http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35054061 Absolute joke. The club should loudly and publicly reject the charges, whilst Moss should be charged with aiding and abetting attempted murder. It's one thing that grinds me sometimes about us - we're far, far too nice. And it starts from the top. I don't know if it's because Poch doesn't trust his English enough yet to properly voice an opinion but if Ferguson or Mourinho had been at the receiving end of that WBA assault that continued unrestricted due to the officials' incompetence, they would have been scathing in their criticism. Take the symbolic slap on the wrist for daring to voice an opinion, take the paltry fine, even take being sent to the stands for a game. Just stop taking this crap from teams and refs without calling it for the shambles that it is.
What a joke. I have long said that complaints from Spurs managers about the std of refereeing should be going to the FA IN WRITING IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME. I accept a manager trying to maintain dignity in FT interviews when sentiment is raw etc, but these utter clowns must be told in no uncertain terms what the true opinion is. And if the FA/PL want to take the p-ss, start leaking the letters to the media.
The main reason that our players blew up was because Moss played on. That doesn't sound too bad, as he could always go back and deal with the disciplinary side later, but he played an advantage to West Brom! I've no idea how he saw that as a foul by Dembele, but he did.
What a complete piss-take. Incidents such as this arise out of refereeing failures as a general rule. The 'tackle' on Dembele was made by an opposition player with absolutely no intent of playing the ball and with at least recklessness as to injury. I would say that the nature of the challenge actually shows an intention to cause injury and it was reckless as to the extent of that injury. As such it was an assault being outside of the type physical contact that players consent to when stepping onto the field. I was involved in litigation brought by a professional footballer about a decade ago for a similarly appalling incident that finished a player's career. Dembele was extremely lucky not to suffer severe injury and the referee's response was ridiculous in the circumstances and obviously likely to lead to further incidents if not handled properly by the referee and yet Spurs get charged? This is another incident of the FA bringing the game into disrepute. Perhaps it is time for us to go on the attack against referees who are incapable of protecting players from such assaults and say publicly that we don't trust this referee to protect our players and don't expect him to referee any more of our games and see what happens then? At least we might have earned the fine that will no doubt be forthcoming.
Absolutely ridiculous, their knobhead referee makes a shocking decision after a player could've had his legs broken and because a few tempers flared we're getting punished. The FA really are super ****s.
I had forgotten who this thug is. Reading from Wikipadia: In July, on the team's tour of the United States, he turned his back on the Flag of England while the British national anthem "God Save the Queen" was played before a match against the Charleston Battery, which resulted in a verbal warning from manager Tony Pulis. A week after the incident (refusing to wear a shirt featuring a remembrance poppy) McClean appeared as a substitute against Fulham, a match in which Sunderland won but McClean was subject to booing by his own club’s supporters. On 26 July 2012, McClean was caught speeding in his Land Rover at 95 mph on the M2 motorway in County Antrim, which he was not permitted to drive on as he did not have a full licence. He was further charged for being an unaccompanied learner driver and not displaying "L" plates on his car, and admitted all charges to the police. In April 2013, he was tried in absentia at Antrim Magistrates' Court, and fined £700. What a charmer!
Why has the PL slipped? Well, it’s partly if not mainly because foreign stars are reluctant to come play here. Whyever would that be? 1. McCarthy, for his tackle on Payet. 2. McClean. 3. Moss and his ilk who let games degenerate into thuggery. How about Milner’s cross-body block on Rose? 4. Wenger and other PL managers who have a long history of turning stars like Sanchez into crocks. 5. The FA, who is very touchy about anyone objecting to the extra injury risk PL players face.
Might I offer up 6. Charlie Adam? It's his 30th birthday today. That gives him about 5 more years to attempt serious injury upon his fellow professionals. If there's a reason for Bale to remain in Spain, he's a pretty good one.
He makes the majority of his filthy challenges when he's been left for dead or embarrassed, so it's only going to get worse.
Have you heard his reasons for not wearing a poppy? Valid imo. As for speeding, how does that make him any different from many other footballers?
If it was just speeding then fair enough. However, this bloke has no driving licence and hence no insurance and then drives at speed well in excess of the speed limit. To my mind this indicates he's even more stupid and selfish than the average footballer and gives not a crap about anybody else but himself. As far as the stunt with the National Anthem is concerned, what a complete twat! If he has no regard for this country then go and play somewhere else. I doubt anybody would miss him. Ossie Ardiles left this country when his nation was at war with ours. He did it quietly out of genuine conscience. When he came back he didn't do it so that he could disrespect the country that provided him with a home and a living. He holds his political views but he's never sought to express them through football and disrespect his employers and supporters, He was and is a gentleman despite believing that Argentina has a genuine claim of sovereignty over the Falkland Islands; this bloke's just a grade A prick.
Then I think you should also allow respect for people who find 'The Flag' and what it stands for to be obnoxious. Just because you think the national anthem is great and should be respected it does not follow that we all agree, English or not, and once you start down the road of forcing respect for flags you are on your way to fascism.
Our national anthem is more about praising the queen and, I believe, a make-believe deity than celebrating our nation. It's not wonder people don't want to sing it in modern day 2015. I have also been convicted in my absence for minor driving offences. It was a simple choice between taking a day off work, losing a day's pay and getting fined £100. Or going to work, getting paid and getting fined £150. It's not a big deal. Happens all the time. Justice was served.
There's a difference between refusing to take part, or sing the anthem, and being downright disrespectful by turning your back!
I'm a republican and would do away with the royal family, the inherited honours system, the whole shooting match without a second thought. However, a national anthem is more than just its constituent words or music. It is a representation of this country just as the flag is. I stand for the anthem although I hold no belief in a god or the Queen as head of state. I abhore the booing of anthems as disrespect to the entire nation involved (ours or anyone else's). I'm not prescribing how McClean should think or act. As you can tell from my respect of Ossie Ardiles' views on The Falkland Islands, I'm no blind Nationalist but cheap stunts such as that pulled by this bloke have no place on a football pitch. We play Argentina and although it's usually feisty the national anthems are respected. USA plays Iraq and the same will happen. His employers think the same. He's free to think and say what he likes but if he continues to disrespect this country from a football pitch then he'll be sacked because he deserves it. Rightly, the game is bigger than this prick's agenda (or anyone else's). If he wants to be a politician he can say whatever he wants and rightly so.
Brian they are your beliefs others views are different, you would not want to hear my views on the flag or anthem and I have not given them. I would not expect you to conform to my views but equally you cannot expect others to conform to yours. Just the same as in the past when at school I was forced to attend religious services people are still forced to 'respect' flags and anthems. Long ago cinemas gave up on expecting people to 'respect' the anthem at the end of the night, it lingers on at sporting events and establishment supporting functions. They have no place in a modern democracy and when we get one I would expect to see an end to it.
You should applaud the freedom to turn your back because that is what is important not whether flags and anthems deserve respect.
Over time, my desire or at least willingness to stand with one of my groups has trumped my disagreement with their state. I actually like the US civic religion because it seems a pagan cult by other means. I went to the temple of Abraham Lincoln and felt joined in worship with the other devotees there. I don’t mind if anyone prefers not to join in, though.
