Are Burnley Cheats?

[Ian Royal]

I wasn't able to go to the first leg and can't therefore comment directly but it sounded like certain Burnley players took the sportsmanship thing a bit too far. I am mainly referring to the way that they earned the penalty (Paterson I believe) and the way that they got Bikey sent off (Blake?)

I think that Reading are genuinely a fair team and play the game in it's proper spirit. We don't applaud cheats and, if what I heard about these two incidents is true, I hope that the players involved feel the disapproval of the crowd in tomorrow's second leg.

OK, perhaps Bikey is a bit naive and has paid the price for that but it doesn't feel great to know that we've been conned. So let's make Burnley know how we feel and really get behind our team.

I have been (to my mind justifiably) critical of the management over recent weeks but the only thing we must show now is unity and give it one last big push. Then whatever happens we will know we gave it our all.

Come on Reading. Make a name for yourselves.

? Clear penalty, Clear red card. Wasn't at the game but easier to see from the TV coverage anyway.

[Hoop Blah]

Hoops and Sun - agree with your points however the referee made no indication that he was playing advantage after the initial grabbing of the shirt.

To be honest, I'm splitting hairs clinging desperately on to the technicality. It wasn't a penalty but I understand why it was given.

He'd have to have the reactions and speed of Jackie Chan to have signaled advantage before then blowing up as the whole thing was over in a split second.

It was penalty though, I think that's why deep down you understand why it was given, it was about as blatent as your going to get I'm afraid.

[comeonthebiscuitmen]

Any player in their right might would risk a booking in the dying minutes of a game with so much riding on it. Saying that if Long Kitson or Doyle didn't go down after having their shirt pulled i would be disappointed.

Bikey deserved the sending of. It's that simple.

I hate Long's lame attempts at diving. They are just embarrasing. He thinks he's Michael Owen.

[Arch]

No.

Next up. Are Preston fairies?

[Mr Angry]

Are Burnley cheats??

No, of course they aren't. If the original post is a joke, well done - you have caught a load of people out.

if it was serious, then I weep for that sort of attitude.

Whilst Bikey began to foul the Thompson outside the area, who continued fouling him inside the area - therefore, penalty. I thought Bikey was lucky to not get a red card for the offence tbh.

As for the red card, as blatant a stamp as you would hope never to see by one pro on another; totally justified and I hope the club fine him for it as well.

Incidentally, I thought the ref had an excellent game.

[Thaumagurist*]

I thought the ref had a poor game. I watched it again yesterday and counted all the dodgy decisions he made and they were mostly in Burnley's favour.

Why wasn't the guy hanging onto Bikey punished? Why didn't we get the free kick?

And as for the penalty? My belief is that it was outside the box.

[Ian Royal]

I thought the ref had a poor game. I watched it again yesterday and counted all the dodgy decisions he made and they were mostly in Burnley's favour.

Why wasn't the guy hanging onto Bikey punished? Why didn't we get the free kick?

And as for the penalty? My belief is that it was outside the box.

You're hardly known for being a paragon of reasoned and unbiased opinion though are you.

[Millsy]

It was outside the box.

I was shocke that a pen was given.

The only question is was he still holding him as he crossed the line.

But even so, Bikey was ALWAYS outside the box.

So I think it's questionable.

To give my opinion on the original question though: it probably wasn't Burnley being dirty cheats. They seem a fair enough team to be honest. The guy either ran and decided the pull was hampering him and fell in which case no cheat, or he knew he was being pulled, didn't fall straight away but decided to fall inside the box instead. This is possibly more likely. Whilst I woul would call it irritating it's totally understandable and not blatant Ronaldo-esque cheating at all. I think it was fine.

Fair penalty. We deserved it, sadly.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Doesnt really matter where Bikey was, the lad he was fouling had made it into the box so its a pen

[Cookie]

Bikey let Coppel down,
he let his colleagues down,
he let the fans down,
he let himself down,
and when I got back to the car park I discovered he's let my tyres down.

[Millsy]

Bikey let Coppel down,
he let his colleagues down,
he let the fans down,
he let himself down,
and when I got back to the car park I discovered he's let my tyres down.

[66DD]

Burnley are no more cheats than anyone else. Kits or Long would have dropped to the ground like they'd been shot if they felt their shirt being tugged.

The only difference being of course is that if Kitson or Long had gone down like that the referee would have waved play on.

[yuomi]

nope.

are freemasons in charge?

[Kitson12]

To be honest, I though MacDonald made far too much of the shirt pull, though which player wouldn't?
Having seen the stamp on Robbie Blake by Bikey again, if it had really hurt he wouldn't have got up and then 'collapsed' back to the ground.
But hey ho, can't do anything about it now, well not until tomorrow, when we trash them!
The fans are the cheats, and the tw*ts, fighting the police, 5 year olds sticking the finger up and shouting abuse, horrible club, horrible fans.

Proud to be a Royal.

Oh and oxf*rd off Burnley, fans rather than players.

[rg6royal]

cheats? what did they do wrong?

[Royal With Cheese]

And as for the penalty? My belief is that it was outside the box.

SHIT

I know my argument's in trouble when Spacey is in agreement......

[Jeffers217]

It's a shame how quickly certain fans can turn against a player. If it wasn't for Bikey we might not have even made the play offs. He's the best centre back in the league by a country mile and has saved us on countless occasions. I'm not defending what he did on sat but let's not all blame him. We should have scored and wrapped up the game, we were the dominant team. But unless you score your chances you don't win end of. And now we're without 3 of our most influential players im0- Bikey, Doyle and N Hunt and I can't see us turning this one round

[Sun Tzu]

Hoops and Sun - agree with your points however the referee made no indication that he was playing advantage after the initial grabbing of the shirt.

.

There is no need for him to signal 'advantage', it's not a requirement of the laws to signal, you just don't whistle which is a good way of showing you aren't penalising something ....

[Royal With Cheese]

Hoops and Sun - agree with your points however the referee made no indication that he was playing advantage after the initial grabbing of the shirt.

.

There is no need for him to signal 'advantage', it's not a requirement of the laws to signal, you just don't whistle which is a good way of showing you aren't penalising something ....

No, but in nomal play conditions the referee will show that he's playing advantage. It could be argued that it happened so quickly he wouldn't have had time to do so but we don't know.

My view is that the referee thought that the initial contact was inside the area and that's why he gave the penalty. If that interpretation of what happened is correct then, as Coppell pointed out, the penalty should not have been given.

[braindead]

[quoteThe fans are the cheats, and the tw*ts, fighting the police, 5 year olds sticking the finger up and shouting abuse, horrible club, horrible fans.

Proud to be a Royal.

Oh and oxf*rd off Burnley, fans rather than players.][/quote]

Ha ha - OK diddums