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Sport on TV 22nd December

Well there has been plenty to talk about this week, some great football, but, oh dear, the commentators haven’t covered themselves in glory.

It all started on Thursday night, the conference gave us another excellent match.  Grimsby entertained Kidderminster.  To of the top sides and this was a great start to the weekend.  It was good to see some young officials taking charge too.  Kidderminster took an early lead, but Grimsby hit back to win 3-1.  The referee was excellent and kept the game going well.  He was criticized by the pundit for being too fussy, giving some free kicks and cards, but the decisions were correct and kept a good game going well.

Friday saw the Bundesligua, Frankfurt had gained shock win at Bayer last week, not they faced Augsburg.  This was a tight affair.  The visitors took the lead with a goal that was offside in my opinion.  I don’t like the new ruling.  The ball was played into the box.  A forward, who was offside moved towards the ball, but stopped when he saw a team mate better placed.  It was he who scored.  Now the new interpretation states that a player is deemed interfering with play if he touches the ball or obstructs a defender.  One doesn’t apply here, but two.  Well the keeper was clearly put off but not obstructed, so the goal stood.  My view is that if the attacker moves towards the ball, then he is interfering.  Frankfurt struggled but equalised near the end.  But this is where the pundits went wrong.  Later in the game, a forward was in an offside position near the goal line.  The pass was played back into space.  He ran onto the ball, thus interfering.  The officials got it right, but the pundit claimed it was a back pass and thus not offside.  There is and never has been any such rule.

Onto Saturday and Inverness v Aberdeen promised to be a tight affair with both sides having gone hours without conceding.  All that changed early on with a a handball by the home forward inside his box.  Now handball is causing some problems.  I think the ref was wrong.  Yes the player had his arm outstretched, but his arm didn’t move.  It was strange. he went to head the ball but missed it, and it struck his hand.  Anyhow, Aberdeen took the lead.  Inverness fell apart and let in 3 more goals, they also lost a key player after a horrific fall.  

The second half started with a bang, literally.  Inverness scored early on, then added as 2nd.  A clash of heads saw a 2nd player going to hospital, this time an Aberdonian.  The game went quiet, but with 5 minutes left Inverness scored a 3rd.  A dramatic end saw Aberdeen just hang on for a 4-3 win. A David Coleman, who passed a way this weekend, “Remarkable!”

The same could’nt be said for the German match, Nurnberg v Shalke.  There had only been 4 goal less draws all season so far in the Bundesleaga and Nurnberg had’t had a clean sheet all season.  No guesses that this ended goal less.  A dull affair too, the home side dominated the whole match, Shalke looked lost, but poor finishing cost the hosts a win.  There was one moment of interest. There was a collision in the box and the Shalke player clearly had both arms on the forward and pushed him.  No penalty was awarded, the pundits agreed it had been accidental, which was true, but it looked a penalty in my book.

To end the weekend came the Milan derbv.  A slightly disappointing affair.  The atmosphere was strangely lacking after a dispute between the supporters and the organisers.  AC were the better side in the first half, but Inter dominated a the 2nd.  A goal less draw looked on the cards, but the game exploded into life.  Inter took the lead with 5 minutes left, with a fine flick.  AC swarmed forward and the first sending off arrived.  An Inter player held on to the ball, when it went behind for a corner.  Almari, responded by pushing the player in his face.  The red card was deserved.  The referee was excellent.

Referees took centre stage this weekend, as I had a busy 3 days.

It started with the rugby league game between Leeds and Wigan. Two old rivals, but this year was slightly different. Wigan had been hit by injuries, including Sam Tomkins. Their young side put up a brave battle. It was tight interesting match. Leeds took a 6 point lead, but a try and a penalty gave Wigan a 8-6 lead at the break. Leeds had dominated but were unable to take advantage against a good defence.

That changed after the break, when Leeds scored twice, Sinfeild was in inspired from with come great kicks. Wigan bounced back but a missed conversion cost them dear. It was close but they finished just short losing 18-14. The super league really need to look at the large number of injuries that is affecting their game.

Something different on Saturday, as I attended a live football match, the first time for ages. My beloved Chatham Town were visiting my ‘new’ local side, Wroxham. The game had been in doubt all week due to the bad weather, but the groundsman had done a fantastic job. The pitch looked in excellent condition. In fact the whole ground looked good. A new stand with seating added to the facilities. A lovely place for football. It was bitterly cold and just over 100 people suffered the conditions. This included a Norwich City supporter from Ashford, keen to try something different.

Both side started brightly with some neat passing. Wroxham had the winds at the backs in the first half and used it well. It was sad to see them resorting to pushing and shirt pulling. Something that should’ne happen at this level. It was the result of the pushing that caused the opening goal after 5 minutes. A Chatham midfield was clearly man handled and lost possession. Sadly this went unpunished by the officials. The ball went into the box where a Wroxham player had possession. A defence, tried to tackled but just caught the forward from behind. He was distracted and lost the ball. A Wroxham player then pushed a defender. The defence appealed for the foul. The ref blew and pointed to the spot. Both teams lined up for a Chatham free kick unaware of the decision. The Wroxham supporters were confused.

The spot kick was converted and a yellow card shown. The Chats lost their way and Wroxham created some good chances. The visiting keeper but some good stops and there was some wayward finishing. Gradually the Chats fought back playing some lovelily football. They equalised just before the break when an excellent cross was converted.

Along with most of the other supporters and moved to the other end of the ground trying to find shelter from the wind ready for the second half. It was more entertaining up this end.

The Chats were on top now lead by their excellent number 12. They lacked a final finish though. The pitch was cutting up now and the game became scrappy. The referee seemed to lose the plot with a series of baffling decision that upset both sides. Players were also tiring. Chatham were denied what looked a clear penalty when the keeper just caught the forward who was through on goal. To be fair the forward did go down very easily. Worse was to follow as later the keeper clearly fouled another forward later, this time well outside the box, but again no kick was given. Wroxham seemed to have the upper hand but were unable to score. More controversy when a two footed lunge by a Wroxham forward went unpunished. The worst foul of the day. Right at the end Chatham had a free kick, but it sailed over the bar.

1-1 was a fair result. Both sides played good football in difficult conditions. There was a lovely atmosphere on the touchlines and both sets of supporters mingled. I really enjoyed talking to officials of both clubs.

The real talking points came on Sunday as Norwich travelled to Sunderland with the friendly cup at stage. A draw would give the Canaries the trophy. Mr Foy is a great referee but is prone of off day, this was the latter..

Norwich took an early and deserved lead. They looked comfortable until the 1/2 hour mark. There was a break and the keeper came outside his box to clear. His hands were raised well out of the way. The ball hit his chest and went into his arm, clearly not intentional. The referee thought otherwise and gave a free kick and a red card. Unsurprisingly there was a long delay as arguments went on. Worse was to follow. The Canaries were coping but 5 minutes later another awful decision went agains them.

The defender chested the ball down, but the ball spun onto his arm which he had withdrawn. Clearly not intention but the penalty was given. It was now 1-1 and a total injustice.

Norwich battled well and Sunderland were struggling. However, the officials were to strike again. A clear hand ball inside the Sunderland box, should’ve been a penalty Amazingly, a free kick was given to Norwich outside. How this was missed by the officials was a mystery to everyone.

Norwich were the better side in the closing stages as the game ended 1-1. Not a good day for officials though.

Turned over just in time to see the end of Bunchegladbach against Hannover. Last 5 minutes but enough to see another big talking point. This time the official got it spot on, at long last. Hannover player went down claiming he had been elbowed. Clearly he was diving although there had been some contact. He responded by confronting the referee. He was shown a red card for a second caution. The first was for dissent as well. Full marks to the official for standing up, shame more British refs don’t follow this lead.

Final game of the weekend came at Pamplona. Osesuna met Athletico Madrid. The visitors had just dropped down to 3rd just behind Real. There has been little action when we joined the game, but Madrid took the lead. First views suggested the player was offside, replays showed it to be a very tight call and were inconclusive. Madrid were on top now and in total control. They scored a 2nd for a good 2-0 win.

So a good weekend’s sport, plenty of refereeing talking points to consider.

Sport on TV

Weekend 26 October

The omen’s didn’t look good for Friday night’s SPL match between Motherwell and Hibs. Games between these two averaged about 6 per game and the last one was 6-6. A goal less draw looked on the cards. A better statistic was Motherwell, poor goal scoring run.

Motherwell started brightly and were the better side, but missed some good chances. Hibs took the lead against the run of play. Motherwell should’ve equalised just before the break, but the officials missed the ball crossing the line. Technology would’ve solved the problem as replays clearly showed a goal. The annalists missed the reason why the assistant missed it. The goal keeper probably obscured his view. He saw the ball late and might not have seen the line. Either way, he didn’t have a clear view. Stuart Mc Call, the Well manager took it calmly not knowing what had happened. However, some ‘kind’ sole told him, which I thought was wrong.

There was more controversy after the break. Hibs had a penalty, where there appeared little contact. It was now 2-0. but Motherwell gained a penalty of their own, but blazed it over the bar. A 3rd penalty was given, this time to Hibs. It was a foul, but clearly outside the box. That made it 3-0 when the referee had to go off injured. A long wait resulted in the 4th official taking over and the home kit man took over the 4th roll, but couldn’t use the board. The game ended in farce with Hibs running out 4-0 winners.

Saturday started at lunch time. Norwich City played away to Aston Villa. Two struggling sides and it showed in a poor game. Norwich should’ve had a penalty after a blatant push inside the box. Worse was to follow when a Norwich attacker was clean through only to be pulled back for offside, event though the ball had been played by a defender. More contact than in the penalty last night. City were the better side but went behind before the break after poor defending. In the second half, Norwich had another penalty shout but this time the referee got it right. The game finally came to life when Villa had a player sent off for two cautions. Norwich found their form and besieged the goal, finally scoring an equaliser. 1-1 was just about a fair result, although Norwich were unlucky not to win. .

Onto the rugby league tri tournament. England made their first appearance away to Wales, who needed a win to stay in it. The game was over inside the first corner as England swept into a two try lead. Sinfield missed both conversions. Wales did score, but they were under pressure all match and it was no surprise when England scored a record win, scoring 80 points.

Finally the match of the weekend so far, new promoted teams Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna met in a local derby, only 80 miles apart! There was plenty to enjoy. The referee had had a nightmare match the week before which added to the fun. In fairness he did okay in this one. A terrific start for the home side, saw them take the lead with a scrappy goal. Deportivo equalised. Two cautions for the visiting central defenders put them under pressure and they were lucky to not see red and after another foul, should’ve resulted in a 2nd yellow, the referee’s one big mistake.

The second half burst into action. Two fouls early on, saw a home defender sent off, harsh considering the first half. Celta finished the stronger and should’ve won but had to settle for a draw.

Derby weekend.

What a weekend with 3 derbies to look forward to.

It started with a historic match. The first ever Highland derby in the SPL. Inverness entertained Ross County. what a match it was, the perfect start to the weekend. Play swung from end to end at great pace. Ross looked nervy and nearly conceded an own goal in the first minute, when their defender headed against his own bar. Their goal lead a charmed life and the host took a deserved lead. Finally County settled and hit back, but the keeper was in fine form. Inverness made it 2-0 before the break.

The 2nd half started with a bang, a good decision by the excellent referee gave Ross a free kick and they scored with a stunning strike. Ross were the better side now but couldn’t score. Inverness scored a 3rd late in the game to seal the result.

Next up was West Ham against Arsenal. Sadly this is no longer the great derby it once was. The Gunners are a vastly superior club nowadays. There is a big gulf between the two, the modern game has been spoilt now. Arsenal start well but West Ham defend superbly. Diame has caught the eye this year and it was he that opened the scoring with a fine run and shot, his first goal for the Irons. West Ham were playing well and on top. Diame received a stupid yellow card for over celebrating, moments later he could’ve walked after a late challenge. Referee Dowd, who was superb, showed common sense and gave just a warning. Even better, he was consistent doing the same after a similar tackle by an Arsenal player.

It couldn’t last and Arsenal equalised before the break. West Ham missed chances in the 2nd half, but Walcott gave the Gunners the lead and they scored a deserved 3rd late in the game. A good fight by the Hammers who we outclassed. Carol was my man of the match.

The highlight of Saturday was the Super league final and what a game it was. Leeds had broken records by winning after finishing 5th last year. They were looking to repeat the feat this year. Warrington were deserved finalists after winning the league last year, but being knocked out by the same opponents.

It was a cracking start Warrington took the early lead 6-0. Leeds gradually fought back to level. Warrington scored again but failed to convert the try. Leeds came back and took a 14-12 lead. A last minute penalty leveled the scores.

The second half saw Leeds take control and win 22-14. Two great kickers made the match, Briars and Sinfield, my man of the match for Leeds.

Sunday saw another packed day of sport. Too much to watch, so I chose to ignore the Milan derby choosing ‘Le Classico’ instead. It was a strangely low key affair. A good game but without the fire of previous encounters. Much was made of the referee, who was refereeing his first ever Real v Barcelona match. We all have to start somewhere and he did ok. Alonso should’ve been sent off after 3 fouls, but all in all he did well. Ronaldo gave the Real the lead, away from home, but Messi equalised after poor defending. The 2nd half was better as play swung from end to end. It took a stunning goal to kick Barce the lead. Messi’s free kick was superb. His battle with Ronaldo continued and it was he who equalised. It ended 2-2 for both Real and Barcelona and Ronaldo and Messi. It was good to see Ronaldo behave himself, with none of his antics. The only blot on the horizon was the awful commentary. The team had no idea of the rules of the game and Sky need to address this.

Sunday saw the end of the T20 cricket world cup. In the women’s event England faced Australia. It was a bold move to insert the Aussie’s and it didn’t pay off. England’s bowlers looked nervous and Australia made a flying start, England tied them back towards the end but faced another stiff task chasing over 140. England lost wickets regularly and looked set for a heavy defeat. Some brave hitting took it down to the last over. With two tail enders at the crease hope looked to be lost with 15 needed. A no bowl changed things. Suddenly England needed a 6 to win but scrambled only a single to leave them thinking what might’ve been.

Next up was the big game, hosts Sri Lanka v the West Indies. The visitors made an awful start only 30 of the first 10. But Samuels cut loose going at 11 and over to reach a respectable score of just over 140. Sri Lanka capitulated and the Windies deservedly won the title.