Dear Sirs, I refer to yeaterday's drawn game between Manchester United and Arsenal.
While I think the referee was correct to award Ruud Van Nistelrooy a yellow card for his incident with Patrick Vieira I also feel he was correct to award Patrick Vieira a second yellow card for his kick at Ruud Van Nistelrooy. I also feel the penalty awarded was a correct decision. The referee had a perfect view and Martin Keown did foul Diego Forlan in an effort to stop him reaching the ball in flight. The scenes at the end of the game were unsavoury to say the least but I feel the Manchester United players reaction was a fine example of sportmanship and self-restraint. After Martin Keown's primate dance and Lauren & Ray Parlour's assault on Ruud Van Nistelrooy, no Manchester United player raised their hands, or reacted to the taunting by the Arsenal players. Arsenal however, for their part must soon realise that they have a responsibility to the public, especially to the younger members of the football fan base. What will an 8 year old kid learn from watching Arsenal yesterday? They will learn that: 1 - if anyone tackles you in a way you do not like, you can kick out as viciously as you like. 2 - If a penalty is awarded against you it is incorrect no matter what the referee says. 3 - That players can do what they like at the end of a game and their manager will still defend them. 4 - That the best way for a manager to react when his players are under fire is to call an opposition player a cheat. Now in total contrast I would like to commend Roy Keane for trying to diffuse the situation & Ruud Van Nistelrooy for moving away from Martin Keown & his pathetic team mates at the end of the game. As if the incidents were not unsavoury enough, his morning I checked an Arsenal website run by Chris Parry, an Arsenal fan who normally sports quite a good honest website. The following were his comments: "The usual shenanigans at Old Trafford, but no goals. In the end a draw was a fair result as neither team looked like scoring from open play. It was left to the cheat Van Nistelrooy to provide the drama, hilariously blasting his injury time penalty against the bar. This provoked our lads to get involved in some unsavoury scenes after the final whistle which will probably result in F.A. punishment. Hands up how many Gooners watching on TV didn't want Keown to chin Van Nistelrooy though? - I know I did!" (Available at: http://www.arsenal-world.co.uk) Again, I appeal to the FA to consider this when younger viewers are considered. Chris Parry is advocating that a player be "chinned" by one of Arsenal's players. Where is the example of sportsmanship being set? Do we want to see young players all over Britain & Ireland reacting like Arsenal's players did yesterday? I would ask the FA to work to stamp this behaviour out of the game. Arsene Wenger's sides have had 52 red cards in his tenure at Highbury. Can this be allowed to continue? Is his "win at all costs" mentality what English football wants to promote itself as? Arsene Wenger did catch himself out yesterday. For so long he has said he could not see incidents when Arsenal's players had another red card brandished at them. Yesterday he managed to see everything, but when realising he had broken his own rule in the post match interview, he said he could see everything because his vantage point at Old Trafford is higher than other stadia. Can the English FA allow Mr. Wenger to continuously wave 2 fingers at the media and football public? I urge you to act & act swiftly for the good of the game in this part of the world. If Arsenal FC is allowed to continue soiling the face of English football, then the English football association and the British football media has both failed in it's entirety to promote good sporting football. If Arsenal's behavior is condemned & punished, then football as a whole will benefit. Thank you, _____________________________ John Ryan x1430 External line +353-61-201430 WATPOAE _____________________________ DISCLAIMER: This message has been scanned by Norton Antivirus (using the latest definitions) for all known Viruses. The information in this message is confidential and is intended solely for the use of the named addressee. If you are not the intended recipient, you must not copy, distribute or use this email or the information contained in it for any purpose other than to notify us. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately, and delete this email from your system. Thank you. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Remanufactured Ink Cartridges & Refill Kits at MyInks.com for: HP $8-20. Epson $3-9, Canon $5-15, Lexmark $4-17. 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