What do the details of the game matter after this? The result had very little to do with the 22 professional footballers who started the game and those who came on as substitutes. It has little to do with the managers either. Or the fans who paid to watch the game. The result is down to one man, Mr Walton who, in an act of supreme jobmansworth, reduced West Ham to 10 men because of celebrating what should have been the winning goal. Of course Piquionne was stupid. Of course by the letter of the law, Walton was within his rights. But if the letter of law was applied as rigorously in every walk of life, none of us would have driving licenses! What a twat! Dear God, since when has being happy and sharing that happiness with others been a crime? Not apply the letter of the law? More than Mr Walton's job's worth!
And what a shame! Piquionne's goal was a beauty and worthy of dancing naked through Liverpool. It was a lovely cross from Bridge and a wonderful header. To take the lead again after being pulled back to 1-1 so late in the game was a fantastic tribute to the spirit of the team, and for Walton to burst that bubble was so so so brutal.
Of course, going down to 10 men does not mean that conceding is inevitable and we SHOULD have dealt with the ball into the box that eventually led to Fellani scoring - and we KNEW it would be that hateful son of a bitch didn't we? - but when the luck is going against you, a blow like that inevitably knocks the stuffing from you. And the terrible thing is that we DESERVED to win. Apart from picking the ball out of the net twice, what did Green have to do exactly? Well, there were two saves in the second half, one of which set Coleman up with an open goal! Our first goal was well worked, with a lovely pass from Noble, a superb cross from Boa to Spector and an excellent finish from the born again American, and the second merited winning the game. We had more shots than Everton, we had more shots on target too, we hit the post, had a "goal" disallowed for offside and were denied a penalty. But step forward Walton to level things up with the perfect handicapping system!
That sending off could relegate us. It could result in us going out in the semifinal of the League Cup because Piquionne is now suspended. Was Piquionne cheating? Did Piquionne's actions endanger anybody? The rule is stupid and Walton is even more stupid for applying it stupidly. A great day turned sour in the very moment of joy. Thank you Mr Walton, please collect your Jobsworth award on the way out of Goodison Park, along perhaps with a pair of tickets for a holiday of your choice anywhere in the world courtesy of Everton Football Club!
Player Ratings: Green 6; Faubert 6, Tomkins 7, Upson 6, Bridge 7; Spector 7, Noble 6, Parker 7, Boa 7; Piquionne 8, Hines 5 Subs: Not on long enough to rate!
18 comments:
We're going down HF it don't matter son!
Jeez...another well thought out article by you.
How could he be sent off? Easy, for collecting 2 yellow cards.
You pay a professional footballer £'000's a week, the least you should be able to expect is to not kick out at opponent players and not run into the crowd, causing a safety problem.
Do you think Piq wasn't aware of these rules before the game?
Do stop making a fool of yourself publicly, it's become really boring.
So you support the decision 1745? Why don't you fcuk off to the Tottenham boards where you belong?
I'm gutted we lost today but I think this match show's maybe we WON'T go down.
The players played for the manager.
We deserved to win and I guess we would've taken a point at Goodison before the game.
We have some good players coming back soon that could go straight into the starting line up; Jacobsen, Collison and Hitz.
Bridge was much better today and Spector is keeping Kovac out of the side with some good all round play and some crucial goals - you could never fault his effort!!
Any players thinking of joining us would see us in a more positive light than the shambles we looked last weekend on and off the pitch.
Given the situation we face I find it incredible that the ref couldn't show some leniency but despite my crushing disappointment in failing to get 3 points today there are some positive strands to cling onto.
I would love to see Robbie Keane join us and think he could be the missing link now we have some balance in the side. I'd take Ben Haim back too for cover.
Bit low on strikers for Weds though!!
"So how the hell can you collect a red card for celebrating a goal you have just scored? I don't care what the rule book says, what matters is common sense"
This is the exact argument you dismissed about Howard Webb's world cup final performance...
In such a moment of pure joy you don't think about a second yellow card. You just want to share that moment with the people who travelled the long way to support your team.
The decision is theoretically right but it's damn harsh, even Freddies first booking seemed harsh. It's just typical to get the late equalizer....and of course the goal scorer is Fellaini that son of a bitch.
Common sense? Webb's performance in the World Cup final? That had NOTHING to do with common sense and everything to do with cowardice. Sorry, have I missed something? Was Freddie doing a Cantona and karate kicking somebody in the crowd? That's what the Dutchman did in the final after all! Comparing football thuggery with joyous celebration! What planet are you from, apart from Planet White Shite Lane?
Merson insists more common sense needs to be applied in football.
He told Soccer Saturday:
"Seriously, the lad's going to get a winning goal in the 84th minute and he runs into the crowd. He doesn't take his shirt off and he gets sent off for a second yellow.
"It's common sense, it's just common sense. The laws have got to change. These people are playing pressure football every single week and all of a sudden that happens.
"A minute before that Seamus Coleman missed an absolute open goal and West Ham went up the other end, but the sending off was the turning point.
"If he doesn't get sent off they keep the 11 men on and Everton can't bomb forward so much. West Ham didn't have a forward, but if Piquionne had stayed on the pitch they'd have to keep two players back."
17:49...errr? Somewhat hypocritical of you isn't it? Given your manipulative use of this blog to appear on as many other times newsnow pages as you can?
Support the decision?? Did Piq break the rules of the game twice, thus earning 2 warnings? Yes he did. Or are you saying that he didn't?
Manipulative? How am I manipulative? Verbose perhaps, but manipulative? I write about football and West Ham, and Newsnow platforms what I write. Nobody MAKES you come here. That is choice. Well, unless the Game has you in its power of course!
Did Piq break the rules of the game twice?? 'The game'? What the 'fcuk' are you ranting about??!
noble 7 i hope his delightful ball inside the full back which led to the goal
So, every player who breaks the rules of the game twice should be sent off? Caught offside twice? Off! Foul throw and slightly mistimed challenge? Off. What an idiot you are! I saw Lucas neill come close to breaking two legs in the game at Wigan where we scored our fabulous team goal, and he wasn't sent off! Gary Neville stayed on the pitch (at Stoke) despite two very clear bookable offences, one of which could have received a straight red.
18:08 hahahaha brilliant observation, HF you tool.
2002 The very stupid point has been answered already. No comparison between football thuggery and celebrating a goal.
NOTHING is going our way ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! Now we have to play a semi final with no strikers FFS!!
Would have taken a point at Everton but the way we conceded and thanks to the cnut of the ref it's heartbreaking. The performance at least showed that there is fight left in this team.
once agen green shud be at 7 as he produced 2 qulaity saves and 2 average saves taht some keeprs would let in
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