Forest Green Rovers v Torquay United – Tuesday 30th Sept

[Mr Burnz]

Surprised that of the 400 fans who went to the match last night (fantastic support, by the way), only RJC has posted on the MOTM thread. Were we really THAT bad ?? Interesting to see that RJC included Pearce and Briscoe in his five - very little has been said how Krystian Pearce played. Up to his silly sending off, Downsey was having a good season. Was he missed last night or did Pearce step in and do a good job, considering he hasn't played in a competitive game (apart from 'development' games) all season ?

Pearce did what he needed too. It'll do him good getting a couple of games under his belt. It was interesting to see that is was mainly McDonald tangling with Parkin throughout the game. Whether or not Parkin thought Gus would be the easier target i'm not sure??

[Sunnysideup]

The first goal, is in my opinion, another Ricey mistake! Poor positioning has made what should have been a straightforward save more difficult and yet even then he should have done better than parry it. Whilst there DOES appear to be an FGR player in an offside position, it doesn't appear (to me at least) to be the goalscorer (Parkin) although the player concerned is stood in the middle of our six yard box ... but could be deemed as not interfering with play under the present rules, daft as that sounds!

The only point to question is was the player that headed the ball back across the goal from the free kick offside when the kick was taken. Impossible to tell from the highlights.

As for Tonge being behind the goal line? It doesnt matter as...

The International Football Association Board has clarified in the 2009–2010 Laws of the Game that a player temporarily off the field of play is considered to be on the boundary line at the point that he crossed over it.

[Kernowgull]

I don't know if this image will work, but I'd say its too close to call and therefore harsh on the linesman to blame him. Tonge is one player definitely behind Parkin. Rice looks in line although with hime leaning forward and Parkin leaning towards goal, possibly Parkins head/Body are offside (which I believe is enough). The player inline with Rice on the other post (not sure who it is) could also be playing him onside. Very close.

more importantly, who is marking him??,

[tommyg]

I think Parkin is onside. He looks level with Rice but obviously Tonge is on the line. As CP Gull mentions, there's another FGR player in the six-yard box who does look offside but he doesn't touch the ball or block Rice so he's not technically interfering with play. Don't see anything wrong with the second goal either. Perhaps we should be looking at our defending. I mean how the heck can you leave Parkin unmarked inside the box?! It's not he can ghost in without being spotted.

The defence has no confidence in Rice dealing with set-pieces which is part of the problem. He is a decent shot-stopper but can't command his box. From the little I've seen of Seafield, he doesn't look any better. Good teams need a good goalkeeper and while Rice has performed far better than most expected since returning to the club, he will always be a liability and cost you 10-15 goals a season.

[Neal]

You cant blame the linesman if its that close to call. You must have all seen MOTD and the slow motion re-runs, even then it can be debatable whether players are interfering with play or not. Even after running the same sequence a number of times. Its unfair to the officials, they are not trying to screw Torquay, and they do their best. Of course they get things wrong, but not intentionally. If this was being debated on the FGR site they would be of the opposite opinion. That's football and you have to concentrate on WHAT YOU CAN CHANGE to make things go YOUR WAY. NOT blame it on everyone else when results don't go our way as if the whole world is against poor old Torquay, because it isn't.

[Dutchgull]

Two very annoying things for me from those highlights were the prissy ref waving Courtenay Richards off the pitch as if he was a naughty schoolboy and that infuriating fecking announcer !! SHUT THE FECK UP !!

[brucie]

Don't know whether anyone heard Hargreaves on radio devon briefly the morning after the match. Wasn't a happy man.
They also had Danny Coles on as well. Is this bloke a serious dickhead or what? - Went on twitter when he was at Exeter berating his club.
Anyway he was at it again saying he is far better off at FGR - a club who in his words "are going places"
He actually sounds really thick and obviously is. What a bell end.
Actually there isn't much I really care for about Forest Green - Coles,Hughes, a chairman who has so much money he thinks he can tell people what they can eat, their ridiculous green kit.
They will achieve their rightful place in the western league when it all goes tits up.

[tomogull]

Don't know whether anyone heard Hargreaves on radio devon briefly the morning after the match. Wasn't a happy man.
They also had Danny Coles on as well. Is this bloke a serious dickhead or what? - Went on twitter when he was at Exeter berating his club.
Anyway he was at it again saying he is far better off at FGR - a club who in his words "are going places"
He actually sounds really thick and obviously is. What a bell end.
Actually there isn't much I really care for about Forest Green - Coles,Hughes, a chairman who has so much money he thinks he can tell people what they can eat, their ridiculous green kit.
They will achieve their rightful place in the western league when it all goes tits up.

I seem to recall that we used to like Forest Green when we could go there and pick up a guaranteed three points ........

[tomogull]

I have just got around to watching the highlights. There was absolutely no way that was a sending off offence for Courtenay Richards. Dreadful decision. That was pure and simply incompetent referee-ing. Even the FGR players looked embarrassed about it. Refs have a difficult job but I defy anyone to come on here and say that the ref had any reason for that decision. I haven't heard if the club are challenging the sending off - it should be challenged in my opinion.

[Scott Brehaut]

I have just got around to watching the highlights. There was absolutely no way that was a sending off offence for Courtenay Richards. Dreadful decision. That was pure and simply incompetent referee-ing. Even the FGR players looked embarrassed about it. Refs have a difficult job but I defy anyone to come on here and say that the ref had any reason for that decision. I haven't heard if the club are challenging the sending off - it should be challenged in my opinion.

You can't challenge it as it was a second bookable offence rather than a straight red.

[brucie]

As I said there is no way that was in a million years anything that warranted a sending off - the ref clearly had an agenda, don't know what it was but there was definately something up.

[Scott Brehaut]

He didn't get sent off for the challenge though. He got sent off for two yellows.

[Dutchgull]

Am I missing something here but surely the second "challenge " was not a worth a booking therefore he should not have been sent off. Jeez every tackle every challenge will be a yellow card soon !! Farcical.

[Sunnysideup]

Well i've looked again at the highlights and would say on balance, it may well have been a booking. Had the same thing happened to one of our players in front of the pop side, where the opposition player has his foot knee high, with studs facing our player and catches him after missing the ball, the fans would have been venting their spleen at the officials for not even brandishing a yellow card (and yes, i know weve seen fouls worthy of a yellow that hasnt been given).
If a foul is worth a yellow card, its worth a yellow card. The fact that it's a 2nd has no bearing on if it gets waved again.

[arcadia]

Thought the referee was a bit against us, I talked on line to friends who went up to watch from Bristol and I agree with them that a draw would have been a fare result and Forrest Green had the quality in the box. I was at the match myself.
The referee seldom picked up on the ruffing up of our strikers and looked for excuses to book our players but Hargreaves has got to sort it out quickly as sides will continue to wind the players up that are on a short fuse.