Yeovil Town (H) League 1 Saturday 9/2/08.

[shrewsbury saddler]

Awful game, good result. Bad pitch, poor ref, cynical opposition. We definitely started to look a lot better when Nicholls and Taundry came on, and I think that says much for both of them. Nicholls in particular had perhaps the best spell I have seen him play - Taundry we already know is a class act, and looks at home in centre mid. Betsy didn't do very much for me - its early days, but I've seen Deeney play far better in that position - and Troy definitely had a bad one as striker today. Mooney likewise didn't get much joy, but he was poorly protected by the ref and continuously flattened, and needlessly booked when it looked like the oppo keeper had merely landed badly after a fair challenge - I'd appreciate the views of our resident refs on this guy's performance, because for me Betsy's booking was also tripe, whilst he let a lot of cynical stuff go completely unpunished. Anyway, whilst anything from Swansea would be a bonus, I'm expecting some useful additions to the squad before the month is out, and today was perhaps evening out Carlisle, where we played far better but got nothing.

Agree with all the football comments, there. Regarding the referee, I don't think that he was "poor". I have seen better but I have also seen a lot worse. The caution for Holmes was fully justified but the one for Betsy was not, imho, as he had not had chance to move away to allow the kick to be taken.

Mooney's caution was a "grey" area. He DID foul the 'keeper who, in turn, was GENUINELY injured when he landed awkwardly, as a result of Mooney's challenge. I do wish that certain WFC supporters could remove their blinkers when assessing referees and try to be impartial (fat chance!). Mooney is a classic case in point. Do our fans ever watch him closely? He is a crafty old fox who knows every trick in the book. Most centre-backs are very tall and Mooney clearly isn't, so he uses guile to overcome this. He leans low into his marker, often leaning forward slightly (calm down, YGA Saddler!). He then takes one pace smartly backwards, under the marker's centre of gravity, thus causing the marker to to appear to be "climbing all over" Mooney's back. Mooney does this, in every game that he plays, and it is amazing how many times that he gets away with it! Not only are referees deceived by this tactic but also many Walsall supporters. I just wish that they would remove their red-and-white spectacles, occasionally.

I agree with some of that.The ref wasn't the worst I'd seen.He set the agenda when he booked Yeovil's Church for standing over a Walsall free kick.After that ,the booking of Betsy was consistent.My objection to Mooney's booking was that he clearly was just going to play on with a free kick until it turned out that the keeper had got injured by falling badly,not as a direct result of Mooney's foul.That could have happened as easily had the challenge been fair or even if there'd been no challenge.

[fensaddler]

Thnaks for that pedagogue - I was rather hoping for some of your insight on this. Mooney is wily, and I wondered whether he genuinely was being clattered, or whether it was crafty play acting - still not sure, though I've no doubt he's learnt to make the best of everything. I never felt the ref quite had a grip on the game, and he seemed to miss stuff, and then flap and over-react. Like most people, I was a long way from the Mooney incident with their keeper, but it really didn't look like anymore than a genuine, fair challenge for the ball, as a result of which the keeper landed awkwardly and got injured. He did pick up and punish a series of bad fouls and late challenges, particularly in the second half - but then he also missed a few as well.

[geoffwhiting]

For the record pedagogue, I thought yesterday's ref was one of the poorest we've had at Banks's this season. As you know, I've not been over-critical of refs this season, but this one deserved to be picked out. Maybe poor reffing contributed to the lack of quality of the game overall, maybe not, but it didn't help as he gave so many unnecessary decisions and missed so many more obvious offences.

If that WAS a foul by Mooney, which I doubt but would like the oportunity to see again, it certainly was NOT deserving of a booking and the ref was well out of order in that respect. The fact that a 'keeper falls awkwardly is not a justification to brandish the yellow card against his opponent.

There were a number of cynical fouls from Yeovil players, more so after Betsy's goal when they realised they weren't going to get anything from a game that they came to close down and draw. Probably the worst incident came near the end of the match, right in front of me on the Text 64446 stand side. A blatant forearm smash that took Nicholls out of the game was not even rewarded with a free-kick as I recall. A certain red card offence there, and the ref was not far away. How could he possibly miss that? That incident alone justifies me saying he was poor as he blatantly failed to apply the laws of the game to what was not just a foul, but a serious assault on our player.

I'd also like to highlight the stupidity of our fans (mainly emanating from the Floors-2-Go stand) whose angry reaction to Mildenhall's injury was quite unbelievable. Do they not know that you can't just take a 'keeper off and treat him on the touchline as you might in the case of an outfield player? The attitude and ignorance of those "fans" was shameful. One fan behind me even raged at the ref for not making the 'keeper leave the pitch after his injury! The ignorance of the laws is truly amazing.

That reminds me of another issue with the ref - first-half stoppage time - THREE minutes. How laughable was that? It was the subject of much discussion that I overheard in the Bonser Suite at half-time, and every comment I heard questioned the ref's decision. The 'keeper incident alone went on for more than three minutes, and I'd estimate that overall the correct addition would have been 5 minutes minimum, maybe even 6 minutes or thereabouts. How could that happen, did he forget to stop his watch until the 'keeper had been treated for a couple of minutes, or what? However, such an error was certainly not out of character for this guy.

[Gaz the Train]

No way was mooneys or Betsy a booking, Betsy legitimately went for the ball as they played a quick free kick. The Yeovil player had the choice of waiting until everyone is 10 yards away but chose not to, the ref had not hurried KB back (because it all happened in a flash so there was no way he could have got 10 yards in that time) the Yeovil player played the ball and Betsy intercepted it, play on. I also noticed a lot of climbing and holding at long balls went their way and not outs, both attacking and defending, perhaps its just my bias.

Skivertons haymaker on Nicholls was appaling though and I hope Alex is ok after a bright period on the pitch, certainly a red card and I hope that video evidence is sent to the FA and this thug is punished, I'm actually that disgusted that I have sold Terry Skiverton from my championship manager game today

[WFC_Rob]

This thing players do when they kick the ball at an opposition player who is standing near the dead ball is getting ridiculous because of referees like yesterdays. Betsy's booking was just madness. How is he supposed to get away from the position of the free kick just 2 seconds after it's been given. Players shouldn't have the liberty of being able to just kick the ball at an opposition to get them booked. It's the referee who gives them this liberty though, and yesterday's ref was one of those who looks like he's never played the game.

As frustrating as it was to see our players being booked by an incompetent referee, I found it interesting that we didn't do the same as their players. I don't think it's hypocritical to suggest that once the ref had made it clear he'd give a booking every time a similar incident occurred, we could have done the same to get yellow cards handed out to their players.

[Registered Saddler]

Just to weigh in to this referee debate, I agree with Pedagogue that Mooney does his fair share of backing in and the first-half incident was too far away for me to see if he did that then. But generally he only plays for the free-kicks when it is clear that we won't be getting them any other way. In the first half, everything went the way of Yeovil - and the ref continually punished Roper even though Andy Kirk was doing exactly what Mooney supposedly did on the keeper! No sign of a booking there.

The booking for Betsy was ridiculous and just emphasised that the ref knew all about the laws and nothing about the game. The HL Fellows stand were pretty adamant that we should have had a pen in the first half too. Injury time was a joke - more in the second half than the first...really?! And what was the deal with the half-time sub? The guy knew he was going to come on from about five minutes after the first half finished and yet he wasn't ready to start the game for three or four minutes after the players were out on the pitch. If that had been anyone else, the game would have started without him.

[King Crimson]

I'd also like to highlight the stupidity of our fans (mainly emanating from the Floors-2-Go stand) whose angry reaction to Mildenhall's injury was quite unbelievable. Do they not know that you can't just take a 'keeper off and treat him on the touchline as you might in the case of an outfield player? The attitude and ignorance of those "fans" was shameful. One fan behind me even raged at the ref for not making the 'keeper leave the pitch after his injury! The ignorance of the laws is truly amazing.

That reminds me of another issue with the ref - first-half stoppage time - THREE minutes. How laughable was that?

The keeper isn't compelled to leave the field, Geoff - as you rightly say, BUT with that in mind, the manager/physio etc. have to make a decision as to whether he's fit to continue so that the game can resume. The to-ing and fro-ing of the keeper and physio, while 21 other players and 5000 fans sit twiddling their thumbs wasn't great. No doubt they would have made a decision to take the keeper off had they had a substitute on the bench.

Perhaps the frustration of the home crowd IS justified with your other comment I've highlighted. We're at home, against a mid-table team and we're on top but we haven't scored. It's pretty much a fact in football that you NEVER get the time lost through injuries/substitutions etc. back in 'stoppage time'. The three minutes was a joke, but it wouldn't have been funny had we dominated all game and failed to convert a chance, due to unavoidable stoppages and cynical time-wasting on their part. I remember Boston at home last season as a case in point.

How long should they have been allowed to make a decision on their goalkeeper's fitness?

[LancsSaddler]

Awful game, good result. Bad pitch, poor ref, cynical opposition. We definitely started to look a lot better when Nicholls and Taundry came on, and I think that says much for both of them. Nicholls in particular had perhaps the best spell I have seen him play - Taundry we already know is a class act, and looks at home in centre mid. Betsy didn't do very much for me - its early days, but I've seen Deeney play far better in that position - and Troy definitely had a bad one as striker today. Mooney likewise didn't get much joy, but he was poorly protected by the ref and continuously flattened, and needlessly booked when it looked like the oppo keeper had merely landed badly after a fair challenge - I'd appreciate the views of our resident refs on this guy's performance, because for me Betsy's booking was also tripe, whilst he let a lot of cynical stuff go completely unpunished. Anyway, whilst anything from Swansea would be a bonus, I'm expecting some useful additions to the squad before the month is out, and today was perhaps evening out Carlisle, where we played far better but got nothing.

Agree with all the football comments, there. Regarding the referee, I don't think that he was "poor". I have seen better but I have also seen a lot worse. The caution for Holmes was fully justified but the one for Betsy was not, imho, as he had not had chance to move away to allow the kick to be taken.

Mooney's caution was a "grey" area. He DID foul the 'keeper who, in turn, was GENUINELY injured when he landed awkwardly, as a result of Mooney's challenge. I do wish that certain WFC supporters could remove their blinkers when assessing referees and try to be impartial (fat chance!). Mooney is a classic case in point. Do our fans ever watch him closely? He is a crafty old fox who knows every trick in the book. Most centre-backs are very tall and Mooney clearly isn't, so he uses guile to overcome this. He leans low into his marker, often leaning forward slightly (calm down, YGA Saddler!). He then takes one pace smartly backwards, under the marker's centre of gravity, thus causing the marker to to appear to be "climbing all over" Mooney's back. Mooney does this, in every game that he plays, and it is amazing how many times that he gets away with it! Not only are referees deceived by this tactic but also many Walsall supporters. I just wish that they would remove their red-and-white spectacles, occasionally.

how can you say that mooney DID foul their keeper, and then claim that the referee was NOT poor. Mooney was backing up to challenge for a header and the keeper went straight over his back. This WAS the keepers fault for jumping over mooneys head, not mooneys fault for challenging for the ball. he was facing the ball not the keeper.

however, if we take the view point that you are correct and it WAS a foul by mooney. then how can you claim that the referee was NOT poor when he gave numerous decisions against roper (and the yeovil centre back) for identical (if not as dramatic) challenges where they jumped over a player in an attempt to get to the ball as the player backed in??

i'll accept that referees will make bad decisions, however what really gets to me is the total lack of consistency in referees during games, let alone between different referees! the consistency levels are a joke! As a referee, can you explain to me why referees do not stick to applying the same rules in the same way during games??

[tinned]

I'd also like to highlight the stupidity of our fans (mainly emanating from the Floors-2-Go stand) whose angry reaction to Mildenhall's injury was quite unbelievable. Do they not know that you can't just take a 'keeper off and treat him on the touchline as you might in the case of an outfield player? The attitude and ignorance of those "fans" was shameful. One fan behind me even raged at the ref for not making the 'keeper leave the pitch after his injury! The ignorance of the laws is truly amazing.

I think what angered the fans was the way the keeper kept getting up and then throwing himself back down on the pitch. He was either fit enough to continue or he wasn't, the extended theatrics we were subjected to were most unwarranted.

That reminds me of another issue with the ref - first-half stoppage time - THREE minutes. How laughable was that? It was the subject of much discussion that I overheard in the Bonser Suite at half-time, and every comment I heard questioned the ref's decision. The 'keeper incident alone went on for more than three minutes, and I'd estimate that overall the correct addition would have been 5 minutes minimum, maybe even 6 minutes or thereabouts. How could that happen, did he forget to stop his watch until the 'keeper had been treated for a couple of minutes, or what? However, such an error was certainly not out of character for this guy.

And how the hell did he manage to clock up 5 minutes at the end of the game? Did he hold some over from the first half? What a total and utter knob that bloke was :x

[Pedagogue]

....... can you explain to me why referees do not stick to applying the same rules in the same way during games??

No

[Registered Saddler]

....... can you explain to me why referees do not stick to applying the same rules in the same way during games??

No

My theory is that some refs operate partially on guesswork, partially on reactions of the players and partially on what will get the crowd off their back. There was one game this weekend - Leicester I think - when the ball was bouncing around in a crowded box and hit someone on the hand. The Leicester players all appealed immediately for handball and the ref didn't give it - entirely correctly because it was impossible for him to adjudicate from the position he was in. I'm convinced that at least half the refs in the league would have 'guessed' it was handball from the reaction of Leicester players and crowd.

Incidentally, is there any way of cloning Howard Webb and getting him to ref every match? He was excellent in the Manchester derby, yet again, and seems to be one of the few who understands the game as well as the laws.

[Pedagogue]

Incidentally, is there any way of cloning Howard Webb and getting him to ref every match? He was excellent in the Manchester derby, yet again, and seems to be one of the few who understands the game as well as the laws.

Howard Webb is currently our top referee and may well referee the European Championship Final, this summer. It's a pity that Alan Wiley is not a bit younger so that he could have got the international recognition that he deserved.

[geoffwhiting]

I'd also like to highlight the stupidity of our fans (mainly emanating from the Floors-2-Go stand) whose angry reaction to Mildenhall's injury was quite unbelievable. Do they not know that you can't just take a 'keeper off and treat him on the touchline as you might in the case of an outfield player? The attitude and ignorance of those "fans" was shameful. One fan behind me even raged at the ref for not making the 'keeper leave the pitch after his injury! The ignorance of the laws is truly amazing.

I think what angered the fans was the way the keeper kept getting up and then throwing himself back down on the pitch. He was either fit enough to continue or he wasn't, the extended theatrics we were subjected to were most unwarranted.

That reminds me of another issue with the ref - first-half stoppage time - THREE minutes. How laughable was that? It was the subject of much discussion that I overheard in the Bonser Suite at half-time, and every comment I heard questioned the ref's decision. The 'keeper incident alone went on for more than three minutes, and I'd estimate that overall the correct addition would have been 5 minutes minimum, maybe even 6 minutes or thereabouts. How could that happen, did he forget to stop his watch until the 'keeper had been treated for a couple of minutes, or what? However, such an error was certainly not out of character for this guy.

And how the hell did he manage to clock up 5 minutes at the end of the game? Did he hold some over from the first half? What a total and utter knob that bloke was :x

He clearly had a bad injury, and if he got up a few times to test if he could stand on his injured leg/ankle, what the hell is wrong with that ? It was a total embarrassment to hear our fans demonstrating a total misunderstanding of what was going on.

They had NO reserve keeper, and Mildenhall HAD TO be given time to recover. He didn't come out second half, doesn't that also tell us something?

[Pedagogue]

I agree with Geoff - the abuse and vilification, aimed at the Yeovil bench by, of all people, those in the middle blocks of the TEXT999OAP Stand (not Mrs. Cyclo, North Staffs Saddler or myself, I hasten to add) had to be heard to be believed! One gentleman was actually challenged and warned about his language by Dave Storr. Some comment about sexual intercourse and an illegitimate child, aimed at Russell Slade, I think it was.

[King Crimson]

He clearly had a bad injury, and if he got up a few times to test if he could stand on his injured leg/ankle, what the hell is wrong with that ? It was a total embarrassment to hear our fans demonstrating a total misunderstanding of what was going on.

They had NO reserve keeper, and Mildenhall HAD TO be given time to recover. He didn't come out second half, doesn't that also tell us something?

There's nothing wrong with testing whether you're fit to continue, with the physio OFF the pitch and the game being played. The game is stopped so a player can receive attention, not so he can assure himself and the manager that he's fit to continue. How often do we see outfield players receive treatment, resume play and have to hobble around until they are either back up to speed or subbed off? Why does there have to be any 'misunderstanding of what's going on'? As I posted above, everyone knows you never get all the time of a stoppage back.

The fact that they had no reserve keeper isn't our fault, and shouldn't be a factor in applying sense to refereeing.

I'll ask the question again. How much time should Mildenhall have been given, whilst we all sat around doing nowt, and the players stood around seizing up?

[Plastic Hawk]

He clearly had a bad injury, and if he got up a few times to test if he could stand on his injured leg/ankle, what the hell is wrong with that ? It was a total embarrassment to hear our fans demonstrating a total misunderstanding of what was going on.

They had NO reserve keeper, and Mildenhall HAD TO be given time to recover. He didn't come out second half, doesn't that also tell us something?

There's nothing wrong with testing whether you're fit to continue, with the physio OFF the pitch and the game being played. The game is stopped so a player can receive attention, not so he can assure himself and the manager that he's fit to continue. How often do we see outfield players receive treatment, resume play and have to hobble around until they are either back up to speed or subbed off? Why does there have to be any 'misunderstanding of what's going on'? As I posted above, everyone knows you never get all the time of a stoppage back.

The fact that they had no reserve keeper isn't our fault, and shouldn't be a factor in applying sense to refereeing.

I'll ask the question again. How much time should Mildenhall have been given, whilst we all sat around doing nowt, and the players stood around seizing up?

Absolutely. In fact, I'm pretty sure that they knew that Mildenhall had to go off pretty early on but wanted to string it out until half time so that Walsall didn't know there was going to be an outfield player in goal until after they came out for the second half (and many of our players may not even have realized he wasn't a recognized keeper at first). I think we could have expected the new keeper to have been tested out much more thoroughly early in the second half if DD had had 15 minutes to talk to the team about the situation.

I think that if a player requires as much lengthy attention as Mildenhall did then it's fairly obvious that either he's not going to be able to continue or his team are wasting time. The ref should have taken firm action much earlier and told Yeovil that either he had to go off (on a stretcher) or they had to restart the game.

And as for "he HAD to be given time to recover", that doesn't make any sense. If he's out cold then does he have to be given ten minutes to come round and get his bearings back because they didn't have a sub keeper? Of course not. Yeovil only have themselves to blame for not having a keeper on the bench. It's utterly stupid in these days of five subs and they just have to deal with it.

[tinned]

They had NO reserve keeper, and Mildenhall HAD TO be given time to recover. He didn't come out second half, doesn't that also tell us something?

Yeah, tells us he was in no state to continue and should have been substituted instead of wasting 5 or 6 minutes of everybody's life. It's nobody's problem but Yeovil's that they didn't have a kepper on the bench. PH's comment above about what wouyld've happened if the keeper was out cold for 10 minutes is spot on.

[Neuromantic]

Could we technically have kicked off without their goalkeeper, as we had to wait 5 minutes for him to eneter the field! That wound me up as well, rabble.

[Plastic Hawk]

Could we technically have kicked off without their goalkeeper, as we had to wait 5 minutes for him to eneter the field! That wound me up as well, rabble.

Don't think so. Don't the rules demand that one player (on the pitch) is a nominated keeper and he has to wear different kit? So we'd have had to go through the same palaver for someone else to get the shirt on even if the ref hadn't waited for the substitution.

Personally, I think he should have been booked for time wasting (or delay of the game or unsportsmanlike conduct or something) when he did eventually arrive.

[WFC_Rob]

To be honest, without mentioning any names, I've seen worse goalkeeping performances from so-called 'recognised' goalkeepers. :lol:

[Mike T.]

Could we technically have kicked off without their goalkeeper, as we had to wait 5 minutes for him to eneter the field! That wound me up as well, rabble.

I was wondering that at the time as well. I think what truly wound up the F2G stand was the fact the sub/keeper had been out for 10 minutes warming up with one of their staff (who was also marking out the pitch I guess with "pointers" for the lad to establish his angles or whatever - is that still not allowed?) - the Walsall players come out for the second half - we have to wait what 3/4 minutes for Yeovil to come out - AND THEN the sub keeper has to change his kit or boots or find his gloves. It all took an eternity - I only just made it home for Match of the Day (and I live in Halesowen :lol: )

[geoffwhiting]

I have no hesitation in agreeing with a number of you about the second half delay. Yeovil had the whole of half-time to get that guy ready to come out with the team at the right time. However, to talk about that situation in terms of "time-wasting" is stupid nonsense, as the second half clock wouldn't start ticking until kick-off - that is surely obvious to everyone.

But I was at no time referring to the second-half, only to the incidents surrounding the Mildenhall injury. At the time I saw (and I still see) absolutely nothing wrong in what happened, the only difference from a more normal situation was that he naturally had to be given more time than would an injured outfield player. The trainer/medic probably told the ref that they had no substitute 'keeper on the bench, and understandably the ref would have taken that into account - at least he should have if common sense prevailed. If he got that right, then it was one of the few things he managed to get right all afternoon IMHO.

God only knows what the hell the impatience of our fans was all about. Do our fans possess no sporting instinct whatsoever? Were we all going to be late for appointments for the sake of 5-6 minutes or what? The lack of sportsmanship did us no credit whatsoever.

Furthermore, it was NOT the Yeovil manager's or team's fault that the ref failed to add on the right amount of stoppage time at the end of the first half - that was purely down to the incompetence of the referee himself. It was 3 minutes, and should have been easily 6 minutes, but the blame for that should be laid where it belongs, with the ref.

[King Crimson]

I have no hesitation in agreeing with a number of you about the second half delay. Yeovil had the whole of half-time to get that guy ready to come out with the team at the right time. However, to talk about that situation in terms of "time-wasting" is stupid nonsense, as the second half clock wouldn't start ticking until kick-off - that is surely obvious to everyone.

I didn't refer to the second half geoff and I agree that whilst it was annoying, it didn't constitute time wasting.

But I was at no time referring to the second-half, only to the incidents surrounding the Mildenhall injury. At the time I saw (and I still see) absolutely nothing wrong in what happened, the only difference from a more normal situation was that he naturally had to be given more time than would an injured outfield player. The trainer/medic probably told the ref that they had no substitute 'keeper on the bench, and understandably the ref would have taken that into account - at least he should have if common sense prevailed. If he got that right, then it was one of the few things he managed to get right all afternoon IMHO..

Why should Yeovil's team sheet have any bearing on the application of the laws of the game? The concession the goalkeeper receives due to the nature of his position is that he doesn't have to leave the field to get treatment and the game isn't resumed whilst he receives it (unless I'm wrong). Its not a concession that he gets extra time to check whether he's fit to continue - nor should it be. A bost leg is a bost leg, whether you're a striker, centre half or goalie.

God only knows what the hell the impatience of our fans was all about. Do our fans possess no sporting instinct whatsoever? Were we all going to be late for appointments for the sake of 5-6 minutes or what? The lack of sportsmanship did us no credit whatsoever...

Maybe not. But if we can gain an advantage through the misfortune of the oppo, why not take it? I don't remember Premier League Fulham asking for their goal against us in the FA Cup not to be counted because Ian Roper was having his head stitched back on after a nasty foul. Nor do I remember Yeovil giving us a point when Colin Miles slid in and broke Wrack's leg at their place a couple of years back.

Furthermore, it was NOT the Yeovil manager's or team's fault that the ref failed to add on the right amount of stoppage time at the end of the first half - that was purely down to the incompetence of the referee himself. It was 3 minutes, and should have been easily 6 minutes, but the blame for that should be laid where it belongs, with the ref.

True, but as I said above, you NEVER get all the stoppage time back, hence the annoyance of fans when an avoidable and protracted delay occurs.

[Plastic Hawk]

I have no hesitation in agreeing with a number of you about the second half delay. Yeovil had the whole of half-time to get that guy ready to come out with the team at the right time. However, to talk about that situation in terms of "time-wasting" is stupid nonsense, as the second half clock wouldn't start ticking until kick-off - that is surely obvious to everyone.

I didn't refer to the second half geoff and I agree that whilst it was annoying, it didn't constitute time wasting.

And I said "delay of the game or time wasting or unsporting behaviour" or something along those lines. I'm aware that it wasn't time wasting according to the laws of the game (and that there's no such offence as "delay of the game"), but the ref has to do something about them taking that long to get the sub on. We ended up with a half time break that lasted nearly 25 minutes (as the ref was late bringing the teams out anyway) and the game didn't finish until about 5.05. When you've got a hundred mile drive to get back home the last thing you want is to be held up waiting for some idiot to change his shorts and socks completely unnecessarily!!

[geoffwhiting]

I have no hesitation in agreeing with a number of you about the second half delay. Yeovil had the whole of half-time to get that guy ready to come out with the team at the right time. However, to talk about that situation in terms of "time-wasting" is stupid nonsense, as the second half clock wouldn't start ticking until kick-off - that is surely obvious to everyone.

I didn't refer to the second half geoff and I agree that whilst it was annoying, it didn't constitute time wasting.

And I said "delay of the game or time wasting or unsporting behaviour" or something along those lines. I'm aware that it wasn't time wasting according to the laws of the game (and that there's no such offence as "delay of the game"), but the ref has to do something about them taking that long to get the sub on. We ended up with a half time break that lasted nearly 25 minutes (as the ref was late bringing the teams out anyway) and the game didn't finish until about 5.05. When you've got a hundred mile drive to get back home the last thing you want is to be held up waiting for some idiot to change his shorts and socks completely unnecessarily!!

There was no reason for the half-time break to last any longer than normal, and the only genuine reason for a late final whistle was the injury/stoppage time at the end of both halves. Anything above and beyond that was down to the ref's failings in controlling the time-keeping.

I'm not in agreement with KC's comment about never getting the stoppage time back. While we certainly didn't get it at the end of the first half on Saturday, I can recall plenty of instances where the stoppage time has been far too much and we've said "where on earth did he get THAT MUCH added-time from?"

[tinned]

Why should Yeovil's team sheet have any bearing on the application of the laws of the game? The concession the goalkeeper receives due to the nature of his position is that he doesn't have to leave the field to get treatment and the game isn't resumed whilst he receives it (unless I'm wrong). Its not a concession that he gets extra time to check whether he's fit to continue - nor should it be. A bost leg is a bost leg, whether you're a striker, centre half or goalie.

Exactly right KC. I thought any minute he was going to ask to be able to do a lap round the pitch to loosen up :roll:

And yes, the delay was most inconvenient. It meant I had insufficient time to enjoy a post match pint before catching my train. So when the Saddlers Club are forced to increase their beer prices you'll know who to blame :wink:

[geoffwhiting]

Why should Yeovil's team sheet have any bearing on the application of the laws of the game? The concession the goalkeeper receives due to the nature of his position is that he doesn't have to leave the field to get treatment and the game isn't resumed whilst he receives it (unless I'm wrong). Its not a concession that he gets extra time to check whether he's fit to continue - nor should it be. A bost leg is a bost leg, whether you're a striker, centre half or goalie.

Exactly right KC. I thought any minute he was going to ask to be able to do a lap round the pitch to loosen up :roll:

And yes, the delay was most inconvenient. It meant I had insufficient time to enjoy a post match pint before catching my train. So when the Saddlers Club are forced to increase their beer prices you'll know who to blame :wink:

Most injured players get to loosen up and check they're OK on the touch-line, before rejoining the game. A 'keeper doesn't get that opportunity, so he gets it on the pitch, and quite rightly so.

Frankly you're just being pedantic in carrying on this argument. The 'keeper took what time was necessary, no more, no less, and no time was lost as a result, other than through the failure of the ref to measure the lost time accurately. The real problem was the unbelievable and unnecessary impatience of the fans, including apparently some of our UTS members.

Pedagogue will no doubt confirm that the ref was, in this instance, quite correct in his actions - except for the inadequate amount of injury time allowed.

[We-ARE-Walsall]

It is becoming a common theme. Another team that came to spoil the game, rather than attempt to play football, and certainly had no intention of trying to win the game. Thankfully we got the goals this week. All's well that ends well.

We must be due a win at Swansea sometime soon, as I can't ever remember seeing us win there. Tomorrow would be a good time, and we just might do it, with a solid performance, and nick a goal from a set piece.

[Pedagogue]

Pedagogue will no doubt confirm that the ref was, in this instance, quite correct in his actions - except for the inadequate amount of injury time allowed.

You are indeed correct, Sir Geoffrey, and, like you, I was puzzled by the disparate amounts of time allowed at the end of each half.

I was also disappointed by the reactions of some of our fans to Mildenhall's obvious, genuine injury. However, the incident might just encourage Russell Slade to include a goalkeeper among his substitutes! :shock:

[King Crimson]

Pedagogue will no doubt confirm that the ref was, in this instance, quite correct in his actions - except for the inadequate amount of injury time allowed.

You are indeed correct, Sir Geoffrey

They all stick together! :roll:


Just like teachers! :D