This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

You argued two different points. by NDMike2001

As unintentional as it was, given the result, it's difficult to argue that it's not a red. That said, it's ridiculous to argue that there was no excuse for that "challenge."

He's outside of the box and is attempting to flick the ball over the keeper. How is he to know that the keeper is going to keep coming out and throw his head in there? I can't imagine a top forward not making an attempt on that ball. It would have been just as dangerous (maybe more so) had he gone in with his head too. Nobody would have argued for red if they both cracked their skulls open.

What about bicycle and scissor kicks? Those happen all of the time. They are even more dangerous if a player were to stick his head in there. 99 times out of 100 players get the hell out of the way.

Kudos to the keeper for showing bravery. But let's not ignore the fact that he was just as culpable for going after a ball that he must know almost any attacking player would relish.