Sport Football Thread 2011/2012

[Plissken]

To advise for penalties and ball crossing the line.

[Swallow]

Probably been mentioned but Spurs looked like they could have done with Pienaar yesterday, especially given his performance for Everon. Harry seems completely unable to manage a squad.

[The Fox]

Hmm we did hit the crossbar but apparently we played well and couldn't finish.... hmmm nah we aren't as bad as Liverpool (yet)

Well after watching on MOTD it didn't really seem like this at all. Seemed to me that 'Arry got his team selection and tactics all wrong for about the eighth game in a row, and Norwich were denied two clear penalties. They looked worthy winners from the highlights, though that doesn't always tell the full story.

But yeah, lolSpurs.

[Charliemouse]

Probably been mentioned but Spurs looked like they could have done with Pienaar yesterday, especially given his performance for Everon. Harry seems completely unable to manage a squad.

Harry does seem to have his favourites and his attempts so shoe horn in Defoe could well end up costing us a Champions League place.

[redbloodcell]

Well after watching on MOTD it didn't really seem like this at all. Seemed to me that 'Arry got his team selection and tactics all wrong for about the eighth game in a row, and Norwich were denied two clear penalties. They looked worthy winners from the highlights, though that doesn't always tell the full story.

But yeah, lolSpurs.

Nah that pretty much sums it up. King is totally done sadly, Saha didn't have any joy and then when things went pear shaped Harry did nothing to change how we were playing. Unless of course he thought joylessly hoofing it over our midfield was a good idea and working great, in which case he's an idiot.

[Rev]

Harry does seem to have his favourites and his attempts so shoe horn in Defoe could well end up costing us a Champions League place.

It's a slightly strange way to run a football team, but it does seem to work. The ones that are the favourites do seem to be for good reason - they work and they're good. The trouble is that makes the second-string either non-existant or massively undermined.

[Charliemouse]

It's a slightly strange way to run a football team, but it does seem to work. The ones that are the favourites do seem to be for good reason - they work and they're good. The trouble is that makes the second-string either non-existant or massively undermined.

I just wish Defoe was not one of his favourites.

[El Pibe]

Listening to 'Arry's post match interview was interesting. He seemed to blaming other people for his team selection yesterday, which was strange. Along the lines of

'Other people have said we should play x formation, I played that today, and it doesn't work'

Bizarre.

[Charliemouse]

Listening to 'Arry's post match interview was interesting. He seemed to blaming other people for his team selection yesterday, which was strange. Along the lines of

'Other people have said we should play x formation, I played that today, and it doesn't work'

Bizarre.

That is bullshit, he even admitted last week , we play best in a 4-3-3 formation and it was the way forward for us, It is also the formation that all the youth teams play in.

[Rsdio]

Not having Sky I've been sceptical of the weird turnaround in Gary Neville's reputation of late. But then I watched this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBaDDC6ca08

There really is more insight in that seven minutes than there's been on the BBC coverage all season. Watching Lawro wrestle with one of those contraptions would probably be worth the license fee on its own, mind.

[Art Vandelay]

I was in Milan over the weekend and after having been to the AC game, got led through the Gazzette by an Italian speaker and saw their televised coverage it's fair to say I've had to reframe what I'd consider 'obsessive'. The level of detail they go into tactically is ridiculous, just page after page after page of analysis and opinion of what went on over the game, rather than the absurd soap opera coverage we endure over here.

The San Siro is a bonkers ground too. Fantastic, but designed by someone completely certifiable. Good to see Cassano back too, the crowd went bananas when he strolled on.

[Rev]

Not having Sky I've been sceptical of the weird turnaround in Gary Neville's reputation of late. But then I watched this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBaDDC6ca08

There really is more insight in that seven minutes than there's been on the BBC coverage all season. Watching Lawro wrestle with one of those contraptions would probably be worth the license fee on its own, mind.

There's more insight in that static video preview than there has been on the BBC all season, let alone pressing play.

[Stig]

So the FA have pretty much condoned diving and inept officiating by not over turning Derrys red card. Apparantely he "denied a clear goal scoring opportunity". How you can do that on a player clearly offside is beyond me. The FA must have been watching something different to everyone else.

It really does seem that unless it's benefits them they don't give a shit. They were up in arms trying to get Rooneys ban reduced even though he clearly kicked someone on purpose but they just ignore situations like this when it clear it was a dive by a player offside. Absolutely pathetic and spineless organisation.

[toythatkills]

Days later and they still get the decision wrong. Doesn't really sell the idea of having TV replays to help referees make decisions at the time.

"Is it a penalty? Find out next Thursday when the game resumes!"

[Daley]

They have also let Balotelli off with his horrific potential leg breaker on Song as "one of the officials saw it". Which then leads me to the question if they saw it why the fuck wasn't it even a free kick?

[exwhyzed]

The only gave a racist a few games ban as well. Need to sort their act out.

[Chewylegs]

So the FA have pretty much condoned diving and inept officiating by not over turning Derrys red card. Apparantely he "denied a clear goal scoring opportunity". How you can do that on a player clearly offside is beyond me. The FA must have been watching something different to everyone

You have got to be having a fucking laugh?! Even if it wasn't offside, it wasn't even a bloody foul!! Fucking jokers, of course it was QPR against Man U though.

[Rsdio]

The only explanation I can see for all of this is that Jonathan Pearce also works for the FA.

[BlinkyBear]

That the FA are taking no action over the Balotelli tackle is a fucking disgrace. The Derry card is one thing and bad enough, but how can they spend all year getting refs to send off players for tackles that might endanger players but take no action over the Balotelli tackle? It's ludicrous and a fucking sham and I'm fucking sick of, the inept cunts.

[redbloodcell]

So the FA have pretty much condoned diving and inept officiating by not over turning Derrys red card. Apparantely he "denied a clear goal scoring opportunity". How you can do that on a player clearly offside is beyond me. The FA must have been watching something different to everyone else.

It really does seem that unless it's benefits them they don't give a shit. They were up in arms trying to get Rooneys ban reduced even though he clearly kicked someone on purpose but they just ignore situations like this when it clear it was a dive by a player offside. Absolutely pathetic and spineless organisation.

FA in 'c*nts' non-shocker unfortunately, they're more detrimental to English football than anything else I can think of.

Good to see Cassano back too, the crowd went bananas when he strolled on.

Even though it'll be a boost to AC right at the business end of the season it's great to see him return!

[bowser123]

First thing is that I agree with the sentiment that it was offside and thus shouldn't have mattered whether he was fouled or not. That he dived is also hugely annoying for all involved.

The thing is the FA have got the decision right and it's the only thing they could have done. They are not allowed to re-referee games and thus only act on cases that the ref missed or got wrong through misidentification.

The fact is the ref saw the "foul" and deemed it denying a goalscoring opportunity. We know it was offside but this is irrelevant. Unless the ref comes out and says he got it wrong the FA also can't say he dived as the ref "saw contact" and decided it was enough.

Thus the only thing the FA can do is answer the question is this incident (a foul in the box denying a clear shot) worthy of a red card? The answer is yes, a foul denying such an opportunity is a red.

Like I say the decision by the ref and linesman is wrong, and the ref is made irrelevant due to the offside, but the FA can't start retrospectively re-referee every game for obvious reasons.

Quite why they didn't ban Balotelli is beyond me though, that's clearly serious dangerous play and most definitely was missed by the ref so they could and should have acted.

[Art Vandelay]

If the FA carry on as they are the Premiership will eat itself before long. There's not an inexhaustible supply of morons willing to put up with this shit, despite what they may have convinced themselves.

[a big boy]

First thing is that I agree with the sentiment that it was offside and thus shouldn't have mattered whether he was fouled or not. That he dived is also hugely annoying for all involved.

The thing is the FA have got the decision right and it's the only thing they could have done. They are not allowed to re-referee games and thus only act on cases that the ref missed or got wrong through misidentification.

The fact is the ref saw the "foul" and deemed it denying a goalscoring opportunity. We know it was offside but this is irrelevant. Unless the ref comes out and says he got it wrong the FA also can't say he dived as the ref "saw contact" and decided it was enough.

Thus the only thing the FA can do is answer the question is this incident (a foul in the box denying a clear shot) worthy of a red card? The answer is yes, a foul denying such an opportunity is a red.

Like I say the decision by the ref and linesman is wrong, and the ref is made irrelevant due to the offside, but the FA can't start retrospectively re-referee every game for obvious reasons.

Quite why they didn't ban Balotelli is beyond me though, that's clearly serious dangerous play and most definitely was missed by the ref so they could and should have acted.

I think you're right, but if the whole system depends on refs owning up to their mistakes then the obvious solution is to put pressure on them to do so. There should be someone sitting at the FA who realises incidents like these are making them look a laughing stock, and promoting / relegating refs through the leagues according to their honesty. Then you'd get refs falling over themselves to admit their mistakes and see justice done, rather than cowardly hiding in the background all week while appeals against their ridiculous decisions get thrown out, only to pop up once again the following weekend and repeat the same old shit all over.

[dizogg]

If the FA carry on as they are the Premiership will eat itself before long. There's not an inexhaustible supply of morons willing to put up with this shit, despite what they may have convinced themselves.

There pretty much is. I'm still watching

[Timmo]

I'm finding football in general more entertaining than ever, I can't get enough. That it's so overblown, corrupt and in some ways broken makes it all the more interesting for me.

[a big boy]

We're all still watching. And we will be next season regardless.

[bowser123]

I think you're right, but if the whole system depends on refs owning up to their mistakes then the obvious solution is to put pressure on them to do so. There should be someone sitting at the FA who realises incidents like these are making them look a laughing stock, and promoting / relegating refs through the leagues according to their honesty. Then you'd get refs falling over themselves to admit their mistakes and see justice done, rather than cowardly hiding in the background all week while appeals against their ridiculous decisions get thrown out, only to pop up once again the following weekend and repeat the same old shit all over.

They do take some action by demoting the officials, though how this helps the teams in lower leagues I don't know.

Thing is if the ref accepts he's wrong then he's liable to be punished. As it is the linesman will be in trouble for fucking up but the ref won't be as he saw contact and thought it was enough. There was contact and the guy deliberately stretched his arm out so technically it may be a foul. His intent was there for sure though personally I don't think he succeeded.

Though I totally agree that there was no where near enough contact to send him flying and personally think that if such contact is penalised then it's a very wrong thing. But it works both ways. Do you remember that penalty United conceded when Berbatov pulled Sambas shirt at home this season? I think that was definitely a foul as he unfairly impeded the man and the pen was the right decision. Thing is Samba is 8 foot tall and 6 foot wide and I don't think for one second the force used would have pulled him over, he exaggerated the contact to ensure he got the decision. Personally I don't have an issue as Samba was fouled, but technically he dived, didn't he?

It's all a mess. What Gary Neville said was really interesting. It's too long to post here but I'd recommend reading it, he's on about diving:

http://www.dailymail...ont-ground.html

[SaintM]

Oh my lol. Do Liverpool have a 3rd keeper on the books?

[Gambit]

Kind of feel sorry for him. This was his big break to show what could do.

[Shevchenko]

Worst penalty I've ever seen by Yakubu.