Billy Sharp - tweaked his ankle a little bit. (but with God's grace, might live)

[Billy Stubbs' Tears]

I've givwn you my two-pennorth of Naylor's tackle. It was badly mistimed but a different kettle of fish. He took off (wrongly) but was aiming at a free ball moving towards him. Barnes was mush quicker and nicked the ball away. Naylor has then clearly dropped his foot out of the way and his foot has missed Barnes's leg by more than 12 inches. Naylor's momentum has then taken his backside into Barnes and chucked him over the top. It looks horrible on first sight because of the way Barnes flies up in the air, but it's a hair-tousler. Had Naylor's foot been aimed at Barnes's leg, I would have agreed 100% that he deserved a long ban.

Spurr's tackle on Lua Lua, I honestly haven't seen clear enough video to comment.

It's an issue of responsibility. Naylor's challenge was a poor one but he was able to adjust and avoid a serious foot-on-leg collision. Dunk's wasn't. From the moment he took off, he had lost control and had lost the ability to avoid a dangerous impact. THAT is why I and so many other Donny fans are so incensed about it.

 

[Diar]

Give up Billy... even I had to recognise the reality of this board. Never seen owt like it in my life.

 

[albionite]

Give up Billy... even I had to recognise the reality of this board. Never seen owt like it in my life.

You seemed ok before the game, now you're acting like a nob because you can't get Brighton fan's to agree with everything you say on a Brighton message board. Arguing on the internet is pretty pointless don't you think? But if it pleases you carry on.

 

[drew]

The issue about Sharp moving to the left is, frankly, rubbish. Firstly, he didn't you need to watch it again. Sharp clearly moves his body to the left to block Dunk.. Secondly, the ball did not change direction from the moment Dunk went aerial to the moment he hit Sharp. Thirdly, Dunk's foot was NEVER aimed at the ball (it was aimed on a line a yard to the right of the ball).What planet are you on? When you tackle, you have to aniticipate where you think the ball will be. The only time you aim directly at the ball is if it is stationary, which,invariably it isn't. The ball is going from right to left (looking from behind) and Dunk tries to anticipate the trajectory by tackling to the left. Unfortunately, Sharp feints to the left rather than move the ball in that direction and Sharp's left leg goes in that direction hence Dunk catches his standing leg. Given Dunk's angle of approach, the only way he could possibly have been on trajectory to intercept the ball was if Sharp HAD moved the ball to the left. But if he HAD done, he'd have moved his left leg still further in the way of the challenge.Disagree. Sharp could have flicked the ball further to the left with the outside of his left foot so the ball would have been further to the left than his foot and Dunk would have blocked it.

It's a plain as day. It's either a deliberately aimed tackle at Sharp's leg, or it's as incompetently aimed a tackle as you will ever see, a full yard away from the ball. You CANNOT do that if you are tackling as strongly as Dunk did. It is totally reckless and extremely dangerous. It's is a cast iron example of the sort of tackle that is supposed to end in a straight red card.

If you disagree with any of that, feel free to look at the images and give me an alternative explanation. The only one I've seen is based on the assumption that Sharp was expected to suddenly stop running from the moment Dunk took off.

And by the way, I do, regularly point the finger at our own players for similar things. Sharp himself got away with a yellow card for an appalling challenge on Shackell in our match against Barnsley last year and should have been sent off for it.

There is no way the ref could send of Dunk for that challenge as he had allowed Naylor to stay on the pitch when he had dived in with his right leg off the ground and studs first. That, if anything, set the benchmark. If your are still unclear, have a look at the replay on bbc iplayer football league show at 7mins 43 seconds.

I would add that all my comments are based on the camera view from behind the incident as shown in the BBC replay.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Isn't it time a line was drawn under this? With opinions poles apart this thread will drag on forever.

 

[drew]

I've givwn you my two-pennorth of Naylor's tackle. It was badly mistimed but a different kettle of fish. He took off (wrongly) but was aiming at a free ball moving towards him. Barnes was mush quicker and nicked the ball away. Naylor has then clearly dropped his foot out of the way and his foot has missed Barnes's leg by more than 12 inches. Naylor's momentum has then taken his backside into Barnes and chucked him over the top. It looks horrible on first sight because of the way Barnes flies up in the air, but it's a hair-tousler. Had Naylor's foot been aimed at Barnes's leg, I would have agreed 100% that he deserved a long ban.

Spurr's tackle on Lua Lua, I honestly haven't seen clear enough video to comment.

It's an issue of responsibility. Naylor's challenge was a poor one but he was able to adjust and avoid a serious foot-on-leg collision. Dunk's wasn't. From the moment he took off, he had lost control and had lost the ability to avoid a dangerous impact. THAT is why I and so many other Donny fans are so incensed about it.

there was hardly any adjustment in Naylors right leg which was off the ground the whole time and studs first. The only real adjustment was by Barnes. In all honestly, had Naylor been sent off, which he would have done but for Barnes avoiding the tackle then I very much suspect that Dunk would have gone too.

 

[xenophon]

pfft

 

[Billy Stubbs' Tears]

There is no way the ref could send of Dunk for that challenge as he had allowed Naylor to stay on the pitch when he had dived in with his right leg off the ground and studs first. That, if anything, set the benchmark. If your are still unclear, have a look at the replay on bbc iplayer football league show at 7mins 43 seconds.

I would add that all my comments are based on the camera view from behind the incident as shown in the BBC replay.

That's more like it. A bit of reasoned discussion.

However:

1) Look at the footage again. It was a physical impossibility for Sharp to flick the ball with the outside of his left foot.

2) Of course players have to predict where the ball is going. But they also have a responsibility to their fellow pros to predict where the other player is going. It is stretching credulity to breaking point to say that there was any reasonable movement that Sharp could have made that would NOT have put him in a direct line between the ball and Dunk's 3-yard long lunge. Especially as he couldn't see the challenge coming in.

3) Sharp has the right to move where he wants. Dunk has a responsibility to make his decision in a responsible manner. NOT to fly in, losing control and then trusting to fate that there will not be a leg in the way.

That is why the challenge was badly reckless.
For a different angle on the tackle, one from the front which is much clearer, see my post a few pages back.


As for Naylor's challenge, see above.

 

[NMH]

Give up Billy... even I had to recognise the reality of this board. Never seen owt like it in my life.

First match of the season, nothing spectacularly unusual or that you won't encounter elsewhere - but you are having a hissy-fit and pointing accusatory digits at all who don't see it exactly how you feel they should.

Do you not see how this comes across?
Why tf not?

 

[the wanderbus]

Read these facts

1 NAYLOR DIVED IN ON BARNES WITH NO THOUGHT FOR THE PLAYERS SAFETY, IT WAS ONLY BARNES JUMPING THE TACKLE THAT SAVED HIM FROM SERIOUS INJURY

2, SPURR TOOK OUT LUA LUA ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION, WETHER INSTRUCTED TO OR NOT YOUR PLAYERS DEFINITELY TARGETED HIM

3,DUNK CLOBBERD SHARP WITH A BADLY JUDGED TACKLE , CLEARLY NOT PREMEDITATED, UNLIKE THE OTHER TWO.

NOW ITS BEEN EXPLAINED TO YOU CLEARLY YOU CAN f*** OFF BACK TO THE LAND OF SKANKY FAT BIRDS IN LEGGINGS.

 

[Acker79]

By the way, just for your information, Richard Naylor has never once been sent off for serious foul play, or for two yellow cards in a career spanning 16 years and 500 apperances.

Except, he has.

Professional foul while playing for Ipswich v Preston in 2006
Ipswich Town | Match | Report | 14 March 2006, Preston 3 - 1 Ipswich (this "controversial" decision was upheld when challenged).

Same season in 2005 v Millwall for pulling someone back
Ipswich Town | Match | Report | 27 August 2005, Millwall 1 - 2 Ipswich

 

[bobjimwilly]

dunk "tackle":

drfc-vsc.co.uk/images/dunk-tackle.jpg

Two feet off the ground from behind = yellow nowadays does it?

Spurr tackle:

drfc-vsc.co.uk/images/spurr-tackle.jpg

studs not showing and late but from the side = definite yellow, but why red?

It comes down to poor refereeing, and that's the end of it really. On another day it would have been red, on another day Sharp would have not been injured, but really that is why tackles from behind are supposed to be punished, because they cause severe injury, a la sharp.

Now, on with the hunt for yet another striker...

RTID

 

[Sam Ovett]

You can pick and choose images, but the video evidence shows as the tackle goes in, Dunks standing leg is on the floor...

 

[Seagull on the wing]

Please,let's say Donny have their view and we have ours,I don't think any true Albion fan would want to see another player injured (well maybe Murray....kidding) I really hope Billy gets back playing soon as he is a big loss and with your other injuries it must be galling. However Dunky is not a player to deliberately try to put a player out and I'm sure he is upset by the fact Billy got injured.Wish you well Donny,especially when you play Palace.

 

[fire&skill]

Has there been any mention on this thread of the Donny centre 'alf that insisted on bear-hugging CMS every time the ball came near him?

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Why is this still going on? And to the Doncaster fans, if you provoke people on the internet, you're going to get these reactions. This is a place full of Brighton fans, who are going to defend Dunk in the same way you are defending Naylor. That's a part of supporting a football club. If Poyet wasn't our manager, maybe we wouldn't like his antics on the touchline, but he is so we love it.

Some of what has been said to you in this thread has been childish and pathetic, but you wouldn't get such responses from people in person. We're not a bad bunch because we have a few loudmouths sounding off on the internet. A lot of us like a reasoned debate, and most of us realise that the internet isn't always the best place for it. Especially on this forum where we have a healthy bunch of wind up merchants, window lickers, and then the people who might actually want to talk about things seriously. Personally, I would like to think I am the latter, I like a good football debate and I don't feel the need to resort to using offensive language. I don't see the point in falling out with anyone in life, especially not because you support a different football club to me.

 

[hart's shirt]

I promise you, I will "f*** off" you foul-mouthed, moronic, viscious, pathetically supercillious, thick bastard!

There, thats better... I got to let off steam against the sick bag of twats that have surfaced on this forum. Try to talk like adults?
Even I realise that there's absolutely no chance of that when most of the posters have got f***ing ASBO's and couldnt hold a conversation if you even understood the word.
This thread has been the most unreasonable, nasty piece of reading that I've ever had on ANY forum. I know you'll probably be proud of that but, frankly, I've given up caring what any of you think any more. Even I realise its been like talking to a brick wall.

It doesnt matter... you dont matter. Hope you get what you deserve in life.
Now... let me get out of here!!

 

[Mackenzie]

Could you just run over those points again please Diar?

 

[saafend_seagull]

this thread still going on?

 

[Titanic]

this thread still going on?

No - I think, finally, it has fizzled out like the damp squib it always was.