I was at Old Trafford for the game against Spurs.........Dean Richards & RVN had a scuffle.........as they got up I thought that I saw Dean Richards head butt RVN but I was too far away to see properly...........the cameras didn't pick it up! Was I seeing things? Did he 'just' push RVN? Did anyone else see more? or less! as the case may be!
I'm surprised none of it was caught on camera...because I was hoping for a better look at it after I got home. I was in the East Stand and although that's the side where it happened, it was still hard to see clearly what happened and how it all started. Dean Richards clearly pushed/shoved Ruud down onto the pitch. We all thought he was surely going to get a red card for that. But I read in one of the papers this morning that the shove/push was in retaliation for Ruud kicking out with his boot...which might explain why they both ended up with yellow cards.
I was also in the East but did not see what exactly happened must say i did not see a head butt either
At game with some mates ...I didnt see but my mate was on his feet straight away claiming Richards headbutted and pissed off that nobody but him saw it ....
Yeah it was a head butt. But it was the kind of head butt that Craig Bellamy did to the Dinamo Kiev player in the CL match. No broken noses. A yellow card was about right. I must confess I didn't see Van Nistelrooy kick Richards though.
It was off the ball and wasn't shown by the MUTV cameras, though one of the commentators did see it and said it was a clear red. He also made the point that if there's no video of it then a video panel can't do much about it.
I think people have forgotten that football is supposed to be a contact sport. I don't disagree with a red card for the last man who brings down a striker bearing down on goal, but I disagree with red cards for things like an elbow when going for a ball, rough contact like between Richards and Van Nistelrooy, and tough tackles. If people want to be safe they should play nice safe sports like channel surfing on the telly.
Originally posted by Neil Thomson:
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What I don't like is the double standards, the press didn't comment on it at all - but were baying for Beckham's blood for his elbow in a fair challenge.</strong><hr></blockquote>
I always take what the papers write with a pinch of salt. Journalistic integrity has no place in the sports papers these days. Everyone wants to sell a story, and the one place they can use artistic licence without being sued is in the sports pages.
Unless its a negative article on Liverpool of course. Then its the gospel truth.
I highly doubt that Richards headbutted Ruud.... how's he going to get close to Ruud with that giant schnozzle in the way '>
Well I know what I 'thought' I saw so maybe I did see a head butt and maybe I didn't........I was so disappointed that it wasn't caught on camera just to prove to myself..........but I have to admit that I didn't see RVN kick Richards either.......so I must rest my case I suppose...........thanks for the replies...........will take my binoculars next time............I was in the North Stand 10 rows back and it was the Stretford End!!!!! But I know what I saw!!!!!!