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

That's probably the best we could have hoped for yeh ?

When will they say what O Donovan got?

Tomorrow, when his case is held

that would be Nixie then?

Muscat was looked at by Match Review Committee, while O'Donovan will not - he will be looked at by FFA Disciplinary Committee (hence two different hearings). 

Despite the comments on the forum about a "wet bus ticket" I do not for a moment think O'Donovan will be let off the hook with just a slap on the wrist. This is not about Phoenix, this is about FFA desperately trying to attract "marquee" signings - and a headbutt ain't a good promo for the league, for all to see on You Tube.

I dont think a head butt has hurt Barleconas popularity or Messi's after his one. I thinka wet bus ticket will be about right.

Sure did not do Zidane any harm:

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jan/04/ra...

Jeff I hope you are right and he gets slammed. There is no need for this in any League. But 8 years of the FFA have create such cynicism.

O'Donovan should get at least 6 weeks hopefully more but both he and Muscat should be moved on by there respective clubs leopards don't change there spots no matter what Ernie might think .In Muscat's case he's a whole hearted player you gives his all but his off the ball acts are hurting the team.

Muscat seems to have controlled himself better recently with 'normal' players. But still struggle if he meets a short fused O'D like character. Now he has some time to think about it. Fairplay is important, not because it is fair, it gives you an advantage on field, we could need all the yellow carded players on Sunday.

To be fair to Manny, he was well behaved at fullback, and only reverted to his instinctive "enforcer" persona when he took over CB spot after Siggy got badly injured. He might have been given a bit of leeway. This is not any different from what Kevin Muscat (no relation) used to do on the field for Melbourne Victory, and probably is a milder version of Kevin's regular antics anyway.

It has nothing to do with fair play, It's all about the discipline the players have on the park and that starts with coach and the captain, leadership is the key and its lacking at the moment.

all this crap tends to escalate when an incompetent ref doesnt deal with initial fouls correctly.

8 weeks for Roy O'Donovan, bout right I reckon.

I feel about ten weeks

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/football/a-league/75673291/central-coast-mariners-roy-odonovan-gets-eightweek-ban-for-headbutt-on-manny-muscat

You can now rant with your conspiracy theories LG.

Well there is a surprise, both in the punishment and in Jeffs usual delivery. That in theory should be just about season done for him - O'Donovan.

Not surprisingly, the comments from CCM fans are just as conspiratorial: "three weeks for a headbutt, five for being a Mariner". So I reckon it must be in the nature of an A-League fan to feel some sort of conspiracy is always afoot, except maybe for Victory and Wanderers' fans.

Victory fans think the salary cap is a conspiracy to hold them back, which is true I suppose - although we know that the salary cap is maluable and the Victory are good at pushing it further than most teams.

I'm sure the Victory would love a competition of 27 rounds playing against Sydney FC and Melbourne City. That's what they would have with no salary cap.

And WSW fans think the FFA is out to get them, rather than their team.

There's no need to resort to conspiracy theories to explain strange or inconsistent decisions, when sheer incompetence explains them just as well

Hatamoto FTW!!!

Dura had a good point, Matt Simon gets one Manny two weeks for the same thing?

Don't they have a catalog for punishements?

Headbutt: 8 Weeks

Elbow with the ball 2

Elbow without 6

Fouling Roly the third time Red

etc

Good outcome nevertheless re zero tolerance.

I don't know if Matt Simon has a record, but Manny does have a bit of one so a slightly stricter punishment can be expected.

Sure it is. But even the Brisbane Roar fans used to say (when Berisha still played there) that it might be easier for Berisha to be redcarded as teams come out of the tunnel, to save him the trouble of a warmup. The assumption was that he always stood out as the one to get carded.

In that sense - I agree that as Manny also has a record, he will probably always get a closer scrutiny from the ref on the day than say Joe Bloggs.  Is this not the reason CCM got a penalty shot against us?

Mariners to appeal ban wankers....

What a pack of assholes. On what grounds are they appealing? He fudgeing head-butted a guy on a football field. He's lucky he has hasn't been criminally charged with assault

I got really pissed off with O'Donovan being given airspace after the game and spouting shark about Manny "deserving an Oscar" when he went down. That the CCM would even appeal a fair punishment for his disgraceful behaviour makes me doubt their common sense.

Any attempt to minimise what happened goes actually against the whole PR campaign of football being a wholesome family entertainment. I agree that the same goes for Manny for his elbow.

Now O'D complaints about the media hype, shark storm over the incident.

I hope the FFA show a fudge yiu attitude and extend it to 10 weeks. When are players going to start getting carded for fouling Roly so blatantly?

As soon as he starts milking it like a pro.