Cannot believe some of the vitriol towards Cisse on here...

It is interesting as to how we see this so differently. Perhaps this shows why the referees are so inconsistent, but then they will have had the latest FIFA directive explained fully while we don’t have that luxury.

Firstly Johnson’s punishment being only a yellow should be irrelevant. I’m sure that this isn’t always the case, but it should be.

Violent conduct is specifically listed as a sending off offence in Law 12 of the game. There is no mention of intent in the law. Current interpretation is that raising your hand to an opponent, which Cisse clearly did, is violent conduct. The referee can only react to what he sees and he saw Cisse’s hand on Johnson’s throat. I don’t think that Clattenberg really had any alternative.

As Nines said elsewhere, the law is wrong. Personally I have some sympathy with the guardians of the game’s rules. They are fighting a constant battle with the players finding new ways to cheat. Too many players play outside of the spirit of the game; diving, feigning injury and trying to get opponents sent off, they ruin it for everyone. If the players sorted themselves out, the referees could start applying common sense again.

 

To be fair to Cisse having watched it a few times he doesn't grab by the throat he grabs the chin which is entirely different to a grab round the throat which is the expression everyone keeps using. In this day and age still probably a sending off but very different risk.

 

The main problem with the players is that the massive influx of foreign players into the Premier League brought with it the dramatic 'dying swan' acts every time there is minimal contact, this, in turn, was followed by our own players following suit to the point where even the slightest contact sees players going down as if they've been shot. This, sadly, has made dishonesty an integral part of the game, to the point where, for example, Warnock criticised Mackie for being too honest in 'riding' a tackle in the penalty area when he preferred to go on and try scoring.

What is worse is that the games' law-makers are pandering to this banality by seemingly wanting to make the sport totally non-contact, it's almost as if they sit at these meetings congratulating themselves on messing the game up to the extent that it becomes a stop/start cacophony of whistling and card waving from ever more self-important little twerps and then try and think of even more 'minor' transgressions they can penalise with the ultimate sanction.

I'm really beginning to despair at the way our game is going, money has torn the soul out of the game and the idiots that run it are hell-bent on ruining it...

 

He deserved to be berated today, you don't raise you hand to a player in todays game, it's a sending off offense right or wrong thats how it is.

I also believe that he will be a hero by the end of the season if he carries on playing in the same standard. His movement off the ball is fantastic, he opens up the pitch and creates space for himself and other players, making a great target for players Adel to pick out.

Definately today villian but he'll turn that around for sure. Even though we lost I see so much postive from that game I'm surpsingly not that down.

 

he admitted on twitter he was wrong and apologized so fair enough,wolves were at him from the off and he snapped he is only human.

 

well said superhoop you worded it correctly,, common sense a sensible ref would have yellow carded both

 

The referee's hands are tied by the FA. Cisse had to go. It's not the ref's job to consider Cisse's injury history or the fact that Wolves are dirty northern ****s with stupid accents, it's merely his job to apply the rules of the game.

It was hopelessly naive to do what he did. He's 30 and has played hundreds of matches at a high level and suffered many similar fouls. Broken legs in the past or not you have to show a bit of restraint. Foolish in the extreme and, like Barton's red, it's cost us a huge three points, but unlike Barton's there was a genuine case of 'violent' conduct which the referee could not ignore.

 

It is this current interpretation that raising a hand to an opponents face is violent conduct, that is casusing so many idiotic, game wrecking red cards. Neither Cisse or Barton in the Norwich game were guilty of violent conduct. The opponents weren't hurt at all. It makes football a big joke that handbag swinging is punished like this. If anyone is in doubt about what is violent conduct watch a Rugby match or an Ice Hockey match!

 

Totally justified red card can't raise your hands.
What's worse for me is that opponents will have seen how he reacted and might just bear that in mind for the future

 

Not that I’m defending the rules, the rule makers or the referees, but how could they possible tell if an action actually hurt anyone? Most of the players are so busy rolling around on the ground as if they have been shot by a sniper in the stands when there has been little or no contact, it would be just another way of cheating. Do we really want the referees to have to make that judgement call as well? The rules maybe a sledgehammer to crack a walnut, but unfortunately that is what the modern day player has bequeathed the game.

 

Johnson wasn't rolling round on the ground! A ref or a helping camera should be able to differentiate between a punch, squeeezed throat, or a head butt, and a hand on a chin, or a head stuck in front of a face! There's quite a difference! They manage in other sports why not football?

 

If a player is rolling around, hes not hurt. Id love to see the original call cancelled if theres any play acting or calling for a player to be sent off. Thats what happens in hockey, if you get punched and snap your head back or act like it hurt you, you get the same punishment as the guy who punched you.

Of course you could cut out all play acting by making anyone be subbed if they on the ground injured or pretending to be injured.

 

I’m talking in general terms as to why the rules are the way they are. These rules have cover a broad range of circumstances and eventualities, and as you are well aware there currently is no provision for television help during the match. This undoubtedly will come in eventually, but we are dealing with the situation now. The rules are designed to help the referee in the current climate in which the players will try to con and cheat to gain an advantage. If you think the application of these rules is inconsistent now, how bad do you think it would get if the ref had to decide if any particular hand raising situation was more dangerous than any other? Everyone has to play to the rules the way they are.

 

There certainly must be a better way than we have now. Whatever the answer, it will always come down to the refs interpretation of the events in front of him, and he will always be criticised for it. Maybe once Sepp Blatter has gone this can be addressed properly, but it desperately needs doing.

I too detest anyone calling for a fellow player to be sent off, and as for Mancini, he is seeking new lows all the time. The rule used in hockey sounds interesting, something on those lines is definitely worth exploring. A sin bin could also be worth looking at. Had the ref had the option of sending Cesse off to calm down for 10 minutes that would have been a more appropriate punishment.

 

The rule as you pointed out in your earlier post concerns violent conduct! Referees are not so blind, do not need so much help, that they cannot see the difference between a hand holding a face and a fist punching out a face! It is the interpretation of just raising a hand (or face in Barton's case) that I have a major problem with. It has given us 2 totally unjustified red cards this season in reference to the violent conduct rule (not this interpretation), and I see way too many reds given for such generally.

 

Its a very good rule, players stay on the skates even if they get punched full in the face. Its a mans game.

Theyve cut down on all contact and penalise everything except cheating which is the worst thing in the game.

Id love it if football meant choosing to go down or stopping and appealing to the ref meant it wasnt a foul and remember the Barton incident, it would have been a card for the Norwich player for faking contact and nothing for Barton. All the rules encourage cheating and it pisses me off.

 

Have anybody else noticed a pattern in Bartons and Cisses sent offs? JOHNSON......Hope we dont play against anymore Johnsons rest of the season?