Fulham = mud

Fftn · Post by **Fftn** » Mon May 22, 2006 9:00 am

I had the unfortunate experience of catching some of the Fulham Prems game yesterday. Never have I seen such a disgusting display of bad sportsmanship. Now correct me if I'm wrong, but it was my understanding that if a player went down with a head injury the ref could stop the game without the ball being kicked out of play??
Well, whether that's the case or not, the ref chose not to exercise this. Instead of kicking the ball out of play though, as is practiced by most clubs, the Fulham girl instead took off with the ball (unpursued since all the opposition players were too busy seeing if their fallen teammate was okay) and scored.
I am aware that she did not "have" to stop. Yet in the interest of fair play, most would expect her to do the right thing by the fallen girl.

As I said, it was a disgusting display and Fulham's name is now mud.

courtz · Post by **courtz** » Mon May 22, 2006 9:09 am

after that occasion one of our players had a convo with 1 of the gawler players... and she said "she had every right to score that goal... the girl that went down wil get up again after it all"... and that girl went down screaming another 5 or so times during the game... so if her own players say nah all good then theremust be some varying opinions about the player who went down screaming and hlder her knee then sayin her hed hurt....

beaches · Post by **beaches** » Mon May 22, 2006 9:16 am

The ref waved the play on, the Gawler players did not play to the whistle.... and stopped of their own choosing. The ref was very soft on a few Gawler players who persisted in tackling from behind. So dont start crap about bad sportsmanship. Play to the whistle would be a good idea.

gubs · Post by **gubs** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:02 am

Fftn I'm sorry but I think ur topic is totally uncalled for. I know this is a forum and everyone is allowed their opinion but tell it like it happened and dont paint a false picture for those who weren't there.

The player went down forward of the centre circle almost in Gawler's attacking third. The ref waved play on and a ball was played over the top to a running striker who put the ball away. The ref called play on 4 or 5 times and the player was not infringing play and would not have been in any danger had play continued as the ball had been played further up the field away from her. At no time did a Gawler player stop and approach the player who went down, it was the Fulham defenders that did that so dont say the Gawler players stopped to see if their player was ok coz they didn't.

Gawler players should never have stopped and should play to the whistle. If Galwer had an attacking opportunity through a long ball to a 1v1 situation after a Fulham player went down in the midfield would Gawler stop, no I think not. Yes our player continued with the ball and scored but don't blame the Fulham players for playing the game. The ref is the one with the control and he chose not to stop play for the player who had already gone down (rather theatrically) a number of times before the incident and continued to go down after it happened aswell.

Just after the goal was scored the Gawler player got up without any assistance from Gawler trainers or players and jogged back to her position and play continued. The Fulham player involved spoke to a Gawler defender after the incident and the defender thought that the Fulham player had every right to score the goal...

KrAzY · Post by **KrAzY** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:40 am

I think that if it was as bad as fftn has made it out to be ...the ref would have DEFINATELY stopped play. I think Fftn just doesnt like fulham ..and even if you dont fftn you shouldnt be trying to make them sound like you have just then! ...DISGRACEFUL on your part!

The Beaut Game · Post by **The Beaut Game** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:53 am

Controversy!

Fftn · Post by **Fftn** » Mon May 22, 2006 3:16 pm

You're right, it's a public forum. I can tell it how I saw it from the side. You can tell it how you saw it from the field. People can form their own opinions.

Just a point to KrAzY. I hate any team that doesn't believe in fair play including the shirt pulling, name calling and diving. It's not just Fulham. What is the point of winning if you aren't the better team? On the day Fulham WERE the better team and would have won with or without that particular goal which just makes it all the more pointless in my opinion!

gubs · Post by **gubs** » Mon May 22, 2006 3:21 pm

Then why start a topic on a public forum about it?

Fulham were easily the better team from the start yesterday and totally deserved the three points. Shirt pulling happens in every game. I didnt hear any name calling but that doesnt mean it didnt happen. If u think things are pointless then why would u go to the trouble of bringing it to everyones attention?

Fftn · Post by **Fftn** » Mon May 22, 2006 3:42 pm

Because I think it highlights the type of attitudes some clubs (including Fulham obviously) have.

The fact they were going to win or deserved to win doesn't make that incident any less wrong.

It wasn't like it was a div 3 team who didn't know any better or a losing team who needed every advantage they could scrape out. Premier league is meant to be the elite the comp has to offer. Do you think I'm so wrong to hope that would stretch to the respect players show each other rather than just their ball skills?

courtz · Post by **courtz** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:02 pm

its important to think of it form the strikers point of view also. if she hadnt have taken that shot, her whole team and coach and all the peopel on the sidelines wld have been like WAT?!?!?! there was no reason to stop... reff screamed play on about 5 times... people were saying to shoot and what not.... its premier league football not friendly social football... you go down you get up again.. and the player who went down got up just dandy after the goal...

beaches · Post by **beaches** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:02 pm

The referee is the sole judge in this case, he called play on, so dont make a mountain out if molehill. Where is the bad sportsmanship on any Fulham player. Grow up and get a life, and another thing Gawler players get fitter and move, then they wont get into as many "injury" situations.

gubs · Post by **gubs** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:02 pm

It wasnt the first time the striker had gone down that game. We are a fair team but seriously how many times did u expect us to play the ball out for someone who kept going down screaming as tho she had broken her leg, to lose momentum and to allow Gawler to remark players once the ball had gone out? Like we had put the ball out twice already before this incident occured.
After the striker went down the ball was played over the top to a 1v1 and we scored. The ref chose to allow the goal, he could have blown his whistle and disallowed the goal and chosen to give a drop ball where the incident occured.

At the end of the day Gawler should have played to the whistle, the girl got up straightaway and ran back to her position. Had we played the ball out we would have wasted a goal scoring opportunity which could have cost us a win if the score was 0-0.

Before you criticise a striker for doing her job and putting a live ball in the back of the net like they are trained to do how bout you question the sportsmanship of your striker who went down screaming 4 or 5 times in the game only to get up and run back to her position and continue playing.

Also, before I go. I believe that when the Fulham keeper went down and tried to roll the ball out in an effort not to get caught by the 6 second rule a Gawler striker tried to chase the ball down which didnt reach the touchline in an effort to have a shot at an empty net. One of our defenders had to quickly alert themselves to the situation a put the ball out for a throw in. Don't come on here carrying on about how our players are guilty of poor sportsmanship when your players could quite easily be guilty of the same thing.

I'm done with this topic, really have nothing more to say. If u disagree then we will agree to disagree

Fftn · Post by **Fftn** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:20 pm

Sure we can agree to disagree. I don't expect anyone from Fulham to agree with me and I don't think you'll be able to come up with an argument that will change my opinion on the matter. I am interested in your take on the matter though and thank you for responding.

As I said initially: I caught SOME of the game. If that Gawler girl you mentioned kept going down unnecessarily perhaps we should be talking about one of my other hates: diving.

I would like to point out though - gubs - they aren't MY players. Kindly stop referring to them as such.

Mingeface · Post by **Mingeface** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:24 pm

it was stated before that this is premier league and it competitive. i know i would do anything i could if it meant my team would win. fair enough fulham would have quite easily have won but whos to say that the goal wont mean something down the track like winning the league on goal differernce or something. the game continues until the ref stops it and i know that i would have done the same thing.

soccer_gall26 · Post by **soccer_gall26** » Mon May 22, 2006 4:38 pm

i was on the sideline at the fulham vs gawler game, ur a fruit loop if u think the fulham striker was bein unfair fftn - she had every right to finish it off

BAD GAL · Post by **BAD GAL** » Mon May 22, 2006 10:42 pm

if only u lived here

Silly billy · Post by **Silly billy** » Tue May 23, 2006 2:29 pm

Fftn.. u dnt have to be the better team to win either.. as u stated earlier.. its who scores the most goals on the day.. not necessarily the "better" team.. thats the way the cookie crumbles.. lol ref has the final say!!! im pretty sure nearly every1 would do anything 2 help their team across the line.. includin shirt pullin, divin etc.. its a game.. if u get away with it then good on ya i say!! at the end of the day.. ref has the final call.. u might like it, u might hate it.. not ur choice 2 make .. thats all from me.. for now!! lol

stix · Post by **stix** » Fri May 26, 2006 8:28 pm

the team that = mud = OLYMPIC

i dunno what can be done about the language on and off the pitch and the disguisting behaviour they choose to display.

maybe the club should be given a hefty fine that forces them to enstill good sportspersons-ship and behave at a level slightly above trailer trash - who knows

win, lose or draw we should all be able to walk off the pitch, shake hands and be glad that there were people out there to make up the other team and provide us with a rewarding challenge!

gubs · Post by **gubs** » Fri May 26, 2006 9:47 pm

Wow, I must say I havent heard much bad language from Olympic but yeh I'm a keeper so I dont hear a lot of what goes on further down the field. Stix u seem pretty worked up bout it which is disappointing to hear that some girls resort to foul language. There's no need for foul language on or off the field. Sure words can slip every now and then but yeh maybe refs can start awarding free kicks against players for dirty language.

I agree with u stix, all players should walk off the pitch after shaking as many hands with the opposition as they can. None of this "we didnt win so I dont feel I should shake anyone's hand" attitude which I have seen before a few times. I always try shake as many hands as I possibly can win lose or draw and believe that this should be always encouraged by coaches through all levels. Anything less is just plain old poor sportsmanship

BillShankly · Post by **BillShankly** » Fri May 26, 2006 9:53 pm

i believe stix is talkin bout the campbelltown vs olympic div 1 matches played this season