Doncaster match thread sponsored by Rugby on in the pub!

[paultheroyal]

You can't give a penalty and then expect a yellow when the ball was heading goalwards. Goes back to the law change debate when I have repeatedly said that any and repeat any handball in the penalty box is a penalty. Problem solved.

[ZacNaloen]

You can't give a penalty and then expect a yellow when the ball was heading goalwards. Goes back to the law change debate when I have repeatedly said that any and repeat any handball in the penalty box is a penalty. Problem solved.

^ The ball wasn't heading goalwards when he "handled" it. It had already been deflected away from goal by his body. Seriously, I don't understand how you can deem it a goal scoring opportunity denied when it's already been stopped by his body

[Arch]

Explain this, If the ball has been redirected by his body into his arm then how is it a red card as it is no longer heading in the direction of the goal when it hit his arm?

Too much analysis there. He put himself in position to block a goal-bound shot and his block involved using his arm. Never mind the fine details.

[Ian Royal]

Fed was also almost directly behind him.

[Ian Royal]

Purse wasn't sent off for another dubious "intentional" handball in the box today.

[paultheroyal]

Feds - 7/8: Good few saves, but was he really that great, not much else to do
Bertrand - 6: Quiet game but did make a few errors going forward
Griffin - 7: Great few little crosses and did pretty well tracking back a good few times
Mills - 6: Was shocking first 20 mins then did better until that handball
Ingi - 6: Not great but did okay, no huge mistakes though
McAnuff - 6: Usual away form, not the Jobi we see at the Mad but no huge mistakes again
Kebe - 7: Few very good runs but this were always typical Kebe: ended up with nothing!
Karacan - 7: From what i noticed of him, seemed on form doing his job but nothing special
Howard - 8: My man of the match really, played well, especially for Long's goal and deserved his
Gunnarsson - 6: Didn't notice him really and made a few little errors every now and then
Long - 7/8: Good performance, good header for the goal and some good play for Howard's too

quite possibly the worst score ratings I have ever seen!

[paultheroyal]

You can't give a penalty and then expect a yellow when the ball was heading goalwards. Goes back to the law change debate when I have repeatedly said that any and repeat any handball in the penalty box is a penalty. Problem solved.

^ The ball wasn't heading goalwards when he "handled" it. It had already been deflected away from goal by his body. Seriously, I don't understand how you can deem it a goal scoring opportunity denied when it's already been stopped by his body

and you expect the referee to know all this in a nano second. Not conclusive whether it was handball first or second or if second whether the first deflection was going in but from where I was it was goalbound, it was handball, it was a penalty so it's a red card.

I was more angry about the six minutes, five at a push!

[Terminal Boardom]

Scores on the doors today:
Everyone 8/10 except Karacan for whom I give a lowly 6. I think he is struggling and that is two indifferent performances in a row.

Zurab looked very solid when he came on. Now, what is going to be the preferred pairing? Ivar and Zurab or Zurab and Mills?

[Bowman's Quiver]

That's great - there's now 6 points between us and 12th, which feels so much better than when it seemed like a little chasm was opening above the bottom four. MUST beat Plymouth now.

Disagree. A draw wouldn't be the end of the world.

[LUX]

It's official, I can no longer stand the tension of watching us on telly. I turned on at h-t, my heart quickened to see 1-0 (or rather 0-1), then the utter horror of the "certitude" we'd oxf*rd up. I turn back on after 79 mins, we've just scored , I want to cry with joy, I calculate the new table etc, and, in the the 15 seconds it is on,there is the penalty/sending off.

It was a def pen/sending off, alas. But how many games have we lost Mills for? One or three?

Then off for 10 mins, only to see 6 mins of injury time go up. My son had to tell me the final score............


the worst thing is definitely the hope.

[Ian Royal]

Seen it again. I'm even less convinced it was a penalty in the first place now.

I suspect it would be a one game ban, with a possible additional game for it being his second red.

[Half Horse]

If it's accidental there is an argument it's not even a penalty, let alone a red card.!

it doesn't neeed to be deliberately handled to be handball.

The "deliberate" part concerns the position of the arm - i.e. was his arm in a natural position or had he deliberately positioned his arm? If your arm is out, then even if you are looking in the other direction, it's handball. If your arm is in a natural position and the ball hits it, then even it it prevents a certain goal, it's not handball.

With this one, there didn't look to be anything at all unnatural about his stance, and the ball came straight at him. There would be grounds for saying it's not handball, but he makes so much contact with the ball, dragging it round, that hardly any refs wouldn't give it.

Once given then there's no choice but to give a red card. It was a foul that denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, and therefore a red card. An intention to cheat doesn't come into it.

It was actually his chest that denied the clear goalscoring opportunity. Took all of the sting out of the shot and deflected it wide. If anything the subsequent 'handball' when he pulled his arm back away towards the goal, in a vain attempt to keep it away from the ball, helped the ball go closer to our goal than it otherwise would! Bad call from the lino on that side who seemed determined to help Doncaster back into the game. Later on, he missed the offside prior to their guy hitting the bar!

I reckon the ref also made the wrong call on the foul on Feds, the challenge for the ball, which wasn't really there to be won, was reckless and made with studs up, foot connecting around the knee area. A very dangerous challenge and their guy was extremely lucky to get away with just a yellow.

As for Bertrand's booking, since when have you not been allowed to wait for your defenders to get forward for a freekick? That whole incident was a farce. The lino missing the clear foul and eventually giving us a throw, which the ref then finally changed to the freekick that it should have been in the first place. And if every ref dished cards out that quickly and with very little (if any) prior warning, there would be an awful lot of players getting booked each game!

I think the whole board will be shocked that you don't blame Madjeski for Mills' sending off, Bertand's booking, the inclement weather, John Terry's indiscretions and Tony Blair's decision to invade Iraq.

[Matt de K]

In comparison to this, can't remember who it was against but it was in the PL; ball got spanked at goal - Harps did his star impression and it hit his arm. Result; penalty. But did Harps even get a yellow???? I can't remember him getting a yellow for it, but it sure wasn't a red.

[Arch]

Watched the whole thing. We really dominated for 75 minutes without being all that good, and the second goal was a huge relief... for a few moments. That was the worst "prevent defence" (as we might say over here) since the Rams in Superbowl XXVI.

However, a lot of hustle + a little bit of confidence = winning at places like Doncaster. Increase that to a lot of confidence and we should be fine.

[Terminal Boardom]

Seen it again. I'm even less convinced it was a penalty in the first place now.

I suspect it would be a one game ban, with a possible additional game for it being his second red.

If it happened the other way round, and the referee gave a pen but did not send of the defender, I guarantee you would have been foaming at the mouth demanding the referee be struck off for not giving an obvious red card. I wonder how you would have reacted if he hadnt given a pen! As I said, if it was the other way round.

[Platypuss]

Scores on the doors today:
Everyone 8/10 except Karacan for whom I give a lowly 6. I think he is struggling and that is two indifferent performances in a row.

Zurab looked very solid when he came on. Now, what is going to be the preferred pairing? Ivar and Zurab or Zurab and Mills?

It will be Zurab and Ivar next game, so let's see how that goes.

BTW, why does anyone think that was not his first red of the season?

[paultheroyal]

In comparison to this, can't remember who it was against but it was in the PL; ball got spanked at goal - Harps did his star impression and it hit his arm. Result; penalty. But did Harps even get a yellow???? I can't remember him getting a yellow for it, but it sure wasn't a red.

that's football for you, but tonight ref got it right unfortunately

[Ian Royal]

I thought that was probably the best example of a well thought out and tactically engineered, quality all round result and performance I've seen this season in the league.

-> agree on Zurab and Ivar next game. If Zurab looks good, I'd then drop Ivar for Mills and make Howard captain in midfield.

[rabidbee]

Feds - 7/8: Good few saves, but was he really that great, not much else to do

What else do you want him to do? Aside from the penalty, he had it covered.

Kebe - 7: Few very good runs but this were always typical Kebe: ended up with nothing!

Except a goal, of course.

[Matt de K]

you reckon that he deflected the ball off his chest onto his arm on purpose?