Puncheon was stupid and clumsy, not deliberately violent. He panicked and he wasn't up to stopping the player. He couldn't have complained if he'd been sent off but any ban would have been academic because of his injury.

Had he been doing his job of course he would have been following up Milivojevic' penalty and the ball would have been in the back of City's net.

Edited by chateauferret (17 Sep 2018 12.36am)

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The Ferret
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I think the difference with the Puncheon tackle and the fouls on Wilf are that De Bruyne wasn't targeted. With Wilf he gets fouled so much every match.

He is targeted by certain clubs who use different players to foul him during the match and therefore lessen the chances of any one player getting a yellow let alone a red.

'Lies to the masses as are like fly's to mollasses...they want more and more and more'

Without doubt he receives special attention but I agree with earlier posts that he also gets drawn in to traps. Against Watford and on Saturday after he was fouled he appeared to lose his head and left his foot in and got booked. I think I understand what was said by Wright and Shearer but how he turns another cheek, I just don't know how he will do that. Wright did admit to being a hot head when he received special attention.

I agree. He is right to speak out. He, and other players like him, don't get enough protection from referees. I've already seen a number of fouls on him this season which warranted yellows or reds which were under-punished. It will keep happening unless referees improve and the PGMOL improve their training and education of referees.

Interestingly the NFL has this season introduced new rules which provide more protection to quarterbacks. The point of the new rules is to minimise the risks of injury to QBs as the new rules make it illegal for tacklers to land on top of QBs when making tackles and strengthens the roughing rules. The reason they've done this is because the NFL knows that the QBs are the most important players to their teams and to the entertainment value of the league. So they protect them. Referees should be instructed to give defenders in general much less leeway when they make challenges that are dangerous, where they come off their feet, or where sides are practising rotational fouling. Ultimately if you kick players like Zaha, Hazard etc out of the game the product becomes much less appealing. You want to watch a contest, but seeing skilful players run past defenders and score goals like Wilf did on Saturday is what you really want to see.

For balance, I would say that Palace were lucky not to have players sent off against Man City last season and de Bruyne didn't get enough protection from the ref.

Edited by CambridgeEagle (17 Sep 2018 10.30am)

I would have preferred it if the plea for protection had come from Roy or another senior representative of CPFC rather than from Wilf himself.

When it comes from the player it immediately opens him up to a charge of whinging and can be counter productive.

I was however impressed by Robbie Savage's impassioned support for Wilf's case on Saturday's 606.

I read Jamie Redknapps article today and he agrees that Wilf should be protected more. Garth Crooks argues that he should let the pundits and refs sort it out, yes Garth I'm sure Wilf will love that with his leg in a cast.

'Lies to the masses as are like fly's to mollasses...they want more and more and more'