R13 vs CCM | NYE | 9:00pm | SS1

That sums it up not a decent defender at the club either to old and slow or just poor and slow even those not playing for one reason or another CRAP

Depends what the yellow was for. If the yellow was for the headbutt then no ban can be imposed.

One would hope for the refs sake the yellow was for something else.

If a headbutts just a yellow, this league is a world joke

Muscat was given a yellow for an earlier incident. Therefore I am hoping that O'Donovan also received a yellow for that same incident (and not for the headbutt).

Really makes me wonder if the players know something we don't - worst display for a while - just no focus !

Now Roly goes and gets himself suspended.

The Nix are prone to sharkhouse performances. Been doing it for years.

I'd say it would point to mental fragility and lack of real leadership

All going exactly according to FFA plan. There have been some low points in the club's history but this is right down there with the very worst.

My memory might be failing me a bit but in 1993-4 ( I think) , Duncan Ferguson nutted Jock McStay . He got done  by the Scottish Prosecutor and I think served a bit of time. We're watching a league where it is clearly acceptable to assault someone. It was gutless, and the act of an absolute prick. Griffith-Jones is no better. 

O'Donovan should be banned for a very long time, G-J should be dropped for being fudgeing useless. Instead , my guess is that it won't even be reviewed.

Stupid fudgeing league.

Should have just put on steel cap boots and kicked the shark out of him. I mean if that's the standard for a yellow anyway. Which is why they are pro players and I'm just a red-mister...but honestly what farken bullshark.

Well we sure how to make sharkhouse sides look good.

You think the FFA are worried about shark decisions against the 'Nix? They are the worst of all.

And O'Donovan rakking up the crowd when he came off. Hope someone can take a prosecution against him as mentioned above, perhaps a private prosecution...certainly not covered by 'that's just something that would happen in the game'.

Sadly the focus on this match will be on two things the penalty and the headbutt. That is not where it should be,i really question where the team is at their last few performances have been anything but what they should be from a club thats fighting for its existence. Im sorry but many have stepped up in this fight and for me the team just havnt come forward they make the right noises but come on.

FFS if its over tell us and let the end be a celebration not the rubbish you are making us put up with. Sorry but im really getting sick of all the back slapping clap trap that some keep putting forward. 

Im guessing new years eve grog has something to do with this but frankly im way over the rubbish that we keep getting served up.Im guessing the kiss arse brigade still wont see a problem.

Couldn't the club file for assault on Muscat? Yellow aside.

shouldn't the central coast player be 10 metres away?

We are missing Sigmund, Riera and Krishna. Possibly even Sarpong, just tonight. 

Good to see Powell on the field though. 

Time for Dura to retire?

And maybe I'm imagining this but wasn't the ball rolling as he kicked it? The reffing is generally so anal in this league that this is pulled up every single time.

I ended up agreeing with Andy Harper (must be my first) when he was surprised that Appiah stayed on the field despite being clearly cramped. Harper was saying "while Merrick has only defenders left on the bench, at least it's a pair of fresh legs".

And as expected the focus goes where it shouldnt. Dont condone the headbutt in any way whats soever but Mannys loose elbow (again) is what caused the aggravation. But hey dont let stop you.

Ernie needs to tell it how it is in his post match comments that the team was tripe and the players need to take a hard look at themselves as what they are dishing up is unacceptable.

This is fair - elbows to the head can sometimes be redcards themselves. It would have been a soft red but they have been given .

A game of many bad calls

- the penalty that wasnt

- the head butt that should have been a red -leaving us vs 10

- the Dura dumb goal where a CCM player is practically over the ball when he took it and our guy gets shoved off the ball which would be called a foul in many games (still bloody stupid)

Really Dura was right though - the ref killed the game and while we played badly we probably should have been playing 10 at only 2:1 down for most of the second half. That head butt was unbeleivabke. But I bet there is no other sanction.

Boy's forget who was unavailable for the game, the Phoenix have signed some poor players, We were crap tonight and have been for weeks nothing up front, average in midfield and crap at the back .O'Donovan should o been off but the reff didn't see it but Muscat bought the ticket and O'Donovan gave it to him its called Kama. Interested to hear Ernies spin on it

that's horseshark actually - if your saying Manny's elbow is the reason for the headbutt you should quit watching football.

Following your flawed theory the actual first incident was Roy's handfull of Manny's shirt, so that made Manny fail his arm at Roy (and cause zero damage) which in turn caused Roy to headbut Manny and then tell everyone his shiner was from Manny's elbow not from his headbutt..

Only two efforts worthy of note tonight. Harper's comments and Ridenton did well. Made the game look simple.
Roly was pathetic, Dura two bad errors. Appiah did nothing. Cramping at 55 min? McGlinchy too slow. A Rod too many errors......

So glad I pissed off the missus slightly by streaming this game on my phone during a romantic meal.

You're

Dead right. It's unbelievable that some are actually blaming Manny for this. Bad tempered grappling and players trying to fling off clutching hands are things that happen in practically every game you see. One player headbutting another is assault, pure and simple.

We're not blaming Muscat. We are just saying that he should still be criticised for what he did, even though what O'Donovan did was a lot worse.

I'm not overly pro muscat but i don't think he did much wrong, yes he flailed an arm back because he was being held onto but it was nothing really - Roy is just using that to try and make himself feel like less of a cod.

Manny was hard done by for the penalty and he was being mauled by ODonavan 

Manny is not to blame but I have been disappointed in him over a long period  how he is so often in the thick of things and at times he is filthy. There is no defence for a head butt notwithstanding that Manny baited the CCM player.  I wish Manny would leave it out of his game. 

Ah well, I give up. I've just seen one of the worst refereeing failures in almost ten years watching the A League but if the topic is going to be "tut tut Manny" then so be it.

We can discuss multiple things at once. No one here is defending the performance of the players or the referee.

We need to focus on our poor performance and the many yellow cards we are receiving which is ending up in numerous player suspensions. Next game there are two more out.

Gents forget the Muscat/O'Donavan scrap or start a new thread, the bottom line is Ernie and his merry men are not good enough, the result say's so

They certainly weren't tonight.

yes let's be really negative about that instead...