Marouane Fellaini had several moments of madness on Saturday against Stoke City as he appeared to strike out at Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross on three separate occasions. He wasn’t punished on-field for any of the violent incidents but has since been handed a three match ban by the FA for his head-butt on Shawcross. Quite simply though, is this enough?

One of a few Fellaini assaults on Shawcross.

By Marc Eadie – @Eadie84

While I do respect Fellaini for coming out after the match and apologising for his behaviour I don’t think this can take away from the severity of what happened. The head-butt appears to have done no damage to Shawcross but what if it had? What if he had received a fractured cheekbone or lost a few teeth? Shawcross could have suffered physically and, in perhaps missing a few games himself, his club would suffer.

It’s a very difficult position for Everton manager David Moyes though. I’ve always admired him and the way he carries himself and this was only furthered by his comments about Fellaini after the game – he simply stated that his player deserved to be punished for his actions. However, Fellaini is one of Everton’s best, if not best, players. When he returns he will almost certainly slot straight back into the first team and you can’t help but wonder whether Everton will come down heavily on him themselves or just try to move on from this as soon as possible to avoid unrest.

Personally, I think Moyes is such a strong character that he will have words with Fellaini to the point that the fuzzy-haired Belgian understands to the full extent how much he has disappointed his manager without driving a wedge between them. Regarding the ban by the FA, while this may be standard for such an incident, it surely has to be more for one that carries as much severity as the head-butt. In retrospect I think Fellaini has got off very lightly.

Should Marouane Fellaini have been given a longer ban? Tweet us @talkingbaws or comment below. Watch out for Nicky Boyle’s blog tomorrow.