Steff, it probably best left.
The pious obsessives will not look at any other view, or consider any other points, and the black and white nature of their POV doesn't brook any reason or argument. They would all be quite happy for Bale to charge around at breakneck pace and take any amount of brutality, without taking any form of defensive manouevres - and no doubt will sleep soundly in their beds whilst he recovers from a double break in one of his ankles or legs, and becomes a shadow of the talent that he is today - like Ramsey at Goonville.
I think you and I - and the other defenders of his behaviour can see it for what it was, without ever considering the fact that taking evasive action from a demented centre back, hell bent on death and destruction one foot from the sideline (whilst motoring like Usain Bolt with a ball at his feet,) differs somewhat from deliberately courting a foul in a crowded penalty box.
I think he was embarassed that he got it wrong, and tried to cover it up, rather than putting his hands up, but that's all that is reprehensible about the incident.
The pious and pure of soul will continue their preaching as long as we perpetuate any form of defence. The smaller minded ones will continue to use our attempts at providing mitigating arguments as full and frank confessions of heresy to the memory of the Glory Glory game, and we will be sentenced to burn at the stake for forsaking the teachings of the good book of Nicholson.
I have heard that we will be torched wearing Arse*** shirts (eternal damnation) on a pyre of Emirates matchday programmes.
(NB - this post is intended to intoduce a little levity into a turgid thread that is becoming tedious by the minute, hopefully people will accept that, and not use it as further proof to add a good Stoning into the punishment. After all, all I said was "that was a lovely bit of Halibut, that would be fit for Jehova....)