Could've done without the handbags Ashley caused at the end.

[IHateJam]

in what way was that a sending off offence

I think he was more talking about ash throwing a couple of swipes in Anelka's direction after getting pushed?

 

[lewdikris]

Another handbags incident. The defing moment was the laughter between Ash, Edu and Anelka at the end of the incident. Meaningless hijinks that should be treated as such...

 

[she_gunner_wales]

in what way was that a sending off offence

I think he was more talking about ash throwing a couple of swipes in Anelka's direction after getting pushed?

YES that was EXACTLY what i meant. thankyou for pointing it out. IHateJam :wink: 'she' by the way! lol

and if GERBIL was actually watching the incident as it unfolded Ashley Cole was the one who made 1st contact before Anelka grabbed his head, Yes wot Ash did is more so common place these days unfortunaltley & i wasnt making excuses for Anelka either, what i was saying was Ash was lucky not to be sent off too!

Gerbil by the way YES i was watching Sky F******G Sports!
so get off your high horse before you start throwing accusations around!
nuff said! :evil:

 

[JazzG]

Ashley Cole commented on the incident afterwards, not many would come out and say this but the media won't pick up on this. They only hear what they want to hear......

From teamtalk.com

Television replays appeared to show that Cole may not have actually elbowed Anelka, but still flailed out an arm towards the striker.

Cole insisted: "I feel sorry for him as I only did the same as him.

"He shouldn't have done what he did but I don't think he should have been sent off. It should've either been a yellow or red card for both of us, not one and the other.''

If you watch when the ref bought Edu, Cole and Anelka together. All shook hands and were smiling, so to me that showed they weren't really mad at each other. When Anelka gave him a red you could see Ashley get annoyed and was asking the ref why he gave him a red card, even Edu looked annoyed. The ref should of showed some common sense and given all 3 yellows, no one would of been complaining and that would of been fair. But no the ref has to get us some more negative media attention :roll:

 

[Mark]

i must admit i was very surprised that cole wasn't sent off, not because i felt he should've been, but i thought since he sent off anelka unjustly he would do the same to cole. it made sense that if he gave the red card to one, he'd have to do it to the other. thankfully not but it was rather amusing seeing anelka get sent off.

 

[Senght]

Damn it is no big deal. Cmon! Edu would have got a small ban or whatever.It won't hurt the team much.

 

[RocktheCasbah]

I can't believe everyone's making such a fuss over this! Ash simply did what any of us would do and then Anelka went up to him to grab the ball off him. Was Coley just give the ball to him? Why? So I think Ash just (rightly) protected himself. No excuses for Edu though.

 

[Andrew]

Yeah, it really isn't a big deal if you think about it. Anelka scored, Cole picked up the ball, Anelka wanted it back, Cole pushed him, Anelka pushed his face, Cole tried to defend himself. Then all the players around him tried to seperate things, except for Edu who over reacted too much, no doubt resulting in a fine or suspension. Cole got a yellow card and that's it, can't be changed. And if Edu is out, then no worries, we have plenty of depth there. There was nothing too much too it.

 

[arsena1]

agreed with JGooner.
not on the ruthless bit.
but a professional should do whatever it takes
within the rules to win the game, give and take some
ethnical and moral issues.

so having said that, I see no reasons why cole
shouldn't have taken the ball.

sure I would be mad if I'm manc city supporter.
but I'm a gooner. and I've seen that done many times
to us. u see it, u feel mad, then u move on to the next game.

 

[Natnat]

Echo echo of cause other footballers do the same, pick up the ball if itgoes back of the net.
We can not be hauled over the coals for that, for our lads can easy say in what games etc, other teams footballers do the same.
If Nick speaks up for us(am I living in land of make believe) it may help us.
Media will do its best to make us get points taken off fines etc.
Edu I think will get fined.

 

[patrick42uk]

did cole defend anelka before or after he was wrongly acused of elbowing him. because i'm sure if he had known anelka had accused him of that, there would have been no sympathies. I dont think anelka was unduly provoked. he got caught up in the moment, he had just scored against his old club, his team had a chance of getting back into the game with so little time left, city need all the points they can get e.t.c All these led to his frustrations boiling over.

 

[Chips&CurrySauce]

I agree with Lewdikriss. You see defenders every game do exactly the same as what Ashley did. I don't see how either Edu or Ashley can be charged by the FA because the ref saw it all, he was right in the middle of it. You can only be charged if the referee hasn't see the incident!!!!
I thik yellows all round, including for Anelka would have been the sensible punishment, then we wouldn't have had any of this hype!!!!!

 

[Pat's missing Gerbil]

in what way was that a sending off offence

I think he was more talking about ash throwing a couple of swipes in Anelka's direction after getting pushed?

i still didnt not see them as sending off offenses...She guuner wales ..no offense was meant personally.....i am just ****ed off with the way we get reported on by the press. All sky spent their time doing was looking and talking about that event and trying to make us at fault for picking the ball out of the net. Cole was trying to waste time and got booked. So what.

If we are using the lifting hand arguement...then why didnt 4 players from manure get red carded at old ****ford. the only player to be pushed over in that incident was Jens lehmann by quintin fortune .....no action. There was a full on barny at Bolton a few weeks ago...........was there endless over reporting and hyping of the event......no its not arsenal. I was livid with the way that sky endlessly went on about Ashley Cole being sent off. Ive seen many other players pick the ball out of the net in those circumstances and never even get booked...eg Neville.

Handbags at worst and if Anelka had not touched Cole in the face and only pushed him he would not have got red carded....a yellow at worst and nowt for Cole. Dont believe the hype! and I am sorry that my comments earlier appeared to have offended you. Call it angry debate at the situation.

 

[Gooner83]

I don't blame cole for grabbing the ball, he used his head.

Anelka wanted the ball, i dont think he lashed out at Cole he was just trying to get through to him that he wanted the ball.

He didn't push coles head, he grabbed it them Cole pulled his head out of it.. it looked like a push.

2 yellows was fair.

 

[she_gunner_wales]

in what way was that a sending off offence

I think he was more talking about ash throwing a couple of swipes in Anelka's direction after getting pushed?

i still didnt not see them as sending off offenses...She guuner wales ..no offense was meant personally.....i am just f*d off with the way we get reported on by the press. All sky spent their time doing was looking and talking about that event and trying to make us at fault for picking the ball out of the net. Cole was trying to waste time and got booked. So what.

No harm done glad thats cleared!
but i see where your coming from today Sunsport headlines say it all, according to the press! 'Madness' & 'New star, same aggro'
and yes i totally agree with you on the old trafford fiasco, how Fortune & neville 'got away with it' is beyond me, but thats all done & dusted now, just have to look to the next match, as you know only too well that our every move is scrutinsed now.
but im sure you now know what i meant by saying Ash was lucky not to be red-carded too, not so much for picking the ball out of the net but for the scuffle with anelka.

 

[Baby Ash]

I kinda agree with the last post I don't see what Ashley did as wrong, Le'sulk scored and Ashley got the ball out of the net..BIG DEAL!

What I thought was out of order was Le'sulks' over the top and dramatic reaction, then trying to smile with Ash after he tried to knock Ash out, then looking bemused as he rightly got the red card he deserved!

My last moan on "Le sulk" is that Kevin "I'd love it" Keegan was on SSN last night, claiming that "Le sulk" said that Ashley had elbowed him! This of course was absolute nonsense! Ashley's only concern was to get that ball!

I am soooo glad "Le sulk" does not play for us anymore, he has mental problems, he's all washed up and he needs to seea shrink!...fast!

 

[Anonymous]

The reaction as usual by the press is OTT.
The main pic in the Sun shows Ash pushing Anelka, with the picture of Anelka grabbing coles face buried in the corner. Why?

Once Anelka had scored the ball is now our possession. We kick it off, it is our ball. Anelka has no business trying to get it and Cole has everey right to try and hold onto it. What then happened was handbags.
You have to feel sorry for Ash, because he now has a rep he doesnt deserve.

 

[Ridge]

you can't stop the other team picking up the ball,

yeah, i remember Henry and another player were tryin to get the ball when Henry scored. He even punched the ball away from the defender's hands.

at least, he didnt shake other people's head.

 

[pome]

ash did nothin wrong, this is just a bit of arsenal bashing, we should be used to it!