Dirty Hereford ball boy tactics.

[londongull63]

Anyone notice when Hereford's keeper and their players taking throw-ins wasted time at every opportunity second half, there were no ball boys, yet a Crystal Palace fan standing with me said there HAD BEEN ball boys around the pitch at the start of the game, but when Hereford were 3-0 up they didn't bother coming out second half.
It might not be sporting, but we can't be so soft - we need to adopt similar ploys. At least get our all boys sprinting around retrieving the ball asap in the play off if we're behind and not exactly rushing when we're ahead. Others do it to us, so we're handicapping ourselves if we don't do it too.
Hereford managed to use up an awful lot of time every occasion the ball went off, and that's going to happen to us if we're behind in this semi or any other game. I wouldn't blame Cheltenham for being as lazy as possible getting the ball as our players would do the same, and they can get away without being booked by a ref if a keeper walks to the corner flag and back for the ball or wait when no-one is getting it. (it's harder to con a ref when it's quickly returned to you).

It happened at Oxford with its wide pitch perimeter and big stands. The ball was very quick to to be handed to the thrower by ball boys when Oxford were 1-0 down, and nothing much was done when they went 2-1 ahead.
If we're behind we want the ball in Nicho's hands asap to save time and his energy instead of him running after it as Rene was having to do when we had no ball boys at plainmoor against Southend.

If others do it, I wouldn't call it cheating - it's just making the most of everything home advantage offers, like they do.

[ferrarilover]

You've not seen our ball boys, have you?

They don't do anything regardless of the score. I thought I saw one retrieve a ball once, but I was mistaken.

Matt.

[gullintwoplaces]

To be honest, I was more concerned over the fact that their keeper's timewasting went totally unpunished by the ref (apart from a theatrical wave of his hands, prat). He took the p*ss, but Mussolini the ref didn't do a thing.

The standard of refereeing this season has reached the bottom of a very big pit.

[Dave]

Come on lets be honest here, yes time wasting is frustrating, however no one would have complained if the boot was on the other foot, after all Hereford's league status was on the line, and we at that point were climbing all over them like a wet rash.

And yes we would adpot those tatics, we did the week before against Crewe, when they where pinning us back, Bobby.O started to take and age over his goal kicks, I think he swapped sides on one kick aswell, and Rene Howe took nearly a week to walk of the pitch, hence the 4 mins added on and the Crewe equalizer.

The ref added on 6 minutes fair enough in my view.

[Cambridge_Gull]

Hereford's second-half tactics were a complete disgrace to be honest. It was embarrassing. Taking minutes to take set-pieces. Players going down at every opportunity to disrupt the play. I can understand players taking their time a little more but Hereford were really taking us and the ref for a laugh. There was hardly any football played in the final 15-20 minutes due to this. It ruins the game. Torquay have been fantastic in seeing games out this season using skill and by keeping possession of the ball. Shame Torquay didn't do this against Crewe though...

[Dave]

Agian it opinons, we all look through rose tinted glasses when it comes to our own team, to a certain extent, yes we did waste time in the last 15 minures against Crewe, we were hanging on and knew it, and slowed the goal kicks throw in's etc, etc, and in general we are no better or worse than any other team, when we need to waste time we do.

Their were only 2 things in the second half that were really o.t.t from Hereford, that was their keeper going down pretending to be injured when he clearly was not, and one of their subs stopped Atieno getting the ball, apart from that just normal straight forward time wating, and their position what did we expect them to do.

During the course of a season almost every team is guilty of time wasting at one point or another, no moral high ground from me, just honesty.

[Northumbergull]

The more I hear of time-wasting tactics, the more I'm glad I can't get to games any more. The only reason I shout for us is it's my home town team. It seems that all the Premiership rubbish is finally seeping through the lower divisions.

As I keep on saying, "I follow football, not soccer."

Cheers

Bruce

[Gulliball]

It was an awful display of timewasting, far beyond anything I've ever seen before. Every team in that situation will look to gain every second they can, but six minutes of injury time (and it should have been more) in a game without an injury is more of a reflection on the referee. To get through that 45 minutes without taking any action at all was very poor indeed.

[londongull63]

Don't think the ref added any time for their time-wasting - the six minutes was for that very long stop when their bloke was stretchered off - I think one also went down a few minutes before and had the trainer on which is why the ref at first ignored the bloke who went down and was then stretchered off. Plus there were about 6 subs.

What I'm saying is that if opposing clubs or their ballboys take it upon themselves to be as helpful as possible when their team needs to get play going again, and as dozy (or in Hereford's case removing the ball boys and using their sub to keep the ball) as possible when their team is frustrating us and playing out time, then we should do our best to copy and see out a lead or hopefully, if behind, have time for a late equaliser.

Saturday it was only a matter of time before we would have scored again. It was looking like that with Crewe at the end at Plainmoor and it's pretty inevitable close play-offs will be like that.

[Dave]

So are we saying that some time wasting is ok, and other timewasting is not ok, like our timewasting in the last 15 mins against Crewe was ok becasue we only slowed things down by 5 seconds or so, but Hereford should be docked points becasue they slowed things down by a few seconds more.

To be honest had not noticed Hereford's ball boys had not come out for the second half, suprised however that our club has not been accused over our ball boys, makes me laugh, when the ball goes out of play, their first job is to remember they are their to get the ball back , once that hurdle has be crossed, utter confusion reigns as they try to work out who they should give to.

The thing is their is so much ridng on football now, even at our level, relegation from the football League can cost you your club, in some cases , Halifax, Chester to mention a few, it has.

As i have said above, Hereford where going to evrything under the sun to win the game, and hopefully stay up, who can blame them, I don't.

[Colorado Gull]

Time wasting is a difficult one, if you're ahead and your team are time wasting you think nothing of it, however when you're behind and the opposition team are time wasting, you're furious! But (like Paul Buckle once said) that's football!

The ball boys at Hereford were a disgrace; 1) Running all over the pitch, rugby tackling their mascot when they scored, 2) Most of them buggered off in the second half and 3) The ones that were still on the pitch, did absolutely nothing. There was once stage when the ball fell right to their feet and Atieno had to run over to them and get the ball himself!

As for our ball boys, well statues would do a better job. They are literally useless, hardly ever get up to get the ball and when they do, they haven't got a clue whether it's a throw in, a goal kick or a corner etc. I don't notice them celebrating when we score, ok that's not totally relevant but the ball boys are very poor.

[bobby93]

I don't like to see it. Oxford was as bad, if not worse. Honestly wouldn't like to see it at our club either, call me an idealist.

[Awayday]

I am sorry, but what a load of b***ocks. Let's talk about our own tactics first. Danny Stevens was at fault for the first goal, he didn't come back and fill the gap and Hereford had the chance to play the ball into the box. Mark Ellis was to blame for the second goal, who in their right mind slides in like that when the ball is going away from goal and is a narrow angle any way, as for the 3rd goal I think the whole defence went to sleep.

We all moan about this sort of stuff when decisions don't go our way, but happy to accept them when we are winning.

Get over yourselves and move on.

[ferrarilover]

I am sorry, but what a load of b***ocks. Let's talk about our own tactics first. Danny Stevens was at fault for the first goal, he didn't come back and fill the gap and Hereford had the chance to play the ball into the box. Mark Ellis was to blame for the second goal, who in their right mind slides in like that when the ball is going away from goal and is a narrow angle any way, as for the 3rd goal I think the whole defence went to sleep.

We all moan about this sort of stuff when decisions don't go our way, but happy to accept them when we are winning.

Get over yourselves and move on.

Lee Mansell, usually, and indeed on this occasion.

Matt.

[londongull63]

I don't blame Hereford players for wasting time. We'd do the same.
I don't blame them even for removing their ball boys to waste time. We don't do the same.

It's called home advantage - we just need to use that advantage when we're at home. And as someone said it's football - so we should be doing it.
And from the above posts saying we have statues for ballboys someone should tell them to shift their a***s if we're losing.
(I don't even think other clubs necessarily tell their ballboys to act to their team's advantage, it's just I imagine most ballboys are fans, members, youth team players of the club so it's natural they'll hurry if their team's losing and doze when they're winning. If I was a ballboy I wouldn't be able to help doing the same). Losing or gaining 5 minutes when one team is throwing forward theh kitchen sink in the final minutes can be crucial.