Aston Villa vs Crystal Palace Post-Match

[Pat McMahon]

I don’t even know why they’re questioning it.  It’s an obvious penalty. Does he even touch the ball first time around?  I didn’t know you could foul then get the ball how does that work?

The close up linked earlier on some Palace fan posted seems to show a graze. Not enough to divert the ball from any direction and if there was no contact with Watkins, he was still through. The second touch was the decisive one and if he had made that first, it wouldn't have been a pen. However by then he had already contacted Watkins. Essentially it was a probably half inch from being a perfect tackle, but as we know with VAR, that distance is enough to chalk off a goal.

A very obvious point as well, rarely mentioned by pundits, is that making a tackle with the wrong foot - the outside of your foot like Stewart did yesterday - leads to more potential errors and clumsiness.

[edgysatsuma89]

They just need to clarify that a tackle is only complete if you win the ball (not touch it), where winning the ball means intentionally and clearly changing the direction or momentum of the ball to take it out of the control of the opponent. That way a toe on the ball before you clatter into the man is correctly given as a foul because you haven't won it and therefore the tackle isn't complete before you commit the foul.

Even with that they also need a rule that winning the ball is irrelevant if you endanger the opponent, to deal with c*nts like Mee who are happy to try to injure someone with their follow-through.

But Paul, that's so f**king obvious, why isn't it implemented? It baffles me. If he doesn't give that in real time then I would bet a lot of money he doesn't change his mind after looking at the VAR screen on account of that 'graze' even though we know it should still be a foul.

If it was reversed though and Torres was tackling Eze there would be plenty on here saying he JUST 'touched the ball' and that would still be bollocks but it's because we've been told that that is enough. It's nonsense.

Don't get me started on that Gordon pen, although to be fair Shearer didn't think that was one.

[stevo_st]

I don’t even know why they’re questioning it.  It’s an obvious penalty. Does he even touch the ball first time around?  I didn’t know you could foul then get the ball how does that work?

The close up linked earlier on some Palace fan posted seems to show a graze. Not enough to divert the ball from any direction and if there was no contact with Watkins, he was still through. The second touch was the decisive one and if he had made that first, it wouldn't have been a pen. However by then he had already contacted Watkins. Essentially it was a probably half inch from being a perfect tackle, but as we know with VAR, that distance is enough to chalk off a goal.

Don’t think it was close to being a perfect tackle, he should never have attempted to come in at that angle, especially with the leg he went in with.
Was a desperate lunge, probably thinking that Ollie was going to shoot with his touch.

[Neil Hawkes]

Re Kamara, while sitting on the bench.

To me it looked as is he was reflecting on his performance, purely based on the same vacant look I end up with when things have not gone according to my plans.

I hope it was not him being annoyed with being substituted, as it was obvious when we lost our composure that his performance, at that time, was not particularly great and he is capable of much better displays.

If he adapts, then he will improve. If not he may become another Buendia, good and frustrating in equal measure and always one that will be targeted for substitution.

[RamboandBruno]

Re Kamara, while sitting on the bench.

To me it looked as is he was reflecting on his performance, purely based on the same vacant look I end up with when things have not gone according to my plans.

I hope it was not him being annoyed with being substituted, as it was obvious when we lost our composure that his performance, at that time, was not particularly great and he is capable of much better displays.

If he adapts, then he will improve. If not he may become another Buendia, good and frustrating in equal measure and always one that will be targeted for substitution.

I might be wrong but I didn’t think he got taken off because of his performance, but more because Emery decided we didn’t need a 6 on the pitch anymore given Palaces tactics of sotting deep.

[Somniloquism]

See Garth Crooks is also siding with MOTD chums, even if he did put Dougie in his team of the week.

Only put him in so he can put his two penneth in. The ref didn't take 5 minutes to make the decision, he did it in 1 second. It was 5 minutes of trying to convince him otherwise.

[algy]

Well I had never heard of it before so I thought it was just some trendy saying.  But it doesn’t even describe what it actually is.  A low block is either a three storey dwelling or a driveway paving arrangement.

It was something I noticed when Emma Hayes was commentating, she kept saying "defending low" & using the word "transition" over & over.

Which would suggest that female coaches use some differing terminology than males.

Not sure why terms like "defending deep" needs to be changed, but "transition" is a good way of describing teams transferring possession.

Im not a fan of Emma Hayes. Granted she is successful, but she just reminds me of Lee Hendrie when talking.

I like Alex Scott. Insightful.

I like Alex Scott too. IMO the best pundit on TV, as you said she tends to be a tad more insightful than the usual ex-pros.

As for the terminology, maybe it's crept in from US terms via a combination of increasing use of stats (which I imagine take some cues from US sport) and also women's 'soccer' having a bigger US influence so maybe the terms are just more common there?

I don't think it matters. I prefer the older terms personally, but it doesn't bother me if people use different words. Not the end of the world, is it?

Souness is a bitter old twat.

[LeeB]

I like Alex Scott too, for those reasons and others.

[VILLA MOLE]

All the kids in my under 10 team use terms like CDM  ,  I have to think  oh yes holding midfielder,  i am sooo old 😃

[Hillbilly]

If it weren’t a penalty it should have been a back pass picked up by the goalie.

[martyn ellis]

See Garth Crooks is also siding with MOTD chums, even if he did put Dougie in his team of the week.

Only put him in so he can put his two penneth in. The ref didn't take 5 minutes to make the decision, he did it in 1 second. It was 5 minutes of trying to convince him otherwise.

Except he goes the whole hog and makes it sound as though it was a travesty of a decision, when it's clear the player fouls Ollie, THEN touches the ball and then brings Ollie down. As I said on an earlier post, a group of Palace fans on the way back to London all agreed when they looked at it that it was a pen. The ref was generally awful all game but on that he was perfectly correct and carefully checked to make sure he hadn't got it wrong; but thanks Mr Crooks for your kind words on Douglas Luiz.

[martyn ellis]

Just to clarify - from Garth Crooks:
Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa): I thought that Crystal Palace assistant manager Paddy McCarthy's analysis on the penalty awarded to Villa was spot on. Any referee who needs five minutes to make a decision must have sufficient doubts, but that didn't stop Darren England from compounding his error of judgment.

The only thing I can say in his defence that it was his error and his alone. The tackle by defender Chris Richards was superb and casts doubt in my mind as to whether Mr England knows the difference between a good and bad challenge.

The penalty was a big moment and a game changer. Douglas Luiz makes my team not just because he converts the penalty so emphatically but also as a result of his performance, which was thoroughly professional throughout. His calm, steady and consistent approach has helped to transform Villa since the arrival of Unai Emery.

[Pete3206]

Just watched MOTD. All 3 pundits claim the pen was 'tough' on Palace. Whatever.

If that pen had been awarded against Villa I'd be yelling my head off. He clearly gets the ball well before his leg collides with Olly

Disagree. Stonewall for me.

[Monty]

I think I'd rather hear what Garth Brooks has to say about it.

[AV84]

So did Crooks only include Dougie so he could rant about the penalty?