Match Day Thread Norwich City -19:45 - Queens Park Rangers, Tuesday Dec 29th

This is the nub of the matter. There was no need to take any risks, never mind unnecessary risks; this was precisely the time to play safe and put into practice DF's mantra of controlling the game through denying the opposition possession. We didn't; mistakes ensued, and we paid the price. DF contributed to it by delaying the introduction of fresh legs and at least one more defensively-minded player. The time to have done that was immediately after we scored.

I'm perfectly aware there are alternative views to mine; how could I not be, on here? Also, plaudits for your commentary on the play leading up to the penalty; it's a good commentary on a team trying to avert a danger they should never have allowed to develop in the first place. Of course I'm "judging everything on the way I think we should play, rather than the way we actually play". What would you expect, given that I think "the way we actually play" leaves us vulnerable in avoidable ways?

Re. "There was every need for Aarons to run forward for the counter attack. Under a 4-2-3-1 system the full backs are there to create the attacking width". As I said earlier, that just ignores the question of the appropriate focus at that stage of the game: "Leading, with less than 10 minutes to go, the focus should be on staying solid, not trying to score the second goal."

Judging by what we saw last night, Saturday's loss to Watford, and the manner of it, has damaged confidence. Barnsley under Ismael are a transformed, tactically astute, team. We'll need to get the focus right on Saturday.

 

Interesting report by M Bailey concerning the offside call on Cantwell yesterday. Starts at 3:40.

 

Thanks for that CS. Just listened to it, having replayed the QPR game via iFollow. If anyone is interested and has access to iFollow, the offside incident is at 53 minutes 51 seconds (match time, not programme time).
I agree with what MB says about the facts; Todd was (just) goal side of the last QPR defender when the ball was played forward to Teemu, who himself was definitely onside. If the ball had been played to Todd rather than Teemu, Todd would rightly have been given offside. As Teemu took the pass and ran goalwards, Todd moved towards the QPR goal himself, i.e. at no time did he "come back onside" from his offside position before resuming his movement towards the goal. When Teemu played the ball across, Todd was not goal side of him, so that was definitely not the point at which the infringement occurred. If the lineman's decision was correct, it can only be because Todd never got himself back onside from the moment the pass was made to Teemu. Like MB, I can't claim to be an expert on the offside law, but comparing it with the many cases one has seen in which a player comes back onside from an offside position before then moving forward again to score, I suspect the linesman was indeed correctly applying the rules.

 

Question Robbie: When Teemu went head of Todd, would that put Todd on side or would TC have to let a defender get goal side of him? Or is that the rules question?

 

You can't be put onside by a team mate

 

Thanks Canario! In that case, TC never got onside.

 

I'm pretty sure that Teemu getting ahead of Todd would not, by itself, put Todd onside. Todd, being initially "in an offside position", would have to be played onside by a QPR player. Looking (again) at the replay, Todd is always goal side of the three QPR players chasing back. There's always the question of camera angle, but the mowed lines on the pitch are clearly visible and that's how it looks to me. The linesman, of course, would be better placed.

 

Yes, see Canario's post above. He says the same. I agree from the replays, TC never got back onside.
Thanks Guys

Happy New Year to Everyone (much happier than this one)