saintant

This could get embarrassing.

Too many players choosing to hide away. Shrinking violets.

Good job there's nothing riding on this game. We look hopeless.

We look very sloppy here.

What is the starting lineup?

I knew he'd start Rothwell.

Something RM doesn't do.

There is a video clip on the Coventry fans forum taken from the side of the pitch where the cross comes in from. It is very damning because it clearly shows that when O'Hare makes the pass to Wright he is being kept onside by Wan Bisaka. You can see it clear as day and the cut lines on the grass prove it beyond any possible doubt.

Another of what RM describes as a slight knock then Downes doesn't play for several games.

So what constitutes a frame? Surely a long pass is going to have a different number of frames to a short pass?

I've already said others will disagree and this is purely how I'd prefer to see VAR used. I get that some prefer exactness to the nth degree but that's not me and I hate seeing goals disallowed because someone has drawn a line 'proving' a part of a forward's anatomy is 0.000001 mm ahead of the defender.

I don't think Micheal Oliver could have retrospectively awarded a corner. He'd given a goal kick as didn't spot that the ball hit Grealish on the hand but VAR automatically checks.

The benchmark, is can a VAR official see from replays whether a player is offside without drawing lines? Make the decision based on that. If it is so marginal as to need lines just give the bloody goal. Use it to correct any clear errors. VAR is ruining the game. Coventry should have been awarded that goal and be in the Final. Using lines drawn on a flawed system is not absolute proof as it cannot factor in the exact moment the ball was kicked so let's introduce some common sense. Others will disagree and I get the arguments but that's what I'd like to see.

I already said - it needs to be clear enough whereby nobody needs to be drawing lines. I'm sure that would be simple and effective.

If you need to draw lines to prove a player is offside by 0.000000001 mm then it is a ridiculous system that is not fit for purpose. Use it only to rectify clear and obvious errors where an official has got it wrong and we can all see a player was offside from a replay without drawing bloody lines. Change the rule to that and it's the same for everyone . It's obviously not a fool proof system so let's have some common sense and stop all this nonsense.

Not a great system then is it!

But those lines prove nothing because it's when the ball is kicked. When it is that tight surely the goal should be given. It ruins a legendary moment in football. I know it's not the case but you almost feel the FA wanted a Manchester derby for the Final. Gutted for Coventry.

I agree with you in part that we'll never get a better chance - only in part because this will be a record points season. Out points tally come the end of the season would have got us promoted in most other years so that has gone against us.

I don't think West Ham have any interest in Downes.

West Brom for me as we have beaten them twice while not beating Norwich at all.

I'm not sure there would have been many moans. To be fair most would have had Charles in the side from the start with Downes out. It's very puzzling that when Downes was withdrawn at half time against Preston RM chose to bring on Charles. Yet he doesn't pick him for the Cardiff game! I can't make any sense of that nor the fact that he then chose not to bring him on when we were crying out for a holding midfielder - instead he makes a total car crash by bringing on Rothwell, Edozie, Fraser and Sulemana. Not the actions of a coach who is thinking rationally and it all smacked of desperation. Let's just hope RM demonstrates a cooler head in the frenzy of the play-offs when one of the biggest prizes in football is at stake.

Can't see us winning this one after screwing up yesterday as players will be in the wrong mindset. A win yesterday and I'd have fancied us. Downes will probably not play due to his 'slight knock' and with Stu also out the midfield will be weak. Limp towards the play-offs and I hope we'll give ourselves a fighting chance come the second leg at St Marys. If we make it to Wembley it's about performing on the big day rather than bottling it and we'll likely need a slice of luck.

But this shouldn't happen unless the coach is not up to the level he needs to be. A decent coach would have made fine tuning tweaks and steadied the ship giving us our best chance of winning - might not have worked but it's all about giving yourself the best shot in the heat of the battle. Seems to me there was wholesale panic in the dug-out and that is unacceptable. We could have still won the game after Cardiff equalised but you can't just lose your shit and make crazy decisions.

This is the really damning thing. They were there for the taking.

RM always plays down injuries to Downes.