So.... Was it a foul on Shorey? *POLL*

[Ian Royal]

Personally, I think it was just a foul. Barry jumped in very early to attack the ball and by the time Shorey should have been jumping to clear it Barry was impeding him. But because Barry went so early and hung (on Shorey) it did look like Shorey made no effort to play the ball. I think there was an element of Shorey thinking about backing in to impede Barry. I can see why the ref wouldn't give it and I think it's one of those 52% - 48% splits in whether it should be given or not.

Fact seems to be we played much better (couldn't watch myself) with the right tactics, and should have got a couple of goals, but just couldn't keep out a top draw City side that just didn't do it's homework on how to beat us. From what I saw on MotD they played very narrow and intricate through the middle, when Neville clearly highlighted (and was spot on) that you beat us by going wide and pulling it back to just outside the six yard box.

Savage highlighted our excellent defence, but tbh, I wasn't overly impressed at seeing a bank of 6 and a bank of 3. Just smacked me of sitting way too deep and having no outlet again. Although I guess we were there for the draw.

[Big Ern]

My first thoughts were foul however like most football fans objectivity goes out the window when it involves your team. Watched the game with my old man who is a Charlton fan and he thought it was a foul.

[3 veesinarow]

After much deliberation, no - but it was a cast-iron pen for the handball, so that passage of play wouldn't have even happened had the lino bothered to do his job.

[marcusopp]

Too many people on this site don't know the rules of football, so shouldn't really comment. "wanting it more" doesn't mean you can take someone out i'm affraid.

Fouls aren't a matter of fact, they're a matter of opinion. And the only person's opinion that matters is the referee's.

And they're Laws, not rules.

Good point, but in the opinion of most referees in games that i've played in, that would be a foul. This is why football is a great game though, it's about people arguing about dodgey refs etc. How many watford fans would have been moaning after our 'goal' that time?

[NTRoyal]

Yeah, but you can't just run through people, that's a foul. If he's obstructing him, then it's an indirect free kick to them, other wise it's a direct free kick to us for the foul on Shorey. When a defender is shielding the ball out for a goal kick, a foul is given if the forward 'goes through him' to get the ball. What Barry did to Shorey was no different.
Too many people on this site don't know the rules of football, so shouldn't really comment. "wanting it more" doesn't mean you can take someone out i'm affraid.

Yes, but in your example the ball is under the control of the player seeing it out of play. A cross floated to the back post is there to be won, by either side, if a defender just stands and watches, trying to block the players run, Barry has ever right to throw himself at it and try to win the header! It's a contact sport ffs. It would have been a foul if Shorey is trying to win the header and he pushes him mid air, or if he tries to control it and he is barged into.

The simple fact is he made no effort to play the ball.

[West Stand Man]

Yeah, but you can't just run through people, that's a foul. If he's obstructing him, then it's an indirect free kick to them, other wise it's a direct free kick to us for the foul on Shorey. When a defender is shielding the ball out for a goal kick, a foul is given if the forward 'goes through him' to get the ball. What Barry did to Shorey was no different.
Too many people on this site don't know the rules of football, so shouldn't really comment. "wanting it more" doesn't mean you can take someone out i'm affraid.

Yes, but in your example the ball is under the control of the player seeing it out of play. A cross floated to the back post is there to be won, by either side, if a defender just stands and watches, trying to block the players run, Barry has ever right to throw himself at it and try to win the header! It's a contact sport ffs. It would have been a foul if Shorey is trying to win the header and he pushes him mid air, or if he tries to control it and he is barged into.

The simple fact is he made no effort to play the ball.

Simply wrong on every level

[handbags_harris]

Yeah, but you can't just run through people, that's a foul. If he's obstructing him, then it's an indirect free kick to them, other wise it's a direct free kick to us for the foul on Shorey. When a defender is shielding the ball out for a goal kick, a foul is given if the forward 'goes through him' to get the ball. What Barry did to Shorey was no different.
Too many people on this site don't know the rules of football, so shouldn't really comment. "wanting it more" doesn't mean you can take someone out i'm affraid.

Yes, but in your example the ball is under the control of the player seeing it out of play. A cross floated to the back post is there to be won, by either side, if a defender just stands and watches, trying to block the players run, Barry has ever right to throw himself at it and try to win the header! It's a contact sport ffs. It would have been a foul if Shorey is trying to win the header and he pushes him mid air, or if he tries to control it and he is barged into.

The simple fact is he made no effort to play the ball.

The ball may be there to be won but anyone remember Carlo Nash's challenge on Dave Kitson in February 2006? Completely different set of circumstances but Nash did exactly as you say - threw himself at it and won the header. The fact he cleaned out Kitson as well passed the referee by, but Nash did almost exactly the same as Barry. The difference was that Shorey wasn't oncoming and just tried to block Barry.

I think Shorey's reaction tells it;s own story as well - no appeal for a free kick, just sheer dejection that they've scored.