Advertising boards and time wasting

[Andy Holloway]

There was 3 peices of netting stretching from the end of the OG towards the big bank,which stopped the ball flying off into the well street waste bit.at the start of the season,I notice the bit of netting connected to the OG was not tightened up,we did wonder why it was not tightened up because it is unlike Clive and his team not to have everything prepared just right.

This area is now part of the building site and as such is closed to non construction personnel. I think that you'll find, and might have noticed, that there were two people in hard hats and high visibility jackets sat in the OG who went to recover the balls and 'pass' them back to the ball boys/girls. I understand that they are paid for by the contractors, but it might be the club. It was only the ones that 'ventured' onto the railway track that were 'lost' - well until they are recovered on Monday morning.

 

[grecIAN Harris]

As far as kicking the ball out of the ground goes, the ref stops his watch. End of, simple. The scenario is no different than any parks match where the ball has ended up in in a river, a neighbouring field or somebodies back garden back and has to be retrieved. I don't see what the issue is here. The only thing that is annoying is the gamesmanship in breaking up a head of steam to any attack that City might have going but there is nothing to say you can't kick seven shades of $4!t out of the ball to put it out of play.

 

[fred binneys head]

Exactly - it should be us who take the lead, then we could hammer the ball out of the ground.

 

[PeteUSA]

This area is now part of the building site and as such is closed to non construction personnel. I think that you'll find, and might have noticed, that there were two people in hard hats and high visibility jackets sat in the OG who went to recover the balls and 'pass' them back to the ball boys/girls. I understand that they are paid for by the contractors, but it might be the club. It was only the ones that 'ventured' onto the railway track that were 'lost' - well until they are recovered on Monday morning.

All I can say is that if just two fella's are designated in the OG to throw stray balls back over that fence, it'll add a monumental amount of time that the referee should add on, and probably wont. He added just one minute for the first half on saturday, which was way too little given the time the ball was over the OG fence, and over the remaining open area where there was nobody to throw it back. It might have been a bit more sensible if the two blokes had been separated up with one each end of the grandstand, instead of cosying up together wishing they were somewhere else! I cant see why, under the present circumstances that a bunch of balls cant be kept over that side. There'll be some pretty dreary football to watch for a long time once opposition teams cotton on to booting the ball over the fence to defend a 1-0 lead.

 

[Pete Martin (CTID)]

This area is now part of the building site and as such is closed to non construction personnel. I think that you'll find, and might have noticed, that there were two people in hard hats and high visibility jackets sat in the OG who went to recover the balls and 'pass' them back to the ball boys/girls. I understand that they are paid for by the contractors, but it might be the club. It was only the ones that 'ventured' onto the railway track that were 'lost' - well until they are recovered on Monday morning.

My understanding is that it is actually in the contract that the construction company have to employ people as 'ball retrievers' during matches for exactly the reason that nobody but fully compliant construction personnel are now permitted on the site.

 

[PeteUSA]

Exactly - it should be us who take the lead, then we could hammer the ball out of the ground.

Oh we're no saints fred. We can waste time with the best of em', and have done it a lot over many seasons. Our situation now is very different though, and with only two sides of our ground populated, it must be almost like a neutral ground for visiting teams, with a bunch of their supporters packed in at one end of the Flybe.

 

[PeteUSA]

My understanding is that it is actually in the contract that the construction company have to employ people as 'ball retrievers' during matches for exactly the reason that nobody but fully compliant construction personnel are now permitted on the site.

Well if thats the case Pete, as I said elsewhere, the two hard hatted ball boys needn't sit together like last saturday! The club should contact the construction co. and tell them that we need them split up. Look how long it took one to realise he was up, and make his way almost to the far end of the grandstand from where they were both sat! And whats the correct ruling for keeping spare balls over there to speed things up? Whatever it is, surely we could get special dispensation given our circumstances?

 

[Andy Holloway]

All I can say is that if just two fella's are designated in the OG to throw stray balls back over that fence, it'll add a monumental amount of time that the referee should add on, and probably wont. He added just one minute for the first half on saturday, which was way too little given the time the ball was over the OG fence, and over the remaining open area where there was nobody to throw it back. It might have been a bit more sensible if the two blokes had been separated up with one each end of the grandstand, instead of cosying up together wishing they were somewhere else! I cant see why, under the present circumstances that a bunch of balls cant be kept over that side. There'll be some pretty dreary football to watch for a long time once opposition teams cotton on to booting the ball over the fence to defend a 1-0 lead.

It is not new Pete, in the past, when the OG was open, balls would regularly get kicked out of the ground, either into the road behind the away goal as well as onto the railway track. I suspect that the control of spare balls is the responsibility of the 4th Official and nothing to do with ECFC. But best not let a FACT get in the way of another dig at ECFC eh?

 

[antman]

Substitutions and kicking the ball out of the ground are as much about breaking up the rhythm of the team chasing the game as they are timewasting, as Ian pointed out. Time should get added on by the ref, but it's always difficult to calculate what is added on and not added on in football as it still seems pretty random when you look at some games. Goal celebrations for example are supposed to be taken off but there isn't always evidence that it's done. But our rhythm (what we had!) was definitely affected by that tactic on Saturday and I found it frustrating that we couldn't get play restarted more quickly. And, of course we should do the same if we are in front! It's done to us so we should do it back. Level playing field.

 

[Red Bill]

Bit of a light hearted post here, but who's responsible for providing the match balls? I was joking to my friend last Tuesday night that once the OG comes down it going to get a bit expensive for us if its the home team who provide the balls!