If Arsene Wenger was the Liverpool boss they’d be replaying the Mansfield FA cup tie. « Untold Arsenal: Arsenal News, supporting the club, the players and the manager
Should Suarez be banned retrospectively for cheating?
By Cameron Wolfe.
Before the Swansea game yesterday I read a few previews from those knowledgeable UK pundits/Blogs. (I know, I should really just read Billy’s preview in the future but I couldn’t help myself. Honest.)
Most of these other reviews wrote us off before we started, stating that Swansea have had the upper hand over us in previous games… or at least in the last couple of games.
Watching the Swansea game however wasn’t such a doom and gloom affair. In fact I thought it was a very entertaining cup tie. It could have gone either way but even after Swansea had scored I still thought we’d at least equalise or even go on to win the tie. But they did in fact score when we weree having what was probably our best spell of the match.
Having scored to go ahead so late on I foolishly thought we would win. Unfortunately Kieran went from saint to sinner with a poor clearing header. But still even with almost the last attack of the game we could’ve pinched it but at least we’re still in it.
The best quote of the game from the commentator on my TV channel was that Gibbs never does anything with the ball when he gets in to the box. He was pretty quite though later when Kieran proceeded to hammer the ball past Vorm.
Still we were better that the way we played against Southampton (which was exceedingly flat). And a replay back at the Ems isn’t the end of the world. Hopefully we’ll play just as well there and progress to the next round against Brighton.
Fingers crossed.
So after watching that game I decided to watch the Mansfield v’s Liverpool. As much as we were the slight underdogs going in to our cup tie, Mansfield were given no hope what so ever of beating Liverpool. A mighty 93 or so places above them in the top flight.
Now. Apart from Sturridge’s quick goal, I thought Mansfield gave their all and really made a game of it. In reality Liverpool should have strolled through the game and progressed relatively easily but still, this is the FA cup, and the TV companies pay to show upsets. For them, there is always the chance that a giant killing could happen in any of the early rounds.
After being 1-0 up for most of the match. Rodgers decided to take off Sturridge and bring on Suarez. Within three minutes of coming on he scored, putting the tie almost out of reach for Mansfield.
After scoring he had the cheek to kiss his wrist several times. He has a tattoo of his daughters name there (or was he in fact kissing the very hand that cheated Mansfield out of a well deserved pay day with a return leg at Anfield?)
Sad thing is the incident was missed by all the officials but the Mansfield players were appealing instantly. Even before he had managed to put the ball into the net. It made me think of a couple of times when players have been “Honest” and owned up to mistakes.
Robbie Fowler when he waved his hand to the ref. that David Seaman hadn’t fouled him in the goal area (If only the ref. had listened to his pleas?) Paulo Di Canio (of all people) when he caught the ball instead of scoring against Everton.
When Arsene Wenger graciously offered to replay the cup tie against Sheffield Utd after we scored instead of giving them the ball back.
So, shouldn’t Brendan Rodgers come out and say that they won the tie unfairly and replay the match at Anfield? It’s not as if the ball just bounced up off Suarez’s arm. He brought the ball down with his hand. Allowing himself to score what was the winning goal in a tough but otherwise fairly fought FA cup tie. Apparently it’s the oldest cup competition in the world*. By my reckoning if Suarez and Livepool do nothing, they are demeaning the competition by stating, “It’s all right to cheat as long as you get away with it.
Of course being an Arsenal fan, I’m used to the media scrutinising our every play. Pundits and journalists alike are forever asking for our players to be banned retrospectively. Meanwhile Suarez already has a reputation of “diving” simulation. After Sunday’s cup tie against Mansfield. He’s proved himself to be nothing more than a… well we knew that already.
If it had happened against Man. Utd, City, or Chelsea I’m sure the media would already be in overdrive.
Mansfield deserve a replay. Suarez should be banned from at least the next round of the FA cup. But it seems that now we all want our teams to win at any cost. Oh for the days when at least Arsenal could offer a replay after a dubious goal.
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* The early years of the FA Cup were really nothing like the cup now, with clubs reaching the final after playing one or two games. There are details of what it was like in the early days in “Woolwich Arsenal, the club that changed football” (see below).