 | Forum
Reply | Pitch size
at 11:10 18 May 2024
Once they've dug down this will be open as a possibility. |
| Forum
Reply | Headers.......
at 11:00 18 May 2024
At those age groups it's hard to argue against, although tbh if you watch/referee games at that level it's barely an issue - small sided football on tiny pitches with little goals, a lot of them can't kick the ball off the ground anyway, the heading is minimal/non existent.
What would/will be a shame is when it starts to creep up through the ranks into the professional game over the next decade or so, fundamentally changing the sport as a spectacle for the worse. Seen it in both codes of rugby, driven into over-refereed penalty fests by lawyers and university professors because if anybody gets tackled above the stomach they might explode into a thousand pieces. And you can't have a debate with anybody about this because they just go "oh so you're in favour of 12 year olds getting dementia are you then right fine".
I think I'm much more on the side of freedom of choice. We let people drink. You put all the science and the warnings out there, and you let them make their own choice.
If you play rugby, you might occasionally get hit in the head. If you don't want to get hit in the head, don't play rugby.
If you play football, you might occasionally have to head the ball. If you don't want to head the ball, don't play football. |
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Reply | Petty Insanities
at 17:25 17 May 2024
People who go one stop on the bus. Sometimes standing and waiting ten minutes for one to arrive to do so. It's over there, I can literally see it. |
| Forum
Reply | Which will be strongest
at 16:46 17 May 2024
Very intrigued by Sheff Utd. They needed the promotion in the first place just to keep the lights on (they'd literally turned off their undersoil heating in the second half of the Champ season because they couldn't afford to have it on) so has a year getting trounced upstairs solved all of that or are they in the sht? |
| Forum
Reply | End of Term Report 23/24 – Goalkeepers
at 16:43 17 May 2024
Yeh I would never pretend that my Monday nights getting trounced by Hogan in Finsbury Park in any way qualify me to assess professional goalkeepers.
Mind you, Ademola Bankole is our academy goalkeeper coach so... |
| Forum
Reply | Which will be strongest
at 16:32 17 May 2024
Yeh pending what they do this summer it's been almost note perfect for a good season next year.
It's exactly as we should have done it, rather than going absolutely nuts trying to stay there with a load of signings that as soon as you do go down you have to try and offload and start again.
Luton won the play-offs 12 months ago. To that team they've added basically the best of the Championship, and stuck £50m+ in the bank. Bstrds.
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Reply | Which will be strongest
at 16:16 17 May 2024
Well, yes, but they're a) a bit of a freak and b) haven't done this for free. Their most recent set of accounts, covering their League One promotion season, showed an £18.2m loss, which backs the Bolton chairman's claim up almost to the pound. |
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Reply | End of Term Report 23/24 – Goalkeepers
at 11:44 17 May 2024
Even if we agree to go with your C, which I obviously think is generous, do you think he'll be able to improve (or even maintain) your C next season, another year older?
Whether we think he was adequate or not this season, the idea we try and go round again with him next season is crazy talk. |
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Reply | Departures in the development squad
at 10:24 17 May 2024
We're considering doing "Christian Nourry's LinkedIn Match Preview No.1 In The Series..." as next year's running joke in the previews. |
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Reply | End of Term Report 23/24 – Goalkeepers
at 10:11 17 May 2024
We've actually recorded the panel discussion that goes into these marks this year, part one (keepers and defenders) will be on the Patreon later today so you can find out who/where that flag line comes from  |
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Reply | Refereeing and Assistant Refereeing
at 17:11 16 May 2024
Yeh when I was progressing through the refereeing ranks as a youngster this came up a lot.
If I was in the middle I would basically ask my linos for everything, I wanted as much information as I could get to make the best decisions.
What I often found happening when I was on the line for more senior referees is they'd take one look at me and my age and immediately say they only want offside and throw ins - I'm not under any circumstances allowed to start flagging for free kicks.
The logic I guess is if you've got a referee with vastly more experience than the lino they're going to perhaps have different opinions over what constitutes a foul or not. You've also got referees like Mark Halsey used to be who are very happy to let things go, who wouldn't then want to be railroaded into giving a load of fouls by having a fussy bstrd like Steve Martin on the line. This is particularly acute around penalties - you really don't want to be in a position as a referee where the lino flags for a penalty you don't want to give because it's very difficult for you to still say no while the lino is flagging for it (though I have seen that happen).
Personally I think it often shows a lack of self confidence in the main referee. Worried about being overruled, made to look stupid etc. I think it looks absolutely pathetic when they're both staring at each other waiting for the secret signal over which way a poxy throw in is. Oliver Langford is really bad for this - every throw in in his matches there's this long drawn out process where the officials stare at each other and try to simultanously raise arm and flag in the same direction.
The other thing to bear in mind now is at the pro level they're all micd up. So just because the lino isn't flagging, doesn't mean he's not in the referee's ear going "penalty, penalty, penalty" and then the ref is making a call.
I had a Lincs cup final at Gainsborough Trinity one night where I was 16-17 years old, and some retired Football League referee waltzes into the dressing room before hand giving it the big I am. He took one look at me and told me he didn't want me to flag for anything - including offsides. If I thought it was offside I was to stand still, and if he agreed he would blow and I should raise my flag at that point. Absolute fcking bell end. I made very sure that within the first five minutes I did a big, extravagant flagging for a free kick right in front of the main stand 
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Reply | Scottish Leagues
at 11:54 16 May 2024
This post has been edited by an administrator |
| Forum
Reply | Season Tickets on Sale
at 09:05 16 May 2024
And you want to bring a bag? A BAG? Off to the tower with you. |
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