This is really shameful – Just how many ready to humiliate themselves on Raul Jimenez red card | OneFootball

The Raul Jimenez red card at St James’ Park has provoked plenty of debate.

The Fulham striker sent off following a challenge on Sean Longstaff.

This incident happening towards the midway point of the first half, Newcastle United going on to deservedly win 3-0.

I have to say, this is really shameful, just how many ready to humiliate themselves on the Raul Jimenez red card decision.

If you haven’t seen the incident yet, you need to, the highlights of the match below, leading off with the red card challenge / assault.

Basically, Raul Jimenez angry because he hadn’t got a decision against Jamaal Lascelles, where the United captain had caught him on the face when winning the ball, a challenge that sometimes would bring a free-lick, sometimes not. Possibly even a yellow card if the referee deemed it a foul. Anyway, Raul Jimenez writhing around on the ground holding his face, until that is he realised the referee wasn’t giving anything, then of course leaping to his feet and sprinting around, clearly looking to make his mark, some kind of retribution.

Newcastle United had carried on an attack and when Fulham cleared it to wards the East Stand side of the pitch, Sean Longstaff taking possession in a non-dangerous position, then out of nowhere, Raul Jimenez running full pelt and launching himself as he ran into the air with his studs leading, only to seemingly realise too late just how ridiculous this challenge / assault was, so twisting his body in midair and his body rather than boot connecting with Longstaff’s head and flattening him.

The referee initially giving a yellow card, only for VAR to then ask him to look again, with then the correct decision of a red card belatedly given.

Marco Silva declared after the match, during a long rant about how the referee had unfairly treated Fulham throughout…

“The way he [Raul Jimenez] jumped into the player, it’s not a serious tackle, it’s not something really serious like a red card.

“I think the [yellow card] decision from the referee probably was the most assertive one. But, again, the VAR wanted to decide something different.

The acid test with anything like this is always to ask the question, what would the Fulham manager have been saying if the roles had been reversed, if it had been Sean Longstaff challenging / assaulting Raul Jimenez in similar fashion?

Well. we all know the answer to that one, don’t we!

Never in a million years would Marco Silva have been saying anything other than Sean Longstaff, or whichever Newcastle player, absolutely deserved a red card for this type of challenge.

This would have been exactly the case as well where pundits, journalists, rival fans are concerned, if it had been a Newcastle United player making the challenge.

However, as we all know, these days so many people are ready to humiliate / shame themselves by saying things they absolutely know are untrue, just because it is Newcastle United. As it was an assault / challenge on an NUFC player, then countless individuals desperately trying to back up Marco Silva’s delusional take on it.

The Raul Jimenez challenge was ridiculous, it was so reckless and negligent, it is a red card in any football match. Once he launched himself at pace into the air like that, it is only going to be pure luck if the victim walks away from without a potentially serious injury.

The Fulham striker had clearly lost it, he was on a mission to hit back after his own perceived injustice, he was out of control and made the type of challenge that no football player would ever make if it wasn’t for the red mist affecting him. Nobody challenges for the ball like that, it was always going to end badly, certainly for Raul Jimenez, and potentially very very badly for Sean Longstaff, once Jimenez ended his sprint with that take-off.

With most other incidents you can claim it was badly timed, accidental, or whatever. However, doing something so extraordinary as this, so reckless and negligent as to whether somebody gets hurt or not, you are guilty regardless of the eventual outcome, whether somebody does end up hurt or not.

It is a bit like parking your car on a steep hill, getting out and letting the handbrake off, then claiming you should escape any punishment simply because through pure luck nobody got seriously injured.

The thing that Marco Silva clings to, is that the referee only initially gave a yellow card.

It is ironic that the Fulham boss goes on and on about how such an inexperienced referee handled so much of the match so badly and made so many poor decisions, then congratulates him for the one decision the referee made that was truly appalling.

I think this inexperienced referee totally bottled the decision AND at same time did what referees do so often these days. They consciously decide NOT to make the right call because it would have a massive impact on a match, with the knowledge that they have the VAR safety net to save them. A bit like having your penalty saved BUT having a guarantee that you will still have a tap-in if that proves to be the case.

Samuel Barrott, if watching this Newcastle v Fulham match instead of refereeing it, would have 100 times out of 100 called it a red card for Raul Jimenez.

As I said earlier on, Marco Silva knows fine well that this was always a red card offence. Get him wired up to a lie detector test, along with any zero integrity journalists and pundits who are claiming the same as the Fulham boss. The readings would be off the scale!

Stats via BBC Sport:

Newcastle 3 Fulham 0 – Saturday 16 December 3pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Miley 57, Almiron 64, Burn 82

Fulham:

Jimenez 22 Red card

Possession was Fulham 29% Newcastle 71%

Total shots were Fulham 6 Newcastle 27

Shots on target were Fulham 4 Newcastle 10

Corners were Fulham 1 Newcastle 5

Referee: Samuel Barrott

Attendance: 52,055 (Approx 1,200 Fulham)

Newcastle team v Fulham:

Dubravka, Livramento (ritchie 84), Lascelles, Schar (Krafth 14), Burn (Botman 84), Bruno, Longstaff, Joelinton (Lewis Miley 36), Almiron, Gordon (Hall 84), Wilson

Unused subs:

Karius, Dummett, Gillespie, Alex Murphy

(Official Newcastle United injury update – Follows Newcastle 3 Fulham 0 – Read HERE)

(Marco Silva blames the referee for Newcastle 3 Fulham 0 – You have to laugh! Read HERE)

(It was definitely everything I ever dreamt of – Lewis Miley living the… dream – Read HERE)

(Read Newcastle 3 Fulham 0 – Instant Newcastle United fan / writer reaction – read HERE)

Newcastle United confirmed matches to end of January 2024:

Tuesday 19 December 2023 – Chelsea v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 23 December 2023 – Luton v Newcastle (3pm)

Tuesday 26 December 2023 – Newcastle v Forest (12.30pm) Amazon

Monday 1 January 2024 – Liverpool v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 6 January 2024 – Sunderland v Newcastle (12.45pm) ITV

Saturday 13 January 2024 – Newcastle v Man City (5.30pm) TNT Sports

Tuesday 30 January 2024 – Aston Villa v Newcastle (8.15pm) TNT Sports