" by Corrales, Clint and Franchinstein going at each other, and now this thing with Donovan. I am wondering, do other teams get embroiled in so many controversies and we just don't hear about them because they are not from "NY"?

 

Bob: John! What are you doing with my wife?

Wolyniec: uh uh uh.

Bob: (to wife) But why? He's so ugly, HE's so UGLY!!!

 

About the towel snap that Corrales did to Guevara. It was a Red Card that I was happy to see.

But Guevara's antics I got ticked off about. That was like Rivaldo in the World Cup match against Turkey when the ball harmlessly rolled on his feet and he fell down holding his face like the ball was blasted at him.

So basically a talented player like a Rivaldo or a Guevara who does this crap should be suspended as well or carded.

I'm tired of these antics as much as all of you are when the foul looked alot worse than it was. All players milk it and all players will exagerate the injury.

But when you have a player intending to injure another and freely admit it and Landon Donovan will go unpunished as it looks like he will.

I have said this before. I know he isn't a dirty player, but I truly think a one match suspension is more than enough for him to think about what he has done. But his comments afterwards has really fueled the fire and got me really mad.

It's not like what Diallo did in 2000 against Mike Ammann, a reckless and dangerous run on the ball that should have ended once Ammann got to it. But the league decided not to do anything about it. I know it's not as dramatic what Donovan did but still, I think he should sit for a match not by Yallop, but by the League.

I just want the league to do something right for a change. They have to show that they are aware of what is going on and they should get the disciplinary committee out there.

That's all I want done.

 

Guevara was a bad-actor punk on that play. It was also really stupid to do because since then, refs have had to take a hard look at every fall that Guevara takes as a possible dive. BUT, the primary difference between that incident and the LD hack on Sunday is that according to the rules of the game, simulation gets you booked, not ejected. Going in from behind late with both feet should get you ejected. Guevara got the yellow he deserved in that June game, but Landon didn't get the red that he deserved.

 

Backed by Bradley

"The elbow [Donovan] threw at Walker was a love tap that Walker tried to sell to the referee. Anyone calling for fines and suspensions for Donovan needs to give it a rest." Jeff Bradley, the First XI, 10/8/03


Day Late and Dollar Short

 

go back through this thread and you'll see i was saying the exact same type of thing about the elbow incident, weak...

 

He never said he was "intending to injure" him. He basically said he intended to hack him but good.

Please stop overdramatizing an already dramatic situation.

 

I don't care if he was trying to injure anyone or not. The play was cardable by any stretch of the imagniation. Beckham got red for much less.

 

"the play was cardable"

he got a card

a yellow

which was a good call

 

Wait, intentionally throwing an elbow is only a yellow? Beckham got more for doing much less. The play, regardless of the outcome, deserved a red.

 

You just don't get it. Did you see the Beckham's foul against Argie in WC '98? It was both lame and WEAK, really no more than a "love tap," but he got redcarded and it hurt England big time.

You just SHOULD NOT commit this kind of stupid fouls, WEAK or not, because the ref may not be so "understanding," and one red card may kill your team’s game. Seriously, what good can come out by committing a deliberate, weak foul on the opposing GK that will do nothing to help you win the game but expose yourself at the mercy of the ref?? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

Jeff Bradley is a great soccer writer, but he's not using his brain when making this type of comments.

P.S. Don’t say he had no intent to injury. He clearly raised his elbow and attempted to drive it into Walker. Just because his attempt came off puny and pathetic does not excuse him.

 

No. He didn't. He already had a yellow from the bonehead foul on Guevara. A second yellow would eject him and effectively kill any chance of his team's comeback. However, the ref was lenient.

Look, what he did near the end of the game is indefensible, less because of the extent of viciousness but more because of the stupidity.

I said it many times, you can bet a CONCACAF ref from another country in a WCQ game will not be as lenient as this MLS ref.

 

Walker is lucky.

If Landon really wanted to hurt Walker, he would have. Landon was just being a little b!tch cause he was upset about the way the game was going. Walker was hardly touched and really played it up.

I think Landon should have had an early shower. Two yellows or a straight red for the first foul.

Grow up Landon!

Metros, shut up already.

 

Re: Walker is lucky.

Gladly… as long as LD apologists stop making excuses, which in reality is NOT helping him. Peace out.

 

Helmet said. "The elbow [Donovan] threw at Walker was a love tap that Walker tried to sell to the referee.
--------------------------------------------------

You see Helmet this is the part where I am calling you and those who keep bringing up the "selling this to the ref" junk, shmucks. And once again you don't understand this part of my argument.

I hope you can read these examples I'm talking about.

#1 Love Tap
#2 Didn't connect but did show the elbow
#3 Grazed Walker

These three things that I am talking about equal to one and only one thing that Landon Donovan did.

Love Tap, Didn't connect but did show the elbow, Grazed Walker all equals Intent. Intending to throw the elbow

I N T E N T

If you go and look up these words in a dictionary and I would like to think that most of you who have been thru schooling and are smart enough to know what this word means. But just incase you've been smoking pot most of your time outside of class or played hookey, and so far it looks like most of you who keep defending this action of Donovan's are doing that. Here is a quick and interesting description of this word. It comes straight from the Webster Dictionary.

Intent

1 a : the act or fact of intending : PURPOSE; especially : the design or purpose to commit a wrongful or criminal act <admitted wounding him with intent> b : the state of mind with which an act is done

Now that you have the full understanding of intent. I hope that all those damaged brain cells have rejuvenated. Because once again on tape on ESPN 2 and there are several replays of it also are on field close ups. Landon Donovan's intention was to throw the elbow into Jonny Walker's stomach or his side. It doesn't matter if Donovan whacked him good, it doesn't matter if it was a love tap, it also doesn't matter if he showed the elbow but never did it. There was intent. In the rule book from FIFA intent gets you booked.

So like I said and this goes to the defending Landon group. Go and tell your friends to run into you with their elbow sticking out. Tell them to shove their elbow into your stomachs or into your sides. When you shmucks are finished with this experiment. Come on back on these boards and tell me how it feels. Also make sure to see your doctors, just to get some X-Rays if you did get a broken rib or two.

Also since the close up replays do show that Donovan did show his elbow, but he lunged his elbow and forearm into Jonny Walker. Also Donovan threw his whole body into Walker to attempt the foul. He tried to run the keeper and he did. I taped the match and just as I am writing this portion of my post. I have the close up on the field replay camera shot. And as a pause the shot on slow motion. I see Donovan's Right elbow nailing Jonny Walker's side & infront of his stomach. And man what a surprised look on Walker's face when he recieved it. Walker didn't scream, he didn't roll all over the field in aggony. He just laid down on the field getting the wind knocked out of him.

And like I said. Just because it happened to a Metro Keeper. I hope it doesn't happen to any of the other keepers in MLS. But since those of you keep defending Landon's actions from October 5th. If your keeper gets nailed in anyway shape or form, don't come crying back to me.

To those Quakes fans who are acting like idiots, just like Helmet. If Pat Onstad gets his. Then you will finally know what it feels like when your keeper gets nailed in that fashion.

 

Oh and about Jeff Bradley's comments. He maybe spot on 99.9% of the time and I will never disagree with anything he says, but this time. He is seriously incorrect and if I do met Jeff Bradley in person. I will tell him in his face he is flat wrong on this issue.

 

I thought we were talking about Guevara's foul. If not, my bad.

I agree, the Walker incident was cardable as well and should have resulted in a second yellow, and then obviously a red. But Walker embellished it like a true drama queen and what's done is done at this point.

 

I don't like repeating myself, but guys, remember David Beckham's STRAIGHT RED in the '98 WC? That's the same sort of foul LD pulled on Jonny Walker--STRAIGHT RED plain and simple.

GIO17 has got it right, and don't condemm him as a partisan Metros fan for being correct. The Laws of the Game spell it out clearly for INTENT TO INJURE, something that Donaovan is obviously guilty of.

Another thing, send Jeff Bradley E-Mails concerning this issue. He's a good guy, but he's way off base in this case and should know it.

 

"obviously" guilty of?

that's silly.

no way was it a straight red.

bradley is not off base.

but go ahead and send him billions of emails.

 

Joe guy: Thank you

Flash Man: Embellishment of the foul is rediculous. Tell me how did he embellish getting an elbow driven into his side? He never expected it.

Since Donovan already had a yellow on him, that should be his 2nd. If Donovan didn't have a yellow when he nailed Walker then that's a Yellow or a straight Red. Either one would have been suficent for me.

But what can I do to explain this in simple plain english to a bunch of idiots who thinks Landon Donovan is the best thing since sliced bread. You and everyone else keeps bringing up the embellishing situation. Just because Landon said it, you intend to believe him. Jonny Walker got his. Well then that is incorrect. Walker didn't come off his line to take out Donovan. He went to play the ball. Donovan didn't slow down, didn't turn to his left or stop. He attacked Walker and gave him a cheap shot. And what's even more embarassing is Landon's comments. Both of them on the Guevara Foul and the Walker cheap shot. He is incorrect on what he said. The Dallas Burn comments have no relivence in this post what so ever. That is a problem between Donovan and the Dallas Burn Supporters. That is a seperate post. My problems are with the comments he made about Guevara & Walker and his actions against both Guevara and Walker. But in my eyes the cheap shot he gave to Jonny Walker was outragous and pathetic. A whinny little snot nose brat. We expect alot out of Landon both in the league and on the National Team. He just lowered himself in so many levels.

He deserves a suspension period. And if he doesn't, then the league has failed again in protecting keepers getting nailed with cheap shots or reckless challenges.