Submitted by Chippy, Feb 21, 2007 09:59

"The replays supported Redknapp as they showed Barton running behind Mendes, his head down, looking straight at Mendes's heel as he stamped on it."

You don't have to know much about the game to recognise that this is nonsense. Tell me, if you're sprinting one step behind someone hoping to win possession of the ball, where exactly are you supposed to look? At the back of his head? The replay is at best inconclusive, there was no 'stamp' on the heel (there doesn't need to be - any contact can be very damaging) and both manager's comments were 100% predictable and par for the course. Pearce commented on it because he was asked about it, he quite rightly qualified his response by saying that he hadn't seen the replay yet. Chances are that Redknapp hadn't either, so his comments shouldn't carry any extra weight.

Barton has earned a reputation due to his past transgressions, and Mendes has certainly had more than his share of pain playing against City lately, but it's sloppy journalism to jump on the 'Barton is a thug' bandwagon at every opportunity. At least you didn't include the fictional 'offensive gesture' he made to Portsmouth fans at the end of the game, which the police were supposed to be investigating before they decided there was 'insufficient evidence'.

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