How many of you saw the middle finger raised?

[Dbantx]

Everyone here seems to be 100% convinced Ricketts stook his middle finger up and not his index finger, human memory is hardly reliable but how many of you can say that you definitely saw Ricketts raise his middle finger to the fans and were in a close proximity to the incident?

He is adamant that he only raised his index finger to the crowd.

We arent talking about any other gestures that he supposedly made as they are not on trial-the gesture in question and the one he was dismissed for was the finger.

On the one hand we have the views of a lot of Southend fans, but on the other hand we have a mild mannered keeper who has never been known to do anything like this before.

All this abuse he took supposedly happened because he was pretending to be injured after going in for a 50/50 ball anyway-just how do you know he was pretending to be injured?

Personally im inclined to believe both Southend fans and Ricketts.

Consider that goalkeepers face this kind of abuse week in week out, Ricketts included, nobody has ever got a reaction from him before. He has said himself that in Jamaica he has seen people in the crowd with guns befroe so the people who threw sweet wrappers towards him when we scored couldnt have provoked him that much.

My take on the matter.....Southend fans presumed he was pretending to be injured/fouled so started a constant volley of abuse which increased when we scored and some immature idiots threw a few sweet wrappers at him so he turned round and gave them the finger.

Fair enough in my opinion! Who wouldnt turn round and give them the finger?

 

[Kent Shrimper]

the gesture wasnt the middle finger, it was the arm over the elbow UP YOURS

 

[overseas shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Dbantx @ Dec. 13 2005,13:37)]Everyone here seems to be 100% convinced Ricketts stook his middle finger up and not his index finger...

You started off with a completely inaccurate statement. There's been more than one post saying that they didn't see him put his middle finger up... but that he gave the 'up yours' signal (forearm/wrist crossing other - extended - arm's elbow joint etc.).

Maybe your 'human memory' is particularly faulted!

 

[Dbantx]

'You started off with a completely inaccurate statement. There's been more than one post saying that they didn't see him put his middle finger up... but that he gave the 'up yours' signal (forearm/wrist crossing other - extended - arm's elbow joint etc.).'

Ah...but Ricketts at least is claiming thats not what he was sent off for but that it was for raising his index finger to the crowd to signal 1-0.

 

[Kent Shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Dbantx @ Dec. 13 2005,12:50)]'You started off with a completely inaccurate statement. There's been more than one post saying that they didn't see him put his middle finger up... but that he gave the 'up yours' signal (forearm/wrist crossing other - extended - arm's elbow joint etc.).'

Ah...but Ricketts at least is claiming thats not what he was sent off for but that it was for raising his index finger to the crowd to signal 1-0.

and we have established he is a lying c%&t

 

[overseas shrimper]

Quote[/b] (Dbantx @ Dec. 13 2005,13:50)]Ah...but Ricketts at least is claiming thats not what he was sent off for but that it was for raising his index finger to the crowd to signal 1-0.

That has nothing to do with you saying that 100% of us on here are saying he gave us 'the finger' though, has it.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Ricketts has stated absolutely catergorically the only gesture he made was raising his index finger.

He is lying, he placed his left forearm over his right elbow and extened his arm upwards in the up yours gesture. This gesture was seen by hundreds of people.

Are we all liars? Or is Mr Ricketts the only one capable of truth?

Now Ricketts has chosen to make this a race issue, many people have posted on here that there was no racial abuse, and we only have the word of Ricketts to go by. We all know that Ricketts and the truth are strangers.

Ricketts is a coward for not owning to the truth and with his allegation of racist remarks if proven untrue will have driven a massive hole in the kick it out campaign.

I sincerely hope that Ricketts is dealt with severely by the FA, and he cops a huge ban for his trouble.

 

[Firestorm]

An Up yours gesture followed by a signal using the index finger to indicate 1-0

My guess is that the Lino heard the roar in response to the "up yours" and caught a glimpse of the 1-0 gesture, decided that was enough and told the ref.

If the Lino ref saw both then off he should have gone off.

If the the lino only saw the finger then , I am afraid, they got it wrong.

I think that the abuse issue was a reaction which could come back and kick him in the teeth. At the time he made it he did not know that the Lino had only seen one of his two gestures so he concoted an excuse. Now it transpires that only the more innocuous of the two gestures was seen and misinterpeted at that, he is stuck with an untrue accusation which he didn't need to make. I hope he gets found out to be the liar that he is and that Todd , in repeating his goalkeepers garbage gets it as well.
Personally I would say an FA Charge of bringing the game into disrepute, a criminal charge of wasting police time and a civil action for defamation should just about do it....

 

[overseas shrimper]

I'm sorry, but it really looks like Ricketts is the liar here. It's quite obvious, judging by the amount of posts. In light of this, the continued defence of the 'keeper from the likes of Dbantx and (sadly) Todd is terrible. To me, seeing a player being protected for exploiting the racism issue is almost as bad as us and our club's officials defending racist remarks if they had been proven to have taken place.

Disgrace.

 

[bring-back-N'Diaye]

Ricketts' story has more holes in it than our defence.

I think the time has come for Colin Todd and Donovan Ricketts to issue an apology.

I am not a racist and I find the implication that I (as a Southend fan who sat behind the goal) am one, extremely insulting. My reputation should not be used as a pawn in Todd and Ricketts' attempts to squirm off the hook of an offence they clearly committed.

 

[Guest]

This whole issue is getting messier and messier by the hour. I hope Ricketts is proud of himself after all this. He made a stupid, unprofessional mistake, why can't he just accept the consequences without trying to tar our club with allegations which look extremely shaky.

Colin Todd should be ashamed for saying things (like "The abuse was terrible") that have only showed himself up to be an idiot.

 

[SUFCFARAWAY]

It is sad that in today's footballing age it has resulted in this. That two professionals of the game seem to be lying in order to incriminate our club. We have never had any problem with racism before so why would we start now. We have always prided ourselves on the family values and the gentlemenship of this great club. Sure we shout the odd insult now and again but which club fans don't? Its a disgrace that Todd and Ricketts are dragging the good name of our club through the mud and hopefully they will be found out before it gets any worse!

 

[N'Zamba Legend]

It was an up yours and it was incredibly stupid.

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (Whatever @ Dec. 13 2005,13:10)]This whole issue is getting messier and messier by the hour. I hope Ricketts is proud of himself after all this. He made a stupid, unprofessional mistake, why can't he just accept the consequences without trying to tar our club with allegations which look extremely shaky.

Colin Todd should be ashamed for saying things (like "The abuse was terrible") that have only showed himself up to be an idiot.

I agree with todd, the abuse was terrible, I don't think 700 odd people bellowing W***r van be described in any other way, However that does not make it Racist

 

[stickyboy]

shouldnt we be contacting the FA itself to show our disgust as they are trying to get the red car expunged (is that the word?).

 

[ldnfatso]

If racist remarks were made to Ricketts then the book should be thrown at the fan but certainly i never heard them in the South Upper so i'm not sure what Todd can have heard from the halfway line.
With regard to the gesture to the crowd, he certainly did give an UP YOURS!! Whether it was a middle finger 1-0 or index finger though i wouldn't swear on.

I think we have to accept that some banter will always be given from the supporters towards the opposition players. I'm sure our players expect it.

Earlier in the season we were away to Scunthorpe. I remember that Scunthorpes goalie was getting stick because he was fat! I don't remember him complaining. In fact, he took it in good spirit and even laughed at the comments and rubbed his belly.
He actually should have been sent off in that game for a deliberate handball outside the box, so swings and roundabouts come to mind.

 

[Firestorm]

Quote[/b] (ldnfatso @ Dec. 13 2005,14:12)].
With regard to the gesture to the crowd, he certainly did give an UP YOURS!! Whether it was a middle finger 1-0 or index finger though i wouldn't swear on.

Two seperate gestures were made IMHO the second (1-0) was the one that the Lino saw and misintepreted

Provacation is not accepted as Mitigation in the Laws of the game. Ricketts was going nowhere by pleading provacation . However he had a good case for a mistake by the lino (who made two. Missing the first gesture and misreading the 2nd )

 

[Mick]

Quote[/b] (Firestorm @ Dec. 13 2005,14:23)]

.


Provacation is not accepted as Mitigation in the Laws of the game. Ricketts was going nowhere by pleading provacation . However he had a good case for a mistake by the lino (who made two. Missing the first gesture and misreading the 2nd )

So he should appeal on the basis that the gesture the "lino" actually saw was inoffensive and the same official missed the offensive one? Hmmmm ... may not get away with that.

 

[Hooly]

Quote[/b] (Dbantx @ Dec. 13 2005,12:37)]All this abuse he took supposedly happened because he was pretending to be injured after going in for a 50/50 ball anyway-just how do you know he was pretending to be injured?

Dbantx. I can honestly say that I didn't see the raised finger or the up yours signal as I was heading to the bog after your goal was scored.  But I will take the word of my other half who saw it & said it looked a deliberately offensive gesture.

No one has come back on your other point, so I will give you my view as I sit 3 rows back in the upper tier right above where the incident happened.  3 players went in for the ball being 1 Shrimper & 2 Bantams including Ricketts.  With all 3 arriving around the same time the ball ricocheted quite slowly out along the byeline for a clear corner.  Ricketts lay prone as the others got up holding IIRC his head as if hurt in the challenge, until the referee after a think gave a goal kick.  There is no doubt in my mind or the several dozen around me that he was "simulating", as I believe the official term now is, an injury.

At this time he then leapt to his feet chased after the ball & came back to take the goal kick and took it at full pelt.  Now, having watched footy for 36+ years & refereed for probably about 10+ years of that I think I have a reasonable idea of when player is putting it on.  I can assure you he leapt up like a scalded cat when the ref gave the goal kick.  That's when he got the abuse about trying to cheat.  You'd have done the same in reverse.  But what many people have not mentioned is that this is when he first gestured at the crowd.  I can't recall exactly but I think it was as hw was setting up the kick but he definitely gave a sort of round arm w%&ker type sign (that's what it looked like to me) & I originally thought that's what the lino had spotted.

I think any player who acts like he did is bound to get abuse, even one of ours.  Feigning injury is one of the things that winds fans & players alike up.  Was he injured?  No trainer, no delay in play would point to the fact that no he wasn't. Take it or leave it but IMHO he tried to cheat!