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"Riley has a 'mare"

I'm don't care at all that there was another thead dedicated to this afternoojns game, because there were enough poor decisions made today alone, to cover 10 games not 1.

Riley had a nightmare:-

I was split between laughing and crying as I watched Mike Riley destroy the biggest game of the season so far and most likely this annual year.

It took less than 10 minutes for Riley to make as I counted it 5 mistakes, which weren't due to not seeing it, or any ambiguity over a situation.

Early on there were a couple of simple cynical fouls, but instead of dealing with each case on its own merit, Riley sought after bringing every player to one side and delay the game. This was regardless of whether the foul was a marginally late and unintentional foul, to a full blooded tackle from Vieira. This only wound up both sides.

Then, what Gary Neville did to Reyes was deserved of a straight yellow and a talking to. It was a poorly timed, late, and a sliding tackle from behind. But instead of dispensing justice in the form of a yellow card, Riley does not card Neville, but instead talks to him. When Arsenal players realise Riley will not produce the yellow, Vieira as captain of Arsenal lodges a complaint. Riley then sees this as another chance to give a lecture to yet another player. After this point Neville continues to systematically, but clumbsily, assault Reyes. By the time he does receive a yellow card, his brother too has been drawn into attacking Reyes and he too gets booked for a late challenge.

Riley finally has found the route to his pocket, but even though Vieira certainly should have been booked for persistent and poorly timed challenges minutes earlier, it takes another 5 minutes of fouling from Vieira for Riley to pick up on it, yet Vieira is not booked until the second half. By this time Ferdinand has bundled over Ljungberg, for which a freekick and yellow card should have been awarded, but was ignored.

This rightfully made Arsenal players agrieved and this was further fuelled by a horrific "tackle" from Ruud on Cole, which was clearly showed as a high boot jabbing into Cole's knee with minimal intent to get the ball. Van Nistelrooy is not even warned, as the linesman and Riley both miss this disgusting incident.

Then Riley roles out his barrel of laughs for the second half. Straight away it is clear that both sets of players have lost faith in the refs ability. Heinze then continues through the next 45 minutes to get away with murder. He goes the whole 90 without receiving a single card. Despite blatantly going out of his way to block Vieira from reaching a through ball into the United area. There is no reason why Heinze is not penalised.

The Man Utd players continue to slide in from behind, no action is taken.

There is then a point at which Utd have an attack merging on the top right hand corner of the box. Rooney, who so far has been a yob in attitude, using his arms at every possible opertunity to shove, pull or hit any innocent player; in an attempt to dish out his own justice. He too goes unbooked for the game. Rooney goes down in the box, due to the smallest possible contact, in my view next to none at all. If there was any, it was clearly not enough for Rooney to throw his body onto his knees. This is a criminally poor decision. It is not a penalty.

Man U having scored the pen look a little edgy for the next few moments, continue to slide in from behind, with no cards shown. But then, again, get into the right hand side of the box with Ronaldo. He is poorly slid in upon by Cole, who touches none of the ball and brings down the attacker. The result? No penalty. Riley has yet again made another huge mistake. A clear penalty, that Arsenal go unpunished for.





I cannot emphasise how disgusted I was at Riley's performance, as I have a short memory span and as such cannot recall every single incident. But one after another they compiled to create an awful collection of mistakes.

I liked the bit when Rooney just pushed Cole(?) over as the ball was rolling out. At least when he gets a knee injury and has to retire from football, and blows all his money on hookers and drink; we know he will at least have a future as a bouncer in Glasgow. I was a bit disappointed, I felt he should have at least punched Cole, or perhaps slashed him with a Stanley knife.

EDIT - changed a B to a P in punched. I have a cold and managed to spell phonetically. Oh dear oh dear.

Notorious Biggles wrote:
> In 1998 FIFA made it a straight red card offence to tackle from
> behind. Has anybody ever seen a player get a straight red for one?

The exact point I made when Neville lunged in on Reyes.

My words were;

"FIFA cracked down on this a couple of years ago and insisted it would be a straight red. After a couple of games it just faded away. A few years ago Neville would've been off, let alone a yellow card."

Lil Bro wrote:
> Ah shut up Clazon, from that I'm presuming you're an Arsenal fan, get
> over it, you lost. Couldn't quite make the big 50, but don't blame it
> on the ref.


Did at any point I say that Man U did not deserve to win?

Did at any point I mention the fact that he made us lose?

Did at any point I say that we hadn't had the rub of the green in past games?

Answer? NO!

I merely appeal to the members of this forum the extent of how poor a game he had.

In 1998 FIFA made it a straight red card offence to tackle from behind. Has anybody ever seen a player get a straight red for one?

*suspicious squint at Clazon....turns away....quickly turns back....suspicious squint again* hmmmmmm :-D

lalakersrule wrote:
> Would you be complaining if it happened the other way round Clazon.
> Now answer honestly there's a good bloke :-D

I swear on my life that I would have complained just as much. He was appalling. I admit it would have been in better spirits, but I would have sympathised (eek!) with Man U fans, because I felt that he was just that poor.

Lil Bro wrote:
> Couldn't quite make the big 50

I ask you.
How many more games did Man Utd have to win or draw to reach that?

Azul DX wrote:
> Ask yourself the same question, Lakers.

I would be complaining i freely admit it but i'm not in that situation :-D

Ah shut up Clazon, from that I'm presuming you're an Arsenal fan, get over it, you lost. Couldn't quite make the big 50, but don't blame it on the ref.

In the 49 games you haven't lost, I'm sure you've had plenty of crp decisions made in your favour, yet when there are a few agaist you : 'OMG THE REF WAS SO $HITE'.

please, shut up.

Ask yourself the same question, Lakers.