KB1862

Not a fan of parachute payments, it should absolutely be abolished. As it has been mentioned, it gives teams an unfair advantage when getting relegated which is why we see so many teams become Yo-Yo clubs. They're too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League. Parachute payments also mean that clubs spend outside of their means which then results in them going into administration. Now more than ever clubs are being more cautious about what they spend due to implications of over spending due to their being a crack down on losses, ffp etc. Parachute payments don't last forever so if clubs spend outside their means but don't get promoted and stay where they are or even get relegated, finances become a real issue.

The game was a free hit. Qualification was already secured so I don't get why Southgate didn't try out some of the players who haven't had any game time yet. It's going to be hard to bring them in for a pure knockout game now. Wharton has been outstanding for Palace this season, could have had him next to Rice or even Mainoo who was impressive when coming on. Watkins could have been given a chance to show what he can do. Gordon should have got a start on the left with Palmer on the right, he showed how good he is when he came on. Konsa was good in the friendlies could have been given game time. It was a chance to rest the likes of Kane and Bellingham who both look knackered and a bit off their game. Trippier could have been rested to recover his calf. Walker could have been given a rest.

England have both a performance and tactical issue. Both of which stem from Gareth Southgate. It's frightening to hear comments from Kane like "we don't know how to press". We have one of the, if not the, best attacking players in the Euros but how can we have all that ability in attacking options and capabilities yet we're the most defensive minded team in the tournament. Go 1-0 up against both Serbia and Denmark then we sit back and soak up all the pressure with very little going forward. We should be a team, especially with the attacking threat we've got, continually going at teams and not dropping back defending a 1-0 lead. We should be a high pressing team and not a counter attacking team. The criticism aimed at Gareth Southgate is justified. Things aren't working but Southgate isn't capable of making tactical changes to change the course of the game in England's favour, never has been. It's hard to criticise the players too much because they're being instructed to play a certain way and unfortunately this is why the performances aren't up to scratch. Phil Foden isn't a left winger, he's a 10. He's shown little glimpses when he's moved more centrally of what he can do. Jude Bellingham needs to be put alongside Declan Rice. The past 2 games he's not looked comfortable in the 10 role, England would get the best out of him if he was played in the 8 role. Before the tournament started, I had very little expectations for England. I predict a Quarter Final exit even despite the tag of being one of the favourites. The performances in the 3 group games haven't filled me with confidence and we'd be lucky to get to the Quarter Finals. Harry Kane also needs to stop dropping so deep but game after game we see it. If Southgate is happy for him to drop that deep then he should really have him playing off someone like Watkins who likes to run in behind. Another tweak needs to be make the substitutes earlier. Anthony Gordon deserved more than 4 minutes on that pitch and even then he created more chances than anyone else. Yesterday was a free hit and even despite qualification secured, there was only one change to the side that started the previous 2 and even that was a defensive change. The game yesterday changed when the likes of Palmer and Mainoo came on, 2 players that pushed forward. Pickford Walker Stones Guehi Trippier Bellingham Rice Palmer Foden(if he's back) Gordon Kane That's the team for next game on Sunday.

The one thing about English weather is the unpredictability of it. Last week, it was suitable to wear a coat. This week, it's a t-shirt and shorts weather. Not that I'm complaining this is the type of weather I love tbf. There's no slow change in temperature, it's either cold or hot. It doesn't gradually change between either one.

Hopefully we see him potentially get more game time for Notts next season. It's about time he got given the opportunity. Promising praise from this tweet.

That's the problem with the game. Rules are being rewritten all the time and it's making it confusing for everyone involved. We always hear terms like "the letter of the law" being thrown around. The decisions may be ridiculous that we disagree with but the laws suggest otherwise. It's made a right mess of the game as we know it.

They've made a problem for themselves with VAR. They had it up and running with room for improvement but said they don't want VAR re-refereeing the game but if something like this happens that's missed by the ref then VAR must intervene to stop the shenanigans happening that it is there to prevent. It's smart from a players point of view like what Toney did and opposition players must be aware of what's happening to bring it to the attention of the ref but it's still, in all but name, breaking the rules of the game. So surely VAR has a right to get involved.

Caught the highlights on YouTube during my lunch break today. Shambolic defending for all 3 goals. Especially the 3rd, no one seemed to be bothered in claiming the loose ball. 2 Gills players were basically battling each other to get on the end of the header sent back in. Post-match, I find it bizarre how criticism is being aimed at Stuart Maynard. Conceding goals in this nature, losing the way we did and having a frustrating night was happening before he even came into the club. 3 games in to his managerial reign, it's still gonna take a bit of time for him to slowly implement his way and move away from the old.

It's been a horrible day in terms of the weather today. It wasn't a very pleasant cycle to work this morning. I left at 5.30 am and thought I was only going to be hit by rain but it wasn't rain, hail or snow. I wouldn't even say it was sleet. It was like sharp frozen rain drops, it comes keen when it comes into contact with cheeks. The weather didn't know what it was doing today. Sleet, Rain and a bit of heavy Snow. It was a whole mixture of things. I'm not a massive fan of cold weather but I'd take the minus temperatures we had a few weeks back over this cold & wet weather. Roll on Summertime. ???? Apparently they're predicting a part 2 of the beast from the east we witnessed in 2018.

Makes me laugh that they're announcing this like it's breaking news. It's been clear and obvious (bit of VAR talk there) for a long time now that VAR has been ruining some of the enjoyment in the game. Especially those who go to the fans in attendance at games. Not to mention the fact that on ref watch they have on Sky Sports they highlight so many failings from previous weekends action. But, 20 wrong decision calls seems very low. They've got to have missed many decisions off the list to make the number seem better. There's always talk about improving VAR but the only thing they've done is "VAR will not re-ref the game". How about they follow the Women's World Cup and have footage of incidents and allow the ref to be mic'd up so that the whole stadium can see and hear what is going on and for the referee to explain their decisions. That would be an improvement. VAR can be good for the game but it has to be correctly used and it needs to be speedier.

Because that would be re-reffing the game, which is what VAR doesn't want to do because fans, players, managers and pundits thought it was disrupting the game which it would do if that was the case. The game played on, Nigeria scored, if there was no incident than Nigeria would have been 2-0 up. But, if he had stopped it there and then with no incident, what happens then? Drop ball, resume play placing everyone back in to their exact positions of when the ref stopped it? It's essentially what you're taught as a youngster, play to the whistle. Referees should make their own decisions and if they make the wrong call VAR will highlight the mistake and see it as an error by the official. Unfortunately VAR is too heavily relied on and it's a get out of jail free card for all referees now.

@Robbie I started watching this game when there was 15 minutes left of normal time and I was gonna come to this point. It showed how useful VAR can be when used correctly. I do agree with your point about the referee not blowing for a penalty in the first place. When watching the replays, it was clear to see that the referee could not have been in a better position to see the incident than he already was. He was a few yards behind, looking directly at the incident. I mean from a neutral fans perspective, it made for a dramatic entertaining end to the game. Nigeria going 2-0 up and looking set to secure their place in the final only for them to have that lead snatched away and then have to go for another half an hour. I do feel the play went on for too long for it to be pulled back though. However, as I mentioned it was VAR being useful. The referee missed an incident and VAR intervened which is what it is there for "a clear and obvious error". It was the right call but without VAR it would have been totally different. Unless the referee would have given it without VAR being involved and having to make the call in real time himself knowing that VAR won't come to the conclusion. On to the other incident, it's understandable why VAR was used for that because of where the foul took place. It was always going to be a red card, rightly so, but they needed to determine whether or not it was inside or outside the box that the actual contact was made. Both decisions still took too long to come to any conclusion and it needs to be quicker but the main thing is both decisions were 100% correct and that's what is needed from VAR.

I listened to the game on the radio and from what I can gather, it didn't sound like the greatest game of football but Notts can feel very hard done to not to have got at least a point from the game. The referee didn't seem to have a good game either. Stal was gesturing for a card on one of the Mansfield players for a cynical foul, which is a bookable offence anyway, but also because it was apparently the 3rd time he had committed a foul. There was also claims for a penalty for a potential foul on Langstaff. 13 shots and just the 1 on target. That's a poor stat to have in a game. It sounded like we were getting there but no urgency to properly attack or make any sort of great chance to find an equaliser. The best of the bunch that I heard of on the radio was Jodi Jones hitting it over after capitalising on a mistake by a Mansfield player. Baldwin sounded like he had a very good game at the back. Stone also sounded like he did well between the sticks and made some good saves. It's not great losing to a rival like Mansfield but it's not as bad as the 4-1 defeat we suffered at Meadow Lane earlier on in the season I suppose.

@TheSkipper Communication to the stadium would be a great thing to have. It's been called for for a while now. They used it in the Women's World Cup and it allowed fans to understand what is going on. Watching at home you can see what they're looking at but in the stadium you're wondering what it is exactly they're trying to pinpoint. I think there's a lot lost in the "letter of the law" which partly contributes to bad decision making. Sometimes common sense also has to come in to the equation. Referees often say that ex players don't have enough training to be involved with VAR and that's where I think things get muddled up with the training and following of the law comes in.

This is the issue I have with the handball rule. What exactly is deemed a "natural" position? Pundits have often said it and us as fans can even say it that when players are jumping for the ball, they need to use there arms to get elevation as well as using it for balance. So if a player jumps for the ball, of course their arms are gonna be out because they're needing it for elevation and balance so for a ball to hit that part of the body from a header down or a bounce on to the arm surely that needs to be deemed as a "natural" position. This is why there are suggestions for ex-players to be involved so they can give an insight into why players have their bodies shaped the way they are in certain situations. Also, if a ball bounces off a thigh, side, foot, head or what ever it may be on to the hand, it should not by any means be deemed a handball because it has hit a different body part before the hand. The whole handball situation doesn't take into account of the situation a player is in like jumping for a ball, how close an opponent is when striking the ball. It's almost like they want players to play with their arms strapped up behind their backs at all times. Not to mention humans don't have fast enough reactions to move their arms towards their bodies in to a "natural" position when a ball is struck at them from 2-3 yards out.

@True Magpie I'd prefer referees to take a look at the screen more often rather than taking the advice in an ear piece from those up in VAR HQ. But, it needs to be quicker without a shadow of a doubt.

I think adding Ex-Pros into the situation could actually be a good thing for VAR. Officials don't like the idea due to them "not having the proper training" but in all honesty I'm sure they'd do a better job than some of the officials running it currently. Plus they can give an opinion on situations due to them having experienced it. I just don't understand how VAR can work elsewhere and in other sports like Rugby etc. Yet in English Football there is a massive issue. Most of it comes down to the officiating rather than the technology itself. Also, sometimes it isn't down to VAR that decisions are made wrong. There have been that many rule changes and ways to go about things sometimes it's hard to understand what's right and what's not.

Thought we had a better second half than we did first half. All the possession with no real options going forward. Second half, there was a little more forward thinking and chances got created. The referee had an absolute stinker. Langstaff should have had a penalty when he was being grappled to the ground in the second half when it was pinball in the box. 50/50 challenges seemed to go more in favour for Barrow than us. As for the Jones incident mentioned in this thread, it was without doubt worthy of a red card. Breaking away and there was only one way that they were stopping him and they did it by swiping his legs from behind. People can claim "tactical foul" but this was more in the territory of endangering an opponent rather than stopping a dangerous attack by playing for a tactical foul. Jones without doubt man of the match. Didzy looked good breaking away with the ball trying to make things happen. Baldwin had a solid game. Stone had a good game, especially when making that one on one save during the first half.

That's apparently the reason behind PSG getting given the penalty against Newcastle in the Champions League. Wouldn't have been given in the Premier League but UEFA competition rules sees it different. It should be same for everywhere otherwise things get lost and incidents happen or get missed. I like the idea of having VAR watch on here. Certainly be plenty of talking points.

@Robbie It should be foolproof though, it's been in the game long enough for it to work effectively well. Thing is, if anything, VAR has gone backwards rather than progressing the game. When England played Macedonia, Grealish had a goal ruled out for offside. On first replay, it was clear that it was offside yet they still took over 3 minutes to decide on a simple offside. It shouldn't be like that. Another example Man United v Aston Villa a few years ago in the FA Cup. They checked on a Villa goal for a potential offside. VAR checked the offside. Nothing. Checked for a possible foul. Nothing. Checked for a handball. Nothing. They rewound it so far back they may as well have gone back to kick off. It took over 5 minutes I believe it was for them to come to a conclusion. They shouldn't be looking for multiple incidents. I know they've come out and said they won't re referee the game but sometimes that may be the best use of VAR. The game you mentioned with Real Madrid v Almeria, VAR turned a blind eye to some obvious incidents. Same as with the PL, they come out afterwards to apologise for mistakes made but what good is that afterwards? Nothing changes the result they don't replay the game or award points. The result stays the same which has implications. Newcastle v PSG another one. Never a penalty to PSG but even with VAR they still made the wrong call and that had implications on Newcastle being dumped out of Europe. Had it not been for that error, they could have still been in Europe. I hate when fans use the term "big clubs get the benefit of VAR and the decisions" but when you read the stats, it does seem to suggest that bigger clubs get more benefits.

I like the idea of VAR. VAR has all the potential to benefit the game. It's been proven in World Cups and Euros gone by. Imagine needing a point to avoid relegation and you concede a last minute goal that should have been ruled out for handball, offside or a foul. VAR could potentially save you from relegation. The issue I have with VAR is people that run it. Before VAR, there was just the referee and his linesman. As annoying as it may be to concede a goal that should have been ruled out for whatever reason and the goal still stand or a player remaining on the pitch that should have been sent off, the referee and linesman only have real time to go by and humans make mistakes so it's forgivable to a degree. But, when they have all this technology where they can view incidents time and time again, sometimes for 5+ minutes, they HAVE to come to the right conclusion which sometimes they don't and it is absolutely baffling how they fail to make right calls despite being given multiple angles, viewings and time to see what has happened to make a call. EVERY decision made by VAR HAS to be correct. There's no reason for them not to make the right decision. But, the people running it are the ones making the mistakes despite being given every opportunity to get it right. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66612570 The other issue I have with VAR is during cup games. Teams below the Premier League "don't have the facilities for VAR" which then leads to things like this happening.. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/34651/11667940/how-lack-of-var-helped-manchester-city-in-thrilling-fa-cup-comeback-against-swansea#:~:text=Swansea were in the Premier,not used for this match.&text=A Swansea spokesman told Press,used in Premier League stadiums. If they are to use VAR in Cup games make it so that everyone has access to it or play games at stadiums that accommodate it. But then that leads to teams losing out on money that could be bought in.

Didn't get to watch or listen to the game but the bits I have read it didn't sound too bad. The one thing that I am baffled about is that we are 3 league games in and some are already taking to social media to express frustration. Since the opening day defeat, we're looking like settling in. Slowly but getting there. I like to see this game as 1 point gained rather than 2 dropped. Plus a clean sheet.

Managed to catch the highlights on the EFL show last night as well as the extended highlights on YouTube. I did feel the goals were poor to concede though. First one sloppy pass back from Nemane, Rawlinson just gave up the chase on the ball but there was no real closing down from Brindley to block the shot. Second goal, defenders stepped up a bit late that allowed Clifton to stay onside from a chipped pass. Even if he didn't go for goal himself, there was another player free for him to square across. Jones had a terrific game from what I saw looked a real threat down that left and it paid off. Deflected cross leading to the equaliser as well as a magnificent bit of skill to get passed the defender and whip in a ball for Crowley to head home the winner. Langstaff looked a threat. Unlucky not to get a goal when he had his header saved which eventually led to Bostock grabbing his goal. Although, I feel he should have done better with his effort that went over the bar. But his goal will come and when it does I expect him to go on and grab more. I think this game showed there's still some work that needs to be done but I agree with Luke Williams post match interview that this is the Notts he wants to see and it's coming together again.

Listened to Luke Williams interview last night and caught the highlights earlier on today. Both goals seemed avoidable and I can see why Luke Williams sounded and looked very disappointed in the way we conceded especially the first as he mentioned it wasn't even that they out jumped on of our guys to head in it was the fact the managed to get the first touch and got the second to score. The second goal, sloppy pass and lack of closing down the ball allowing them to push forward and a free man to capatilise on the rebounded effort. As for the Baldwin red card, I also agree with Williams comments that it was needless just let it run through to the keeper. Silly second yellow to have. It could have and probably should have been 3 or 4, fortunately it wasn't. It doesn't sound or look good when there is such a lack of attacking threat happening in the game. It was nice to hear Luke Williams thoughts on the game though, as he said if the opening game wasn't as bad it was this game against a team a league higher wouldn't have been taking as badly as it is but cause there's already a dark cloud over Notts after the first game there needed to be more. Off the pitch, I get the first 2 games have gone bad but let's not jump on the negativity bandwagon. There's still a long way to go and one less Cup competition could prove beneficial in the long run for the league. Keep the faith and back the lads.

I haven't had chance to listen to the post match interviews or anything but I did watch the highlights on Instagram. The goals looked avoidable and highlighted problems we may have defensively. Also, the back pass from Cameron that led to Stone being sent off was absolutely horrendous. The 4th goal though looked like there was a foul near the halfway line in the lead up to the goal. On a positive, Langstaff did superbly well in setting up McGoldrick for the goal. As disheartening as the result may have been on our EFL return, I hope fans continue to back the team rather than turn on them as it was only the first game of the season and things can only get better. Let's hope this was just a blip and better things are to come in the season.