Just a thought.

It crossed my mind that arsenal were doubly penalised yesterday with the red card and the penalty. How about if Man City had been offered the choice, one or the other. Would that sound fair to you guys?

You mean get the man sent off OR take the penalty? It's not allowed to give a man a card without also awarding the foul (I think the simulation charge is different though as the goalkeeper normally has the ball anyway).

I would say however I don't feel it was a red card incident. Straight red's should be reserved for dangerous tackling, and especially not be used so early in the game. The challenge was stupid and clumsy, but the goalkeeper would of beaten Dzeko to the ball either way so there was no denying of a scoring opportunity. Yellow card and a penalty would of been fairer to the player and the match.

Definite red card in my opinion. Whether or not the keeper may have beaten Dzeko to the ball, it was still a clear scoring opportunity. Opportunity just means a good chance or position to score, not a dead cert. Obviously the red card ruined the match, but that's beside the point.

Differing opinion obviously, but in stand for upholding the quality of the game before being tough on the rules (with the exception of diving). I don't feel denying a goal scoring opportunity should be a straight red, especially when you're going to get an even better goal scoring opportunity through the penalty anyway.

Unless its dangerous, let the game flow as best as you can.

Red614 wrote:Differing opinion obviously, but in stand for upholding the quality of the game before being tough on the rules (with the exception of diving). I don't feel denying a goal scoring opportunity should be a straight red, especially when you're going to get an even better goal scoring opportunity through the penalty anyway.

Unless its dangerous, let the game flow as best as you can.

I don't disagree with you, but the rules as they stand say that denial of a goal-scoring opportunity merits a red card. So a red was correct on that basis. Whether that should be the rule is another matter.

He was denied a goal scoring opportunity, yes. However that goal scoring opportunity was immediately given back to him in the form of a penalty. It just seems that the offending players team are penalised twice for the same crime. Rough justice I think.

I get what you're saying Welsheneire, took me a while but I'm there

In some cases the rules have to be the rules, and in others I think you should judge each case individually. 'Denying a goal scoring opportunity' is a tricky one to judge. Is the assumption that the goalkeeper would of collected the ball before Dzeko reached it reason enough to say it was'nt a goal scoring opportunity? Probably not, but you also can't be sure Dzeko would of scored anyway, the goalkeeper was in a good spot to stop it. Compare that to Suarez's antics in the internationals, where e deliberately stuck his hands in front of the ball to deny a ball that was definetely goal bound. They are both on paper 'denying of a goal scoring opportunity', but very different as well. Suarez stopped a definite goal to instead take his chances of the penalty being missed, while Vermaelen carried out a silly tackle to stop a play that however may not of resulted in a goal. It's complicated and really probably not fair, but as Tonker said the rules are the rules until they are sorted out.

Welshineire wrote:He was denied a goal scoring opportunity, yes. However that goal scoring opportunity was immediately given back to him in the form of a penalty. It just seems that the offending players team are penalised twice for the same crime. Rough justice I think.

But if the offence occurred right on the edge of the area, all you get is a free kick - still a goal scoring oppo, but much less of one. And an ordinary foul can also give you a dual penalisation of a free kick and a yellow card. The principle's the same. Every player knows that committing a foul like that in the penalty area runs the risk of both a penalty and a red card - same for every team.

What did everyone think of Kompany's tackle and subsequent sending off? Personally, I have to agree with Alan Hansen on this one (and I don't do that regularly) I thought it was a fair tackle BUT the rules once again state that he could be sent off if going in with two feet off the floor and/or dangerous intent, although, it was the referee's discretion to determine what intent there was.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21009420

Kemp any was indeed harshly treated there. It looked perfectly fine from the comfort of my sofa. Although, it may have looked a little tastier if I was on the floor in front of him.

Update...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21033817

Thank god for that. Kompany's tackle while firm was perfectly fair and took the ball. If the FA also deemed that it was a red card offence it's yet more evidence the game has gone soft. Very similar to Wilshere's booking a few games back for Arsenal, despite it being potentially the finest tackle you'll see all year.