Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Man City's demise opens the door on a massive opportunity for Newcastle

Seemingly the last time Newcastle made a League cup semi final, Harold Wilson was PM and Bohemian Rhapsody was number 1 in the charts

United win the Manchester derby, and Arsenal win the North London derby.

Man United win the derby, but I still dont know how Rashford wasnt offside

nobody does, SP

Lloris has his weekly shocker. If Spurs really want to try and win the league they're going to have to get rid of the biggest millstone hanging around their necks

Durhamfootman wrote:nobody does, SP

Seen some people arguing that he doesn't attempt to play the ball, but he clearly does - he just realises as he gets to the ball and drags 2 defenders away that he was 10 miles offside, so then jumps over it to avoid touching it.

If that's not offside, then just remove offside from the game. Of course, it very much is offside, but once again the man in the VAR booth is the only person in the world who seems to have a different opinion.

seemingly the decision was correct under the offside rules, but the fact that the decision was technically correct just demonstrates that the rules as they stand are utterly ridiculous.

Mike Dean had another shocker in the VAR booth for the match at SJP. Reviews two Fulham penalty appeals about 30 seconds apart (both turned down)... sees nothing wrong with the tug back which was almost certainly a penalty (presumably not given because of the theatrical way that the attacker went down), then instructs the ref to look again at a foul on the edge of the box, but doesn't let the ref see the angle that shows the attacker going to ground on the edge of the box because he stood on the defenders foot rather than because of any foul.

Seemingly there are only 2 professional VAR officials, ie ex referees who no longer officiate on field, Dean and Lee Mason. Mason quietly disappeared for 4 weeks (suggestion being he was unofficially suspended) after he got the ref to overturn a Willock goal for a foul on the keeper when Willock was pushed into the keeper by a defender, showing the on field ref only the footage of the foul, but not the big shove in the back that caused the foul in the first place.

If Howard Webb is determined to get VAR working the way it should, then I can think of a couple of places for him to get the process started

sussexpob wrote:Man United win the derby, but I still dont know how Rashford wasnt offside

as it happens the International Football Association Board have just met.

They have ruled out a PL trial of temp concussion subs because no concensus on the issue could be reached

They will begin a 12 month trial of communicating VAR decisions to viewers and spectators, beginning at the club world cup and if successful continue with the U20 WC and then the Women's WC

They will continue the stoppage time policy adopted at the last WC which they are very happy with

They specifically discussed the Rashford not offside decision to see if there was a loophole in the new laws that needed closing..... and concluded that there wasn't

Durhamfootman wrote: I've spent ages defending Chris Wood as a player to everyone I know, but I've had enough now. He's had match defining gifts on goal in each of the last 3 games and fluffed every one of them, with today's the worst of the lot. Time for Eddie to call it a day with him. Seemingly Juventus made an approach for Wood in December to test the water and we told them to ssip off. Go figure

well it looks like I'm not alone in giving up on Chris Wood. He's currently having a medical at Forest ahead of a possible move... perhaps on loan

Yeah just loan to cover for injuries......i hope it stays like that.

A loan move for Wood, but Forest have an obligation to buy for £15m in the summer if certain conditions are met, which I presume means if Forest don't get relegated and Wood is happy to stay. Financially, it's a good outcome for Newcastle, because a year ago he was a fairly expensive, last roll of the dice, signing that wasn't expected to recoup the club any money later. He can hold the ball up well which makes him a decent target man when a team has to set up defensively, but that isn't really Newcastle's style of play anymore

Karl Darlow is looking for another club too until the end of the season at least, but that would only happen at the very end of the transfer window. Dubravka's failed loan move to Man Utd means he's cup tied and Howe wants to make sure any late goalkeeping injuries don't leave him short ahead of the league cup SF. There is a fair bit of Championship interest in Darlow, I believe, so he ought to get his move if he wants it.

while on the subject of Forest, I'd like to see Lascelles moved on. He's become the least solid of any of the Newcastle CB's. If Newcastle concede goals these days, it's a fair bet that Lascelles was playing. Newcastle have conceded 11 goals in 19 PL games. Lascelles has made 4 starts across all competitions and Newcastle have conceded in 3 of them. Since the pre-season ACL injury keeping Krafth out for a year, Lascelles is the only cover for Schar, so that doesn't look likely to happen any time soon given that Newcastle are not looking for a right footed centre back atm

If first games are anything to go by Wood will not be at Forest long. probably the worst game i have seen from a debutant. Tough to go into a team with out training with them. Surridge should have started and wood would offer something different later on. Just here to cover injuries i reckon and when the regulars are back i dont think he will get much game time if he continues the way he started. Offer a plan B but Surridge has been good for us off the bench over the last month. Would be harsh on Sam for that not to continue. This signing strikes me as another weird one from our transfer team. At present im not sure how he fits in with the way the team plays. I think forest might be back at throwing darts at the dart board again..........throw enough darts then something is bound to hit.

Lascelles would do something for Forest though not sure he would get in ahead of our first 2 at present. His career seems to have stalled and not kicked on how many expected.

not unexpectedly, Newcastle come away from Selhurst Pk with a goaless draw. That's 3 nil-nil draws in the last 4 games and only 1 goal in the other. This despite 60 odd percent possession, 15 corners and 16 shots with 7 on target. Goals are starting to become a bit of a problem with chance after chance squandered in every game. Something to work on, but the 3-0 result against Leicester aside, goals have dried up since the WC break.

Same starting line up and same formation in each of those 4 games. Maybe something has to change. Both Wilson and Isak, perhaps. Wood wouldn't have been the answer, but I can see the January right back signing that Howe wanted as cover for Trippier, becoming a striker with an eye for goal

All that being said, there was a time not so long ago when points in the capital were as rare as hens teeth for Newcastle, so not a disaster and back up to 3rd for the time being

sounds like the Arsenal Man U game was a cracker. Arsenal score a late winner to keep Newcastle in 3rd.

Arteta up to his usual shenanigans. He's really ssiping people off