How upset were you most of you when Rooney stomped on the Portuguese player’s privates during the ’06 World Cup? Should he have gone up on charges?

I guess what I’m saying is that if every bad or illeagal tackle ends up in court it would really effect the way the game is played. The rules are a 3 match suspension and that’s what Guthrie got and Fagan last year as well.

There is a difference in a football pitch and a nightclub. On the pitch bad fouls and poor decisions by players are part of the game. Maybe I’d have a different view if Guthrie was a repeat offender but I think his record shows that he is not.

I was talking with a few of my friends about this matter and asking their opinions as well. One of them came up with an additional punishment that could help and that’s fine the player with 3 games’ pay in addition to the ban. Most people react to their pocketbook being punished better than anything.

I appreciate your views on this, and and you make some interesting points. But you also contridict yourself.

I’m not a mind reader, but often a person’s actions will go a long way to spell out their intent. You said “but clearly in the video Fagan did it on pupose.” So you criticise me for appearing to read Guthrie’s mind, and then make a similar statement about Fagan.

Are you a mind reader too?

I’m a footballer, and I can honestly say that I have never gone in on anyone with any intent. I’ve hurt people and people have hurt me. That’s football, and that’s life.

I didn’t see fagans stamp on Arbeloa, but you say that there was no intent to get the ball. If you’re right, then a three game ban doesn’t seem like a stern enough punishment.

If i walked up to someone in a nightclub and hoofed them in the shin and broke their leg I’d be on an ABH charge. Does it make it more legal to do it on a football pitch? Because Guthrie was nowhere near the ball, he only had eyes for the player.

If you’ve ever played the sport and never made a challenge you regretted your a better person than most of us.

Rob, you obviously didn’t remember a little over a year ago Fagan himself was banned for 4 games for purposely “stamping on” Liverpool’s Alvaro Arbeola’s leg. His leg wasn’t broken but clearly in the video Fagan did it on pupose. The normal 3 game suspension was given plus an additional game’s suspension for appealing the decision when he was clearly in the wrong.

Would you be less outraged if his Fagan’s wasn’t broken?

The reason that people are looking for Guthrie to be banned for longer is that it was practically assault. No attempt on the ball. He’s lucky the police arn’t looking at it.

Eduardo was unlucky. Tayler was clearly looking to win the ball. Guthrie was trying to injure a fellow professional, that’s why he kicked him twice. Didn’t injure him the first time so he made sure he did the second.

I’m also not impressed that Guthrie makes statements like “but anybody who knows me will accept it was totally out of character on my part.”

Character references only mean something when they come from someone else. There’s nothing like writing your own reviews Danny.

Say Steven Gerrard, or Wayne Rooney, or John Terry or Cesc Fabregas lunge in similar tackles, do you think that the FA would ban any one of those four for any perdiod of time longer than three matches? Get serious! These are the players who must play every game they can. So of they are going to punish Guthrie this way it would mean that all similar tackles in the future would have to result in similar disciplinary action. That is not going to happen, so it would be unfair to Guthrie to be given a three month ban.