Everton will not contest Mirallas suspension

, 21 September, 43comments  |  Jump to most recent
Everton will not be filing an appeal against the red card that Kevin Mirallas picked up in injury time at Swansea on Saturday.

The club feel that likelihood his suspension would be reduced or rescinded being downgraded are slim and the Belgian will now miss the next three matches against Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Liverpool.

"It’s a harsh red card," Roberto Martinez said of referee Stuart Attwell's decision to send Mirallas off for a clumsy tackle on Modou Barrow. "The truth was it was his first challenge, his first action in the game, and it looks worse than it actually is. Kevin is never looking at the opposing player and there is never any intent.

“He was just over-keen to win the ball and nothing else. It wasn’t reckless or dangerous.

“Understanding how the system works, I don’t think we have got a chance to get it overturned so we need to feel hurt with the decision and support Kevin."  



Reader Comments (43)

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James Stewart
2 Posted 21/09/2015 at 17:06:06
Disappointing. Whatever your opinion on Mirallas he is an Everton player and a damn good one. People forget he was our most consistent goalscorer if you take penalties out of it. 2nd top scorer and any midfielder who hits double figures is worth his weight in gold.

We need to get him back to his best and feeling valued. Bringing him on in the 91st minute is certainly no way to go about that.

Tony J Williams
3 Posted 21/09/2015 at 17:16:00
What’s disappointing James, is him doing it in the first place.

Stupid, petty foul that will always lead to a red if seen. Studs showing = Red card.

Stephen Scofield
4 Posted 21/09/2015 at 17:49:21
While I agree he shouldn’t have done it (didn’t look a red to me though), it was a complete piss-take by Roberto to put him on in the last two minutes. Like James said, he is one of our best players, he should not be on the bench in the first place.
Scott Goin
5 Posted 21/09/2015 at 18:06:12
It was a bit strange to put Mirallas on for 2 minutes at the end of the game. Maybe Martinez wanted to see how he'd handle it.

People thinking Mirallas was angry and lashed out on purpose are just making guesses. There's no evidence to support that. I believe he was told to play with high intensity and he did so. He just made a bad mistake. It looks like he lifted his foot up to block a pass and then, after the pass didn't come, he went after the ball and missed.

I do think Mirallas needs to get more playing time. Sitting on the bench can't be good for his confidence. He's a very valuable goal scorer for the team and I wouldn't say he is any worse defensively than Kone.

Jake Prendergast
6 Posted 21/09/2015 at 18:12:30
I think RM was putting up a front and is happy to have Mirallas wallow in his misery... He was never going to appeal.
Ray Roche
7 Posted 21/09/2015 at 18:23:52
No complaints from me about putting Mirallas on; only complaint is that it should have been on with 15-20 minutes to go and definitely not for Barkley who was outstanding.

A definite red in my opinion, if Gerrard or Suarez had done that against us in a Derby, we’d be banging on about it for the next 20 years.

Jimmy-Ã…ge Sørheim
8 Posted 21/09/2015 at 18:45:02
Seems to me that Martinez is trying to teach Mirallas a lesson by not protesting the card. He should have started the game instead of Kone.

To not have Mirallas for the derby is a huge deal; he should appeal the card no matter what he thinks, we need every striker we can get.

I think Mirallas needs to change his attitude from last season; there's no room for another ego in the team.

Darren Hind
9 Posted 21/09/2015 at 19:05:46
Anybody who has played the game knows what Mirallas did. It wasn't a mistake, it was spiteful and nasty. It was also incredibly fucking stupid.

He deserves his ban, he deserves proper kicking from Martinez too. Why the fuck would you offer the opposition a late opportunity cause havoc by loading up the penalty area and fizzing one in. That last gasp volley could just as easily flown into the net instead of over the bar.

Decent scoring record, but his attitude stinks.

Minik Hansen
10 Posted 21/09/2015 at 20:15:18
He can play tomorrow Tuesday against Reading, right? I hope he will show he has his head and heart right with Martinez. COYB.
Scott Goin
11 Posted 21/09/2015 at 20:28:30
Minik @7, Mirallas could have played in a European match while on this ban but he is still banned from the domestic cup competitions. The Reading match is the first of 3 he must miss.
Minik Hansen
12 Posted 21/09/2015 at 20:30:33
Thanks Scott. Well, bans are bans..
Minik Hansen
13 Posted 21/09/2015 at 20:33:34
I remember Saha getting banned, and then scored in the next Europa League game; I was hoping Mirallas could do that in a domestic cup game.
Colin Metcalfe
14 Posted 21/09/2015 at 21:11:17
I cannot believe the stick Mirallas is getting on here, he is probably our most talented attacking player... and, no, his attitude does not stink!! If anyone should point the finger, it should be at Martinez: why on earth is he putting him on with just a minute to go?

What I always admired about Ferguson at Man Utd, he always rolled the dice: went for a win and always gave his subs plenty of time to change the course of the game. Maybe RM has had his fingers burnt when Wigan got relegated and his first thoughts are not to get beat?

The game on the weekend was crying for changes about the 60-minute mark when it was clear that Lukaku couldn’t hit a barn door all day long. Take him off and push Naismith up front and have Deulofeu and Mirallas out wide! Simples...

Sorry, rant over!

Oliver Molloy
15 Posted 21/09/2015 at 21:12:12
Darren @ 6.

Martinez is equally to blame for the player getting himself sent off, and he knows it which is why he is doing his best to deflect any blame from Mirallas.

Pointless and stupid substitution in injury time, bringing a player like Mirallas on for a couple of minutes — what was he thinking!

Bill Griffiths
16 Posted 21/09/2015 at 21:13:35
While I agree that Kev is a very good player when he puts his mind to it, and also that his goals contribution is way above our other midfielders/wide players at the moment, I think we need to look at the bigger picture.

Currently Roberto seems to have got back the tremendous team spirit and togetherness that David Moyes built into the club and which Roberto seemed to carry over during his first season in charge but seemed to dissipate somewhat for the majority of his second season.

You only need one bad apple in the barrel to spoil the rest. Contrast Kev’s attitude and demeanour on the bench to that of Deulofeu’s.

While I agree that it’s stupid putting on subs with minutes or seconds to go, all managers seem to do this, not just Roberto.

If push came to shove, I’d not be upset if we were to get rid of Kev but would prefer it if he were to get his head down and buy into the oneness that Roberto seems to have brought back to the club.

Saying that, I’d have never let him wear a blue shirt again after the penalty fiasco with Leighton.

Oliver Molloy
17 Posted 21/09/2015 at 21:16:13
Oh and yes Mirallas deserved to be sent off for that challenge.
Mark Andersson
18 Posted 21/09/2015 at 23:59:46
Shame Kevin acted like he did. If it was cynical born out of frustration and only he knows that, then the man is stupid.

Liverpool will be glad Mirallas will not be available. Martinez may well have just been wasting time and settling for the point.

KM will come good when he gets his chance and all will be forgiven. Such are fickle fans.

Mark Cooper
19 Posted 22/09/2015 at 09:03:42
Mirallas has past history for going in over the top and has got away with it a good few times.

As for bringing him on earlier, maybe Martinez should have but then we may have ended up playing 15/20 mins with ten men. He needs to learn a lesson for once in his life.

The team played well and should have got more out of the game but it did not happen in front of goal and a point is better than nothing.

Les Martin
20 Posted 22/09/2015 at 09:33:29
Deserved red for a nasty foul; he needs to show more responsibility and maturity rather than petulance. We now have lost his services for several games!

Also, any notions that his late appearance is somehow responsible for this incident is ludicrous. He is a very well paid player on a contract to play football for his team, and to be called on at any time even, if it's just for one second.

A great player on his day but I'm not convinced about his mental attitude and he may well be shipped out if he does not show what he is capable of this season.

Pete Edwards
21 Posted 22/09/2015 at 13:31:12
Oliver, how can you say that Martinez is equally to blame! One of the daftest comments I’ve read I’m afraid!

I suppose you think he said to him... "Go out there and raise your studs, go over the ball and in to the opposing player's ankle/shin, do a job on him!"!?!

If KM was frustrated, then show it in a more controlled and professional way; after all, he is meant to be a professional, isn’t he? And try to help the team (albeit in a very short space of time) try and win!

Eugene Ruane
22 Posted 22/09/2015 at 13:56:01
Pete (18) - ’Oliver, how can you say that Martinez is equally to blame! One of the daftest comments I’ve read I’m afraid!’

Agree - these fellers are supposed to be professionals and one of the things that label should guarantee is — no matter whether you’re brought on after one minute, or with one minute to go, your attitude should be the same — ready to go, 100% concentration.

He was frustrated?

Aaaahhhh... poor him... He can get to fuck, what about our frustration at having a player needlessly sitting games out?

He’s not 18 and should (by now) be setting an example — instead he sits on the bench with a gob on him (even as we’re beating Chelsea).

Well if players in his position take advantage while he’s out and turn in performances that don’t let him walk back in, all the better for us and tough shit for him.

I know how talented he is (or rather can be) and about his goal ratio etc, but all of that means nothing if he continues to act like a 15-year-old girl who has just been dumped by some pimply-faced mouth-breather.

Oliver Molloy
23 Posted 22/09/2015 at 14:13:28
Pete,

Bringing on Mirallas at that time of the game was just plain silly sub in my opinion. Who made that decision? The manager.

What on earth was Mirallas going to achieve in two minutes?

Martinez would also know the temperament of one Kevin Mirallas; therefore, he is equally to blame for the player getting sent off.

Nowhere in my post did I say what you are suggesting "I suppose you think he said to him..." — so please don’t try and write something and apply it to me when I didn’t say anything of the sort.

I did say that Mirallas deserved to be sent off because he simply did for the tackle.

So I stand by my call that Martinez made a bad error on Saturday.

Thomas Surgenor
24 Posted 22/09/2015 at 14:18:03
OK, I admit it, I’m a little bias towards Mirallas and he is my favourite first 11 player. He is the one player who, even in the gloom of last season, could make things happen.

Mirallas is and should be a key player for us this season.
Unfortunately he isn’t taking his stint on the bench too well.

This, for me, is not a problem. I too have been ’’rested’’ for a lesser quality player - only for that player to take his opportunity and rightfully retain his place. I found it hard sitting on the bench knowing that you cannot affect the game and help your teammates win.

We would be foolish to think that this is the end for Super Kev. I think in 6 months time we will all look back and see that he had a positive impact on our season and remained a key player for us.

Hey... at least he will be fresh when called upon!
Anyone willing to lay odds for me on Kev being our top-scoring midfielder despite Naismith's & Barkley's head start?

Shane Corcoran
25 Posted 22/09/2015 at 14:33:18
Oliver, I 100% disagree with you when you say RM was equally to blame for the sending off.

I think the obvious reasons have been covered above.

James Stewart
27 Posted 22/09/2015 at 15:37:08
Mirallas's red was harsh in the extreme. Not one player was pushing for it to be a red. No intent whatsoever and a yellow would have been sufficient but the EPL officials seem to love the high drama at present, like a bunch of schoolgirls.

MIrallas is our best goalscoring midfielder... Fact! Not one of our others is likely to hit double figures. Mirallas does.

He should be starting but he has been the victim of Martinez shoe-horning one of his love children into the starting line-up. Kone is not a wide player and I don’t care what anyone says to the contrary. No problem with him as a backup striker but that is the only position he should play.

Tony McNulty
31 Posted 22/09/2015 at 16:56:20
I once heard Denis Law (there was a player) saying that putting a striker on for anything less than 15 or 20 minutes was pointless. They needed that sort of period to have a chance of getting into a game.

Putting a player on for 2 minutes might make sense if you are trying to waste time because you’ve got the result you want. What RM was trying to achieve on Saturday seemed strange to me.

I’ve always sensed there is a little ’side’ to KM’s game. Like Cahill, who could look after himself, he’s not always Johnny Innocent (although perhaps not as good at disguising it).

Peter McHugh
32 Posted 22/09/2015 at 17:19:35
I think Oliver has a point in that seems strange to put Mirallas on for 5 mins at the end. Either put him on for at least 15-20 mins (preferably more) or don’t put him on at all.

That said, I don’t blame Martinez for his sending off one iota.

Oliver Molloy
33 Posted 22/09/2015 at 18:27:07

Martinez, made a mistake sending on a player who we all know (if honest) is highly strung and who chooses which games he decides to put the required effort into. How a player like Mirallas is supposed to be able to get into a game with two minutes left on the clock is beyond me.

The guy is clearly a sulker, and his manager would know this and a whole lot more you would think, so why he decided to give him two minutes at the end of a match were we drawing was a bad decision in my opinion. Wrong player at the wrong time.

I’m not anti-Martinez by the way, but the buck stops with him, and I’m sure he wouldn’t want it any other way.


Mike Allison
35 Posted 22/09/2015 at 18:57:54
Terrible decision to make sub at that point.

I might be wrong but it looked to me like Mirallas was trying to drag the ball back, which is why his studs were showing. You put your foot on the ball to drag it away from the opponent. When Fellaini did it to Bellamy, he got a standing ovation, but get it wrong and it looks like a stamp.

What gets me is the lack of discussion over Diego Costa’s forearm smash on Coleman last week. He should have a 3 game ban for that, where Mirallas at worst would be a 1-game ban, as he had no force in the challenge.

The two incidents strike me as showing a slight contradiction. Referees sometimes want to be a star, but sometimes bottle out of making important decisions.

Jay Harris
38 Posted 23/09/2015 at 14:52:57
The semantics do not matter. Whether he intended it or not, whether it should have been red or yellow, Whether RM should have put someone else on.

The top and bottom of it is Mirallas is almost as potent as Lukaku so to build him up, tell him how important he is to the squad, get him to renew his contract, and then treat him like shit is poor management.

It is obvious that Mirallas is more sensitive than most and although some argue that, for what he is paid, he should get over it, shows a lack of understanding motivation.

KM thrives on motivation... from the manager, from his fellow players, and from the supporters.

Let's get behind the lad and not destroy one of the best talents we have at the club.

Colin Glassar
40 Posted 24/09/2015 at 07:59:02
I’ve said it before and I will say it again, I often wonder if giving Mirallas a new contract was Roberto’s decision or BK’s? There just doesn’t seem to be good chemistry between those two.
Andrew Ellams
42 Posted 24/09/2015 at 09:15:49
I think Mirallas will be off at the end of this season and Deulofeu will slowly edge him out of contention between now and then. But we still have 8 months of hissy fits to come between now and then.
Laurie Hartley
43 Posted 24/09/2015 at 09:29:13
Definitely a red card - if you have any doubts have another look at it on You Tube.

No way you can blame that on Martinez.

Let’s not forget the young lad who could have had his leg broken by that challenge.

I really rate Mirallas's footballing ability but, if he did that on purpose, and only he knows the answer to that question, it’s not what I want to see from any footballer wearing the Royal Blue.

Andrew Clare
46 Posted 24/09/2015 at 15:49:14
He has the wrong temperament, he is too inconsistent, he fades in and out of games so I don’t see him featuring much in the future especially with Deulofeu and Lennon around. Get rid in January and move on.
Brian Harrison
47 Posted 24/09/2015 at 16:17:06
Andrew 43

Your comments could easily apply to our other player from Belgium.

Tony Abrahams
49 Posted 24/09/2015 at 18:12:34
Jay, bad management unless Colin is right about the chairman being behind Mirallas signing a new contract.

How many people picked up on Mirallas not even celebrating our goals against Chelsea? If this is the case then surely the manager would also be aware of this.

I thought it was a ridiculous sub that backfired on both player and manager, but it does seem to me that this was less of a football decision and more about a clash of personalities that went wrong.

Brent Stephens
50 Posted 24/09/2015 at 18:44:44
Perhaps we should not send any players on the pitch, resulting in no yellow or red cards, and a good chance of winning the Fair Play award (or whatever it's called) so gaining entry to Europe.
Eugene Ruane
51 Posted 24/09/2015 at 18:47:18
Tony (46) - ’I thought it was a ridiculous sub that backfired on both player and manager but it does seem to me that this was less of a football decision and more about a clash of personalities that went wrong’

Well firstly there are thousands of these added-time substitutions in football that may not make much sense to us, but are only really considered ridiculous if someone is injured or sent off. (For the most part, supporters seem to accept them as ’part of the game’ and every team/manager uses the ’facility’.)

Plus If you’re right and there is a clash of personalities, can’t really see that much backfired for Martinez.

The player wasn’t in the manager’s plans (which is why he was on the bench to begin with) so him being suspended is (more or less) the status quo for Martinez.

What backfired on Mirallas was simply his own decision-making, which he will discover as he tries to get a first-team place back.

Patrick Murphy
53 Posted 24/09/2015 at 19:06:25
Would people's attitudes have been very different if Mirallas had started the game and subsequently have been sent off two and a bit minutes later, thus reducing the team to 10 men for most of the game? Kevin made a tackle the assistant referee deemed it a red-card offence what more needs to be said?
Colin Glassar
54 Posted 24/09/2015 at 19:09:26
Tony, it’s just me guessing that something’s not quite right between manager and player. Mirallas seems to be a bit-part player under Martinez. He never seems happy and he mentioned the club signing key players to long-term contracts which "convinced" him to stay, didn’t mention the manager.

Maybe I’m reading into things which don’t exist but I was under the impression that relations were seriously damaged after THAT penalty. I hope I’m wrong.
Mike Allison
56 Posted 24/09/2015 at 20:37:23
Laurie, I don’t think it was anything like a leg-breaker, it just didn’t have the force in it.
Oliver Molloy
58 Posted 24/09/2015 at 20:43:11
Patrick @ 39.

That is very good point; and yes, my opinion would be different to the one I hold now.

Ian Riley
61 Posted 24/09/2015 at 22:07:02
I personally don't think there is a case to appeal. It was reckless and red was the only call. Three week break for two minutes work! Fine him hard for the tackle and lack of professionalism!

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