Match Day Thread Wolverhampton Wanderers FC v Sunderland AFC – Saturday 2nd May 2026 - KO 15:00

[TopCat.]

he's not looking at where his hand is and therefore what he's got in his hand.

Ignorance is no excuse

 

[Blond Bombshell]

Anyone with long hair should be forced to wear hairnet and have it tied up. Or a skull cap like rugby. Long hair can be a danger to others! Still don't think Ballard was pulling except a few strand by accident. But when the wolves player went down he screamed "he was pulling my hair." Had he been actively pulling it Ballard would have a bunch of hairs in his hand.....don't think so.

Wolves player deserves a retrospective yellow card for ungentlemanly conduct (lying cheat).

 

[Blond Bombshell]

In fairness though, what would you have Ballard do instead?

The player was backing into Ballard so if he didn't put his hands out to stop the striker pushing into him, then he would have ended up being pushed over and the striker gaining the advantage because it. Players jostle all the time, just because he has hair down to his shoulder blades we have to let them do it now and cant touch them?

Spot on marra

 

[D-K]

Ignorance is no excuse

I wouldn't say it's ignorance though mate.

Do you always look where your hands are going when you might end up falling over? Ballard was more interested in the flight of the ball and put his hands out to stop the person in front of him pushing him over. It's reactionary and where your hand often ends up isn't intentional. Ballard might have even looked where he was going to put his hand, but then the player moves and therefore where Ballard's hand was aimed has now changed the landing location.

 

[LAMackem]

Find it ironic a bald referee sends Ballard off for pulling somebody’s hair…couldn’t make it up.

 

[TopCat.]

I wouldn't say it's ignorance though mate.

Do you always look where your hands are going when you might end up falling over? Ballard was more interested in the flight of the ball and put his hands out to stop the person in front of him pushing him over. It's reactionary and where your hand often ends up isn't intentional. Ballard might have even looked where he was going to put his hand, but then the player moves and therefore where Ballard's hand was aimed has now changed the landing location.

If I was a footballer, playing in a league that punishes players for pulling another player's hair, then yeah I'd be looking where my hands were going when I started pulling the shirt of an opposition player.

There is no excusing the red card given the current rules. It was the correct decision.

 

[rowley]

I dont think RLB should be pushed out, far from it, but we needed to counter attack with speed , to avoid being over run, we only had two players available yesterday who have done this with effect in the past, and Diarra is certainly not one of them .

Playing with ten men is very tiring. We worked ou way into the game well in the second half and might have won it in the end.

Seventy minutes plus with ten men is gruelling whoever you are playing, there is approximately another 3km of running to find from the others.

I thought the subs were fine.

 

[rowley]

RLB, any idea of pushing him out is inane... either that or the person suggesting it is in serious need of medication!

It's bad enough that Ballard got send off (whether merited ot not...) VAR as it is being operated is detrimental to the game.

As well as handballs and offsides being given wrongly... hairpulling (or not) can be added to the list... At the WC covering your mouth with your hand also!

It's just overgrown children. We didn't win so they are upset, never mind that a draw is a great result playing with ten men for so long .

They are like bairns who didn't get an ice cream after their dinner, and they want one. And they want it NOW!

 

[rowley]

He had hold of his hair for a few seconds. Whether he meant to do it, or not he still held on. With the current rules, it's a red card. The ref have no alternative really.

What I'd like to see is a change to the rule that allows the referee/VAR to include intent (or a lack of) in their ruling.

The only solution is hair tied up in a bun, or wearing a cap.

It really is only a matter of time before some player suffers an eye injury from these flailing locks. It will be like getting whipped in the eye

 

[Charley Farley]

The only solution is hair tied up in a bun, or wearing a cap.

It really is only a matter of time before some player suffers an eye injury from these flailing locks. It will be like getting whipped in the eye

They could wear the same type of thing that Elanga wears.

You must log in or register to see images

or Jason Lee.

 

[Robertson]

You must log in or register to see images

You must log in or register to see images

 

[vic9]

The only solution is hair tied up in a bun, or wearing a cap.

It really is only a matter of time before some player suffers an eye injury from these flailing locks. It will be like getting whipped in the eye

If nothing is done or addressed to these situations, then surely defending will be come varied depending on hairstyles ffs, couldn’t see what exactly happened when I was in the ground yesterday but after viewing it I was fcuking livid

 

[vic9]

If I was a footballer, playing in a league that punishes players for pulling another player's hair, then yeah I'd be looking where my hands were going when I started pulling the shirt of an opposition player.

There is no excusing the red card given the current rules. It was the correct decision.

So you are saying players with long hair will have an advantage?,thats just not right

 

[TopCat.]

So you are saying players with long hair will have an advantage?,thats just not right

As it stands, that's the way the rules are making it, hence I said the rule needs adjusting

 

[RTB]

Official Highlights

2 mins:
https://youtu.be/9Asze1yE4TI

Extended:

You must log in or register to see media

Full 90:

https://www.safc.com/videos/1ae1a25a-7b2d-4015-9d98-dc2db6b6aef2

Post match reaction:

You must log in or register to see media

On the road:

You must log in or register to see media

 

[Norway]

If I was a footballer, playing in a league that punishes players for pulling another player's hair, then yeah I'd be looking where my hands were going when I started pulling the shirt of an opposition player.

There is no excusing the red card given the current rules. It was the correct decision.

Bollox!If you were a footballer, you would not have been a very good one, if in the heat of game you would be looking where to put your hands instead of fighting for the ball. Oooh matron, should I hold him round the waist, or link arms with him? Wuss!

 

[RedNWhite4Life]

We've always had a minority who'll never be happy and will turn on a coach or player at the drop of a hat. The big problem is social media amplifies it and gets a few more to jump on the bandwagon. Add in that crap from that mag journalist about RLB getting the sack of we don't qualify for Europe which had added more fuel to it. A chunk will change their tune if we beat Man U and another chunk will go quiet until the next "poor" result. We could appoint Guardiola or Klopp and they'd find fault at something.

I work with a lad who's as negative about us as can be. You'd think he was a mag the way he goes on at times. He said a few months ago he'd have sacked Le Bris last season as we were "crap from Christmas", pre season he said we'd be hammered every week, relegated quickly and Le Bris sacked by Christmas. He's genuinely taken more joy from our defeats than wins this season, never gives our players credit and praises the opponents every chance.

Sounds like a right twat. I understand there can be over excessive criticism after a loss as its something we as fans are passionate about.

Most fans gave the players and manager a pass from March onwards last season based off what happened in the playoffs and with hindsight we were correct.

There are a certain segment of fans who are just negative whatever. We've had an unbelievable season when you put it into context with promoted sides over the last 3 years.

Yeah we had a sniff of Europe for a while and it is frustrating to see that drift over the last couple of games (purely as lost of us have never seen this in our lives) but that doesn't mean RLB should be in any risk. Whatever happens now we have overachieved this season you can't sack a manager because he doesn't produce the miracle that we had threatened to achieve.

All this said I do believe the current ownership are ruthless and ambitious. If we start poorly next season I think it could happen in a victim of your own success kind of way.

 

[marcusblackcat]

So you are saying players with long hair will have an advantage?,thats just not right

There was a comparison done on MOTD of Ballardks challenge and one by Fulham on Gyokeres. Both were pretty much identical, but Gyokeres has short hair, so it wasn’t given as a foul, let alone a red card. Brobbey got assaulted on Saturday multiple times, far worse than the red, and not even sure he got a foul for any of them

 

[Brainy Dose]

Bollox!If you were a footballer, you would not have been a very good one, if in the heat of game you would be looking where to put your hands instead of fighting for the ball. Oooh matron, should I hold him round the waist, or link arms with him? Wuss!

Well,going back to basics,holding an opponents shirt attempting to pull him out of position,is a foul. If it's in the box.it's a penalty,if not,it's a free kick.
Why is it that the enforcement of the rules of the game has been taken over by aggressive players who seem to think that any kind of blocking/shirt pulling is acceptable?
I'm old school,I know, but if was reffing a match and I saw a player pulling anothers shirt,I give a foul! If it was in the box I'd give a penalty.
Stands to reason.

 

[marcusblackcat]

Well,going back to basics,holding an opponents shirt attempting to pull him out of position,is a foul. If it's in the box.it's a penalty,if not,it's a free kick.
Why is it that the enforcement of the rules of the game has been taken over by aggressive players who seem to think that any kind of blocking/shirt pulling is acceptable?
I'm old school,I know, but if was reffing a match and I saw a player pulling anothers shirt,I give a foul! If it was in the box I'd give a penalty.
Stands to reason.

Old school? O used to watch players get grabbed in the balls, kicked, punched and loads more back in the “old school days”. A shirt pull was never a foul then!

I get that it is now, when the refs decide to enforce it (Brian Brobbey a prime example of when they don’t in most cases), which is why so many players do it, as refs often ignore it