Quick post-match thoughts …
Hands up those brave, sportsmanlike West Ham players who spent much of the first half screaming at the referee to issue cards against Sunderland players.
And step forward the man who went down under Kenwyne Jones’s foolish push, clutching his face as if stitches and possibly one of those full facial transplants would be the only feasible remedy? BBC 5 Live said Jones had to go – since you just don’t raise your hands to an opponent, even in retaliation for a bad foul – but that there had been no contact with Herita Ilunga’s face.
This this suggests an unrelated injury, from which I can only hope Mr Ilunga has fully recovered. Let us hope all is well with him.
But just two thoughts: the most rational post-match fan’s report I have so far seen came from a Sunderland supporter who said Andre Marriner’s decision to award a second booking to the West Ham player Robert Kovac was a joke. And shouldn’t screaming at ref in order to get someone shown a red card – whoever does it – be a cautionable offence?
* E-mail from another SAFC fan: the play acting from West Ham, throughout the game, was shocking, a view not
at all shared by Hammers fans (one of whom e-mailed me “Yes but if you
disregard what you call cheating and we don’t, we deserved to win”).
That said Cana should have gone and probably would have had the ref not been
able to watch the video of the Jones dismissal at half time.
Colin Randall
Google illunga kenwyne jones pics, his hands are in illunga’s face, several times in fact, there is no arguement.
At last, some humour. Bravo “Lorik”! Not our own version, with his love of history, cathedrals and archeology, and his command of several languages, but fun all the same.
And Hibshammers: merci for the common sense. “… yes I was embarrased about ilunga…BUT it seems to be endemic in the PL (all teams)”
…. precisely the point Salut! Sunderland has been making, as well as not defending Kenwyne Jones. You can come back, too.
Why did I feign injure to get man book wen I OK?
Why did Bent scream pain when kick accident for Kovac red?
We hyppos in sea of fouls!
We am Lorik Cana!
I think the fact that there were 8 red cards yesterday showed that generally the refs in the PL are sub standard. Take the Parker red against the Arse nal last week. WH were very poor (no defence and a toothless midfield core, Noble I am referring to you) yesterday and good luck the SAFC. We were in that position last week and the atmos at Upton Park was great.
And yes I was embarrased about ilunga…BUT it seems to be endemic in the PL (all teams), perhaps thats why refs are making so many bad decisions. To really qualify to be called a beautiful game this sort of behaviour needs to either stamp out this behaviour or maybe ask Claudia Scheiffer or Elle MacPherson to boot up and play for the hammers.
Sam:
In my case, it is simply a case of loathing the cheats who infest the Premier League. It should have nothing to do with football, and I am even-handed enough to say I make no distinction between my club and others. Here, it was West Ham, a player feigning injury – even changing the affected area of his body – with the enthusiastic support and encouragement of the oafs in your technical area. But cheating is cheating and I’d love to see it punished wherever it occurs.
As for not getting carried away, Sunderland fans feel fully entitled to get carried away merely by not already being in a relegation scrap.
But Jones was idiotic and even if a yellow would truly have sufficed, cannot in my view complain too much. Your man’s second yellow was a disgrace and I hope the referee realises his error and withdraws it if rules permit.
Colin can I quickly just mention what was said last week…that Sunderland should “blow West Ham out of the water”
I’ve nothing against Sunderland at all, but be careful not to get carried away with your early season success. Many West Ham fans would agree with me that our football has been pretty decent for a lot of our games this year, we’ve just a horrible tendancy at the minute to “coast” during games and it’s costing us dearly. It was wrong to write us off before hand.
As for Illunga, it’s horrible to see one of your own doing that…I hate it and there’s no place for it in the game. However…..Jones had to go for raising his arms and pushing Illunga (wherever he pushed him). That’s the letter of the law. And, from what I’ve heard, illunga was booked for his part in it all…again, to the letter of the law. So I can’t really see why your gripe is with the ref. Illungs, maybe. But not the ref.
CelticHammer its a shame you don’t have a Cana equivalent amongst your squad of spineless pansies. You then may well have managed to scrape through for the 3 points rather than withering away in the heat of a more committed & easily more skillful 10 men. Plus daring to have a dig at our Brucie – concern yourself with problems in your own back yard as your man Zola will be looking for new employment shortly.
P.S. Marriner please me well!
I am bad play but like to hurt people!
I hav double 2 foot tackle and escape + swear and foul!
I am rubbish play!
I am Lorik Cana!
Colin might have a bloody cheek but Ilunga certainly doesn’t. Not even bruised.
By that thug Cana, I take it you mean our scholarly, sensitive polyglot. Cult hero already.
You have a bloody cheek having a go at our players when you had that thug Cana left on the pitch despite a string of vicious fouls. You are turning into a typical steve bruce team with a couple of thugs in midfield and a big wardrobe sized target man upfront. He is even following his standard practice at a new club of a decent first 6months before the clubs slips quietly down the table.
There is a direct link between how long bruce spends at a club and how crap their football becomes.
As for Ilunga well if Jones never struck out at him he would have had nothing to go down for!
A point he nobly made to Marriner in urging him not to dismiss Jones? “No ref, honest, he didn’t touch me there. It’s an old injury.”
Still saw after breaking his jaw earlier in the season
Good attempt.