The on topic thread

[chef]

The Torres one was after a Vertonghen dive that cost Fernando a yellow, he should be responding like that but i guess that needs to be mentione too

 

[jd2010]

If a ref sees a player make contact to a players face I fail to see how that's yellow.

 

[chef]

The FA got it right with Dembele but would love to know how the other images got off. Crazy really how Costa gets away with things.

Amazingly i think hes only ever had one red card.

 

[jd2010]

There's four officials per game surely that's enough to see off the ball incidents and then have the balls to deal with them.

I've got a sneaking suspicion that it's the lack of balls to red card Costa that is the problem

 

[Cruyff14]

Dont think any Chelsea supporters are playing the victim, just pointing out its not a one way street. All those images are bad and should have been dealt with by the FA.

Chelsea fans should be annoyed how Spurs players behaved - and rightly so. There should have been a few red cards that game, but Chelsea (IMO) did not cover themselves in any glory with their behaviour either.

And I definitely agree, no excuses for charge not to be laid on the images above (aside from stuff that was caught at the time)

Costa got a retrospective ban Cruyff14 for his actions in the Koscielny incident.

Too little too late by that stage, he'd already had a the defining influence on that game.

That's the issue there, he should have been off, yet played a huge result in the outcome of the came.

-------------

Costa is a thug who sets out with intent to play dirty. No room for that in the game IMO.

While we're on poor behaviour, how Fellaini keeps getting away with elbowing players and nobody seeing it is absurd. He does it regularly yet is never punished. I call bullshit on nobody actually seeing it.

 

[chef]

Costa is a thug.

 

[SM]

Is anyone neutral around here when it come to Spurs?

Hawkforce you should cater that post and fire it off to the FA and the club.

I'd like to think I am.

 

[ADL9798]

The FA got it right with Dembele but would love to know how the other images got off. Crazy really how Costa gets away with things.

I honestly have no idea. It's laughable at times, you have 4 referees all supposedly watching the game and he manages to get away with stuff like this almost on a weekly basis:

 

[moomba]

Personally I didnt have a problem with what Hazard/Fabregas said. Certainly doesnt justify any illegal/aggressive acts, best way to respond is to win and then laugh at Chelsea as you celebrate around Stamford Bridge.

As for the reds, the FA and refs will always choose the path of least resistance. Penalise a Mourinho side or a Fergie side and you know your in for the mother of all shitstorms. So they won't do it unless the shitstorm that will be caused by not doing anything will be worse.

Rules are then set up so that what the ref sees or claims to see can determine whether a person can be charged or not.

Pretty sure most will lie about what they see to suit the outcome that the FA or the refs body wants.

 

[SM]

Personally I didnt have a problem with what Hazard/Fabregas said. Certainly doesnt justify any illegal/aggressive acts, best way to respond is to win and then laugh at Chelsea as you celebrate around Stamford Bridge.

As for the reds, the FA and refs will always choose the path of least resistance. Penalise a Mourinho side or a Fergie side and you know your in for the mother of all shitstorms. So they won't do it unless the shitstorm that will be caused by not doing anything will be worse.

Rules are then set up so that what the ref sees or claims to see can determine whether a person can be charged or not.

Pretty sure most will lie about what they see to suit the outcome that the FA or the refs body wants.

I have an issue with players possibly suggesting they will attempt to fix a match. Neither of them did so but they were approaching it.

 

[jod23]

I didn't. Ex-players did.

I just find it staggering that Dembele gets 6 matches when Torres left bloody scratch marks on Vertonghen with no penalty at all. And I don't recall any Chelsea fans being disgusted by Torres' act and calling for his head.

Dembele is paying the price for the scenes last Monday. Somebody needs to be punished extravagantly to show "action" and Spurs have been universally cast as the bad guys - so easy decision.

Fair enough. A marker has been laid down. Now they have to stick to it.

But I can't help but feel it's the FA and Premier League that should be in the dock. When Hazard and Fabregas came out and said they wanted Leicester to win the league (and Spurs not) - when they were still to play both sides - the League should have immediately reprimanded both players and their club and stamped out any further such speculation/tribalism.

They didn't. So other Chelsea players got in on the act. Even after the West Brom result meant Chelsea could end Spurs mathematical challenge. Even then Chelsea players were allowed to openly state their preferred winner between two sides they were still to play. And still nobody stepped in to insist players and clubs conduct themselves as professionals.

All of this led to a poisonous and volatile atmosphere that was apparent from kick off. A poison that could and should have been dealt with the moment Fabregas opened his mouth on Sky - and absolutely should have been addressed when Hazard made his comments on the BBC - was instead left to fester until match day where it was obvious it was a powder keg. Chelsea players were fighting harder than they had all season; Spurs players were leaving unnecessary feet in (Walker) and, even when Spurs went 0-2 up by playing the far better football, the poisonous atmosphere was more important than the scoreline. There was genuine hatred out on that field - a hatred fuelled by the unregulated and unchecked collapse of Professionalism in the build up.

First Fabregas can hope Leicester win the title; then Hazard, then Begovic - all of them still to PLAY the team they have just nominated as preferred winners. HOw do you imagine the Spurs team feels watching this? These vastly rich scions of a Russian billionaire who have done **** all for the entire season are openly stating they will make ending Eric Dier's title dreams their ******* Cup Final.

And the League just lets them get away with it. Nobody says "Hey this is unprofessional." Nobody says "Any suggestion that Team A tries harder against Team B rather than TEAM C will be investigated". Nothing. Nothing was done to curtail the impression that Chelsea players were free to choose their winner out of two teams they were still to play.

The game on Monday was personal. It was personal; it was poisonous and it ended exactly how it was destined to end - two tribes still fighting and squabbling as they left the field. Forgotten is the fact that Spurs played Chelsea off the park in the first half. Forgotten is all the missed cards Clattenburg should have given Chelsea players early on to establish control. All of this is forgotten because this was engineered to be a spiteful clash and that's exactly what happened. Even 0-2 up Spurs players were incensed - more full of hatred for their opponents than fully concentrating on the lead they'd established by being the better football side. So when Chelsea, comprehensively outplayed in football, seek to engender confrontation, Spurs rush in, in a way they haven't all season, because they are full of hate for a team who has been allowed to openly barrack.


Does any of this excuse Dembele eye-gouging? No. Of course not.

But when everyone is finished kicking this young Spurs side to death, perhaps a moment of reflection for how the context was allowed to build towards this game.

Neither SPurs, Chelsea or the Powers THat Be come out of this looking good. Only one team will suffer though.

That good sir, was an absolute load of rubbish.

So, yeah there's that.

 

[Jatz]

I have an issue with players possibly suggesting they will attempt to fix a match. Neither of them did so but they were approaching it.

No they weren't. They're well within their rights to try and do everything possible to beat Spurs (or hold them as it turned out).

The only issue that may have come with those comments were if the game came down to Matchday 38 but it hasn't even got close.

Teams have been saying they want Leicester to win the title for months. Did anyone care when Pulis was saying it? What about Koeman? It's been blown out of the water because of what might have potentially happened. As it never came to light, the whole thing is incredibly redundant.

People want players to be more open and honest when they're interviewed but then are lambasted when they are. Every football player/supporter in the world would have wanted the same thing if it was their rivals they were trying to stop from winning the title.

 

[SM]

No they weren't. They're well within their rights to try and do everything possible to beat Spurs (or hold them as it turned out).

The only issue that may have come with those comments were if the game came down to Matchday 38 but it hasn't even got close.

Teams have been saying they want Leicester to win the title for months. Did anyone care when Pulis was saying it? What about Koeman? It's been blown out of the water because of what might have potentially happened. As it never came to light, the whole thing is incredibly redundant.

People want players to be more open and honest when they're interviewed but then are lambasted when they are. Every football player/supporter in the world would have wanted the same thing if it was their rivals they were trying to stop from winning the title.

Yeah that's what I was getting at mate. If it had come down to that game and they had lost convincingly after those sorts of comments it could have been a massive issue. I think players should just be keeping their mouths shut until after they've played the relevant teams.

Pulis said it right after he played you guys which is fine because then there's no allegations of throwing the match. I suspect Koeman wouldn't have said anything until after you played them either?

 

[Jatz]

Yeah that's what I was getting at mate. If it had come down to that game and they had lost convincingly after those sorts of comments it could have been a massive issue. I think players should just be keeping their mouths shut until after they've played the relevant teams.

Pulis said it right after he played you guys which is fine because then there's no allegations of throwing the match. I suspect Koeman wouldn't have said anything until after you played them either?

They're better off saying it when they did rather than saying it had they lost to Spurs.

Either way, they were really just stating the obvious.

 

[SM]

They're better off saying it when they did rather than saying it had they lost to Spurs.

Either way, they were really just stating the obvious.

If they'd lost to Spurs they wouldn't be accused of helping Leicester by throwing games, now, would they?

Stating the obvious? Supporting Leicester is stating the obvious?

You're really going out on a limb here mate.

 

[Zidane98]

Whats with Spurs fans these days. Get upset at moomba wanting them to lose and take offense to Chelsea players wanting to end their title race. Both things a non issue.

 

[chef]

I dont see what the issue is, if it was and City and United or Pool and United or Spurs and Arsenal they'd be saying the same thing.

 

[Jatz]

If they'd lost to Spurs they wouldn't be accused of helping Leicester by throwing games, now, would they?

Stating the obvious? Supporting Leicester is stating the obvious?

You're really going out on a limb here mate.

It's not that they're supporting Leicester so much as they don't want a rival to win the title. That's not exclusive to them, every club in the world would have wanted to thwart their rivals title aspirations.

 

[SM]

It's not that they're supporting Leicester so much as they don't want a rival to win the title. That's not exclusive to them, every club in the world would have wanted to thwart their rivals title aspirations.

Sure. Everyone knows this. I don't really see your point. It's nothing to do with when they play said rival. Absolutely come out in the lead up to playing Spurs and say "We want Leicester to win, we're going to thrash Spurs into the ground." Absolutely no issue with that as that's them wanting to go out and win the game. No issue.

Coming out when they still have to play Leicester and saying "We really hope Leicester win" is bordering on suggesting they'll throw the game against Leicester. That was my only issue with the comments. It hasn't come to that as the title's been won, but surely you can understand this?

 

[Jatz]

Sure. Everyone knows this. I don't really see your point. It's nothing to do with when they play said rival. Absolutely come out in the lead up to playing Spurs and say "We want Leicester to win, we're going to thrash Spurs into the ground." Absolutely no issue with that as that's them wanting to go out and win the game. No issue.

Coming out when they still have to play Leicester and saying "We really hope Leicester win" is bordering on suggesting they'll throw the game against Leicester. That was my only issue with the comments. It hasn't come to that as the title's been won, but surely you can understand this?

I don't really see your point to be honest. The second paragraph is redundant now and has been since Chelsea stopped Spurs.

We really hope Leicester win is only because Spurs were chasing us. Had it been City chasing us, I doubt they'd have cared.

The comments never really seemed like they'd throw our game. It came across as they wanted to make sure Spurs lost or drew at the Bridge to help us.

 

[chef]

I don't really see your point to be honest. The second paragraph is redundant now and has been since Chelsea stopped Spurs.

We really hope Leicester win is only because Spurs were chasing us. Had it been City chasing us, I doubt they'd have cared.

The comments never really seemed like they'd throw our game. It came across as they wanted to make sure Spurs lost or drew at the Bridge to help us.

Yep. They wanted to help Leicester win by stopping Spurs. Not throw a game.

 

[elhadjihenry]

When did any Chelsea players say they would throw the Leicester game to help them win? The comments were in the buildup to their game with Spurs in which by beating them they could end their title challenge, the suggestion they would possibly throw the final game was made up by journalists looking for a story.

 

[SM]

I don't really see your point to be honest. The second paragraph is redundant now and has been since Chelsea stopped Spurs.

We really hope Leicester win is only because Spurs were chasing us. Had it been City chasing us, I doubt they'd have cared.

The comments never really seemed like they'd throw our game. It came across as they wanted to make sure Spurs lost or drew at the Bridge to help us.

My point was that expressing support for a team you still have to play is bordering on comments that bring the game into disrepute. That's all I started by saying and that's all I've maintained. I really don't understand why you're making it far more convoluted than it has to be. I started by saying it's a non-issue since the title has already been won...

 

[Jatz]

My point was that expressing support for a team you still have to play is bordering on comments that bring the game into disrepute. That's all I started by saying and that's all I've maintained. I really don't understand why you're making it far more convoluted than it has to be. I started by saying it's a non-issue since the title has already been won...

Because it was a non issue before the title had been decided as well.

I'm perfectly calm regarding this. I was just merely having the discussion as to why I think it's been made out to be bigger than what it was.

 

[SM]

Because it was a non issue before the title had been decided as well.

I'm perfectly calm regarding this. I was just merely having the discussion as to why I think it's been made out to be bigger than what it was.

I never said you weren't calm mate.

Just not sure why this is even a discussion when my original post said it was a non-issue now.

If you're insisting on having a discussion about the hypothetical go for your life, I've lost interest.