Shak

Winning a group with the world champions should have been pretty easy alright, that's a really not shite at all point you've made there to be sure.

And would you limit it to 1 per team? What if there was 1 more seriously dodgy incident then challenges allowed? The argument would start all over again wouldn't it? As soon as a manager has an unsuccesful appeal, he has no further right to challenge. This way managers will be very careful about appealing something, knowing that getting it wrong could cost them huge later on in the game. Also, only certain things would be reviewable. Balls over the line for a goal, penalties, sendings off. Only the major decisions that change the course of a game dramatically. Problem is though, that you could have one incident where the manager thinks he has a right to challenge. But he is in the little box thing he has to stand in on the touchline so he is not level with play. So he appeals because from his viewpoint he thinks he is right, but it turns out he is wrong. Then the ref misses a handball like the one last night, and the other team score. And we end up having this discussion again. That's on the manager then. Managers shouldn't just be challenging shit for the sake of it, hoping for the best because they think a call might have been wrong. They have their challenge, and they damn well better be sure it's going to be successful when they use it because they could have an absolute whopper go against them later in the game if not. Most games should have no challenges at all.

Which goes back to my point about clear evidence. Some penalties/sendings off are clearly the wrong decision. Ronaldo against Bolton last year, for example, would be reversed because it was absolutely clearly the wrong call. Whereas Rooney against Arsenal this year, which I though wasn't a penalty at all, would still be a penalty because its kind of open to interpretation.

And would you limit it to 1 per team? What if there was 1 more seriously dodgy incident then challenges allowed? The argument would start all over again wouldn't it? As soon as a manager has an unsuccesful appeal, he has no further right to challenge. This way managers will be very careful about appealing something, knowing that getting it wrong could cost them huge later on in the game. Also, only certain things would be reviewable. Balls over the line for a goal, penalties, sendings off. Only the major decisions that change the course of a game dramatically.

Where do you draw the line. That is the logical reason. As someone else already said, you will get all the players surrounding the ref clammering for a video replay because unlike the rugby codes the footballers have no respect for the ref. It should be down to the manager to make a challenge/review, not the ref. If the players are convinced the ref has got ot wrong, they tell their manager and he can make a challenge.

Think the challenge system works very well in the NFL personally. American football is already a slow, slow sport and it seems like every challenge takes at least five or six minutes. Half the time they conference for five minutes than realise that the play was actually not reviewable in the first place. Not to mention, that they still get it wrong half the time. That happened once man. You very rarely see them get a call wrong on review either. They leave the ones open for debate as called on the field, which is the fairest way to do it as far as I can see.

Think the challenge system works very well in the NFL personally.

Why would it need to be stopped all the time? How many times do they use the video in rugby? So what would you limit video decisions for? Offsides? Handballs? Whether a ball has gone over the line? Pulling and pushing in the box? Fouls? Where do you draw the line? I'd limit it to questionable balls over the line, and/or massive complaints from players which a faulty decision may have gone against leading to a goal. You'd have players over-appealing far too much then. In theory I'm for video refereeing, but they need to find a way to ensure that the average game isn't being stopped for a review more than once or twice in the 90 minutes. Best way is that a manager has one challenge he can make to a referee's ruling per game. A soon as he challenges something and gets it wrong, he's got no more right to send things to the video ref. Managers also aren't allowed any access to replay on the sideline, so the mistake will need to be very blatant. Also, the video ref can only overturn something if it's absolutely clear beyond any doubt that the wrong call was made. Anything that has any sort of question mark over it, the call stays the same.

I was impressed McShane was so close to the ball at all tbh. Worst player ever.

I'd probably blame the cheat rather than the honest mistake if I was you. I guess you have a point. Guess I've just accepted that cheating is part of the game nowadays, until FIFA makes serious effort to deal with it then there's nothing stopping players from doing it.

At least it was still 0-0 at that point. We had two great chances to go 2-0 up, had we done that it was over. Duff missing was to be expected, but I'd have backed Keane there more often than not. Just not meant to be, unfortunatley.

Duff and Keane's chances man.

I really can't be too pissed off with Henry. I've deliberately handled the ball before in games, it's almost an instinctive thing to do tbh. We just got shafted by a truly woeful moment of refereeing, that's all there is to it.

"I feel like I've just had Va Va Voom tattooed on the inside of my ass." The pick of the texts I received last night.

Is it OK that I stayed in for the game Nixon? Am I still allowed be an Ireland fan? I drink Guinness and am eating a baked potato right now, if that helps?

We don't tend to support random teams here in my experience, not collectively anyway. Was cheering for Argentina last time, don't think I could cheer for Maradona as manager though. He seems like a complete wanker. I'll just watch and hope to see some good games.

There's as much of that against the French tbf. What does that have to do with anything?

Not sure I agree with making Henry into some sort of supervillain tbh, it's a perfectly natural thing to do in the heat of the moment really. No defending the official though, he pretty much caught the ball FFS. Your man was offside and all.

I'll admit, I'll cheer against England in football. Wouldn't find me in a thread on here moments after they lost a massive game gloating and calling the whole country cunts though. Guess every country has their fair share of complete wankers though.

Towelie standing up for the refs. Swede Power!!

Because they're playing in France? And here was me thinking they had bars in Ireland Oh get stuffed. Got a cold and pretty much broke at the moment myself, not that I have to explain myself to you.

Offside and two handballs. Bullshit.

Are you implying I'm not Irish like? Got a fairly bad cold anyway. McShane you retard.

I actually think there would be a point for it. What a question though. Yep, also players sent off can come back on too. And the goals are made bigger, and there's no offsides. Equally as ludicrous of course Dave. Has there ever been a 4th sub before, in any game of football in any competition? Anelka you cheating cunt.

Anelka is quality tbf.