Whitey Grandad

That ‘old fat lino’ is Darren Cann, one of the world’s top assistant referees who has run the line in a World Cup Final and a Champions’ League final. He is 49 years old.

Thanks for the clarification. I would watch the recording but please don’t ask me to go through that again.

The linesman was flagging for a foul to Liverpool. The usual practice is to waggle the flag above your head but to hold it in the hand on the side that you think should get the free kick. That way the referee can decide whether to play advantage. I didn’t see the ref give such a signal though. It was a weird situation. I’m surprised that nobody has mentioned that incident where the ref gave a goal kick but then changed his mind after protests from the Liverpool players.

Did anyone else notice Koop standing near the centre circle about 30 minutes before kickoff? He spent a long time watching our players warming up. Tactical reasons or looking for new talent for the summer?

You could easily spot a lot of them. They were the ones lined up in front of the Kingsland before kickoff taking photos of the Liverpool players warming up. At the end of the game someone was even taking photos of their fans in the opposite corner.

I think that's for contractual reasons. The cost of rebuilding Wembley was so high that the FA needed to guarantee some income to pay for it.

Commentators who had dignity. I hate this modern fashion of screaming their heads off at the slightest possibility of a goal.

Cash in advance from now on.

Despicable

He very nearly deprived us of two of the greatest goals I have ever seen. That home evening match against Newcastle when Le Tiss flicked the ball over their defenders and then ‘stroked’ the ball into goal followed by the other when he trapped a header back on his thigh and then lobbed the ball into goal will stay in my memory of legends forever. Branfoot was on the point of substituting him with Moody and the number 7 board was prepared when he scored the first. On the recording you can seen Branfoot give a wry smile and then turn round and say “Moods, sit down”.

Families have holidays in summers.

I'm not in favour either. Winters are dismal enough already but the biggest problem I can foresee is the weather. We could have a two week break with mild weather followed by a month of snowed under countryside.

Thanks. I was there at the game but all that I can remember is that he completely lost it.

Same thing

I miss the first time passing. Too much take a touch, then decide what to do. It’s safety-first and slows the game down and leads to missing goal opportunities. By the time the ball is under control the chance is blocked.

That’s what I remember him for the most. That and whacking a referee.

One four bedroom detached house for sale. Never been used.

He’ll be off to Tottenham in the summer then.

For corners only part of the ball has to be over part of the arc. It can look as though the ball is outside from some angles.

Thanks for that, but if that is the case then they were both useless. The flag signal that the Lino gave was for offside, not for a foul. The fourth official takes no part in match decisions.

You don’t need VAR for that Sterling incident. You just need a referee who understands the Laws of the Game. The linesman called it correctly so I don’t see what the referee could have seen that would have led him to overrule the flag. It doesn’t matter that the ball was kicked onto Sterling’s foot by a defender, if that’s not ‘interfering with play’ then I don’t know what is.

I’m with you on this, Professor. The danger is now that the aim of the game is to win penalties rather than to score goals.

The teams were initially gathered in the traditional ends so Spurs must have one the toss. I don’t remember the sun being out. All was grey and gloomy from my seat.

If a yellow card is given at the time there is no further sanction because the referee is deemed to have seen the offence.

Armstrong didn’t have the ball so I think that’s the reason.