Shaun Long

[Wycombe Royal]

Having not seen a replay and only my view from Y21 to go by I can see why the ref sent him off. He jumped in (it only looked like one foot) and took the player clean out. I don't think the ref had any option.

I don't blame Long for it, he just got a bit caught up in the highly charged atmosphere and got there late. It happens.

[PEARCEY]

Having not seen a replay and only my view from Y21 to go by I can see why the ref sent him off. He jumped in (it only looked like one foot) and took the player clean out. I don't think the ref had any option.

I don't blame Long for it, he just got a bit caught up in the highly charged atmosphere and got there late. It happens.

The trouble is he has just got back into the team and now having scored a few goals and got some confidence he's back out of the side again.

[Southbank Old Boy]

Having not seen a replay and only my view from Y21 to go by I can see why the ref sent him off. He jumped in (it only looked like one foot) and took the player clean out. I don't think the ref had any option.

I don't blame Long for it, he just got a bit caught up in the highly charged atmosphere and got there late. It happens.

I blame him. He should know better than to go leaping in like that, even if he wasnt late it could have seen the ref dish out a red because it was dangerous

We need him available, that shows how desperate we are, and not getting himself banned for a very important 3 games

[Ian Royal]

I'm working on the basis that I saw him catch the foot (not the ankle), and that he didn't go in studs up. It was controlled and on target for where the ball had been, but a little late. Don't think it was worthy of a potential match changing decision from the ref.

But I'll look at it again when the highlights go up.

Long does need to watch himself though. He's going to be getting a reputation for nasty / dangerous lunges and that'll make it easy for any ref who's done his homework to always go for the harshest option.

[Wycombe Royal]

Long does need to watch himself though. He's going to be getting a reputation for nasty / dangerous lunges and that'll make it easy for any ref who's done his homework to always go for the harshest option.

He probably learnt from Kitson........

[loyalroyaldaz]

Stupid tackle whatever way you look at it, especially considering where it was on the pitch, what was he thinking ?!

[Ian Royal]

Long does need to watch himself though. He's going to be getting a reputation for nasty / dangerous lunges and that'll make it easy for any ref who's done his homework to always go for the harshest option.

He probably learnt from Kitson........

Kitson's lunges were never nasty and very very rarely dangerous. The one he got sent off for against Utd was, IMO again a little harsh under the circumstances.

Long frequently gets a decision go against him and then get stuck into someone. Kitson was always only ever doing it as his defensive duty to close a defender down.

[Maguire]

Fukking stupid tackle from Long and can't be at all surprised to get a red.

I *believe* he (fortunately) didn't catch him with his leading leg but took him out with his trailing leg. Got airborne so early and went in so recklessly that there was easily enough there to deserve a dismissal IMHO

[Ian Royal]

Fukking stupid tackle from Long and can't be at all surprised to get a red.

I *believe* he (fortunately) didn't catch him with his leading leg but took him out with his trailing leg. Got airborne so early and went in so recklessly that there was easily enough there to deserve a dismissal IMHO

Well from what I saw his trailing leg went nowhere near and his leading foot came in landing on the other player's foot. Which is where he seemed to be holding.

[Maguire]

Fukking stupid tackle from Long and can't be at all surprised to get a red.

I *believe* he (fortunately) didn't catch him with his leading leg but took him out with his trailing leg. Got airborne so early and went in so recklessly that there was easily enough there to deserve a dismissal IMHO

Well from what I saw his trailing leg went nowhere near and his leading foot came in landing on the other player's foot. Which is where he seemed to be holding.

I only saw it on the online stream so I'm not going to argue about it until I see it in HDD widescreen. If he caught him with his leading leg then it was a double red card. Idiotic challenge whichever way you look at it.

[Rex]

I missed the sending off as i was in the concourse still. What led up to this challenge? Shane when on his game is a battler but tends to rush in sometimes a little too much as if the world depended on it.

[Dirk Gently]

Over-enthusiastic, over-committed and naive rather than nasty or malicious - but the end result is exactly the same.

[cmonurz]

Haven't seen it yet, but lunging in with both feet and a bit late, but where the ball was - sounds just like Kygriakos tackle against Everton last week, and that was a definite red.

You just can't tackle like that any more. Whether that's right or wrong is another discussion.

What's most alarming (again, haven't seen it), judging by comments on here, is that it was a frustrated, petulant tackle after something didn't go his way. Long needs to act like a senior player if he is going to become a reliable forward for us.

[rabidbee]

What's most alarming (again, haven't seen it), judging by comments on here, is that it was a frustrated, petulant tackle after something didn't go his way. Long needs to act like a senior player if he is going to become a reliable forward for us.

No, don't think so, quite the reverse actually. We were battling for the ball, had them pressed back, Long was trying to win it in a dangerous area. I don't think that this was petulence at all, just rash enthusiasm. In fact, you could even say that it is a product of his recent increase in confidence. His head is up and he's trying to lead from the front. The comparison with Kitson is valid.

Although, that said, there had been a fair bit of niggle between Long and the two centre-backs. Nothing that unusual, just a few pushes and shoves when the ref wasn't looking, the kind of thing you expect (the kind of thing zurab was doing all night on Tuesday). But I didn't have the impression that this was petulence, or revenge, just rash.

[Southbank Old Boy]

What's most alarming (again, haven't seen it), judging by comments on here, is that it was a frustrated, petulant tackle after something didn't go his way. Long needs to act like a senior player if he is going to become a reliable forward for us.

No, don't think so, quite the reverse actually. We were battling for the ball, had them pressed back, Long was trying to win it in a dangerous area. I don't think that this was petulence at all, just rash enthusiasm. In fact, you could even say that it is a product of his recent increase in confidence. His head is up and he's trying to lead from the front. The comparison with Kitson is valid.

There was no way in the world he was going to win and keep possession with that tackle though

At best he was giving them a goal kick. If he had stayed on his feet and blocked the defenders route out he would have made him play it out for our throw or at worst blocked the clearance for a goal kick

It was a daft tackle to make with very little to be gained from it

[bb0118]

We need him available, that shows how desperate we are, and not getting himself banned for a very important 3 games

4 games.. 2nd red of the season

[rabidbee]

There was no way in the world he was going to win and keep possession with that tackle though

At best he was giving them a goal kick. If he had stayed on his feet and blocked the defenders route out he would have made him play it out for our throw or at worst blocked the clearance for a goal kick

It was a daft tackle to make with very little to be gained from it

Yes, I know. But that doesn't make it petulent.

[rabidbee]

We need him available, that shows how desperate we are, and not getting himself banned for a very important 3 games

4 games.. 2nd red of the season

A goal for Church couldn't have been better timed, then. He look relieved rather than pleased after his goal.

[Southbank Old Boy]

There was no way in the world he was going to win and keep possession with that tackle though

At best he was giving them a goal kick. If he had stayed on his feet and blocked the defenders route out he would have made him play it out for our throw or at worst blocked the clearance for a goal kick

It was a daft tackle to make with very little to be gained from it

Yes, I know. But that doesn't make it petulent.

Agreed. I just cant think why else he was going in for it if it wasnt in a reaction to something but I cant remember what really happened preceeding it

Pretty sure the guy he knobbled was the one responsible for his head injury in the first half though, and sure they would have been havign a bit of a ding dong battle anyway

[Maguire]

What's most alarming (again, haven't seen it), judging by comments on here, is that it was a frustrated, petulant tackle after something didn't go his way. Long needs to act like a senior player if he is going to become a reliable forward for us.

No, don't think so, quite the reverse actually. We were battling for the ball, had them pressed back, Long was trying to win it in a dangerous area. I don't think that this was petulence at all, just rash enthusiasm. In fact, you could even say that it is a product of his recent increase in confidence. His head is up and he's trying to lead from the front. The comparison with Kitson is valid.

Although, that said, there had been a fair bit of niggle between Long and the two centre-backs. Nothing that unusual, just a few pushes and shoves when the ref wasn't looking, the kind of thing you expect (the kind of thing zurab was doing all night on Tuesday). But I didn't have the impression that this was petulence, or revenge, just rash.

Yeah I agree - it was a bad tackle and utterly stupid but not the kind of red mist reaction that got him sent off at Derby.

(highlights coming up, home there isn't a murking accompanying it)