I look forward to hearing Roy's view on this... :-)

this is ridiculous, that tackle was not deserving of a red, studs showing yes, but it was one footed and along the ground, yellow card definately. Red card definately not!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/English-FA-A-disgrace-and-need-sorting-out/2523102

Although very disappointed with the decision (and worst outcome possible), I said on previous posts that unfortunately the FA rarely nowadays overturn the original decision, unless it's an absolute howler (Sito's sending off against Norwich - where he was nowhere near the player). Sadly, it was a foul by Stead (albeit not a red card), and as such the panel were always likely to uphold the decision and support the ref. We are only a lower Championship side, not Chelsea, Man Utd or Liverpool - these things will always go against us. Remember Trotter's red card a couple of years ago - everyone said it was not a sending off but the FA upheld the decision.

The world's gone mad.

Let's bombard this appeal committee with whatever abuse we can conjure up. Find their names and make their lives a misery.

Then petition the Football League (Sheepshanks on the board) to have Taylor removed from all future Ipso games. The man's totally incompetent.

Yes, I know it's extreme, but emotions are high!

what is there to add,it's all been said above,just wish the F.A realised that the game is nothing without the fans but the clubs & the fans could operate perfectly well without the F.A.

If a Facebook group can get a song to number 1 then surely it can get a red card overturned!! :-)

they can shove that ban up their Rses.

Incredible. The incident is on 50 seconds:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8424624.stm
If that's worth a 4 match ban, teams are going to need squads of 50 players just to turn out a team every week.
SammyWard, what is that "football ombudsman" email address so we can all give them a piece of our mind.

Incredible. The incident is on 50 seconds:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8424624.stm
If that's worth a 4 match ban, teams are going to need squads of 50 players just to turn out a team every week.
SammyWard, what is that "football ombudsman" email address so we can all give them a piece of our mind.

Incredible. The incident is on 50 seconds:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_1/8424624.stm
If that's worth a 4 match ban, teams are going to need squads of 50 players just to turn out a team every week.
SammyWard, what is that "football ombudsman" email address so we can all give them a piece of our mind.

Sorry about the repeat posts, site kept crashing on me.

an appalling decision by the ref. an utterly disgraceful decision by the FA.

Just got in from a horrible day at work, this news has just about finished me off. Thanks for FA F.A.!!!! The only thing that makes me smile is knowing the panel would have had to face the Keano stare.
Feel for Stead, the lad must be gutted.
Hope this brings the squad closer and let's all get behind Steady when he returns, COYB!!!!!!!

Joke, absolute joke.

This is a ludicrous decision!!! Both live and on TV it was nowhere near a red card decision. It should have been rescinded. To have the ban increased as the 'appeal had no chance of success,' is outrageous. So wrong. Madness. Takes away your faith in common sense.

The FA should be ashamed of themselves - eveyone at the game including both Managers admitted it was a yellow card at the most and it is clear to anyone who has watched the replays that it did not warrant a sending off...What is the game coming to when you get an extra match ban for the audacity of appealing!!!The game we love is run by a bunch of incompetent old fools

bad deceison yellow at most, fine it gets rejected they hardly ever turn them over but to extend it to a mounth !

given Michael Turners (Sunderland) ban was recently upheld by the FA in similar fashion just before Christmas, and that the mood of the FA has always been "back the refs".the FAs response was predictable and I presume a calculated risk the club took to get Stead in the game for monday, and deal with the fallout later.

Just watched it for the 1st time (thanks for the link brendanh). Whilst I love the blues I like to think that I can be objective when decisions go against us, and I not one of those who automatically scream abuse at the ref when this happens.

That said, I have now watched it a number of times and I am gobsmacked. Perhaps - yes perhaps - it was a yellow. He was a bit late but not dangerous. The effect was exacerbated by the Palace lad being lightening quick and in full flow. The ref took no account of this - you can't say he had a bad view, but he had to make a decision in the heat of the moment and giving the guy the benefit of the doubt and with the palace players baying for blood, the crowd screaming and sears doing the full dying swan thing lets say the ref made an honest mistake in the heat of the moment.

But the shirts at the FA had time to analyse in detail - to suggest it had no chance of success is absolute rubbish. Not quite sure what they were watching, but just emphasises that they don't understand the game.

I agree with Happy2bBlue and really hope he's right - lets see Keano use this to galvanise the team into a siege mentality.

Bad luck Steady mate.

Just watched it for the 1st time (thanks for the link brendanh). Whilst I love the blues I like to think that I can be objective when decisions go against us, and I not one of those who automatically scream abuse at the ref when this happens.

That said, I have now watched it a number of times and I am gobsmacked. Perhaps - yes perhaps - it was a yellow. He was a bit late but not dangerous. The effect was exacerbated by the Palace lad being lightening quick and in full flow. The ref took no account of this - you can't say he had a bad view, but he had to make a decision in the heat of the moment and giving the guy the benefit of the doubt and with the palace players baying for blood, the crowd screaming and sears doing the full dying swan thing lets say the ref made an honest mistake in the heat of the moment.

But the shirts at the FA had time to analyse in detail - to suggest it had no chance of success is absolute rubbish. Not quite sure what they were watching, but just emphasises that they don't understand the game.

I agree with Happy2bBlue and really hope he's right - lets see Keano use this to galvanise the team into a siege mentality.

Bad luck Steady mate.

Just sent the below email to the Independent Football Ombudsman (Contact@theifo.co.uk). Let's get a concerted email campaign going. Presumably they are obliged to investigate and respond so at least it bogs them down in some work. I suggest everyone uses their own words. The FA (and we all know what that stands for) need to be brought to account.

Dear Sirs

I would like to protest most strongly against today's decision by the FA Disciplinary Panel to not only uphold John Stead's (Ipswich Town) red card against Crystal Palace on December 26th 2009, but to increase the ban from 3 matches to 4 because the appeal "had no prospect of success".

Whilst I understand fully the need for the FA to back up Referee's decisions, the tackle in question was seen by many (including both Crystal Palace players and management) as worthy of a yellow card at worst. Surely this gave every prospect of success at appeal.

I would be grateful if this matter could be given your urgent consideration.

Yours faithfully,

An incorrect disgraceful decision and continued evidence of a lack of backbone by the FA. The more they uphold poor decisions in our game the less chance of the refereeing standard ever improving.

Sammy ward or anyone else, can i also have the e-mail for the independent football ombudsmen as i'd like to send an e-mail of complaint as well.

this is stupid! Never even a red card in the first place!

What a disgrace this is a total insult to blind people because even these unfortunate individuals given a description of what happen of that event with no pictures would have disagreed with a red card.

This I feel was more about the FA sending Roy a message early in his management career not to appeal lightly.

I hope those people who served sentence on the panel can look in a mirror over the next few days and know they made a right call for football.

As my father says “life is not fair! When you find fairness stand up and applaud it loudly as you it is a scares commodity”

I feel the message was for Roy and poor old steady was on the end of a bigger picture here.

Blue Army! Just got tickets for Leicester …..wonder who will be playing up front!