Newcastle United have done exactly what you have done this season and are disappointed at how badly they've performed this season. That's the difference between a good club performing badly and a **** club riding their luck. Just in case you're confused, you're the **** club.
I suppose the difference between a **** club riding their luck and a **** club just being...well, **** is to be found down the A140 my bitter friend. Sometimes you're the boot, sometimes the arse being kicked. Today we are the boot but history suggests that at some stage the tables will turn again and I am sure that you will be equally magnanimous when this happens. Regardless I wish your boys well next season and hope that we soon have an Old Farm derby in the Premier League if only so you boys can see a crowd above 20k again.
I apologise for maligning your utterly magnificent support - third 20k + home attendance all season in your final home game against one of the best supported teams in the division. Well done. Have your lot considered shutting a stand every match to save on the cleaning bills? Perhaps you could raise funds by putting advertising boards over one of your ends? Maybe scrap some turnstiles before they rust away? You must be so proud. I will scuttle off now and weep in a corner for being so wrong.
We've put the open top bus back in the garage, now we've got to get it out again please log in to view this image
You are the boot how exactly? By having a pitiful excuse for a team and a disgusting kit? Last time I checked you haven't accomplished anything more than just about being in the top flight?
Lots of opportunity for trophy cabinet gags Well done to your kids, lets hope they can fare better in their careers than our last Youth Cup winning side.
I actually watched a bit of it last night and they played really well, A bit of a shame they had to resort to diving to win a penalty though. Obviously Grunt has been teaching them quite well.
I can see what you mean, but the commentators felt the contact was at the knee rather than the shin where the camera was focused. It's pretty hard to prove otherwise from the camera angle used. But I'd fully expect Holty to be teaching then tricks like that, like no doubt the Chelski boys taught their youngsters to stand on peoples ankles and get away with it. They were far dirtier than us. Speaking more widely though, it's a shame that you have to go down to win things. If you take our game at the weekend, Snodgrass was clearly fouled in the box but tried to stay up and put a cross in. If he'd fallen flat on his face a penalty would have been given. Unless refs start giving Pens for fouls that don't leave a player on the deck, diving is going to continue to ruin the game.
DH completely agree it really annoys me when players don't fall over and it doesn't get given as a foul, the player has been honest enough to try and stay on their feet at least reward them for it. It really does not encourage players to stay on their feet!!
Agree with the above posts, surely that is what the advantage rule is for, if a player who is fouled/baulked but stays on his feet but a few seconds later loses the ball or misses due to being slowed down etc. by the foul challenge, bring it back for a pen.!
I think there should be a LOT more penalties given. It SHOULD be a foul is a foul in or out of the box. Not whether there's enough contact to warrant losing a goal.
Would be quite happy to see penalties given for shirt pulling every time, I do not buy into the argument of 20 pens a game. Any part time refs out there perhaps could please explain why more are not given? I can only presume that it is hard to spot.....
I think it's been let go for so long it's almost an unwritten rule that it's acceptable. And keeping an eye on all 15 or so players in the box when they're all as bad as each other is never going to be easy. A lot of the time you've got both players holding each other, and then it's a toss-up which way you give it. However, as soon as you start to clamp down on it it'll very quickly disappear. If every time a ref spots a shirt pull he gives the foul, whether a penalty or a defensive free-kick, then the message will very quickly get through. Sure the first half a dozen games of the season might have five penalties per side, but after that managers are going to be crucifying players for doing it, and it'll disappear from the game. You can compete for the ball without ripping the shirt off someone's back and hopefully we can return to that.
I'm not bothered too much about the ref missing sneaky shirt pulling. We have to accept that there is a crowded penalty area and elsewhere on the pitch it's not crowded. BUT if a player jumps and makes contact with an opponent or there's a minor push then a foul will be given, unless it's in the penalty area. That's not right.
What i hate, is seeing defenders not even looking at ball when it is played in because they are to concerned about blocking the players run. that to me is a penalty every day.
