Why didn't Rafa substitute Pennant?

[Guest Portly]

It was blindingly obvious that Jermain Pennant was going to be sent off. Every clumsy - if innocuous - tackle produced the usual playacting from the Porto players. The yellow card didn't cause Pennant to modify his game in any way. The ref's body language screamed "I am going to send this guy off any minute now."

 

If Pennant was having a brilliant game, I could understand Rafa taking a gamble and leaving him on. But he wasn't.

[M4TTA]

skysports.com says Rafa was talking to the bench about taking him off anyway...

[Nebraska Red]

he really shud have been off at half time.

 

it was obvious to all who were watching that he was on a short fuse in the game.

 

the ref gave him fair warning before his 1st yellow and he still played like an a-hole.

 

Gerrard and Carragher shud also have got in his face and had a word with him.

[Guest Kaizer]

He has got 2 yellow and 1 red(2 yellow) in 6 matches now, he needs to sort this s*** out.

[Guest Snorky]

I am all for aggression in a player, but he needs to channel it in the right direction.

 

It was foolish to commit such a tackle in that area of the pitch, and he needs to judge if he is actually in with a chance of winning the ball.

[Guest Kaizer]

I agree, thats whats annoying with the cards Pennant collects, they could easily have been avoided, he did not act like this last season.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

he gave away a foul shortly before & went mental. At that point it was only a matter of minutes, he'd lost the plot

[Guest Snorky]

He does have anger issues

[lawrie]

He was dead stupid, but I still feel sorry for him. Maybe it's yet another lesson he will learn from

[Nebraska Red]

the other players should take him out and do a "Craig Bellamy" on him as punishment for making them work so much harder for the last 30 minutes.

[Mike]

he's a prick. sell him.

[Nebraska Red]

1 more episode like today and he'll find himself on loan at a 2nd division club in Spain.

[fyds]

Shame really...he's been one of our better players of recent times, but it wasn't going for him tonight and that was one picky ref and some old fashioned Porto antics - he should know better really.

[meepins]

  fyds said:

Shame really...he's been one of our better players of recent times, but it wasn't going for him tonight and that was one picky ref and some old fashioned Porto antics - he should know better really.

Dont really agree with that, the majority (maybe 'majority' is too much, lets say he wouldn't be in my top eleven) of first team players have performed consistently better than him. He is pretty average ( for every good thing, he does a bad thing) and when he isn't average .. he's f*cking woeful.

He had a sh*t game against Portsmouth and gets selected for a Champions League game where he really did nothing except constantly foul. I really don't get the constant Pennant hype, he's just a squad guy.

Edited September 19, 2007 by lfc-dub

[kop205]

  lawrie said:

He was dead stupid, but I still feel sorry for him. Maybe it's yet another lesson he will learn from

 

Why do you feel sorry for him? They were both clear yellows.

 

Why do you think he will learn from it? He's what, 24, and this side of his game has always been there from what I can see.

 

Utterly brainless behaviour and I hope he gets f***ing carpeted for it.

 

For me, if he is to have a future here, he simply has to cut that s**** at. He goes looking for confrontation, even against Derby he was full of petty b******s like kicking the ball past their players when they were waiting for it to take a throw in and all he needed to do was roll it back.

 

He is not even close to being a good enough to indulge and make allowances for when he behaves like that. The only thing that amazes me is that isn't his third or fourth red card for us because it is far from the first time he has carried on like that.

[IgPig]

He's just a bit thick, I reckon.

[Leo No.8]

Well isn't this just the chance many have been waiting for?

 

I'd agree Pennant was a complete idiot last night; he should take a look at himself and I'm sure Rafa will give him a pretty serious talking to. However, those who didn't want him signed and have been eagerly awaiting a chance to get on his back shoudl consider he has been consistently good for the majority of 2007. That quote above for example:

 

'the majority (maybe 'majority' is too much, lets say he wouldn't be in my top eleven) of first team players have performed consistently better than him. He is pretty average ( for every good thing, he does a bad thing) and when he isn't average .. he's f*cking woeful.'

 

What a pile of sh*te. Have you actually watched a game this year? If you had you might have noticed he's been generally acknowledged, not just by me but most people to have been one of our most consistent performers since about February of this year, including the CL Final. He has also shown a big improvement in his general game regardless of last night.

 

He was obviously too wound up, and Rafa should have taken him off if not at half time then 5 minutes into the second half when he'd already committed several more fouls. Was there anyone who wasn't certain he was about to go? I was actually talking to my Dad on the phone and we were both saying it was only a mattter of time when he stupidly slid in the touchline, so Rafa really should have saved him from himself and was also culpable.

Edited September 19, 2007 by Leo No.8

[Stevie H]

wonder if anyone of the staff or players has told him to stop being a c**k on the pitch and concentrate on his game? or is he too thick to take that in?

[Guest Portly]

  Post Kuytal Glow said:

He's just a bit thick, I reckon.

 

Well that's a given! I like Pennant and we aren't exactly over-loaded with specialist wingers. He was just having a bad day in the office (OK he wouldn't be much help in an office).

 

My complaint is not about Pennant being a bit thick, but Rafa being a bit thick, because it was so obvious that Pennant was going to be sent off.

[honourablegeorge]

Rafa said after that he was about to sub him.

[Leo No.8]

  honourablegeorge said:

Rafa said after that he was about to sub him.

 

To be fair George he didn't do it quick enough - right from the second half kick off Pennant was asking to be sent off, there should have been some urgency about it.

[RP]

Playing in Europe is different, it always has been. European opposition have always provided a slightly theatrical element to any game, and European refs are prone to fall for it. It always has been the case and presumably always will be. We have seen a lot more of it in the game over here over the last 20 years or so as more foreign players have come to play in the UK, but refs are generally a little wiser to it.

 

For Pennant to get wound up like that by what he saw as play-acting/diving in the away game in the European Cup is inexcusable. He is a f ***ing idiot.

[IgPig]

  Leo No.8 said:

To be fair George he didn't do it quick enough - right from the second half kick off Pennant was asking to be sent off, there should have been some urgency about it.

 

Agree with that - it was obvious it was only a matter of time.

[Cobs]

let's hope both Pennant and Rafa have both learned a thing or two over the last few days

[honourablegeorge]

  Leo No.8 said:

To be fair George he didn't do it quick enough - right from the second half kick off Pennant was asking to be sent off, there should have been some urgency about it.

 

No arguments there.