[Albion] Matt O Riley [26/08/24 - sings on a 5-year deal]

[Clive Walker]

If that's 10 yards then I need you tell my wife what 6 inches is.

its somewhere between a little late and a bit late. could be seen as a very late challenge but they happen quite often.

move on people.

 

[Professor Plum]

It's a tackle. He a tackling midfielder whose job it was to disrupt us. I don't think his job was to seriously injure one of our players, he just got that wrong. He did it, but that doesn't in my view justify the meltdown on here about him as a player and his character. It's just a tackle that went wrong.

It wasn’t a tackle at all unless you have a different definition. He wanted to ‘put one on him’ pure and simple. The smile and wink put the tin lid on it for me.

Again, I just don’t get the apologist approach from some people. It was a brutal challenge and the idea of ‘the enforcer’ a la Vinnie Jones went out decades ago. The only reason we’re still talking about this is that some people, and I suspect there’s a few closet Crawley fans among them, keep complaining that it was nothing more than a robust challenge that MOR wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of. I’m guessing that a lot of people on the pro-thuggery side weren’t actually at the game at all. The atmosphere was horrible and the Crawley fans had a lot of deeply unpleasant people among them.

 

[Napper]

shit happens
shit will continue to happen
Williams laughing about the challenge made him look a Roger Hunt
There will be anoth Roger Hunt to focus on soon
Hope We see O'Riley this season.

 

[SeagullinExile]

If that's 10 yards then I need you tell my wife what 6 inches is.

Yep. Not two footed either.

 

[Bodian]

From the FA website

In order for The FA to take retrospective action it must first establish from the match officials whether the incident was ‘not seen’. If they confirm they did see it then in almost all cases no further action is taken.

No ref is ever going to say 'sorry I was asleep and completely missed it'. If the ref wants to say he saw it clearly and thinks it deserves no card at all, it's time he changed career.

Have the rules been changed then? The Hemed incident was obviously 'seen', but not deemed to be a red card. "Referee sees nothing in it"

Premier League: FT: Brighton and Hove Albion 1-0 Newcastle

Listen to Radio 5 live plus reaction, analysis and images as Brighton hold on to defeat Newcastle in Sunday's one Premier League match.

www.bbc.co.uk

Hemed was pursued after the game and given a retrospective red and 3 match ban (which had a massive impact on his career with us as he had just hit a streak of form that was never repeated).

Tomer Hemed: Brighton contest charge over DeAndre Yedlin incident

Brighton will contest Tomer Hemed's Football Association charge of violent conduct, following an incident in their win over Newcastle.

www.bbc.co.uk

The referee will have to say he either didn't see the challenge by the Crawley thug, or that he did see it and 'saw nothing in it'.

In either case, unless the rules have changed (how?) the thug CAN be pursued by the FA.

Ref awarded a free-kick, and had a very brief word with Williams. So, will rpobably be classed as the ref saw it, deemed it to be a foul - but not a cardable one. In which case, there won't be any retrospecitve action.

 

[Professor Plum]

File it under the category of 'annoying'

Watched it back several times. It's a RUBBISH tackle but he was just completely done by a much quicker player which happens when teams X amount of divisions apart play each other. It happens.

If you think it’s a RUBBISH tackle that’s put our new playmaker in hospital needing surgery, putting him out of action for months, than you should be furious like most people. To regard it as just a bit “annoying” means you’re absolutely not reading the room on this one. Understand the anger or back off.

 

[lost in london]

It wasn’t a tackle at all unless you have a different definition. He wanted to ‘put one on him’ pure and simple. The smile and wink put the tin lid on it for me.

Again, I just don’t get the apologist approach from some people. It was a brutal challenge and the idea of ‘the enforcer’ a la Vinnie Jones went out decades ago. The only reason we’re still talking about this is that some people, and I suspect there’s a few closet Crawley fans among them, keep complaining that it was nothing more than a robust challenge that MOR wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of. I’m guessing that a lot of people on the pro-thuggery side weren’t actually at the game at all. The atmosphere was horrible and the Crawley fans had a lot of deeply unpleasant people among them.

I'm just more philosophical about these things. I am gutted for MOR, I'm not pro-thuggery or closet Crawley. I wish it hadn't happened, but it did, so there we are, these things happen, just ask Leno and Maupay. Move on. We've got cover.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

Ref awarded a free-kick, and had a very brief word with Williams. So, will rpobably be classed as the ref saw it, deemed it to be a foul - but not a cardable one. In which case, there won't be any retrospecitve action.

Yep all that we can hope for is that shit ref won't be reffing any premier league games.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Agree that a lot of our responses are over the top, but equally the challenge was not "just one of those things".

That type of challenge is regularly referred to as a "potential leg breaker" . because frankly it was.
mis-timed, deliberate or just putting down a marker, however you want to justify it, doesn't really matter. It was exactly the type of challenge that will incense fans of every club.

 

[mejonaNO12 aka riskit]

If you think it’s a RUBBISH tackle that’s put our new playmaker in hospital needing surgery, putting him out of action for months, than you should be furious like most people. To regard it as just a bit “annoying” means you’re absolutely not reading the room on this one. Understand the anger or back off.

I'm not furious

It's football.

If I let that get me "furious" then I'd have to seriously look at things.

 

[GrizzlingGammon]

Come Saturday, we'll all be back to being completely oblivious to Crawley and Williams.

Although someone will post an update should Williams end up with shattered ankles and legs after an 'it happens in football' tackle with another enforcer. And we can all say that it couldn't have happened to a better footballer.

 

[kevo]

I agree there is no need to have a pop at the club or the town but Williams deserves to be focused on. That wasn't just a late challenge it was reckless and endangered the opponent. He wasn't even booked (refs fault) and then proceeded to pull, kick push and wrestle any Albion player that got near him. Then when a player dared to go down he would get in their face as if they were faking it. He goes on to play for the foreseeable while MOR is in the bloody hospital.

Also he did the same to Enciso.

Assume the people who are saying Williams hasn't got a history of injuring other players haven't seen the video of his assault while playing for Banbury Utd 18 months ago?

 

[SeagullinExile]

If you think it’s a RUBBISH tackle that’s put our new playmaker in hospital needing surgery, putting him out of action for months, than you should be furious like most people. To regard it as just a bit “annoying” means you’re absolutely not reading the room on this one. Understand the anger or back off.

In other words, agree with me and my gang or be silent! Comedy gold.

 

[Dibdab]

Remember when he actively targeted Martinelli as a retaliation for an earlier tackle on Mitoma. Took him out the game.



But sure. We only had angels in our team..

Exactly, all teams have had a player that's done it. We really need to move on, no matter how much people want to argue otherwise, and as frustrating as it is it happened to our new player, the bedwetting is getting beyond embarrassing.

 

[Triggaaar]

These things happen, just ask Leno and Maupay.

Why ask them? Maupay didn't foul Leno. And despite that, he went to give his wishes. Williams was the opposite. He deliberately hurt Matt, and then laughed about it.

 

[Dibdab]

It wasn’t a tackle at all unless you have a different definition. He wanted to ‘put one on him’ pure and simple. The smile and wink put the tin lid on it for me.

Again, I just don’t get the apologist approach from some people. It was a brutal challenge and the idea of ‘the enforcer’ a la Vinnie Jones went out decades ago. The only reason we’re still talking about this is that some people, and I suspect there’s a few closet Crawley fans among them, keep complaining that it was nothing more than a robust challenge that MOR wasn’t quick enough to get out of the way of. I’m guessing that a lot of people on the pro-thuggery side weren’t actually at the game at all. The atmosphere was horrible and the Crawley fans had a lot of deeply unpleasant people among them.

So if you dont get the apologist approach what are you going to do about it? In fact there is nothing anyone can do about it so we carry on crying or move on.

 

[London Irish]

I agree there is no need to have a pop at the club or the town but Williams deserves to be focused on. That wasn't just a late challenge it was reckless and endangered the opponent. He wasn't even booked (refs fault) and then proceeded to pull, kick push and wrestle any Albion player that got near him. Then when a player dared to go down he would get in their face as if they were faking it. He goes on to play for the foreseeable while MOR is in the bloody hospital.

Yes I tend to agree - but it's not really an issue now for Brighton as we won't face them again (excepting a fluke FA Cup draw or both teams making the late stages of the EFL Trophy) but more for Crawley and their manager now.

In Williams' defence, he's never been sent off for Crawley for violent conduct and I'm pretty sure has never injured a player off the pitch before while playing for them. But having seen him play a few times, his tackling technique is questionable - he's often late with tackles and goes in very hard. He was signed from Banbury, who play at the equivalent level of Whitehawk and Lewes, that's where his speed or lack of it comes from. Eventually it was going to hurt someone and now it has.

I think referees are a community and they will now have Williams on their radar after this incident. It's up to the Crawley manager to get the message to him that it will cost Crawley very dearly if they go down to ten. He'll just be under much greater focus.

But not by us as we have our own business to attend to and honestly it will be a bit sad if we pay attention to a 7th level footballer trying to make the step up to the 3rd level.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

I'm not furious

It's football.

If I let that get me "furious" then I'd have to seriously look at things.

Yeh, furious is not what i'm feeling either.

I'm feeling sad for Matt and I'm prepared to say that Williams is a shit thug who i'll hope bad things happen to.

Don't see that fury would improve the situation much though

 

[Clive Walker]

Also he did the same to Enciso.

Assume the people who are saying Williams hasn't got a history of injuring other players haven't seen the video of his assault while playing for Banbury Utd 18 months ago?

seen both. Assault is way too much! Both late challenges.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think referees are a community and they will now have Williams on their radar after this incident.

They never bothered with Joey Barton