Whitey Grandad

Some would have given a red card, some not. Besides, it was only two hands

Because he was offside when the ball was kicked by Bart. The ball hitting the defender is irrelevant and it most certainly was not gross incompetency, in fact quit the opposite. Why is anybody still talking about being 'played on'? That went out of the game with leather footballs and shoulder charging. Please don't criticise the officials if you are not familiar with the laws of the game. As for the timewasting I agree with you, in fact the ref's control of the game was very sloppy in the first half and was not helped by some inconsistent decisions. Lambert got booked for letting himself get shoved in the chest by a couple of their players.

It's certainly very possible but I do worry about injuries and suspensions. We have the January window coming up and I would expect a couple of reinforcements, especially with Murty's injuries. These certainly are interesting and encouraging times.

I hope Markus appreciated it as much as we did.

It looks a bit like the middle row on a French keyboard.

Those two for those reasons plus Man Utd. You never get a fair deal up there and I still remember the Shipperley goal that was disallowed.

Are we talking about results or outcomes?

He looked a bit of a pieman when he caame out so I was watching him during the game. He looked a couple of yards off the pace, if I'm being polite.

This is a decision for the referee, the debate is over 'obvious goal-scoring opportunity' and whilst you might have decided otherwise, you cannot say that his decision was incorrect.

To send somebody off you have to be pretty certain that a goal would have been scored. There was no certainty that Lambert would have headed it, nor that he would not have headed over, nor that the goalkeeper or somebody on the line would have stopped it - in the opinion of the referee. I remember it as several yards out, and the ball was going across goal. Now if he had handled after Lambert had headed it and it was going towards goal the that's a different story. What on earth was he thinking? It was both hands FFS.

It was deliberate handball but not an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.

I've just looked up the exact wording: "gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a goalpost or the crossbar having been in an offside position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.

Great work lads! Can you put a dotted line on it showing distance and speed?

It's this business of second phase etc. It's not an easy job being an assistant ref but these fellows know what they're doing and I thought he was spot on.

We drew the match and went through on penalties. Anything else is a matter for the bookies.

Somehow I feel more relaxed with him in goal and the same seems to go for the defence.

He was offside when Bart kicked it. What happens later is irrelevant. The asistant will delay his flag until the player becomes 'active'. Have a play with this: http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html and click on 'interactive guide to the offside law'.

There is no such concept as 'played onside' in the Laws Of The Game. All that matters is that he was in an offside position at the moment the ball was kicked to him by a member of his own team. Being 'played on' disappeared many years ago.

Seriously though, if you do find some mug, sorry ref, to do it, just let the appointments secretary know and he will then be covered.

Penalty kicks are just a means of deciding which team goes through to the next round. They do not form part of the game.

Sign him up?

If they were any good they wouldn't be there, they'd be in a higher league. The same goes for the players http://thefa.com/aspxutility/getintorefereeing/

You need to go through the appointments secretary or the ref will not be covered by insurance! I'd offer myself but I'm fat, old, almost blind, deaf and going to Bristol tomorrow. Good luck!

Papa was offside when Bart kicked it. The flag went up when he went for the ball. The fact that it later came off a defender's head is irrelevant. The ref had lost it a bit in the first half but the players weren't helping. Fir play to him for giving Morgan a final warning and involving Hammond, Morgan was subbed soon after. I've been one of James' fiercest critics when he plays at right back but he wasn't too bad today. It's the first game in years when I haven't been staring at my stopwatch in stoppage time. And a clean sheet!

Might be an end-of-season party.