The Jacob Mellis two footed flying foul

I understand your anger. But 3 red cards in a match does not escape the FA. They're funny like that. I thought Manny's first booking was harsh, watching it again it was due. I think Cranie as captain, should have chilled him out. Bobby would have. Penalty could have gone either way, if it was against us I would have said no way.

 

As soon as he leaves the ground, its classed as out of control which is a red card.

You've to think, the referee sees it once, no replays, no still images, when it happened, I knew straight away that it was a red card. I've only doubted it after I've seen several replays and still images. Still a red card for me.

 

That was a brilliant tackle, but again, another one I had to see a couple of times before deciding it was fair. The referee gets one look.

 

He's off the ground, red card.

 

You're probably right MrC, the FA will have a look at the game and require a report from the "official", but nothing will still happen, just like nothing happened after the Liverpool game in 1998.

 

Nice one Luke - totally exposed Jay as a deluded fantasist.

 

Isn't the rule whether you're in control of the tackle or not. Whether you get the ball is irrelevant. Fact is as soon as you leave the ground you're not in control. Because the game moves so quick all it takes is a small movement by the opposition player to turn an innocuous tackle (like this) into a much more serious one if you're not in control of the tackle. End of the day Mellis, and everyone else knows that nowadays as soon as you leave the ground like that you give the ref the option to send you off...you see it so often. We might not agree with the rules but that's not the point. As soon as Mellis jumped in like that he let himself and the team down. Ramage was completely different, was always going to win the ball and was always in control.. it was robust but not dangerous.

 

Tell you what you should do, take this discussion from whether this is a red card or not in to personal abuse. That'll win the argument for you.

 

The only fantasy, is expecting people to engage in a sensible discussion about a football incident, wherever their opinion may lie. In that case, count me as equally deluded.

Back to the point. The next time I lock myself out the house, I'm calling Mellis.

 

I should opt for Ramage mate. I think the Mellis tackle was a once in a lifetime offering. Ramage will put in 4 or 5 stronger but less flamboyant tackles every game. He'll go through your front door, out of the back and in to the garden.

 

I'm still unsure on the pen after several views but all 3 red cards were fully deserved in my opinion & I'm struggling to see the reason they're been debated

 

This sums it up. Couldn't agree more

 

I know I'm like a dog with a bone on this, apologies, but that's because it's something I believe in strongly. Could you explain to me how, when moving at pace, you go from a running action that involves both feet leaving the ground in to a sliding tackle, without both your feet leaving the ground? I genuinely don't know how it's possible. I thought it was what you were doing when you made the tackle, which in this case has Mellis' back foot on the ground and him taking the ball with his front foot, not what you did before it.

<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Muybridge_runner.jpg"

 

This is really painful - can't we just talk tactics v Ipswich now or summat!

It wasn't just the sendings off and penalty, it was the time-keeping, the inconsistency on diving (if it wasn't a pen, book Mellis - and he probably doesn't get sent off), the positioning (always up with their front line, never up with ours) and the general attitude of if a reds player does it its a foul, whereas if a piggy does it isn't (at least four blatant fouls not given in first half and Nuhiu persistently fouling). I've still not seen the Jennings off-side yet.

On the Mellis foul, I think both sides of the coin are right, Jay is correct factually and I'm with him in terms of how I'd prefer to watch my football. Others are correct in terms of the way football works these days and how referees apply the so-called rules, (when they want). I say 'when they want' as my last thought is back to mid-way through the first half of last Tuesday's game and the two-footed-both-feet-clearly off the ground lunge by the Blackburn player, which went totally unpunished.

 

Jay you're chasing a lost cause here. You're one of the most respected and intelligent members on this board and have nothing to prove to anyone. It was a red card all day long.

 

I'm not trying to prove anything mate. I just don't believe it's a red card.

*Edit. Obviously, I'm trying to prove it wasn't a red card, I meant I'm not trying to prove anything ego wise or whatever.

 

He was off the floor, one foot with studs up. Sending off.

 

I don't believe it was a red card either......but the way Marriner was refereeing the game, it was always going to be a red card.

Still say it, the thing that frustrates me more than anything, is that SWFC scored in the 7th minute of injury time, when 5 mins were on the board.
I know people will say "it's a minimum of......."; but to find 2 additional minutes? Very poor from the officials.

 

At the point when Mellis makes the tackle one foot is clearly on the ground and the other takes the ball seems straightforward to me. As he ran to make the tackle at some points both his feet were off the ground. They were probably off the ground when he had a bath the night before probably equally relevant. Was he in control? Given the timing of the tackle I would say he had to be so. The application of the rules is key here do you send someone off because you perceive intent and you are not happy with how someone approaches a tackle or for the tackle itself. In the game on Tuesday night a Blackburn player made an identical tackle the ref ignored the crowd rightly and had a quiet word with the player.

 

You are right of course Jay. I think what I was saying was shorthand for control of the tackle again. I imagine when the ref weighs it up they look at the probability of player winning ball and impact if he misses. I imagine what counts against Mellis is that he dived in from a substantial distance away and their player was substantially closer to the ball meaning it's easier for him to Nick it away. Both these factors reduce probability of him winning the ball perhaps to only 50:50. At the same time if he misses it impact will be high because of force he went in. weighing both factors together shows he's not in control and gives ref the opportunity to send him off.