Phoenix wrote:We were discussing this at lunchtime. Wasn't there a game where one team were allowed by their opponents to walk the ball into the net to make up for a "bad" goal?
I seem to remember something similar a couple of seasons ago, possibly involving Yeovil. I believe a team had been sportingly trying to return the ball to the opposition goalie, after the opposition themselves had kicked the ball out to allow the team in question to tend to a player whom had been injured. Unfortunately the opposition keeper made a right pig's ear of it and the ball went in. Sportingly the side who had been trying to give the ball back but benefited from it, allowed the opposition to have a goal by letting them run all the way to the goal from the kick-off and put it in an empty net.
Another example is from last season in the Carling Cup. A game between Nottm Forest and Leicester was abandoned at half-time due to a Leicester player collapsing in the changing room. Forest were 1-0 up at the time. When the game was replayed a week or so later the Forest goalie took the kick-off and dribbled the ball from the half-way line, unopposed to score and restore the scoreline to 1-0 (which is what the score was after 45 minutes in the game that had to be called off). Unfortunately there were now 90mins to hang on for Forest and not 45 as there would have been in the cancelled game. The tricky trees lost 2-1.
I see no reason as to why Reading couldn't have done something like the above two examples, its no use saying they are willing to replay the game now as the game has ended in a result (I think this may be because they feel they could get 3 points and not 1 in a re-arranged fixture. cynical? me? never!). If this were the case, how many games would need replaying? The Liverpool goal on Stoke should have counted, lets get that replayed. Arsenals equaliser on Saturday was offside, send them back to the Reebok on a cold Tuesday night and lets see how the soft southern sods cope.
It's in the best interests of the game for the players on the field to sort out a fair resolution amongst themselves when an official has made a blatant mistake. I remember saying after the spurs game that Carrol should have held his hand-up, though was not surprised when he did not. As he did not, it reflected badly on his character and that of his side which I'm sad to say was to be expected. A reason why many people dislike Manchester United (myself included) is nothing to do with the way in which they play, but how they conduct themselves and what they are willing to do to win (cheat). It is a bit like walking in Cricket IMO and this new debatable low catch thing that keeps cropping up. If everyone was honest we would not have a problem, but unfortunately they are not and so we do.
Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:12 am
