Dale Stephens' appeal [Update: appeal rejected, 3 game ban stands]

[Papa Lazarou]

But that attitude IS laying down and dying. Use it as a positive.

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As you can probably guess, I'm struggling to do so at the moment.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Yeah no surprise, but.....
****! ****! ****!
What a bunch of utter *****.

 

[kevo]

Tweet to the FA:

https://twitter.com/FA

#corruptasfifa

 

[Hotchilidog]

We have been cheated of a player for the playoffs and Stephens has had his season ended by a bunch of incompetent spineless w**kers. I am furious. Total disgrace.


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[pb21]

I would love to know on what basis they have made this decision. It should be made public.

 

[Eric Youngs Contact Lense]

Time for us to use this .. we need to be a baying mob on Monday, shout for every decision, howl at every single one given against - make it an absolute cauldron of Albion fervor... "Welcome to Hell"!!!!

 

[kevo]

I would love to know on what basis they have made this decision. It should be made public.

A decision that could ultimately cost the club £200m held behind closed doors. It's pathetic. Referees don't have to justify decisions nor do appeals committees.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

It's things like this that are turning me off football. It's run by cheats and megalomaniacs where money counts for more than sportsmanship.

 

[Caveman]

A decision that could ultimately cost the club £200m held behind closed doors. It's pathetic. Referees don't have to justify decisions nor do appeals committees.

It's disgusting!

 

[WhingForPresident]

Useless *****

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

To be honest I can sort of accept the red on the day(even though wrong)in the heat of play,but to allow a 3 game ban after really facks me off as its as clear as day for all to see and all the pundits stated also.

Pretty much my view. It was frustrating not having the chance to see what would happen in the final 30 minutes against Middlesbrough but I can live with that. Up to the equaliser they had been comfortably better than us. But to lose him for the entirety of the play offs is just so unbelievably anger inducing. We've been amazing this season and have worked so hard in every game to get to this point only to be ****ed over by a shit ref. Our success has been built around the Stephens-Kayal partnership and to have it broken up for the three(probably two now) most important games of the season because of a dumb **** of a ref is ****ing outrageous.

A side point is if tht is genuinely a red card then:

a) I no longer have a clue about the rules of the game, and

b) It's another step towards football become utter, utter shit.

****s sake.

 

[Spinal Wheels]

We must put all this behind us immediately, we know we can't change anything now. Stephen's & Dunk will be both a huge miss, but perhaps our recent bad luck will mean more fortunate times ahead in the Play Offs. We still have a squad more than capable of winning promotion. Heads down boys & lets get on with it.

 

[The Oldman]

The Fa may have done us a favour. No team talk required now. Let's do this for Deano. If the card had been rescinded might that have relaxed everything? I' m angry and I bet the team and Hughton are. A score to settle.

 

[kevo]

What gets me is they could have compromised, saved a bit of face, thought ''Well it was a contentious sending off that cost them the game, would be harsh to ban him for the play-offs" and reduced it to a ONE GAME ban. They could easily have done that, it's been done before, but NO.

I keep coming back to this: WHAT WAS STEPHENS MEANT TO DO? He was intercepting a free ball and Ramirez came into the challenge late. Absolutely shocking decision.

#corruptasfifa

 

[neilbard]

Phew! Lucky Stephens got to the ball first otherwise it could have been a life ban! A shite decision by Dean then compounded by the clowns at the FA!

 

[Hungry Joe]

Don't be silly as I'm sure even sidwell would understand that.

I'm not being silly at all. And coming from you, that is a bit much.

 

[sir albion]

Especially when they could have reduced it to a one game ban and saved face all round. Didn't even do that. Corrupt ********

I bet the twats didn't even look at replays...unreal

 

[Djmiles]

#doitforDale

 

[hampshirebrightonboy]

Well you might as well dive all over the place and cheat then as you are only likely to receive a yellow. Any comment from the FA for Gaston knocking the yellow out of the refs hand, or this just being ignored.

I am so pissed off with the FA, players can't even challenge for a free ball.

Spineless FA.

You can't challenge for a free ball but, as we have leaned, it is fine to stamp on someone on the ground
****ing wankers

 

[Herne Hill Seagull]

One particularly galling thing is that, according not just to the refs' interpretation of the laws but also subsequent analysis of that interpretation, Joey Barton stamping on Beram Kayal is not even a yellow card, but Dale Stephens getting to the ball first and having his studs kicked by somebody who got there second is a straight red. Where the hell is the logic, the consistency of application of both the laws and the concept of retrospective action to put something right, in that?