Comments on: Knowing when to just STFU http://blog.sfocata.co.uk/2008/03/gobby-mascherano Adrian Clark's blog Fri, 09 Oct 2020 22:10:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: adrian http://blog.sfocata.co.uk/2008/03/gobby-mascherano/comment-page-1#comment-8790 adrian Tue, 25 Mar 2008 09:04:08 +0000 http://www.spaghetti-factory.co.uk/2008/03/gobby-mascherano#comment-8790 Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me how players will argue the toss over a decision... I've *never* seen a ref change his mind after consulting with anyone apart from a linesman or 4th official. I mean, I'm reluctant for this whole debate to become tied up with a recent "too much swearing at football matches" issue that came up on the Today programme recently. I certainly have no problem with footballers saying "fuck" on the pitch a lot. Even a bit of banter with the ref doesn't do any harm, but this was an aggressive, finger-pointing way of saying "fuck off", not banter, and that should always be punished. Good that you reminded me about the captain, too... as a club, Liverpool must take some responsibility for the fact that Mascherano wasn't (a) better controlled by Steven Gerrard, or (b) substituted after the first booking, as is perfectly normal when a player has clearly got out of bed the wrong side! Yeah, it never ceases to amaze me how players will argue the toss over a decision… I’ve *never* seen a ref change his mind after consulting with anyone apart from a linesman or 4th official.

I mean, I’m reluctant for this whole debate to become tied up with a recent “too much swearing at football matches” issue that came up on the Today programme recently. I certainly have no problem with footballers saying “fuck” on the pitch a lot. Even a bit of banter with the ref doesn’t do any harm, but this was an aggressive, finger-pointing way of saying “fuck off”, not banter, and that should always be punished.

Good that you reminded me about the captain, too… as a club, Liverpool must take some responsibility for the fact that Mascherano wasn’t (a) better controlled by Steven Gerrard, or (b) substituted after the first booking, as is perfectly normal when a player has clearly got out of bed the wrong side!

]]> By: dr rick http://blog.sfocata.co.uk/2008/03/gobby-mascherano/comment-page-1#comment-8788 dr rick Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:14:36 +0000 http://www.spaghetti-factory.co.uk/2008/03/gobby-mascherano#comment-8788 I wrote a long post here but it got eaten because apparently I misread your arithmetic question (and the back button, shamefully, doesn't preserve the post). I will just repeat, then, that footballers who barrack the ref are idiots (he is never going to change his mind, the *best* possible outcome is simply not being disciplined) and that they should take a leaf from rugby's book and make it a punishable offence for anybody other than the captain even to speak to (let alone confront) an official, other than to apologise for committing and infringement. I wrote a long post here but it got eaten because apparently I misread your arithmetic question (and the back button, shamefully, doesn’t preserve the post). I will just repeat, then, that footballers who barrack the ref are idiots (he is never going to change his mind, the *best* possible outcome is simply not being disciplined) and that they should take a leaf from rugby’s book and make it a punishable offence for anybody other than the captain even to speak to (let alone confront) an official, other than to apologise for committing and infringement.

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