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Bookings for celebrating are nothing shirt of daft
ANYONE who has ever scored a goal knows the elation that it brings.
But I have never quite understood why some players feel the urge to take off their shirts in their celebration.
It just seems an odd thing to do.
I suppose if someone is wearing a tee shirt underneath bearing an inoffensive, special message then that is slightly different.
Billy Sharp’s dedication to his dead son was a premeditated and poignant example and you can understand why he did what he did.
In that instance, referee Darren Deadman - the referee at the Blackpool v Wednesday game tomorrow - used common sense rather than the letter of the law by not booking the striker.
Jermaine Johnson was not so lucky last Saturday. Like most scorers who get booked for their celebration, he just reacted in a spontaneous way to a goal - an awe-inspiring goal as well - and received the standard punishment of a yellow card. It’s a daft rule.
Although it’s puzzling to me why players remove shirts (knowing that they are going to be booked), I can’t see what harm is done by it.
Marcus Tudgay was booked after scoring in the Bramall Lane derby in September, 2009, after uncovering a tee shirt that showed a dedication to a friend who was in hospital. Ched Evans this season escaped a card over a tribute to Gary Speed.
Gary Megson last Saturday understandably drew attention to the fact that JJ and Hartlepool defender Peter Hartley received exactly the same treatment though the latter committed a foul that possibly cost Wednesday a goal and a win and might have got him sent off.
Ref Gavin Ward was just following the rules in booking the forward: he didn’t have any alternative in a routine case such as this. The Sharp and Speed incidents were something more profound and demanded absolutely that discretion be exercised.
Talking of shirts, it’s another pet hate of mine when a player has to go to the touchline to change because of a speck of blood.
I wonder how Mike Lyons would have viewed an order to do such a thing. The Owls’ warrior centre-half of the 1980s thought nothing of playing on with his head bandaged and blood running from a head wound.
Another bugbear is when someone has a minor injury and needs a only a bit of treatment but then has to leave the field - leaving his team down to 10 men and having to wait until he can get back on.
Wednesday were the victims of such nonsense during this season’s game at Wycombe. Rob Jones had to go the touchline when they were defending, and they had to do without their best header of a ball.
It is even more farcical if the player who has to go off has been fouled, as it means that his team are the ones being penalised while he is absent.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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brinsworthowl
Saturday, January 28, 2012 at 04:15 PMGood rant Paul, but can you tell me why i cant get a commentary on line from radio Sheffield...........
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