Explosive start to 2022 as officials mess up and Cardiff earn a valuable point.

[the other bob wilson]

Flint becomes third City player to be shown in red card in their last four games.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

[cyril evans awaydays]

Flint becomes third City player to be shown in red card in their last four games.

http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/

I was there yesterday and your report is an excellent reflection of events. At no time did we control the game when they went down to 10 men. The contrast between what Bournemouth did to us in similar circumstances shows where we are as a team at the moment as we could not control the football or move it quickly enough to create the overloads necessary. Our best example was Smithies finding Giles with a 50 yard throw.

The penalty was a funny one with Pack laying hands and an over-theatrical tumble. What I would say is that something similar happened between an attacking and defending player for every corner taken by us and West Brom. There is clearly a different standard for the same offence committed in open play rather than crowded dead ball situations.

[the other bob wilson]

I was there yesterday and your report is an excellent reflection of events. At no time did we control the game when they went down to 10 men. The contrast between what Bournemouth did to us in similar circumstances shows where we are as a team at the moment as we could not control the football or move it quickly enough to create the overloads necessary. Our best example was Smithies finding Giles with a 50 yard throw.

The penalty was a funny one with Pack laying hands and an over-theatrical tumble. What I would say is that something similar happened between an attacking and defending player for every corner taken by us and West Brom. There is clearly a different standard for the same offence committed in open play rather than crowded dead ball situations.

You make a very good point about the different interpretations of what constitutes a foul in the same penalty area depending on whether it happens at a dead ball situation or in open play. I was surprised to hear Steve Morison be so honest in describing it as a stonewall penalty, but, for me, it was. However, put alongside what was happening at free kicks, corners and long throw ins, it was mild stuff.

I’ve discovered lots of episodes of. Match of the Day and the Big Match from the 60s, 70s and 80s on You Tube and am working my way through them. These programmes confirm what I knew already really - the sort of WWF style free for all we get at dead ball situations these days just did not happen back then.

In many ways, the modern game is better than the old one, but it is far worse when it comes to how dead ball situations are refereed - in fact, most of the time, they aren’t refereed at all. It’s as if the officials haven’t got the guts to give penalties and are prepared to allow a free for all when the game restarts with a ball into a penalty area.