I will probably be banned for this but... Footie Thread

[Big Ben]

Ooh look. Chelsea got handed a 94th minute penalty, when only three minutes were going to be added. 3-3.

Perhaps the script wasn't being followed

I have a simpler explanation for it... on one hand you have players, trainers, fans barking at the refs and complaining and bitching about them all the time... and on the other you have the typical spineless footballer who will throw himself to the ground at the first touch even if in 90% of the cases it wouldn't take them much effort to stand... no wonder there are plenty of dubious penalties...

[Mintexmemory]

I have a simpler explanation for it... on one hand you have players, trainers, fans barking at the refs and complaining and bitching about them all the time... and on the other you have the typical spineless footballer who will throw himself to the ground at the first touch even if in 90% of the cases it wouldn't take them much effort to stand... no wonder there are plenty of dubious penalties...

Time quoted on a board is the MINIMUM a referee may add - If time is wasted during the added time he can add more. This is what certainly happened in the Reading - Arsenal game when Reading made a substitution during added time and the change took much longer than the normal 30 seconds (which would have been the minimum for the ref to add to the board time!). Throw in the fact that employees of Reading FC (the ball boys) were delaying the return of the ball for play to continue then it is not a major surprise that over 5 minutes of added time occurred.

[loowisham]

Did Ferguson call out one of hs players?

[Rollo]

Time quoted on a board is the MINIMUM a referee may add - If time is wasted during the added time he can add more. This is what certainly happened in the Reading - Arsenal game when Reading made a substitution during added time and the change took much longer than the normal 30 seconds (which would have been the minimum for the ref to add to the board time!). Throw in the fact that employees of Reading FC (the ball boys) were delaying the return of the ball for play to continue then it is not a major surprise that over 5 minutes of added time occurred.

Time quoted on a board is an irrelevancy.

Law 7 - the duration of the match
Allowance for time lost
Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
-substitutions
-assessment of injury to players
-removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment
-wasting time
-any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.
LAW 7 - THE DURATION OF THE MATCH - FIFA.com

When you combine this with Law 5 which says that the referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game" it means precisely that. The referee can add as little or as much time as they desire.

[Mintexmemory]

Time quoted on a board is an irrelevancy.

Law 7 - the duration of the match
Allowance for time lost
Allowance is made in either period for all time lost through:
-substitutions
-assessment of injury to players
-removal of injured players from the field of play for treatment
-wasting time
-any other cause
The allowance for time lost is at the discretion of the referee.
LAW 7 - THE DURATION OF THE MATCH - FIFA.com

When you combine this with Law 5 which says that the referee has "full authority to enforce the Laws of the Game" it means precisely that. The referee can add as little or as much time as they desire.

Which is what I was saying - the board is not an irrelevancy as it tells the crowd they must hold on for at least the time indicated before dashing to the conveniences as the half-time beer has worked its magic.
The point is your conspiracy theory falls apart when you examine the matches you quote in terms of substitutions, injuries and deliberate failure on the part of the players to 'get on with it'
In most cases where conspiracy is suspected good old human incompetence is much more likely to be the cause!

[steveaki13]

On a happier note.

Leo Messi and his girlfriend Antonella had their baby son today.

Welcome Thiago Messi.

[Rollo]

Which is what I was saying - the board is not an irrelevancy as it tells the crowd they must hold on for at least the time indicated before dashing to the conveniences as the half-time beer has worked its magic.

The board is an irrelevancy as it tells the crowd nothing. It is the referee and no-one else who determines the length of a match. The referee can add 4 seconds or 12 minutes if they desire.

The point is your conspiracy theory falls apart when you examine the matches you quote in terms of substitutions, injuries and deliberate failure on the part of the players to 'get on with it' In most cases where conspiracy is suspected good old human incompetence is much more likely to be the cause!

Suppose Arsenal had been up 4-3 and not the other way around? How much time would have been added on then? Since it is still up to the referee to add as little time as they desire, the door is very much open for them to do their part to engineer a more favourable result to the FA; especially if it means that there might be more prestigious work in the future for them.
Referees are supposed to be impartial. Railway trains are impartial as well, but once you lay down the lines, then that's where they run.

[race aficionado]

Mou almost lost.
But a tie at home is akin to a loss.

[Rollo]

I reckon I'm going to have fun watching the Real Madrid -Borussia Dortmund match when I get home tonight. 2-2, but still, it should in theory be a display of some of the best football ever.

[race aficionado]

Sorry if I gave it away Rollo.
The German team is for real.
They are very impressive on all fronts.