It looks like they've always been able to assist the referee... In general, fourth officials are responsible for assisting the referee with: administrative functions before, during and after the match assessment of players' equipment; managing substitutions, including using a numbered board or electronic display where supplied notifying, by means of numbered boards or electronic displays where supplied, the time added on at the end of each half acting as the contact point between the match officiating crew and any outside agents (such as stadium managers, security personnel and ball retrievers) maintaining decorum in the teams' technical areas identifying offences or other infringements where the referee does not have an adequate view In practice, the fourth official becomes a key member of the officiating team, who can watch the field and players and advise the referee on situations that are going on out of their sight. The fourth official keeps an extra set of records, and helps make sure the referee does not make a serious error such as cautioning the wrong player, or giving two cautions to the same player and forgetting to send off the player
Fair enough mate, that seems pretty decisive. It does raise another question I suppose, that if the fourth official can intervene in such a manner, why don't they do it more often, because some of the decisions you see at this level are atrocious. I'm sure both our teams during the course of this season, have had decisions go against us (as well as for), that if the fourth official had stepped in (if observant enough) could have also been overturned. I suppose that's the inconsistency at this level, although not that VAR (imho) has improved much in the higher level.
It looks like there was certainly nothing wrong or untowards about the 4th official becoming involved. What I would question is his view, he will have been stood at the dugouts and he seen what happened but the linesman and the referee who were up with the play, did not? It's the first time in our one and a half season down here that we've seen it happened, so no idea why they don't seem to be seen getting involved more often.
They've certainly watched us have lads wrongly sent off on numerous occasions without sticking their oar in! has anyone got a decent replay that shows what happened?
The only video I've seen is what brb has uploaded. @RTB is our video playback guy. Not sure if he's got anything more clear of the incident.
According to the EFL show on Quest, the pundits decided that O/9 had obstructed their keeper before the ball was crossed in by Grigg to Wyke. On the video evidence O/9 was behind the keeper at the far side of the goal and no way could the 4th official see what was going on. Watching it back on the video clip the contact if their was any, looked minimal at best, the goalkeeper went to ground down clear of O/9 as he tried to reach the cross, a six and two threes was the comment by the presenters.
It's all a bit coulda, woulda, shoulda, for me. Gillingham looked to have a perfectly good goal not given during the first half when the ball looked to bounce over the line, so I guess ours straightened that out.
None of this would have mattered if only we had converted a couple of the six clear chances we created during the game.......oh hang on a minute.
I'm now convinced Parkinson has played us here. He'll leave Sunderland with a sack of cash, blame 'the rotten core' and take a job at Rochdale, Crewe or somewhere. He'll be desperately hoping for the sack on Thursday so he can have Christmas off. I hope his dream comes true and we can get a hand grenade manager in to sort the dressing room out. This has all gone Thelma and Louise on us and we're heading for the Grange Canyon.
Bit conspiracy theory that Smug. More likely took the job in good faith then suffered from the players being p'd off by his appointment(Cloughy at Leeds but a much lower level). Now we're all stuck until Stewy makes a move
Looks like it is probably the right decision. O9 has clearly got the keepers arm wrapped up in this one.
Almost as crazy a theory as a manager promising he can organise the team, produce attacking football .... .... then playing a mass defence, losing to a team below us then telling the supporters we'll get a result sooner or later. No one would believe it!
Good pic but one still shot proves little, pundits (incuding Gareth Ainsworth) said six and two threes, it might have been a penalty shout for us who knows, I assume they saw the full incident. We certainly did not deserved to win the game, and that's how it turned out, but we got close to a result, which under the circumstances would have been satisfactory imho.
Not exactly setting a good example are they sat eating that shyte in their training gear. Hardly the diet of so called professional athletes is it. That explains why Mcgreedy cant be arsed tracking back.
No man it's not good, doubt it's a one off either. You'd let them off if they put a shift in but neither of them do.
The last thing McGeady saw before he died I don't rate him as a manager but we couldn't half do with someone with his drive and commitment to fitness.