Just seen the Suarez kick, could go either way to be honest. In real time it looks quite accidental but on the slow-mo and reverse angle it looks like his eyes are looking at the ball but when he realises he's not going to get it he just lashes Parker in the stomach deliberately. Did seem fairly apologetic though.

Gerrard did look to be mouthing off at Parker, though you don't actually know what is being said.

I love this though, Rooney tweeted that Suarez should have been sent off and when the interviewer after the game asked Kenny about it he said this: "I don't think you can speak for either Gary or Wayne so unless they want to ask me the question, I will just plead the fifth amendment."

FWIW, I don't think it's a sending off, I thought a yellow was about right.

I actually think half of what is wrong with football at the minute is that too much is classed as a 'sending off offence' and then you get all this letter of the law crap. I'm fine with players needing protection from bad fouls, over the years the Van Basten's etc didn't get this protection and had careers cut short which nobody wants to see, but instances like last night aren't a red for me.

We seem to have lost a foul just being a foul, now a foul is a 'yellow' almost immediately. Then referees back themselves into a corner when something marginally worse happens so it has to be a red, where if they just gave fouls for most things, they'd still have the yellow as the next step and red for the really dangerous/deliberate stuff.

Thing is, with someone like Suarez now, he's under the spotlight, so his every little word or move or kick or anything he does in a game is gonna be highlighted by players, managers, media etc. So he needs to be a lot more intelligent that he is showing at the moment, and not do silly things like this. Yes, it may only be a yellow in normal circumstances, but the guy has built a rod for his own back with the whole race row and other players maybe taking things to extremes when they see he's involved in a tackle, and needs to keep himself out of the spotlight for the wrong reasons, and it all goes away.

I wasn't trying to knock Parker by any means, he's been a brilliant signing for Spurs. He was just as consistent for West Ham, his work rate is fantastic and he's been a key player for Tottenham this season. His MOM was fully justified last night.





Some thing will never change with that lot.



Excellent post, it's spot on for me. I still think most referees are too quick to produce a card now and ultimately that leads to rash red cards being shown. I'm all for someone being sent off if it's a dangerous or reckless foul but we're now seeing red cards that, in a lot of cases, could be a yellow but as long as the referee produces yellow cards for minimal stuff we're always going to see a lot of red.

Can't agree with you there I'm afraid Dan, didn't see a lot wrong with it despite the many replays...

Always the victim, it's never your fault.

If Suarez accidentally kicked Parker then he'd deserve a yellow for that.

A deliberate kick like that and he'd deserve a straight red for it.

I'm just not seeing that as an accidental kick. He wasn't just following the ball for the volley, he gave Parker a shove as the ball was coming over.and then kicks him in the stomach. It's difficult on the clips I've seen, but it doesn't even seem like his timing is right for the volley.

I reckon if the situation was reversed and it was Parker kicking Suarez you'd see the what was wrong with it.

the ball was never going to come down to that sort of (volleying) height, unless it was Jonny Evans defending it, it would probably have been more plausible as an accident if he'd attempted an overhead and kicked him in the mush

I think, in a way, Suarez would have looked more innocent had he kicked Parker in the face as he could have far more legitimately claimed he was going for the ball.

A couple of quick hypothetical questions...how on earth has Dalglish avoided any kind of censure from the FA for his ludicrous statements all the way through the Evra/Suarez saga, and when will Andy Carroll get his 2 game ban for telling the ref to eff off at least twice and on both those occasions in full view of the TV cameras??

Could you just imagine the wailing and bawling if a ref told a player to eff off two or three times in a match? The poor, precious darlings would be demanding all kinds of apologies and bannings wouldnt they??

true enough,he was consistent at West Ham but in a ordinary team which made him look good - difference is now he's with better players and still looks a good player which makes him a class act in my book
it's a pity he seemed to have wasted his best years at Chelsea,where he was just a number and Newcastle where he played in an average team,like West Ham.
I think Parker is the type of player EVERY fan loves to have in their team ie: a grafter ...

reminds me of a better looking version of Archie Gemmell !


thought some of the LFC lads did well like Kelly,Gerrard and Agger - as soon as Bellamy was replaced with that waste of space called Downing I knew Spurs would get the point.

anfieldcat on twitter pointed out he went past more players on his run last night than Downing has all season