I cant find any highlights up yet. The footytube highlight reel isn't playing for me... Watching it live, in the 30th minute when Sunderland got the first goal, does anyone else think that could have very easily been called back for offside? The OSP didn't touch it but it looked like a very strong case could be made that the GK was screened and couldn't see the ball. In real time, the referee and AR have a very difficult call here. I'm sure that from the AR's perspective, it's hard to tell because of the lack of depth perception from the sideline and he probably wouldn't be able to tell how close the shot came to hitting the OSP. If the referee suspected the player was in OSP and noticed the blocking of the keepers' view, then what... go to the AR for his input before allowing the goal? If the AR is sprinting up the line, I suppose that might tell the CR that he was in fact not in OSP and all was well with the goal. How do we preempt this situation in our weekend matches? Tell the AR during pregame "If you see a player in OSP and a goal is scored, let's talk about it. Always."? That would seem to be the only way to force a conversation and get the call correct one way or the other every time. Found some video. The replays start around 1:05. http://www.sportsaim.com/31.03.12.M...ghlights.video..31.03.2012....EPL_2053_2.html
I'd love to agree, but can't. Joe knew where the ball was at all times, he just couldn't get over to it. "The game that handed the title to those red wankers from Trafford."
No, not at all. The ball goes in front of the player; between he and the keeper. Thus, no lines of sight are blocked (except maybe by his own defender). There is no interference with an opponent and thus no offside.
I'd humbly suggest that would be a horrid idea -- it's not that uncommon for a non-scoring player to be in OSP. Any time you have a conference about a goal/no-gioal call, you heat up the moment -- you don't want to have that unless you have to. If the AR thinks an OSP player might have been interfering, then it seems appropriate to me to initiate the conversation by standing still; if the R sees a player that might have been in OSP that the R believes was blocking vision then it seems appropriate to me that the R would initiate the conversation. Btu you don't want, IMHO, a conversation unless you need to have it. (Example: One of my more awkward moments was in close, season finale game [that didn't matter, except to the players, and perhaps more so to one of the coaches], and on a go-ahead goal with only minutes left, my AR stood still -- not becasue he saw OS, he said he didn't think it was, but because he wanted to know if I had seen it as OS. Having the conversation just made us look uncertain, and appears to have made many on the sidelines think I overruled the call.)
Conference? Headsets, man. You can ask without being obvious. I was quite interested in the PK to City at the end of the first half. Dowd surrounded by Sunderland players, to his great, visible irritation. Then Balotelli does just a tiny hesitation when he gets to the ball on the kick. I'm thinking Dowd's thinking "With the way they acted when I made the call, there's no way I'm calling that one back."
I only wish that I had headsets for my matches . . . I agree that the headsets would make a quick check much easier.
