Leandro Bacuna - Sold

[Chris Jameson]

I was sat at the other side of the ground and saw Bacuna aggressively move towards the linesman. Might have been his 'momentum' that caused him to make contact but perhaps he should use that 'momentum' to better effect in other areas of his game. Still, he got a standing ovation for showing some PASSION.

[themossman]

I used to play for a Sunday team and once the lino attacked our manager with his flag, jumped over a hedge and legged it through a field. So it works both ways.

[nigel]

If this was such a clear, blatant act of thuggery by Bacuna why did the ref need to ask the linesman exactly what had happened?

If he'd cleaned him out so brutally as to warrant a six game ban, surely it would have been obvious to everyone in the ground.

Human nature took over on this one, but more from the linesman than Bacuna. He probably knew as soon as Bacuna reacted the way he did that he'd got the initial decision wrong. But rather than face up to that, when the ref asked him what had occurred, he looked to switch the focus from his crap decision making.
"The big man hit me!" with bottom lip quivering. Total clart.  He could have diffused the whole thing there and then.

There's no way this should be on the linesman.  Decision aside, he handled himself fine.

This is true. Bacuna's head touched the linesman's face, if it had been a player it's likely they would have gone down and rolled around clutching their head.

No it didn't, it was chest against chest.

[Gareth]

If this was such a clear, blatant act of thuggery by Bacuna why did the ref need to ask the linesman exactly what had happened?

If he'd cleaned him out so brutally as to warrant a six game ban, surely it would have been obvious to everyone in the ground.

Human nature took over on this one, but more from the linesman than Bacuna. He probably knew as soon as Bacuna reacted the way he did that he'd got the initial decision wrong. But rather than face up to that, when the ref asked him what had occurred, he looked to switch the focus from his crap decision making.
"The big man hit me!" with bottom lip quivering. Total clart.  He could have diffused the whole thing there and then.

There's no way this should be on the linesman.  Decision aside, he handled himself fine.

It's absolutely on him. He made the initial bad call that had half the ground in uproar, not just Bacuna.  He then compounded the error when the ref came over.

The ref had seemingly seen nothing untoward and was uncertain enough to ask the linesman.  That was his opportunity when asked what occurred to come out of the thing with a bit of credibility.  "A spirited exchange of views," or words to that effect and the whole thing is forgotten.

Instead Bacuna is now Di Canio incarnate, going by the (over) reaction of some here and in the press.

The linesman didn't make the initial bad call though did he? Bacuna did that because he didn't clear the ball properly, he knew that & that frustration coupled with the linesman getting wrong is why he lost the plot....6 games isn't unreasonable although it is inconsistent with the Akpom ban.

Can't be compared to Shelvey because to football racism is something to be disregarded, a minor inconvenience & a t-shirt a couple of times a season...

I was glad Bacuna was sent off because he deserved it but would have been equally happy had the same ref booked Will Hughes for his constant ranting about every decision.

And anyone who applauded him off for letting down his team mates....that just beggared belief

[KevinGage]

I thought the initial red card must have been for what he said to the linesman. Figured it must have been some verbal spray to get an instant dismissal. 

Having seen the incident a few times from different angles and I am still unconvinced that he intended to make any sort of deliberate contact. 

You're on a sticky wicket with any sort of dissent these days, but a more fitting punishment would have been a yellow and a substantial bollocking from Bruce.  But he'll have to watch our games now for a bit, so that should be punishment enough.  Even the Great Train robbers didn't suffer that sort of retribution.

[KevinGage]

I used to play for a Sunday team and once the lino attacked our manager with his flag, jumped over a hedge and legged it through a field. So it works both ways.

That would have been fine too. 

Or:

Ref:  What happened?

Linesman:  Bacuna told me I was rubbish at my job.  I told him he's not very good at his.

[martyn ellis]

Three points:
1. If the lino hadn't made such a brazenly appalling decision in the first place we wouldn't be having this conversation.
2. From my point of view Bacuna had a bit of a paddy-wack in the face of said appalling decision.
3. Bacuna didn't exactly rush over in order to make physical contact with said lino; he moved over and his volition carried him forward to make some kind of contact, more like a slight bump than a full-on assault.
A big fuss out of very little when a firm hand from the ref might have settled everyone down. At most a yellow for me.

[dave shelley]

Unless you've ever been a referee, and I'm speaking purely in a football context and not everyday life, it is very difficult to understand how tedious it becomes being abused and insulted on a regular basis.  You're expected to stand there and take it and say nothing and then, when you do use the means at your disposal to take action you receive more abuse and total over-reaction.  I'm speaking as a very experienced ex-referee and one with a particularly thick skin so I could handle it, others couldn't/can't. 

There comes a time when enough is enough and it may just be the unfortunate player who, in the overall scheme of things has committed the most minor of infractions and becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back.  Without going over old ground, when it goes as far as having your windows put through by a disgruntled player something has to be done.  I know if a player had done to me what Bacuna did to that linesman, then his feet wouldn't have touched, metaphorically speaking.  Notwithstanding the incorrect decision made by said linesman.  We all make mistakes, the referee on Tuesday didn't fuck Kodija out of it for missing the penalty, and that could have had the same or similar outcome on the match as the Bacuna incident.  Bacuna deserves everything he has received.

I love the Villa as much as we all do but I like to think I'm fair-minded when incidents of this or similar nature occur.  Bacuna let himself, the club and us down on Tuesday and no amount of abuse towards the officials is going to change that.

[themossman]

One thing's for sure, the fact that it was preceded by a bad decision has to be irrlevant. Otherwise we're in a moral quagmire.

[martyn ellis]

Appreciate all your views. Just think it's a mountain out of a molehill that's all. And the whole consistency thing raises its head again. A good debate nevertheless.

[Richard E]

Very interesting to hear a ref's perspective on it Dave so thanks for that. I must admit my initial reaction on seeing the close up footage was that it was no big deal.

[PeterWithesShin]

Shit decisions happen all the time but most of the time players manage not to get themselves sent off. Derby should have had a pen and if one of their players had reacted over that as Bauna did we'd be livid if he hadn't been sent off.

[chrisw1]

The consistency thing is where we have every right to be pissed off with the length of the ban.

[KevinGage]

  We all make mistakes, the referee on Tuesday didn't fuck Kodija out of it for missing the penalty, and that could have had the same or similar outcome on the match as the Bacuna incident.   

Would have been extremely weird and out of place if he had.

The penalty decision was dubious, could have gone either way.  So justice was probably done when Kodjia missed it.

The incorrect throw wasn't dubious, or a 50/50 either way. It was just an out and out rank bad call.  Bacuna gets a punishment more befitting of a Shelvey or Barton-like thug. Paul Davis got something like an 8 game ban for breaking Glen Cockerill's jaw back in the late 80s. What Bacuna did (or didn't do) is nowhere near that ballpark, yet he gets a similar chastisement.

The linesman seemingly gets no official sanctioning for his brain fart. We all make mistakes -but only the players should be punished? Is that the take home message?

[dave shelley]

  We all make mistakes, the referee on Tuesday didn't fuck Kodija out of it for missing the penalty, and that could have had the same or similar outcome on the match as the Bacuna incident.   

Would have been extremely weird and out of place if he had.

The penalty decision was dubious, could have gone either way.  So justice was probably done when Kodjia missed it.

The incorrect throw wasn't dubious, or a 50/50 either way. It was just an out and out rank bad call.  Bacuna gets a punishment more befitting of a Shelvey or Barton-like thug. Paul Davis got something like an 8 game ban for breaking Glen Cockerill's jaw back in the late 80s. What Bacuna did (or didn't do) is nowhere near that ballpark, yet he gets a similar chastisement.

The linesman seemingly gets no official sanctioning for his brain fart. We all make mistakes -but only the players should be punished? Is that the take home message?

Unless you're privvy to the workings of the Referees and Linesmens management organisation you can't say that.  My guess is that he will most certainly have been taken aside and have it pointed out to him that particular flashpoint and its consequences.  I can't say for definite but it's almost certain it will not have been ignored.