I never asked if you had a better understanding of the rules. I asked if you feel you understood the game of boxing better than someone who has never boxed. If you do you'd surely be better placed to implement the rules. Its not about your understanding of the rules, its about how you apply them given your experience. Any man can learn the rules, but applying them with common sense while understanding the game is what makes a good referee. The very fact he did not receive a red card is testament that it is not a known fact. He did not assault anyone. That is just being silly. Put it this way, if you grabbed somone by the scruff of their shirt in the street and pulled them to their feet, would you expect an onlooking policeman to arrest you for assault? No you would not and he would certainly not do so. And if he did and it was contested in court it would be thrown out by the judge. That is that silliness put to bed. Barton did break the rules by picking the player up in an agressive manner. This is a yellow card offence in football. The play-acting is a grey area in football unfortunately for you. If you dive on the floor after no contact, then you are considered to have tried to deceive the referee and can be booked (but won't always be). If you have been struck and exaggerated the extent, you'd just be considered to have partaking in a bit of gamesmanship which many feel (particularly in this country) is against the spirit of the game. This is not a bookable offence. Have a look at the rule book, its not covered in such specific terms. As I say I'll agree to disagree even if you can't. That's what football is all about.
It is indeed an opinion. Shame you don't seem to be able to differeniate between the two all the time!
Of course you'll say that as a SAFC supporter though (imagine if he played for you - I've seen a number of you have admit you'd have him there). Gerrard and Rooney are ****ing scum but they play every week and could get away with far worse than Barton.
Sorry to give you some facts which dont agree with yous. Assualt is deemed to have taken place when any unwanted physical contact takes place. When talking about how a court would deal with an offence of this nature, CPS would have to take account of the past record of the person involved, in this case a convicited criminal with previous offences against his name and would in my experience take the case to court. If convicted the judge would need to take into account previous sentences and the effect these have had in moderating the behaviour (in this case none) and sentance with in the guidelines in a way in which it is more likely to protect the public from the risk of more out bursts.
I'm talking about what he has done off the field as well as on it..Whatever your opinions of Gerard and Rooney, they have not been involved in anything as bad as what Barton has done.
Apparently Barton has helped the police apprehend a burglar at a neighbour's house in Jesmond. The man's quite a talent.
As I say would you expect an onlooking policeman to arrest you? Of course not he simply split you and see if you calmed down. We're getting into very fine details here but its very easily put to bed. Have the police arrested Barton for the assault of Gervinho? No and given it was on camera I think it is safe to say it is silly to say Barton has assaulted somone.
It seems that he has felt the need to tweet to the world of his involvement...Public relations me thinks...
The police would normally ask if the victim would like to press charges, if they did they would arest the person who carried out the assualt. This happened to me once at a match when I was lifted off the ground by a "fellow supporter" who did not agree with my opinion on the game. I was asked did I want to press charges or would I be happy with the idiot being ejected from the ground. I opted for the later. So the answer to your question is yes the police would arrest some one, provided the victim was willing to press charges.
So did Barton assault someone on Saturday? And if you think he did why has Gervinho not been asked if he would like to press charges? And why are the thousands of other footballers who are grabbed up and down the country every week also not being asked? Because it is not considered assault by the law. Also I have also been in that situation and the police treat it completely differently which highlights it is open to interpretation. The lad simply had his hands removed from my shirt and was ushered away. He never asked me if I wanted to press charges, just asked if he'd hit me.
There have been a number( a small number of cases where cases have been brought for assult on the playing field. However clubs will not support players in taking such cases as they might find that one of their own players falls foul of the same charge at a later date. As you said this is getting very detailed and we will have too agree to disagree. But my experience is evidence that an arrest can take place and yours shows it is not a common event, ot does not show that no assualt took place
But is it assault on the field of play to drag someone up by their shirt? Of course it isn't, otherwise the police would be dealing with 100's if not 1000's of cases weekly. So I think we can safely say that Barton did not assault Gervinho.
No we can say he assulted some one but the powers that be both police, clubs and the Fa turn a blind eye on such incidents. it is another debate as to what should be allowed on the field of play
Its more the way he done it, more than what he did though. Rio Ferdinand done it to Cahill, but that was just helping him up and Cahill was fine with it, you could see the red mist from Barton when he done it, and it was more like a yank up than a helping hand. But he got a yellow for it so the FA cant do sweet FA about it now.
As I say I disagree, what is considered assault in the street is not considered an assault (by either police or the FA) on the field of play. I'd imagine this is because common sense tells them when this kind of things happens in sport, it is due to the adrenalin. Matters not how you term it "turning a blind eye" or otherwise, grabbing someones shirt in football is not assault.
