City v H and Y

My photo suggest the contact was right on the line.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14036694@N03/16786907217/sizes/l

Yeah, it was one of those nights really. I still think that Ross air shot it and the defender hit his trailing leg because it wasn't in the place it would have been if he had hit the shot. Still, I called for a penalty on the night and wouldn't have been surprised to have got one. What I can't work out is why Watkins didn't have a shot.

Excellent shot, yuffie. It shows that the ref had the best view of anyone and that, if there was any contact just as Stearn hit the shot from the defender, it is more of the 'running into his back' variety than clipping his foot beforehand. As it goes, combining skyblue's video with your photo, the ref called it right. Unfortunately.

Great pic as always. From that angle, I think the ref sees the ball going away from Stearney and thinks the defender has got the touch when it is clear it's his standing foot the ref can see so he cannot have made contact with the ball. Tough one to call, with our luck this season, if that was at the other end, it probably would have been given.

yuffie wrote:My photo suggest the contact was right on the line.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/14036694@N03/16786907217/sizes/l

A free kick then?

I always go by the reaction of the offending player. He has a go at Stearn which is often an indication he is trying to hide his guilt.

It wasn't Stearn's best night. Is it him or the management instruction that means he roams about the pitch instead of sticking to where he's most effective ie wide right?

Yes, I thought Stearn was largely anonymous in both the Bromley and Hayes games until he stuck to the wing rather than playing a more floating role off Pratt and McCootie/Watkins.

Playing Stearn in the middle against Bromley was dreadful. Mind you, Pratt kept on wandering back a la Rooney when he should have been upfront. They are obviously trying out different formations and that one seemed to confuse everyone.

I thought previously that Watkins and Stearn supporting Pratt from the wings was the best formation. When McCootie started to show some form, this became less easy. Unless you want all four (which may be fun against Staines on the last day), it looks on current form like McCootie would have to give way. However, I think that we can change it around a bit more but not, maybe, to the extent that we did at Bromley. Fair play to McCootie, I didn't realise that he was only a goal behind Ross this season. I realise 6 of them were against Farnborough but, still, better than I imagined at the start of the season.

When did Staines get relegated, by the way?

Staines were relegated last Saturday.

Personally, I'm all for the management trying different formations and line ups in these remaining games. Surely they will get a more accurate pointer for next season in competitive league games than against Swansea Youth and Cardiff Z in July.

Agreed. I wasn't totally convinced about Diallo playing at left-back last night but have no issue with players being tried out in various positions at this stage of the season.

comrade powell wrote:Staines were relegated last Saturday.

Personally, I'm all for the management trying different formations and line ups in these remaining games. Surely they will get a more accurate pointer for next season in competitive league games than against Swansea Youth and Cardiff Z in July.

I don't agree with experimenting with formations AND personnel. For one thing it has been demonstrated that it takes time for players to get used to new formations. If you also change the personnel - especially playing players out of their best position ie Diallo - then I can't see how you can judge the success or not of the experiment. Play becomes disjointed because players struggle with their role. Mistakes are made. How do you judge whether Saturday's back 5 were better or not then Tuesday's given the difference in opposition?

I would have much more sympathy with experimentation if it included trying out youngsters. But that never happens, presumably because those players are involved with other teams. But if you try out a youngster in addition to messing about with the team then you learn nothing about either.

Totally agree with your comment about trying youngsters. Lee Howells has correctly stated in this week's Chronicle that the players looked jaded on Tuesday after their exertions against Bromley. We put several youngsters in at home to Farnborough - that could have been repeated against Hayes.

And I wasn't suggesting trying new formations, tactics AND players in the same game. As they say at the chalk face, that would 't be a fair test...