Whitey Grandad

Good question. Was it an obvious goal scoring opportunity? It was hardly a handball on the goal line but... I’m sure we all have our own interpretations.

We need better than both.

Call the referee over and ask him to give her a yellow card for standing too close to the line and blocking your passage.

Yep.

I don’t hate Stevens. I’m just not a fan. He’s a liability waiting to happen. As my daughter once said of Benali, “It’s not his fault that he’s not very good”. Their goal might have been important but fortunately we were good enough to score three but such errors need to be eradicated no matter who makes them. “Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?” There’s no room for sentiment in professional football.

It wouldn’t have been a red card but should have been a penalty, especially if they’re going to give that one against Bertrand.

Five weeks!

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged. Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

Nine goals now with two games to go. He’s getting closer to that magical ten mark

Nope. That was Stephens’s man.

I’m very pleased for the young man

There are also risks from further restrictions. Many people and enterprises are up to their ears in debt and at breaking point.

Thanks, but I looked at this the other day and it doesn’t really answer any of the questions raised so far.

I think he put his left foot out in order to turn but it was dragged away from him by Aké when he went to block.

I’ll contact him over the weekend, he might have a student card. I’ve still got to get the ticket reassigned though. What proportion of supporters are going to have ID anyway?

I’d like to know too. My other ticket is historically in my wife’s name but I usually take my grandson. For this match I paid the full price for the second ticket but the website wouldn’t let me allocate it against my grandson’s supporter number. I think I’ll have to give them a call. He’s 18 but I don’t even know if he has photo ID. How many people do?

Napoleon would have had something to say about that.

Better lock down now then since we’re going to have to lock down anyway. If you keep looking hard enough you’ll eventually find something. If this variant is more transmissible and less deadly then shouldn’t we encourage it? Besides, this year of lockdown has done more than enough damage already. Another one would result in riots and bricks through windows.

I think you’ll find it was her choice

NO You don't really need a reason why, surely?

Er... actually we don't.

Obstruction isn’t a specific offence any more but if you’re in an offside position when you do it it will be given as offside. The threshold for an offside obstruction is lower than that for a foul in normal play.

Yes, that was a big and unpleasant surprise for me. There were a few examples back at the beginning of the season but since then nothing. The problem with insisting of strict adherence to the laws is that even though it’s legally correct it unbalances the game to the extent that forwards would rather win a penalty than try to score a goal. It’s also legal for the penalty taker to hesitate or make a jump in his run up but this temps the keeper to make a move and could cause a retake. I think that penalties have become too common and are worth too much. If they’re going to hand them out like sweets then I propose drastic measures such as downgrading them to an ordinary free kick or at least moving the spot back to the edge of the D.

It’s not worth arguing over but theoretical it’s possible for an offside player to block the movement of an opposition player even though the ball is long way away. I can’t ever remember it happening.

Not necessarily true. For example a player in an offside position might be standing right in front of the goalkeeper with the ball twenty yards away. Not relevant to Benteke’s goal though. Not offside in any way.