the last time ipswich had a 22-man brawl was in the stands when the entire crowd argued about who was the most evil man in history: simon clegg or adolf hitler
I thought that our players were remarkably controlled after Holt assaulted one of ours in the first 5 minutes...! He deserved a good kicking for that!
if by controlled you mean two players raising their fists then yes, very controlled, but lets not go down that route again!
Now that the whole thing is all water under the bridge I think that even you must accept that Holt was very lucky to stay on the pitch after that! That ref was an utter bloody disgrace for both teams and was quite clearly a homer. He **** himself on the touchline in front of all your fans and he bottled it! The Delaney sending off was a complete joke! But hey-ho....
i said afterwards that had it not been a derby holt could well have been sent off. however, this assertion that the ref was a 'homer' is ludicrous. i forget who it was on but priskin elbowed a city player and should have seen red, your goal was scored from a non-free kick and you are still moaning about a ref who made a couple of judgement calls and blaming him rather than looking at what an utter shambles your own team was on the day. they were even worse at portman road! funnily enough i don't recall as many excuses the second time you were thumped - maybe you all realised that norwich were a much better side than you'd initially thought at the beginning of the season. anyway, its the last i'm saying on the matter - the fact its still being brought up screams of the most sour of grapes. i'm off to get pissed
I'm not disagreeing that players overall aren't more skillful, I think they are certainly more comfortable on the ball. I just think the game as a spectacle is too theatrical. Players antics, managers antics, disrespect of officials and win at all costs has contributed to circus performers rather than footballers at times. Some of the football in the 80's was dire. So was the decade to be honest. I guess I'm a bit simplistic but the great thing about football to me was its simplicity. About 4 rules to govern it, everybody had a chance at the big time and players and managers didn't need contracts as their ability was the barometer. Now we're watching European games with 5 officials, 20 minute half times (presumably to allow you to spend more at the bar etc) and players who are looking to get each other sent off, goalkeepers who can't get through a game without a cock up and bookings and sendings off for the slightest reason. Probably need a blend of todays obvious talent with yesterdays moral attitude to the game.
I've got to admit redruth, I would like to see goalkeepers being less of an endangered species. Bring back open season on them I say. They can use their hands, they can jump with knees raised, why the hell protect them even more?
How many of the world's really top players have played in the Premier League? A player who wants to prove himself among the best always heads for Spain or Italy not England. One or two have come -- Bergkamp, D. Silva -- but it's towards the end of their careers when they have nothing left to prove (and a final big pay day would be useful even at the cost of career-ending injury). If you had a vote at the World Cup among players as to which is the best league in the world, I don't think for a moment that the PL would win it.
