Had that sending off been against say a Man Utd, Arsenal or Chelsea player, I bet the media **** storm would be in full swing right now. Every Sky sports news bulletin, daily back page and pundit would be discussing and shaking their collective heads about it every since. The sense of injustice amongst the glitterati and media luvvys would be at fever pitch and FA officials, referee spokesmen and other managers would be very vocal in their opinions . However, as it's just ****ty little Sunderland who have been robbed and cheated I get the genuine feeling no one actually gives a flying **** about it. In fact, the absolute lack of interest or discussion in the national media gives me a real feeling that the numb ****s at the FA might even consider any appeal frivolous and make it 4 not 3 games. Am I alone in this feeling or am I just paranoid?
No..An ex referee actually came out on Talk Sport Radio a couple of years ago and said exactly this..He said that he would have never given a penalty decision against the likes of Man U unless he was 125% sure because of the media backlash he would face if he was wrong. He want on to say it's different when it is the likes of Wigan because it would go under the radar..I can't recall his name at present though..
It was on the back page of many of the papers and discussed on Radio Five, MOTD, Sunday Supplement etc. I've no doubt it will be discussed on GSS, next week, especially if the card isn't rescinded. Clubs like Man Utd etc get more attention than Sunderland no matter what the situation, just a fact of life.
You're spot on Cest, There is more coverage of Rooneys kick at a Cardiff player than the bigger injustice at Browns sending off. It pisses me right off, but its the way it is.
I have very little doubt that when we appeal the FA will uphold the referees decision and would not be surprised if they give Wes a four match ban instead of three, it is just the way it is with the supposed little clubs, we have NEVER had a fair outcome from the FA in the past and I dont see them starting now. If Friend's report says he thought Wes was reckless then no matter who is doing the tub thumping in his defence the FA will back their referee everytime, after all its only little Sunderland and no one outside the north east give a sh1t .
Precisely, there are many more neutrals interested in Man Utd & Rooney than Sunderland & Wes Brown ........... no surprise really.
I totally disagree mate, unusually with you. If the FA objectively claim that this type of 'tackle' is unacceptable then they're setting a ludicrous precedent that's unenforceable. TBH, it wasn't even a tackle as Adams didn't have the ball ............ it was an interception which is a totally different thing. That would be the basis of my defence if I represented the club.
I want to see Adam sent off for an identical tackle next weekend and then see what Hughes has to say about it... See if he thinks the same. Would also like an explanation as. To why Rooney kicks out at a player nowhere near the ball and gets a yellow card. The are a lot of things we want but will never get!! The media have covered this quite a bit as, like Savage said, it is not far off the worst sending off I have ever seen. But Kevin friends reasoning (as Charlie Adam said) was that it was for e follow through. This probably means that it won't be overturned as this is a massive grey area. Hopefully the media coverage it is getting will away the FA decision panel
I agree Cest. It would be dominating the headlines if a United player was sent off for nothing as per Wes Brown. The fact is we're a club that hog a large proportion of the limelight in the media and I'm sure referees don't look forward to officiating games involving United, especially at Old Trafford. Rooney should have been sent off yesterday and in my opinion would have been sent off by any other referee but that guy has a reputation for not getting his cards out too often, apparently. Can Rooney be banned retrospectively? I don't know what the rules are nowadays as he's been given a yellow card, did the FA change that? If so he deserves a ban. The challenge by Brown doesn't look dirty or reckless at any speed, it was well timed. I haven't seen Adam's reaction after the tackle but I read he may have had some influence over the referee with his reaction. I have no doubt that this red card will be rescinded, although Poyet might be in hot water over his "Apologise to a foreign manager", comment. I think that was a silly thing to say, making inferences before the FA have had a chance to comment on the situation, jumping to conclusions might land him in a bit of trouble. I also think Begovic could be in trouble if the FA look at that decision. I think the fact that Fletcher pulled out of the challenge saved the 'keeper from being sent off but I have no idea why he didn't go in with his hands to catch/punch the ball, that was reckless. I think Poyet has to drill it into his players from now on, that whilst you're getting all of these decisions go against you it's not worth going to ground and your players need to stay on their feet to avoid this type of farce happening again, we all know the ref's won't change.
Totally disagree. It's up to the referees to make correct decisions ......... if Sunderland players fail to challenge for the ball we'll be relegated.
Well yeah, but I didn't suggest they stop tackling all together. You can't afford to keep going to ground (on the half way line especially) if it's resulting in you losing games, regardless of whose fault it is. Like I said the referees aren't going to change so you have to help yourselves, the FA don't care about this and will always pull out the 'human error' card. Refusing to accept this as part of today's game will end in more losses. Until the refs are allowed to review tackles like this (for straight reds) as a manager, you have to do as much as possible to make sure you don't give your players any excuses to allow referees to spoil the game, they'll continue to do it forever, it's not going to change no matter how well you train the referees.
Didn't see it myself, but apparently Dermot Gallagher has just been on Sky and said that he doesn't know what Friend was thinking of, he's had a shocker and the refs association should take it on the chin and overturn the decision.
Yes, but will they? as the OP says, if it were one of the so called big teams the media would have been all over it and the FA would of been backed into a corner. Sadly that won't happen cos it's us.
Million dollar question mate, I would hope they will listen to the likes of Gallagher, who I hope still has some pull in the corridors of power.
I don't think the situation is as clear cut as we imagine. Sunderland are a Premier League club and I'm sure we'll get a good result .......... there's been plenty of media coverage in my opinion. It was the main 'talking point' after our game on MOTD when everyone agreed it was ludicrous. TBH, I don't think they could've said a great deal more.
In my defense mate i'm in Nigeria and only watched the match on a dodgy internet stream. From what i've read and seen since it happened i would say you are right, but we are Sunderland and we don't do good luck do we?
Every expert and pundit that has commented on the incident (apart from Hughes) has said that it wasn't even a foul never mind a red card. Here's us hoping for it to be rescinded and i'll be over the moon if it is mate, but that tosser has spoilt a good game of football and cost us 3 valuable points. There should be some form of retribution against Friend, he totally ****ed up two very important, potentially match changing decisions.
The red card will defiantly get over turned which is not good enough. Yes Wes will be available for Villa but we wont get any points back form the Stoke game That was the worst refereeing decision I've ever seen he should never be allowed to ref another game. http://tyneandwear.sky.com/sunderla...brown-gets-support-from-former-premier-league
Alan Hansen who was a world class defender and would have got way with it 30 years ago, was shocked at the sending off. Are the F A giving the refs of today too much more to handle ?, what is going on, when do you ever see a ref smile now ?, unless THEY think they run football now. I bet we will still get another player sent off at Villa at the slightest foul, it worries me how the game has changed in the 30 odd years I have been watching. My dad watched SAFC in the late 50's early 60's and said players like Dickie davies used to crunch into players in a tackle but them days it was fine. What is going to happen at Villa ? an own goal, a last minute penalty, I reckon the media are going to be watching carefully now, and I hope UEFA are as well, it is bad enough the team are poor but cheating refs who are determined to relegate us for some strange reason is pathetic. Fair enough refs can't see everything (only Sunderland tackles) but 7 players sent off this year !. Chelsea next home game tell the players not to tackle any of them for god's sake, or we might be down to 8 men at the final whistle.
Ex-Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher believes Sunderland's Wes Brown should not have been sent off during Saturday's game at the Britannia Stadium. The former Manchester United defender was shown a red card by Kevin Friend for a challenge on Charlie Adam, who six minutes earlier had scored Stoke's first goal in a 2-0 victory. TV replays show Brown taking the ball and making minimal contact with his opponent in the 36th minute. And Gallagher says Friend made an error, telling Sky Sports News: "I can keep this very short. We have to take it smack on the chin. "The referee has lost concentration or not seen it. It is not a red card, that's all you can say. "Brown's gone in hard but he's entitled to do that. As a refereeing body you have to take that smack on the chin." And Gallagher also felt Phil Dowd made a mistake in failing to send off Everton's Kevin Mirallas following his lunge on Liverpool's Luis Suarez in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. Gallagher added: "He should have been sent off. He's come at speed and it's high. "The referee has got a body between him and Suarez and he hasn't seen it."
