Matthew Le God

Hasenhuttl needed the ref to explain the rules to him at the end of the game, like I have to you. Hasenhuttl has accepted the rules were followed... why can't you? https://www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/what-referee-david-coote-said-5905152

Not merely opinion. Yes there is things in the rules, I linked to rule 12 that states there is no advantage to be played if a second yellow offence occurs and there is no clear goalscoring opportunity. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-12---fouls-and-misconduct Plus, the tackle happened outside our own penalty area. That is clearly a huge distance from the West Ham goal. The organisation responsible for the rules of the sport state distance from goal is a factor. Surely you can't deny our penalty area to the West Ham goal is a huge distance?

Nope, not merely my opinion... that of Mike Riley (head of refs). Denying a clear chance is someone about to score and being hacked down, not someone maybe having a shot in 5 seconds time after the foul.

Refs have been asked on TV and stated that they are under instruction not to consider fouls a large distance from the goal as denying a clear opportunity on goal. Being on the edge of our penalty area is clearly a large distance. The whistle blew when we were 20 yards from the halfway line. Sure there was a good chance something may have happened from it, but it wasn't 'clear'. Denying a clear chance is someone about to score and being hacked down, not someone maybe having a shot in 5 seconds time.

Yes they do. Rule 12 states advantage should not be given for a second yellow offence if there is not a clear goalscoring opportunity. I have not denied that the attack we were about to have would have been extremely promising, but it wasn't a 'clear chance'.

No, that wasn't a clear opportunity.

They'd be going against a statement from the general manager of the professional game match officials... Mike Riley.... their boss.

If you are including Elyounoussi in those three then I doubt he is particularly fluent having only spent 2 years in Switzerland.

If you are three quarters of the pitch away from the opponent's goal when the foul is committed then it is not 'clear'. Referees when interviewed have even stated that being a huge distance from the goal means it is not a clear opportunity in respect to a foul denying a goal scoring opportunity.

He doesn't according to rule 12 when a second yellow offence been committed and there is no clear goalscoring opportunity. Being in your own half is not clear, there was not going to be an immediate shot on goal as required by the rules.

He applied rule 12 to the Antonio sending off correctly.

As I posted earlier the rules state no advantage should be played or waited for if there is no clear opportunity to score. The tackle was close to our penalty box and play was stopped 20 yards inside our own half. It was a good opportunity to break, but being in your own half is never going to be viewed in the rules as a clear opportunity to score.

That is simply not even close to being true. At the moment he blew his whistle Saints were still in their own half. About 20 yards inside our own half! It was a good opportunity for a break, but not remotely close to warranting a 'clear opportunity for a goal'. So the referee was correctly applying rule 12 by stopping the game to send him off.

I didn't say it wasn't a 4141, I said "it could also be called a 433". Formations are flexible in and out of possession, so both can be applied to what we did today. 'Also' doesn't mean instead of.

Their job wasn't to be close to him, they were to stay wide and double up with the fullbacks, it was Ward-Prowse and Elyounoussi who were close to Armstrong.

We were in our own half of the pitch, it was never going to be deemed a clear opportunity to score. Not even remotely close to counting as a clear opportunity.

The rules say you can't play on if a player is to be sent off and there is no clear opportunity to score (which there wasn't as we were in our own half!). So again... the ref was doing his job correctly. https://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/lawsandrules/laws/football-11-11/law-12---fouls-and-misconduct

It was a genuine head injury, so he was doing his job correctly by stopping the game.

Stuart Armstrong would be a good option in the role Elyounoussi played today. Diallo was also more effective than Elyounoussi when he came on playing in that role when Ward-Prowse replaced Romeu as the deep player.

Could also call it a 433

vs West Ham on 11th September with McCarthy in goal and Stephens at centre back...

Living up to your username? 😉 (I've not purchased it since 2006, perks of being a researcher!)

They are playing in the category one academy league system, so how would that work? The club aren't going to willingly sacrifice being a category one club.