Exiled in Texas

And the answer is "Jonas doesn't go for it" From FIFA This basically means that the player must shy away from the challenge to be adversley affected.

All the decisions and guidance regarding LoTG starts off at FIFA level, which is fed down to the national association and then down and down until it gets to the grass roots referee, so I cannot say what the direction is at the Premier League level. I would imagine that they operate a a different tolerance level for things than I do down at the youth/Sunday league level (and I'm living in US so following USSF direction, but I did check the FA for anything specific and it's not defined). Like everything....it comes down to the referees decision. It's up to the referee to decide what consitutes Dangerous play (or even a foul or intentional handling), and that will come from there training sessions, review sessions and assessments. All the FIFA grade referees, and the Premier League referees will have constant reviews of decisions and situations and discuss events and how they were/should be ruled. Refereeing is never a black/white situation (pardon the pun). While the Laws of The Game are clear......it's always the referees opinion that determines what has happened (which is that hard part) - and then they use the LoTG to determine how to proceed (what restart, what caution etc).

The instruction from my referee associations about this is to consider the waist level as the dividing line. Head below the wait level, and its Dangerous play. Feet higher than the waist and its dangerous play. In this example Colo's foot was way higher than waist level. I don't think that Webb didn't give a penalty for any reason except that he didn't see Colocini's foot contact with Ba's face (and neither did the AR) as both were shielded from view by the two players.

[Pendant] dangerous play means no contact.....this was a foul [/pedant] But still a penalty if Webb had had a better visual angle on the contact.

And lastly, no matter how much the players, fans, parents hate me and want to blame for for a loss. I know that I made less mistakes in the game than they did. It wasn't me who shot wide when the goal was begging, it wasn't me who couldn't trap the ball, it wasn't me who missed the challenge and let them through on goal (think Terry for the winning goal), it wasn't me who couldn't make the pass and it wasn't me who got caught in possession. They just want to blame someone because they don't want to accept any blame personally. And parents especaily want to blame someone rather than blame their young princess.

Sounds like you're good referee. I try to remember that it's their game, not the referees. I try to referee the game that they are trying to play, when they stop trying to play the game, that's when I step in. And talking to the players can go a long way to letting them know what I saw and why I am calling what I am. They won't like everything that I call but they might (if they are smart) understand why.

For sure. The referee crew are the only three people in the stadium who don't care who wins and are impartial. You cannot be impartial when you're rooting for your team, which is why you cannot referee your team. The referees want only one thing......to get the decisions right with the view that they have.

You're right about the contact with the opponent being the difference between DFK and IFK. But the term Dangerous Play doesn't exist in LoTG.

You need to brush up on the rules Cronk, dangerous play is always a direct free kick. Despite it's name, a penalty is a direct free kick. A ref will have never given a indirect free kick for dangerous play, not unless he doesn't know the ruling. I think you are wrong here Bimpy with the term "dangerous play". Direct Free Kicks are awarded for a physical foul, Indirect Free Kicks are awarded for a technical violation of the laws where there is no foul called. Dangerous play is the term used when a player is unable to make a legitimate play for the ball because an opponent is playing in a dangerous manner and it would be unsafe to make that play. This is usually where a player has the foot up high and he opponent cannot safely challenge for the ball and pulls out of the challenge. If there is contact - then its a foul and a DFK If here is not contact - then its a IFK

Should have been a penalty but Webb probably didn't see the contact as he was further up field and was shielded from view. Even if Webb had seen it, It should not have been a Red card (max yellow). It wasn't violent conduct (red) just a reckless play (yellow) and it didn't deny a goal scoring opportunity because Ba's header was already away.

Great move by Cisse for the 3rd goal. Received the ball in the center of the field, great move to trap the ball, keep it close and then turn upfield for the pass to Gouffran.

Watching Goufran and Sissoko's celebration to Jonas's goal, and then Sissoko's celebration with the bench to the winner I'd say there was no problem with the overseas lads.

That's one of the worst things i've ever seen. This is better http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/pmrye/Viveletoon.jpg

Rijkaard - seeing as he is now available

Not sure if it is ambition.....or desperation.

Welcome back Bimpy - we missed you (and the tales of your missus).

On the surface I am worried that we have lost a big-time goal scorer and lots of goals - but as long as Ba is replaced with Remy (or that other French guy whose name I can't pronounce) then I think this has the oppportunity to free up Cisse to be the player we have previously seen him to be. So this may very well turn out to be a blessing in disguise.....clearly the intended plan to play Ba/Cisse as a dynamic-duo was an abject failure, so I see this as the opportunity to free up Cisse and set him loose on goal path.

Thanks for the reminder. I'll unfollow him now. Haha - I unfollowed him this morning. Not that losing a few NUFC fans will have any difference when he picks up a few thousand fans from Asia/America etc

He can ask the referee for permission to temporarily leave the field, he can be substituted or he can go in his shorts (which probably leads to temporarily leaving the field for equipment change).

Politics 101 - never answer the question asked - always give your own statement regardless of the question

I see what you did there

Not their job - and if they do it for one then why not the next when it's a bit further away...and so on etc. Soon you'd hgave them chasing down all balls out of play. Not their job.

As you can gather by my name, I am living away so I don't get to see/hear much except for the game broadcasts or what I read on here. Work was quiet so I thought I would try and stream some radio coverage of the game from BBC Newcastle. They had an interview with someone, a player, and a local geordie lad by the sounds of his voice. As they went through the interview and his accomplishments I still had no idea who it was. I'm trying to think which NE player it could be........it was frikkin Shola. I had no idea that his accent was so Geordie......but funny as ever to hear him speak.

So Dwayne Dibley

David Pleat was commentating on the match for FoxSoccer in the US, and he mentioned how he is nicknamed Perchinio. Even called him Perchinio when he mad a few tackles. very unexpected, but very funny.