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Motherwell Challenge Higdon 1 Match Ban Offer


gilmour
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Wouldn't put it past them to see it as celebrating 'gun culture' :lol:

 

Take the passion out of the game, either from on the pitch or in the stands, and the game will die. It's the passion from ALL involved that makes the game what it is and it is something that other sports would be desperate for.

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Strange how the cameras missed last nights sending off. That was an important and game changing moment, isn't that what this was set up for ?

Instead we have over scrutiny of gestures :blink: FFS i remember Cooper giving the bird to the Celtic fans behind his back standing next to the linesman while waiting to take a throw in. This type of thing has went on for Years and there's a lot more wrong with the game than wasting time on such trivialities.

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EARLIER ARTICLE

 

 

I’ll fight your case for FREE to prove new SFA system doesn’t work

By GARETH LAW

 

Published: 22 Dec 2011

 

GRAHAM BEAN claims the SFA's new disciplinary system is flawed — and wants to fight a Scottish club's case to prove it. The English FA's first ever compliance officer has crossed the divide and now fights FOR stars who have been hit with disciplinary charges.

 

His company Football Factors does work for top Premier League sides including Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton and Bolton.

 

He's willing to scrap the £175 an hour his company normally charge to take on a case up here for FREE.

 

Former cop Bean put that proposal to St Mirren when skipper Jim Goodwin was hit with a two-match ban for lashing out at Steve Jennings after being clawed by the Motherwell man on Saturday.

 

He says he's still waiting for a reply, while Motherwell's appeal against Jennings' ban today is likely to come too soon for his help.

 

That won't stop Barnsley-based Bean, 50, in his pursuit to help players get off the hook.

 

He said: "These complaints from clubs are ones I'm all too familiar with. It's down to consistency and it sounds to me that the SFA's system lacks that.

 

"We are very keen to break into the Scottish market and I had emailed St Mirren offering them our services free of charge.

 

"I wanted to let them give us a chance to show what we can do.All we'd asked for was travelling expenses which would probably have been a couple of hundred quid.

 

"We never got a reply back and I plan to speak to Motherwell to see if I can help out in a similar way."

 

Vincent Lunny became the SFA's first compliance officer in October. It was the key role in chief executive Stewart Regan's revolutionised regime after a controversial season dominated more by legal speak than by football talk.

 

Bean took up the same role with the FA 12 years ago. In his four years he dealt with high-profile cases involving the likes of David Beckham, Patrick Viera, Robbie Fowler and Paolo di Canio.

 

He quit in 2003 amid rumours he wasn't given the support by the FA to carry out the job he wanted.

 

It was one of the reasons he feared for the new Hampden setup when he spoke to SunSport in the summer before Lunny's appointment.

 

Now he claims it was a mistake to turn to the former war crimes prosecutor because of his lack of experience in the game.

 

Bean said: "I never played the game professionally but I did have experience working in football.

 

"I worked on the football task force and was also chairman of the Football Supporters Association.

 

"Through that I understood the workings of football and knew administrators and other people behind the scenes.

 

"That gave me a head start.While I don't know Vincent Lunny's pedigree, his CV shows he's done a lot of work with war crimes. I'm sure he did a very good job at that but it's not exactly the right way forward if you're wanting football to take you seriously in terms of governance."

 

Bean is adamant more than one person is required to carry out Lunny's role and reckons the SFA should look at the way the English system has evolved since he left.

 

He also believes things could still be improved down south.

 

He said: "When I started, the FA had a very similar set up to the way the SFA are running things, but we quickly turned it around. I got taken out of the decision-making process and we had a video panel who'd decide whether a charge should be issued or not.

 

"I actually think the model the FA use now is an even better one.

 

"While Scottish football is a smaller set up than England, one guy can't do that job on his own.

 

"He needs a team around him with specific jobs simply so he's not overladen with the work.

 

"That was the problem when I first went into the job. You just weren't able to give everything and everyone your undivided attention.

 

"That's why the FA brought in these other investigative individuals to develop it in that way. It's just not a job for one."

 

There is an independent three-man judicial panel which rules on any appeals in Scotland — but Bean said: "How can that be when they're brought in by the SFA?

 

"It should be completely independent individuals."

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Strange how the cameras missed last nights sending off. That was an important and game changing moment, isn't that what this was set up for ?

Instead we have over scrutiny of gestures :blink: FFS i remember Cooper giving the bird to the Celtic fans behind his back standing next to the linesman while waiting to take a throw in. This type of thing has went on for Years and there's a lot more wrong with the game than wasting time on such trivialities.

 

 

The Sun's match report would have you believe that the cameras caught it perfectly...

 

Clicky

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Cannot believe the Sun match report says that Hatetey tripped Buchanan. watched the highlights on bbb website and it's a total dive. Didn't think Randy's touch on Dowie was a pen either. Think the hand on the back by Hutchie on Cardle coudl have been given on another day though.

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Its sad that our game has come to this. Its descending into a farce in that we talk more about 'gestures' than we do the actual football matches.

 

Also I still cannot believe that a player can be banned for such a trivial offence. Its just mental.

 

If we are using TV evidence to incriminate players then we must use the same system for Referees. They are also part of the SFA and must be held accountable.

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So how exactly does the Compliance Officer go about his job? Does he have subordinates attending every league game in Scotland? Does he conscientiously sit through TV highlights (what if games are not televised in full or not televised at all)? Rather worryingly does he take his cue from media reports?

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If the ref had seen Higdon's gesture and thought it was inappropriate he would have given him at most a yellow card. He misses it (or thought it was not inappropriate) some wally in the SFA looks at it thinks it is wrong and Higdon gets the equivalent of a red card. You could not make it up. How about the SFA take action against the refs who are shown up as incompetent week after week.

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Just sent this to the SFA:

 

Dear Vincent Lunny,

 

I have to say I find your decision to ban Michael Higdon for one game an absolute scandal. The fact that not one member of the public complained about this so called gesture says it all.

 

What I want to know is:

 

A - How did you know it was perceived as an inflammatory gesture and not just a celebration in scoring a goal?

 

B - If it was an inflammatory gesture then who was it aimed at? To me it looks like its aimed at the centre circle of the pitch

 

C - How were you informed of this gesture. Was it an official referees report or did you just watch Sportscene on Sunday night?

 

The SFA are dragging the Scottish game into the gutter and by paying people like Vincent Lunny to provide trial by TV cases every week it just exasperates us fans even further until we get to the point we walk away from the game we love. And going by attendances this season you are all doing a grand job.

 

Regards

 

Peter Johnstone

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Higdon: One-match suspension stands

.

 

.

Motherwell have lost their appeal into Michael Higdon's one-match ban for making an apparent gesture against Dundee United.

 

The Fir Park club contested Higdon's suspension for allegedly breaching rule 200, which covers "offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures".

 

However, the Scottish Football Association on Thursday confirmed the ban would stand and the 28-year-old striker will miss Saturday's SPL home match against St Johnstone.

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I'd apeal it again and again and again and again. Take that guy fae down South who was offering his services free for a test case and rock the fucking boat til it sinks. This stinks to high heaven, are ra Shellic the only club in this country wi' the balls to take these c***s on? I know they're the only ones with enough clout to be successful but surely any form of arbitration would come out in our favour on this. As if any more evidence was needed that the gemmes a bogey, Vincent fuckin' Looney Tunes just provided some more.

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Did anyone *really* think this would be overturned? Seriously?

 

I'd be surprised if Motherwell pursue it any further. McCall got pretty good media coverage of his thoughts on the matter, which was always something... if other managers get the same coverage when equally daft judgements are made against their players, things will surely change eventually. if I was him I'd just consider that a small victory in a ridiculous war and move on.

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Admitting they got this one wrong is admitting the whole system is flawed, and that is why we were never going to win this appeal.

 

The moment Gary O'Conner got off with diving against St johnston I knew this thing was going to be a disater, and it has gone down hill steadily from then on.

 

It's a complete and utter farce and the sooner it gets binned the better.

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Just sent this to the SFA:

 

Dear Vincent Lunny,

 

I have to say I find your decision to ban Michael Higdon for one game an absolute scandal. The fact that not one member of the public complained about this so called gesture says it all.

 

What I want to know is:

 

A - How did you know it was perceived as an inflammatory gesture and not just a celebration in scoring a goal?

 

B - If it was an inflammatory gesture then who was it aimed at? To me it looks like its aimed at the centre circle of the pitch

 

C - How were you informed of this gesture. Was it an official referees report or did you just watch Sportscene on Sunday night?

 

The SFA are dragging the Scottish game into the gutter and by paying people like Vincent Lunny to provide trial by TV cases every week it just exasperates us fans even further until we get to the point we walk away from the game we love. And going by attendances this season you are all doing a grand job.

 

Regards

 

Peter Johnstone

I really cant see how they can answer one of these questions! If you don't get a reply send it to a papar or something.

 

I'm not usually one to go on about referees and bans and the like but this actually beggers belief!! I have no problem with any player gesturing at the crowd, I remember Goodwillie showed the east stand his arse last season and found it fekin hilarious. Gets the crowd goin too.

 

There's surely a strong case to be made that this scheme borders on corruption due to the huge influence the tele has on decisions made, particularly with Higdons case.

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Ivan Sproule got a two match suspended ban for calling officials incompetent. Now, that's surely worse then HIgdon's personal celebration which offended nobody. SFA out to get us, so it feels, ever since we played Jenno after they "asked" us not to.

 

 

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maybe higdon should have said it was a religous gesture, much like crossing themselves. Is there any difference between what Higdon did than someone running towards the opposing supporters with a finger to their mouth, or what brown did to Diuof. overall these actions were little more than banter and trivial.

 

As someone said how can it be that if the referee acts the player is booked, yet if he misses a trivial matter it suddenly becomes a one match ban at least. The way the compliance officer works needs to be publicly explained.

 

Mind you if the abusing fans had kept their traps shut, and Higdon had not responded then none of this would have happened. Overall pathetic, and sums up the direction the scottish game is going. The compliance officers punishments are as random and inconsistant as the referees performances. with no explanation or come back.

 

Perhaps a mass get it up you gesture prior to an old firm game, so that they all receive a ban, is in order. This might then get the matter discussed properly.

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