The Rolling Football Thread: season 2024/25 - part 2

[DuncinToffee]

The season continues ⚽

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 well I couldn’t be happier.

Pool v Toon at Wembley - bring it on!

How TF does VVD not get a card there? And it frankly should be red.

Was that the elbow on Richy?

@MaybeNotBob @DuncinToffee Virgil caught Richarlison under the chin/across the throat with his forearm (watch it again - his elbow never made contact with Richarlison's head!), yet Richarlison threw himself to the deck clutching his face with both hands. Sorry to disappoint you, but no chance of a red: despite Richarlison's best efforts to convince the world that his face had been taken off, the contact was deemed insufficient for a red (I guess the lack of any mark whatsoever on Richarlison's face helped with that...oh, and the replays showing that that was because there was actually no contact to his face). Should it have been a yellow? Maybe - it could be debatable. Kind of like Bergvall's not-second-yellow in the first leg (right before he scored while the Liverpool player he took out was still off the pitch), huh. So, you could say it evens out. That's football for you.

I thought Richy made a right meal of it, which was embarrassing, then promptly got up and ran off.

I have not seen any footage, just heard it being mentioned.

I have a soft spot for the Pigeon, so I am willing to believe it was an knock out blow

Anyone seen reports that the FA has plans to punish celebrations that mock the opposite team? Ndiaye already got a yellow card for his seagull impersonation, I don't know if MLS got carded

Have a look, it's quite deliberate.

https://bsky.app/profile/adamkeys.bsky.social/post/3lhjxwit2fk2n

@MaybeNotBob - that clip confirms what I said in my previous post, i.e.: not hit with the elbow; didn't catch him in the face; and, critically, there was insufficient force. Hence, not a red card, however much you may wish it was - whether or not it was deliberate is not the sole criteria under the rules for a red card for violent conduct. Was it a good move by VVD? Of course not - I don't think anyone would argue otherwise. Richarlison's simulation of being caught in the face (also intentional, with the sole purpose of trying to get his opponent sent off) was also out of order. Maybe they should both have got yellow cards? But in my opinion (and that of the refereeing team and match commentators/pundits - not that they never get it wrong, of course!), it wasn't a red. You may disagree and that's your prerogative, but that clip just confirms it wasn't a red card offence.

A deliberate elbow to the throat isn't violent conduct.

Ooooo-Kaaay...

Xhaka got sent off for just sliding in the same vicinity as a City player...

You can cite every example you like of a red card that you think should/shouldn't have been - I don't know which Xhaka incident you're referring to, and we all know that refereeing is inconsistent. And?

This wasn't a red card: there was insufficient force. You can disagree with the criteria, but it is what it is. It may also have been that in this case, the ref and VAR didn't see it as a deliberate attempt by VVD to 'elbow' Richarlison, but as an attempt to ward him off using his body and arms (which you're still allowed to do) with VVD accidentally catching him across the throat/chin in the process (it's not actually as clear from your clip as you profess it to be - of course, I don't know if that's how they saw it, cos I'm not the ref). Maybe Richarlison's play acting didn't help - who knows. Anyway, you think it was a red, I don't agree, and neither did the referee. We will have to agree to disagree on this one.

It looked deliberate to me and if you are allowed to ward opponents off by catching them on the neck then the laws need to be changed.

@MustTryHarderAndHarder To be clear, I didn't say you're allowed to ward opponents off by catching them on the neck - indeed, that's why a free kick was rightly awarded against VVD. I also didn't say it wasn't deliberate, because I don't know if it was or wasn't - I'm just speculating as to how the officials may have seen it when they determined it didn't merit a red card.

Ok, but I don't know how you can say that it wasn't deliberate. VVD knew exactly what he was doing and he didn't care that he could have caught him in the neck or in the face.

I don't know if hitting Richarlison in that way was deliberate or just reckless, i.e. did VVD actively intend to hit Richarlison across the neck with his arm (deliberate), or was he reckless in not anticipating/caring that that could happen when he chose to swing his shoulder and arm round? It looks as though the officials interpreted it the second way, but who knows.

Ultimately, I don't disagree that he shouldn't have done it either way. Maybe the whole discussion piques the lawyer in me as much as the football fan! 😄 Anyway, I will stop going on about it now - I'm much more interested in Man City's latest attempt to sue the Premier League over the new iteration of the Associated Party Transaction rules, that came to light today (lawyer meets football fan again!).

I'm sorry, I just don't know how you can look at that and say it "might not have been" deliberate. He was going the other way but decided he wanted a bit of Richarlison (not something I'm averse to happening to be honest), and assaulted him in a way that could have easily been very violent.

I honestly can't see why you're arguing this. It's bizarre...

Exactly, I can't stand Richarlison, but he did not deserve that. No player should have to put up with such deliberately dangerous/reckless play.

VVD does get away with an awful lot.

But then he came back from a near death experience with Pickford

Man United got lucky yesterday with no VAR and an incompetent lines man (or assistant referee)

Yes, as does Konate.

Yes. I forgot that there was no VAR so couldn't understand why it wasn't being checked.

But I think Leicester need to concentrate on staying up so I think it was a blessing in disguise for them.

On the other hand, a win would have been a confidence boost

Yes, it it would have been.

But the fact that they outplayed Man U for a lot of the match should do that anyway hopefully.

Hopefully for the last time, to be absolutely clear, the only thing we are disagreeing on is whether this specific instance merited a red card. Absolutely nobody has said Richarlison "deserved" it or that dangerous play is okay. I have no problem with anyone disagreeing with my view or my speculation as to what the officials may have been thinking, but please don't misrepresent it.