Multiball Fiasco

[Marc89]

Obviously noone noticed that the ref actually stopped the multiball after Ross Wallace complianed that he didn't get a ball quickly when they were attacking and he wanted to take a quick throw in.

To be honest he had every right to complain as there was ball boy with a ball about 10 yards away but they didn't pass the ball to him.

I may be wrong, but i thought that there was allready a ball on the pitch when he was complaining?

[79Royal]

Obviously noone noticed that the ref actually stopped the multiball after Ross Wallace complianed that he didn't get a ball quickly when they were attacking and he wanted to take a quick throw in.

To be honest he had every right to complain as there was ball boy with a ball about 10 yards away but they didn't pass the ball to him.

Although the ball boy that Wallace was having a go at didn't actually have a ball to give to Wallace

Was this the incident where there was a ball right in front of Wallace on the pitch, but the blind twat neglected to notice it? Preston came for a draw and were using every trick in the book to get it.

[Whore Jackie]

Obviously noone noticed that the ref actually stopped the multiball after Ross Wallace complianed that he didn't get a ball quickly when they were attacking and he wanted to take a quick throw in.

To be honest he had every right to complain as there was ball boy with a ball about 10 yards away but they didn't pass the ball to him.

Although the ball boy that Wallace was having a go at didn't actually have a ball to give to Wallace

Indeed. The real fiasco is that they don't provide enough matchballs to cover all of the ball boys. I could 'understand' it, if there was more balls at the end we're attacking, but we don't even do that. Strange.

[The Cube]

And let's compare our system to the one at Preston earlier this season, where once they were ahead they engineered that the referee stopped the use of the multi-ball system, and then Stephen Hunt had to go into the stand to get the one ball because no-one else was bothering.

[Turns8]

Also the system isn't helped by fans who throw the ball as hard as they can when it ends up in the stand...9/10 it ends up nowhere near the ball boy and lands on the pitch...not much help really when play has already resumed... why people can't pass it back down through the crowd or simply use abit of common sense

[Sun Tzu]

Indeed. The real fiasco is that they don't provide enough matchballs to cover all of the ball boys. I could 'understand' it, if there was more balls at the end we're attacking, but we don't even do that. Strange.

Do the rules stipulate how many balls can be used ? Somewhere I had it my mind that it was 6 but that could be rubbish.

Obviously having one per ball boy is fine at kick off but would soon be impossible. For a start in Watford games there would be loads at the end they were defending and none at the other end.

[Whore Jackie]

Indeed. The real fiasco is that they don't provide enough matchballs to cover all of the ball boys. I could 'understand' it, if there was more balls at the end we're attacking, but we don't even do that. Strange.

Do the rules stipulate how many balls can be used ? Somewhere I had it my mind that it was 6 but that could be rubbish.

Obviously having one per ball boy is fine at kick off but would soon be impossible. For a start in Watford games there would be loads at the end they were defending and none at the other end.

Can’t find a definitive rule. Most suggestions are 6 or 7 balls. I managed to spare a few minutes during the riveting feast on Saturday, and the two chaps seemed to collect 7 from the perimeter after the ref’s decision.

Eight would make more sense; 3 on each side, with ballboys stationed at the halfway line and 10 yards from each corner flag and 1 behind each goal. I suspect Reading opt for 7, the ballboy in front of Y25/26 never seems to have a ball.

[3 veesinarow]

Coppell gave the impression in his interview that the Preston bench had been bitching to the 4th official all game about the multiball system.

As stated elsewhere, at least we didn't engineer the situation to the extent where any Preston player had to jump into the stands to get a ball back, cos that would have been unforgivable...wouldn't it?

[Y25]

Excuse the grumpiness after todays performance , but what the bloody hell is going on with our ball boys and girls ? They are a joke , throwing balls onto the pitch not able to keep the ball under control , a absolute farce , so much so the ref abandoned ithe multiball system today !! Didn't know he even had the authority to do that !

oxf*rd

[Forbury Lion]

Wouldnt have happened in my day!!

We need to use it like away teams do. Quick to our players when we're chasing the game, slow to theirs when they are.

That's cheating and just as likely to get pulled.

Only cheating if you make it obvious and get caught!

If everyone does it then it evens out, Call it home advantage.

[Arthur Pint]

Surely the mutliball system can't be that difficult to get to work can it? It' used in the Champions League and has been for ages and I've never heard of it being abandoned in any of those games (someone is now going to prove me wrong aren't they).

I think rather than our multiball system being a fiasco, it was more that the ref was a pedantic idiot who wanted to be the centre of attention rather than allowing a game of football to break out. The amount of time he wasted talking to players was incredible, never seen anything like it.

I do agree with the earlier post about goalkicks being taken on the side they went out, you can't take corners from any side, why goalkicks?

[Rex]

Goal kicks taken from the opposite side is the classic time wasting that had everyone baying in the North stand. Again there's so much inconsistency going on. I cannot remember the game but wasn't Marcus told to reposition the ball as it had been placed slightly away from where an offside was given, also the same for corners. Sometimes the officials are over pedantic.
The issue with multi-ball is that often the ball boy/girls are not showing impartiality and use ineptitude as a way of frustrating the opposition players. Call it home advantage if you will but it winds the supporters and the players up.
When pressuring the opposition any means necessary is used to break the flow of attack to allow for additional support. We do exactly the same thing given the circumstances.

[Forbury Lion]

The multiball system will work if they allow fans who catch the ball to keep it as a souvineer, although this may prove costly if Marcus gets back into the first team.

[Sun Tzu]

I do agree with the earlier post about goalkicks being taken on the side they went out, you can't take corners from any side, why goalkicks?

Because when you had to take it from the side the ball went out it was a well known tactic to try and take it from the 'wrong' side and then the ref would have to make you go to the other side....

It would make more sense to have to take it the side it went out and the ref to clearly indicate the side - if you try and go to the other side it's a yellow card.

[Dirk Gently]

I do agree with the earlier post about goalkicks being taken on the side they went out, you can't take corners from any side, why goalkicks?

Because you'd have to change the markings of every pitch in the world. You can take the goal kick from anywhere in the 6 yard area - just like you can take a corner from anywhere in the quadrant (on the right side, of course).

If you were enforcing a rule that said you could only take a kick from the corner of the 6 yard box then you'd need to mark out quadrants in each corner of the box.

You also get far more goal kicks per game than corners - limiting them all to such a small area of the box might not be so good on the pitch in poor weather.

[poohs pure]

I do agree with the earlier post about goalkicks being taken on the side they went out, you can't take corners from any side, why goalkicks?

Because you'd have to change the markings of every pitch in the world. You can take the goal kick from anywhere in the 6 yard area - just like you can take a corner from anywhere in the quadrant (on the right side, of course).

If you were enforcing a rule that said you could only take a kick from the corner of the 6 yard box then you'd need to mark out quadrants in each corner of the box.

You also get far more goal kicks per game than corners - limiting them all to such a small area of the box might not be so good on the pitch in poor weather.

surely all that would happen is the rule is changed back to the old format of taking the kick 'somewhere' on the side it went out, not sure why there would be any need to re mark the 6 yard area? it worked without markings before?