Ricardo's report v Sheff Utd

[ricardo 7,395]

A dull and damp start in Norwich this morning but it did hold off long enough to get to the ground in a fairly dry condition. The good fortune ended there however as my season ticket flashed red at the entry gate and the guy said I would have to go round to the ticket office. I said "no mate I don't think so, but I will give them a ring monday",  and just walked in. Upon reflection I wonder if the football Gods were trying to tell me something.

It was a very scrappy opening ten minutes with neither side able to create anything that looked like a chance. Then Idah got Pukki away but he dallied too long and the ball eventually went to Aarons who jinked into the box and went down under contact. Darren Bond was unmoved but from my position right above it seemed fairly straightforward and Aarons himself seemed incensed with the decision. At the other end the home defence allowed a free header from a corner but thankfully it drifted wide of Gunn's right post.

There was little else regarding goalmouth incident until City almost pulled off a corner routine of their own with Pukki coming off the far post and laying a ball to Marquinos but the final execution was lacking and the ball flew over the bar. From then things started to get a bit fiesty with the ref allowing far too much contact to go unpunished in my opinion. Just after the half hour there was a scuffle in front of the main stand and a City player finished up over the advertising hoardings followed by a load of general argey bargey. At that stage it seemed unlikely we would finish the match without at least one red card as Mr Bond failed to stamp any real authority on the game.

Coming up to the break it was the visitors who looked slightly more likely to break the deadlock as the home defence was again caught out from a corner and another free header crashed against the City bar and was scrambled away.

The halftime shoot out between the Zorb's was probably more exciting than anything I had seen during the first forty five minutes and the by now, constant heavy rain promised a very wet ride home.

Things didn't much improve in the opening minutes of the second period but City did final test the keeper when Marquinos cross- shot was beaten away by the Blades keeper and Pukki couldn't quite get on the end of the loose ball. The game was certainly physical and any time a player looked like getting clear they were tripped or tugged back. I know its easy to blame the officials but I felt they were especially poor today and it was fitting that when a goal came it would be from an officiating error.

Just after the hour mark the visitors came forward and after a series of missed tackles and untidy play the ball found its way across goal to  McAtee who looked clearly offside. I was amazed when the flag wasn't raised and a whole possee of City players pursued the ref and lino to no avail. I haven't seen any replays on TV yet but it looked clear to me.

Tzolis and Kamara came on for Pukki and Idah but it didn't change the flow of a drab game where chances were few and goalmouth incident almost non existant. In all honesty United had looked slightly mored dangerous and with a quarter hour left a Billy sharp effort came back off the angle of post and bar but yet again there appeared to be a clear offside in the move that wasn't flagged.

Josh Sargent, who had put in plenty of effort all afternoon started and almost ended a decent move but couldn't keep his shot down when the ball came in to him and that was about sum total of anything resembling a goal bound effort that I saw all afternoon. I hear that Marquinos did test the keeper in time added but my great grandson was cold and I agreed when he suggested an early exit as time ticked up to ninety minutes.

This was probably the least memorable game I've seen so far in what is fast becoming a season to forget. We have seldom looked more than average all season and this was a game when being avaerage was never going to be enough. I should have paid attention when my season ticket failed the entry test and gone home there and then.

MOM, the linesman on the Main stand side. Without him they could have played until next Pancake day without seeing a goal.

 

 

Edited April 1, 2023 by ricardo

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,898]

4 minutes ago, ricardo said:

I haven't seen any replays on TV yet but it looked clear to me.

Onside by a Scotsman's foot.

OTBC

[Chelm Canary 404]

I've seen the replay several times. he was onside. 

Dreadful game though. I think the physicality got in the way of any real football.

[Branston Pickle 3,669]

I’ve seen it several times. The offisde was v close - tbh I’m not certain, has the ball left his foot in that image?  Imo the lino guessed, but tbh as a football supporter you’d prefer 50:50s to be given as goals.

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

Did you forget they hit the bar with a header?

[Ginja 26]

42 minutes ago, Branston Pickle said:

... tbh I’m not certain, has the ball left his foot in that image? ...

It's the first point of contact with the ball that is used not when it leaves the foot

[ricardo 7,395]

19 minutes ago, keelansgrandad said:

Did you forget they hit the bar with a header?

See paragraph 4

[Beetley Yellow 57]

It was onside, to be fair a very good call (… lucky guess?) because  I was convinced it was off at ‘live’ first view and even after seeing the first replay. 

[Matt Juler 155]

Where do you sit Ricardo? From S block of the Upper River I was also adamant that it should have been a penalty for the challenge on Aarons.

[Matt Juler 155]

1 hour ago, Disco Dales Jockstrap said:

Onside by a Scotsman's foot.

OTBC

Wagner was claiming an earlier offside in the move, but I can't recall when or where.

[Chelm Canary 404]

21 minutes ago, Beetley Yellow said:

It was onside, to be fair a very good call (… lucky guess?) because  I was convinced it was off at ‘live’ first view and even after seeing the first replay. 

Even watching the first few replays I was pissed off thinking it was definitely offside - I was a bear with a sore head until I saw the definitive frame. 

It's one of those that looked blatantly offside in real time but simply wasn't. 

I reckon everyone in the stadium saw that as offside. I would have. 

[Disco Dales Jockstrap 1,898]

1 minute ago, Matt Juler said:

Wagner was claiming an earlier offside in the move, but I can't recall when or where.

I think he's clutching tbh - I saw the replay a few times, watched the build up to see if there were any other issues and couldn't see anything (although I accept I could have missed something).

OTBC

[nutty nigel 7,555]

Can't someone find their crayons and draw some lines. That still is naked without them.

Edited April 1, 2023 by nutty nigel

[Mengo 825]

3 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

Can't someone find their crayons and draw some lines. That still is naked without them.

Are you missing  VAR 🙃. Just another bad day on the grass. 

The better  team won .

[nutty nigel 7,555]

Just now, Mengo said:

Are you missing  VAR 🙃. Just another bad day on the grass. 

The better  team won .

No.

It's straight forward. At the game he's offside and the refs a cheat.

After the game it doesn't matter because nothing will change it.

Football used to be a simple game until simple people found stills and crayons.

[Mengo 825]

2 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

No.

It's straight forward. At the game he's offside and the refs a cheat.

After the game it doesn't matter because nothing will change it.

Football used to be a simple game until simple people found stills and crayons.

It still is a simple game and the refs decisions will only be good when it suits our team.. The Simple people decided that they all wanted to become 🤓 nerds. The game then changed and even now they have decided to make the crayon lines thicker. Take me back , when it was a real game without the input of idiots and artificial intelligence. 

[nutty nigel 7,555]

1 hour ago, Mengo said:

It still is a simple game and the refs decisions will only be good when it suits our team.. The Simple people decided that they all wanted to become 🤓 nerds. The game then changed and even now they have decided to make the crayon lines thicker. Take me back , when it was a real game without the input of idiots and artificial intelligence. 

Yep 

There's 2 games now. The game that we watch in the ground and the game people watch on TV.

In the ground the ref is wrong unless it's in our favour.

On TV it's replays and crayons while they make a cup of tea.

 

 

 

[ricardo 7,395]

1 hour ago, Matt Juler said:

Where do you sit Ricardo? From S block of the Upper River I was also adamant that it should have been a penalty for the challenge on Aarons.

Block Q upper River End.

[dylanisabaddog 4,955]

12 hours ago, Matt Juler said:

Where do you sit Ricardo? From S block of the Upper River I was also adamant that it should have been a penalty for the challenge on Aarons.

An extremely embarrassing dive, worse than his effort at Reading. 

[ricardo 7,395]

3 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

An extremely embarrassing dive, worse than his effort at Reading. 

I've watched it again and have not changed my opinion, he was certainly upended.

Edited April 2, 2023 by ricardo

[BroadstairsR 2,186]

Yes. He was touched and definitely impeded. The fact that he leapt like a salmon as a result made the ref. think that he was play-acting.

[nutty nigel 7,555]

Just now, BroadstairsR said:

Yes. He was touched and definitely impeded. The fact that he leapt like a salmon as a result made the ref. think that he was play-acting.

I agree it was a pen but if the subsequent salmon leap is all the ref saw then he couldn't give the pen. If he saw the whole incident then he used the salmon leap as an excuse not to give it. Whichever it all looks a bit fishy to me.

[ricardo 7,395]

25 minutes ago, nutty nigel said:

I agree it was a pen but if the subsequent salmon leap is all the ref saw then he couldn't give the pen. If he saw the whole incident then he used the salmon leap as an excuse not to give it. Whichever it all looks a bit fishy to me.

Had the incident happened in the other penalty area I would have shocked and very relieved that we had got away with it.