Weekend Football

[South Coast Royal]

VAR trying their best to screw Liverpool over again. No way should Macca’s ricochet have been disallowed. PGMOL can breathe a relief they managed get another.

I know my eyes aren't great but I thought the ball just hit Macca's back and I'm not sure that the point of the elbow would have produced enough power especially as he didn't make any additional movement of the arm.
Justice done by the VAR approved goal.

Hopefully it was just an off day for Liverpool but they were generally lifeless-no coincidence that when Jones plays they are less effective and certainly don't gain anything in the tackling and defensive departments.
A good run of fixtures should see them make a strong impact on the top 3 or 4.as long as the mojo returns.

Didn't watch the whole game but I'd say Salah is at least as much to blame as Jones.

He looks pretty hopeless right now.

Yes, Salah is and always has been an enigma, somebody who really only operates in the opposition's half.

He is at his best when Liverpool break quickly and he then scores or assists.
Yesterday ,and in a number of games this season, the tactic has generally been the opposite with a slow build up and then chances created more from intricate passing in the more forward areas and we have seen how Wirtz can impact play within this style.

It does feel as though the "give it to Salah" may have gone past its sell-by date and I can see the young winger getting more game time as the season progresses with Gakpo and Salah being used more from the bench.
Compared with City and Arsenal Liverpool does not have as much good back-up in a number of positions apart from in goal and of course in the striking area when Isak finally gets fit.

[Sutekh]

I know my eyes aren't great but I thought the ball just hit Macca's back and I'm not sure that the point of the elbow would have produced enough power especially as he didn't make any additional movement of the arm.

MacAllister himself said it hit him on the elbow as well as his back and he accepted that was the rule. Guess he might have been a bit less sanguine about it they hadn't won the match.
Its a rule I don't agree with as I don't think its right that a handball is treated differently if its an attacker and it results in a goal compared to it happening in any other scenario.

Oh, for the good old principle that intent is the thing that matters in handball decisions. Might not be VAR-friendly but it makes a whole lot more sense in deciding if something should be allowed or not.

This is exactly the sort of stupid decision that gets made thanks to the idiot law fiddling dictated by IFAB, player has back to ball, his arm is not in an unnatural position, he is not seeking to fan an advantage - in any sane world the goal would stand.

Out of interest if that exact same thing happened, only it was, say, Murillo rather than MacAllister who the ball hit I wonder if a penalty would have been given.

[Royal Rother]

Well I won’t be bothering with the 2nd half of that shiteshow.

[BRO_BOT]

[BRO_BOT]

Well I won’t be bothering with the 2nd half of that shiteshow.

Has been pretty shite, terrible conditions. The pitch looks really slow, which is the only excuse for the poor passing

Great counterattack goal from Sesko, all about the pass from Cunha.

also, It's about time they banned the pressure on goalkeepers from corners

[Winston Biscuit]

Man Utd's run in doesn't look too bad at all tbh.

[Royal Rother]

Well I won’t be bothering with the 2nd half of that shiteshow.

Has been pretty shite, terrible conditions. The pitch looks really slow, which is the only excuse for the poor passing

Great counterattack goal from Sesko, all about the pass from Cunha.

also, It's about time they banned the pressure on goalkeepers from corners

As has been said elsewhere, ideally, the only player allowed in the 6 yard area as a corner is taken should be the 'keeper.

Trouble is, that would bring a whole new level of VAR shite that would slow the game down even more - "oh, his toenail was inside the box". Average of 10 corners per game - it would be horrible.

As is known on here, I have always been a bit of an Arsenal fan boy, but I feel a bit weird atm. I don't like them very much this season and I am quite enjoying Man Utd's resurgence (if it can be called that just yet).

[Winston Biscuit]

Walsall continuing to do a Walsall last night in League 2 I see

also I just learned that Harrogate, who are 2nd from bottom but have 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4 games, have had the same manager for 17 seasons, and he is the son of the owner.

[Sanguine]

Walsall continuing to do a Walsall last night in League 2 I see

also I just learned that Harrogate, who are 2nd from bottom but have 2 wins and 2 draws in their last 4 games, have had the same manager for 17 seasons, and he is the son of the owner.

Quite the family achievement - I assume chairman Irving Weaver has some cash. His son Simon became player manager at Harrogate Town in 2009, and his Dad became chairman two years later. At the time they had average crowds of barely 300 and were playing in the sixth tier. Simon Weaver has now managed 825 games at the club, guiding them to two promotions and a FA Trophy win.

[Sanguine]

Liverpool go to Wolves in the Premier League on Weds 3rd March, and then go to Wolves in the FA Cup on Sat 6th March. Wonder how often this has happened? Probably more often than I think.

[BRO_BOT]

Well I won’t be bothering with the 2nd half of that shiteshow.

Has been pretty shite, terrible conditions. The pitch looks really slow, which is the only excuse for the poor passing

Great counterattack goal from Sesko, all about the pass from Cunha.

also, It's about time they banned the pressure on goalkeepers from corners

As has been said elsewhere, ideally, the only player allowed in the 6 yard area as a corner is taken should be the 'keeper.

Trouble is, that would bring a whole new level of VAR shite that would slow the game down even more - "oh, his toenail was inside the box". Average of 10 corners per game - it would be horrible.

As is known on here, I have always been a bit of an Arsenal fan boy, but I feel a bit weird atm. I don't like them very much this season and I am quite enjoying Man Utd's resurgence (if it can be called that just yet).

Although no individual player is committing a foul, if multiple players are doing it, blow up for obstruction.

In the manner of circling a player with the other 10 players and pushing up the field is illegal

I think NFL refs did something similar with that tactic of bundling the quarterback over the line

[Sanguine]

PGMOL has to do something about this.

[Sutekh]

Agree, this sort of crowding at corners needs to have something done about it globally. I absolutely detest the stupidity of it all as it nearly always develops into ridiculous pushing and shoving and the ref only too eager to blow the whistle and give a free kick to the defending team.

Don’t “set piece” coaches have any fresh ideas that don’t involve this childish behaviour, Rather watch a clever move than the same old boring cr@p time after time.

It needs to be a proper FIFA/IFAB amendment not the authorities just saying we’ve asked refs to look at it more closely.

Definitely suggest “only goalkeepers being allowed in the 6 yard box” as a start. Any encroachment, before - in England - the corner kick is inevitably kicked at the nearest defender, to result in a free kick or penalty depending which team does the naughty.

Can already see VAR stepping in to award a penalty ‘cos the centre back had his bootlace straying onto the 6 yard line. Then the endless hours of fun as the system is used to analyse whether it was the defender or attacker who encroached first!

Even more interesting change might be “only goalkeepers being allowed in the penalty area” - at least that might generate some creative set pieces.

[Sanguine]

I think it's pretty easily solved actually by referees 'looking at it closely' for a few weeks. Blow up for what is obvious obstruction of the keeper, over and over again, and teams will soon get the message.