Yet another horrible watch ....

[Donnywolf]

.., true we didn't play our best but our performance was eclipsed by the antics of the opposition in particular their time wasting


Once again I and most others paid good money to watch a game of Football BUT what did we get ? I got about 40 minutes in total watching and waiting for their Goalkeeper to put the ball back in play


Every single time * he took much more than 30 seconds for every Goal Kick , or Free kick with a single attempt by Hair ( the supposed Ref ) to speed him up.


At one point I said to my Seat Buddy , he's tried every trick to waste time time but as yet he hasn't done the " missing the ball when it's rolled to him by the Ball boy routine " And the very next Goal kick he did it.


Probably a professional GK on maybe 1500 quid a week should stop a ball rolled to him , but NO he managed to miss it


Then we had the throw in fiascos. Right back takes one in first half from NW corner given right by the flag , he creeps knowing exactly what he wants and as he takes it Hair brain blows the whistle and sends him back where he then starts again wasting a second lot of time


Then , how many times do we see throw ins " not going in play " . Maybe once a Season , yet today they managed 2 in one game


Then the three man move on East side . First man crawls to ball and picks it up YOU KNOW he will not be taking it. He passed it to man 2 who takes ages faking to throw it in BUT WAIT up from left centre back comes man 3. Man 2 drops the ball and Hair brain gives
him a Yellow




Speaking of Hair brain . The sending off and the injury to the Keeper who I think must have been bitten by a Lakeside Gnat in the time it took to send their bloke off , was timed at 3 minutes .


Add to that the Goal Kicks , the Goal , and at least 2 of the Thrown ins I mentioned above and general time wasting. I mean at one point in first half he was even tapping his watch as Senior took an age to throw ball in


So what did he add on ? EXACTLY  3 minutes. Absolute howls from the Rovers supporters as 6 would have been justified but 3 it was . How long did he add for time wasted in those 3 minutes ?


Exactly 2 seconds as he blew his whistle on 48 minutes and 2 seconds.

[Padge_DRFC]

Go a bit under pressure now and pretend your GK is injured

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

They need to sort that rule. Somehow he never got booked either

[ChrisBx]

Incredible that he wasn't booked. Surely this is easy to referee - book them as soon as it starts and no 'keeper would be daft enough to keep it up.

[normal rules]

It was painful to watch. Along with some poor officiating to boot. Rovers have to make auto. I think the playoffs could end up like last season.

[PDX_Rover]

He booked one of their players for time wasting shortly after their red. Hopeful, I was. But of course… He was inconsistent AF.

[GazLaz]

I don’t think their keeper did anything too bad apart from pretend to be injured straight after their red card and also with about 10min to go. He could have taken the piss more. 8-10seconds when he had ball in hand pretty much every time. Counted every one. Seen far worse this season.

[POD]

I don’t normally get involved with the stoppage time debate, as all teams waste time (including Rovers) and there should normally be plenty of time to win a match in normal time.   

Wimbledon today took time wasting to a different level, initially in the first half and then excelled themselves in the second half. 

The ‘head bandage’ episode took four minutes and should not have been allowed by the referee, who should have insisted that the player left the pitch for that type of treatment, following what wasn’t even given as a free kick. 

Then we had the keeper feigning injury which was similar to the Newport keeper last season and this stoppage lasted two minutes.

Those two stoppages totalled six minutes, so we had only one additional minute added by the referee for the red card incident, many substitutions, general time wasting etc etc.

I don’t advocate a return to the ridiculously long stoppage times of last season or a stop/start timing system as in some other sports….. but surely today the referee must have timed these two incidents and also seen the tactics employed by our opponents to break up any rhythm that we had created by these unnecessary stoppages and added a proper amount of time to the second half.   

Whether we would have won the match is debatable as Wimbledon towards the end we’re actually carrying more of a threat and it could easily have gone either way. 

[silent majority]

Wolfie, you'll be pleased to know the rule changes for next season will include the following;

Time wasting by goalkeepers

The IFAB unanimously decided to amend Law 12.2 (Indirect free kick). The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team (rather than an indirect free kick if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than six seconds, as per the current Laws).

Team Captains

In relation to Law 3.10 (Team captain), guidelines have been introduced for any competitions wishing to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations, which was successfully implemented in a number of competitions last year. The IFAB agreed that stronger cooperation and communication between captains and referees, who often face verbal and/or physical dissent when making decisions, can help instil higher levels of fairness and mutual respect, both of which are core values of the game.

Other changes include;

Law 8.2 (Dropped ball): If the ball is outside the penalty area when play is stopped, it is dropped for the team that had or would have gained possession if this is clear to the referee; otherwise, it is dropped for the team that last touched it. The ball is dropped at its position when play was stopped.

Law 9.2 (Ball in play): An indirect free kick with no disciplinary sanction will be awarded if a team official, substitute, substituted or sent-off player or player who is temporarily off the field of play touches the ball as it is leaving the field of play and there was no intention to interfere unfairly.

Video assistant referee (VAR) protocol: Competitions now have the option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check.
Practical guidelines for match officials: As the VAR can monitor goal/no goal decisions and goalkeeper encroachment, the assistant referee should be positioned in line with the penalty mark, which is the offside line.

[Pliskin]

Players going down ’injured’ to force tactical stoppages is ruining the game.

It seems to have got a lot worse in recent years since referees started stopping play for non-head injuries.

Rules should be changed so if a player needs the game stopped more than once due to injury, they should be required to be substituted off. In the spirit of ’player welfare’ and all that.

[roversdude]

Anyone going down with a head injury should have to go through a full concussion protocol….will stop the tactic all in the name of player safety

[drfchound]

Immediately before the keeper sat down in the second half one of their CBs went to him and said something.
He must have said “sit down” because that is exactly what happened.
As has been said, stuff like this happens far too often and is just a tactical move to waste time and let players go over to the respective managers for instructions.
I said on another thread that my suggested to me at the game that a contested dropped ball should be used in a designated place, possibly on halfway or maybe 30 yards from goal.

[Bentley Bullet]

Rovers had 71% possession, and Wimbledon had 29%.

If you take away the time Wimbledon's keeper had possession, their stats must be down to a single figure!

[GazLaz]

Players should go to the centre circle when players are getting treatment. The keeper injury thing is just a loophole to get a tactical timeout because they don’t have to leave the field after treatment.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

What I thought was really daft today was after the red card.

So, their guy gets a red for a bad foul. Clifton gets treatment and then has to go off for 20 seconds.

But, in that time their keeper went down injured so that they could get a sub and tactics ready. They are then allowed to make said sub all while Clifton has to serve 30 secs off the pitch.

It makes no sense at all!

[Donnywolf]

All of it would be wiped out in a "flash" if and when we go to a fixed 30 minutes in each half

I wouldn't give a b******s then if the keeper took a run up from The Cheswold or 6 of the opposition players took it in turns to pretend to be injured

It wouldn't matter. And we wouldn't worry about the added time because there wouldn't be any again

It's got to come just to stop me saying it every game

[Bentley Bullet]

What I thought was really daft today was after the red card.

So, their guy gets a red for a bad foul. Clifton gets treatment and then has to go off for 20 seconds.

But, in that time their keeper went down injured so that they could get a sub and tactics ready. They are then allowed to make said sub all while Clifton has to serve 30 secs off the pitch.

It makes no sense at all!

Yep, the fouled guy technically gets sin-binned for 30 seconds!

[allezallezallez]

Today was probably the worst football game I've watched at Rovers (apart from the Richardson years I guess). 

Call me old fashioned, but I want to watch a game of football were two teams try and win by playing football and not time wasting or faking injuries.  If we lose we lose, but at least its fair and in the spirit of the game.

I don't understand why todays Ref didn't stamp down on time wasting with early yellow cards.  An early card for the Keeper would of helped the game flow.  Plus, apply a proper amount of injury time at the end of the first half.

I come to support Rovers and hopefully be entertained.

 

[Donnywolf]

Agree 100 %

We shouldn't have been surprised because this is simply WHAT this Ref does.

Here's an extract from one of his visits from Rate the Ref by me of course !

I knocked off marks for Cairns taking the p*** the whole game with lengthy goal kicks and " holds" and Hair tapping his watch again and again and adding on 6 minutes and with lengthy stoppages IN that 6 minutes then adding just 12 seconds to that !

I docked points for his stupid advantages which led nowhere AND the massive flattening from behind ( was it Joe ) which was a Yellow all day long

[Donnywolf]

On the last point I wonder how many people saw the chop by AFCWs Number 26

I think it might have been Sterry that had done 26 and was hacked down , stopping a late promising move

Hair DID as he was near to it and quite clearly was already reaching for (imo) a well deserved Yellow

The 26 did that thing protesting by putting his head in his hands in disbelief and then (again imo) Hair realized 26 got a Yellow earlier in the game and did not go on to produce another Yellow.

I think the Club should take whatever action they can because the 26 broke the rules the Ref is there to apply and the Ref knew it , they could clearly see him on Film I suppose both reaching for a Card and then putting it back

What was he frightened of ? Sending off 3 people in one game ?

That's not down to him . Players break the Rules , he sees them , he takes action so that doesn't reflect on his abilities to Referee.

What does reflect that ability is acting like he did with their 26

[EasyforDennis]

It's all well and good changing the laws but it is a total waste of time if referees don't implement them.

[i_ateallthepies]

Wolfie, you'll be pleased to know the rule changes for next season will include the following;

Time wasting by goalkeepers

The IFAB unanimously decided to amend Law 12.2 (Indirect free kick). The amendment means that if a goalkeeper holds the ball for longer than eight seconds (with the referee using a visual five-second countdown), a corner kick will be awarded to the opposing team (rather than an indirect free kick if a goalkeeper holds the ball for more than six seconds, as per the current Laws).

Team Captains

In relation to Law 3.10 (Team captain), guidelines have been introduced for any competitions wishing to apply the principle of only the captain approaching the referee in specific situations, which was successfully implemented in a number of competitions last year. The IFAB agreed that stronger cooperation and communication between captains and referees, who often face verbal and/or physical dissent when making decisions, can help instil higher levels of fairness and mutual respect, both of which are core values of the game.

Other changes include;

Law 8.2 (Dropped ball): If the ball is outside the penalty area when play is stopped, it is dropped for the team that had or would have gained possession if this is clear to the referee; otherwise, it is dropped for the team that last touched it. The ball is dropped at its position when play was stopped.

Law 9.2 (Ball in play): An indirect free kick with no disciplinary sanction will be awarded if a team official, substitute, substituted or sent-off player or player who is temporarily off the field of play touches the ball as it is leaving the field of play and there was no intention to interfere unfairly.

Video assistant referee (VAR) protocol: Competitions now have the option for the referee to make an announcement after a VAR review or lengthy VAR check.
Practical guidelines for match officials: As the VAR can monitor goal/no goal decisions and goalkeeper encroachment, the assistant referee should be positioned in line with the penalty mark, which is the offside line.

What does that even mean?  'guidelines'; 'competitions wishing to apply the principle'; 'specific situations' (not specified); 'The IFAB agreed that...'  Christ on a bike, it's more mealy-mouthed than the existing rules which referees already choose not to apply.

[pib]

On the last point I wonder how many people saw the chop by AFCWs Number 26

I think it might have been Sterry that had done 26 and was hacked down , stopping a late promising move

Hair DID as he was near to it and quite clearly was already reaching for (imo) a well deserved Yellow

The 26 did that thing protesting by putting his head in his hands in disbelief and then (again imo) Hair realized 26 got a Yellow earlier in the game and did not go on to produce another Yellow.

I think the Club should take whatever action they can because the 26 broke the rules the Ref is there to apply and the Ref knew it , they could clearly see him on Film I suppose both reaching for a Card and then putting it back

What was he frightened of ? Sending off 3 people in one game ?

That's not down to him . Players break the Rules , he sees them , he takes action so that doesn't reflect on his abilities to Referee.

What does reflect that ability is acting like he did with their 26

Seriously? What action can the club take about a player not being given a yellow card? Happens all the time in football. And what difference would it make now?

[Donnywolf]

The only difference is it might alert the EFL to another woeful display by this Ref.

There may have been an Assessor present who saw what happened ( or put it another way how the Ref bottled it ) and give him " time off "

I don't know if he's been injured or sent to lower reaches of the pyramid but as of yesterday morning I was informed on here his record this Season was

Games reffed 11
Yellows issued 17
Reds issued      2

That is a small number of games from 40 ish possibilities. Someone may know .

We recently had a Ref who had been stood down since November 24 and they let him loose on us and he was rubbish as well

I don't know what Grant McCann must think or go through but in a results driven industry he and the rest of his team will act with utter professionalism only to be derailed by people like Hair who don't apply the same professionalsm

As an example of GMs professionalism he even spends the whole warm up watching everything  happening below him especially I guess the opposition players

As an example of the so called professionalism of Hair , I offer him running towards a player already booked for a bad foul , committing another as serious foul and realizing while reaching for a Yellow that it would lead to a Red and despite him producing 2 reds in the game ( which I can't argue against) he simply DID NOT do the job he was paid for

[Bills view]

Stoppages to help manage the game when in front or something to protect is a joke but all teams do it. Did I read Cliff shouting to Sbarra to go into the corner when we scored the second the other day

It gives the 10 men time to have a breather for another effort as well as disrupting the flow

I hate it.

[danumdon]

Its games like this one yesterday that really make you re-assess your logic for actually watching live football at all, especially in the lower reaches of the pyramid.

It looks to me and many that i speak to that the levels of professionalism and competence in the officials at this level are only matched and superseded by the absolute dross that a great many clubs now put out onto the pitch.

If Wimbledon were my team i could not watch that level of underhanded cheating, spoiling and general gamesmanship of football week in week out, even if they ran away with the league it would not interest me one iota. There not alone and its seems a concerted effort on behalf of many these days to go down this road of sh*thousery.

To me its not football and I've no time for watching games where a team trying to play football come up against teams that are sent out with the full intent to hold, grab, spoil, niggle, kick, push, obstruct and spend the whole game giving weak and incompetent officials a running commentary of what they think he should be doing at all times throughout the match.

When you see players actively looking to waste as much time as possible in the first quarter of the game you just know its going to be a brutal watch and the game will in all intents be reduced to who can get away with the most dubious acts.

What makes it even worse is that as a team they have players with enough about them to actually play and should be in comfortable position to get out of this league. Its obviously a bigger thing these days to maximise every opportunity to the limit, teams have done similar for years but to me in this league it just stands out so much it really does make you think about where you should or could be utilising your spare time and cash in a far more pleasurable manner.

I've watched the Rovers since i was an infant and I've watched some dross over them years but to me now, this style and manner of game that we have to endure and some weeks its excruciating to sit through is making me rethink my priorities to making the games, i want to watch good, flowing and exciting football, win or lose i don't care but it needs to be entertaining and for me have a value that makes you want to come back week after week.

Can anyone hold their hands up and honestly say we get something of that description?

The games dying on its feet, the authorities attempt to make piecemeal changes that improve nothing and make the spectacle even worse, the players and managers are playing the system for all its worth(some far more than others) and producing teams setup to be as cynical in their attempts to win at all costs even if it requires players to cheat. It devalues the game to the base level that will surly in time come back to bite it in the arse. This so called "professionalism" is killing the spectacle stone dead for me and i'd imagine quite a few others.

Something to think about for clubs when the net effect becomes apparent in falling gates/revenues and a general lack of interest in supporters coming to the games.

To me THIS is not football.

[EasyforDennis]

One way to stop wasting time is when a player goes down (injured??) is for the referee to bring the physio on immediately. That way he would have go off for 30 seconds and maybe would deter them from feigning injury.

[BradwellRover]

Something needs to be done.

But the key is that it needs to be enacted consistently and so punitive that it’s not worth the risk.

[drfchound]

Today was probably the worst football game I've watched at Rovers (apart from the Richardson years I guess). 

Call me old fashioned, but I want to watch a game of football were two teams try and win by playing football and not time wasting or faking injuries.  If we lose we lose, but at least its fair and in the spirit of the game.

I don't understand why todays Ref didn't stamp down on time wasting with early yellow cards.  An early card for the Keeper would of helped the game flow.  Plus, apply a proper amount of injury time at the end of the first half.

I come to support Rovers and hopefully be entertained.

 

Good post and I’m with you all the way on this, except for that first sentence.
I have seen far worse over the years and yesterday IMO was nowhere near as bad as lots of them.

[Donnywolf]

One way to stop wasting time is when a player goes down (injured??) is for the referee to bring the physio on immediately. That way he would have go off for 30 seconds and maybe would deter them from feigning injury.

Agree for outfield players. Far too many times Refs are playing god trying to judge if the Player really needs attention which just runs the clock down AND imo one day a Ref will make a very poor call

Bring physio on straight away .... AND stop the clock

Unfortunately I might be right in saying the 30 seconds on touchline does not apply to GK , hence the reason the AFCW one hit the deck as soon as the Player was sent off

Another loophole found and exploited by all Teams not just them