Didnt have a great view of the foul for the free kick that led to the goal but Deverdics should have chicken legged him at the half way line when he was surging through.

Our discipline aint great but there are times you take a yellow for the team and that was one of them.

On the subject of Lewis Hawkins I spotted him in Morrisons over at Teesside Park a few weeks back. Went straight into the cafe so unsure of how he handled the self serve.

On that subject it's nice to see Tesco finally onboard with contactless.

Was in Tesco in Ingleby Barwick today and they have revamped the self serve etc, a lot quicker now as it doesn't take 20 seconds for it to process each item. Probably moved above Asdas self serve imo with Morrisons still lagging behind.

If that was the best referee in years I dread to see a game when we get the worst. Virtually every single decision he gave to them. Would he have sent their player of for similar thing to Featherstone I have my doubts. What about when we were two against one running through on to their goal and the guy blatantly kicked the player to the ground preventing a 1 on 1 with their keeper? Maybe this guy thought Luton were in the top flight still. Would we get the same amount of decisions at Kenilworth road if roles were reversed would we hell.

The Tesco Express on the Quayside in Newcastle now has card only tills with no scales. So not only is it quick and easy I also don't feel like I'm touching a Monitor Lizard.

Yes all referees think "oooh its Hartlepool again il give every decision against them"

For every time the get one wrong against us, they will no doubt get one wrong in our favour. They just dont stick in your head as much or cause as much frustration.

Featherstone was stupid, yeah he he doesnt have it in him to go and hurt someone but he raised his foot with his stoods showing and gave the ref the option to send him off. Needless.

Harrison kicked the ball away and rightly got a second yellow. Again stupid especially as he on a booking and apparently Painter had just been booked for the same thing? Someone said the ball just hit his foot

The penalty at Plymouth was also stupid and the correct decision.

Thomas was kicked in the face, people are saying it should have been a red and was the same as Featherstones challenge. No it wasnt-not in the slightest.


Cant keep blaming refs for everything, the players are causing most of it themselves.

How many penalties in the last ten years have you seen given against a team for a high boot?

no idea but lots for dangerous play. (or indirect free kicks)

Its almost unheard of for high boot in the box resulting in a penalty. Lets say we get man u in third round of cup it happens at stretford end a man u player nearly takes featherstones head off but kicks the ball away. Penalty? Never in a million years would we get such a decision. Referees favour the big sides its not because I've got pools rose tinted glasses on or I forget decisions we get its just the way it is 90% of the time.

Not sure which 1 on 1 you are referring too - can't remember that situation happening? If you mean when their lad tripped Thomas up inside our own half when Hawkins was running through then the ref tried to play advantage and rightly came back and booked their player.

The ref let the game flow, didn't blow his whistle at every opportunity and got the majority of decisions correct. At one point he got a decision wrong, and overruled himself and listened to the linesman who gave the throw in our way. They ain't gunna get every single decision correct every single time - but he got the vast majority right, including the red card.

We didn't win the game because of a stupid challenge from Featherstone, and an excellent piece of skill from the free kick. It wasn't the ref's fault.

I hope he wasnt listening to the useless linesman on the Cyril side! Awful both ways.

Have to say that a high boot like what Thomas was on the receiving end of is way more dangerous than the Featherstone tackle. However the way the laws are the ref was right on both occasions

Foley won a penner at Swindon many years ago. Although I don't think the defender's foot was that high to be fair.

Foley was only two foot tall lol

Biggest question now is who replaces Featherstone for his 1 match ban?

Is Woods nearly fit yet?

3 game ban for straight red. Bet hignett wishes he signed a few midfielders on deadline day now. Couple of injuries now and we wont have a team to put out.

Keep thinking it was Harrison and his second yellow for some reason.

Deverdics will get his chance I guess.

We have plenty of cover. Deverdicks, Walker, Green and Donnelly can all play there.

Who's Walker?

I'm sorry but if that's a blatant red card the game has gone.

I'm all for eradicating dangerous, reckless two footed or over the top of the ball leg breaking challenges but an instant red for that? First there is no intent by Featherstone to hurt or even make contact with the Luton player, he is almost shying out of the challenge himself if you watch his body shape. Secondly he clearly gets the ball before the Luton player comes in, what are you supposed to do if the ball bounces at an awkard height, both respectfully leave the ball until it returns to height were you might not make the slightest bit of contact with an opposition player? It is a contact sport by the way. My biggest bugbear if the referees themselves and how they whip out these red cards, with an almost arrogance like it's what they've come to do with almost a sense of enjoyment. No time to reflect and decide whether an innocuous 50:50 is worthy of spoiling the game? Almost excitement at the opportunity to whip out a red card, sadly the screen resolution on my lap top isn't good enough to zoom in at his shorts to see if he is pitching a trouser tent as he whips out his red, I strongly suspect he is. You see straight reds these days for things that were barely a foul 15 years ago, it is too much we are seeing way too many red cards. Have a look at Jake Grays reaction as the red comes out.

Featherstone has his studs on show at waist height, goes through the ball and straight into the player, he is hardly shying out of the tackle.



He has a player running towards him, he could've used the side of his foot, the top of his foot, his arse, leg, back, whatever he wanted to use, but you can't use your studs like that.

He was trying to control the ball not go through or even tackle the Luton player. Certainly no intent to hurt him. It is not a challenge worthy of the rest of the game being 10 v 11. It is far too easy to get sent off now, we see far too many sending offs and the referees are too keen and willing to send people off. It is one of those 50:50's both players have to go for and contact is inevitable, Featherstone got it slightly wrong, have a word with him, book him if you have to don't without a second of thought pull out a red card.

Who controls the ball with their studs??

I said he is trying to, but he sees the Luton player coming slightly bottles the challenge and takes his eye off it, he still clearly gets the ball though.

I agree with your general sentiment about easy red cards - but in this instance, it is a clear red card for me. Studs into hip of opponent is a red card regardless of whether he gets the ball or not.

it makes no difference if he gets the ball though when you have your studs showing? And refs arent told to "not spoil the game by sending people off" either.

If they follow the rules by the book its a sending off as its dangerous play.

Rules are a load of shit though imo and agree he was itching to get the card out and not helped by their utter twat of a centre back holding his head in his hands as if his team mate has just been killed.

That's my point, if those are the rules they have gone way too far. There's a marked difference between a 50:50 were the ball bounces awkwardly like that to a two footed lunge or over the the top challenge were players are going to ground at speed.

Surely in an incident like the Featherstone one were if he did show his studs (I'm not entirely convinced he was as he played the ball) it was in an attempt solely to play the ball but it got away from him slightly some common sense and discretion should and could be shown.

http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-gov ... nduct.aspx

By the here is the letter of the law, and by this Featherstone did not have to be sent off. 'Excessive force' is required for that. I think the one above, at most applies to the challenge.

There are times when you play when you have to show your studs to go for the ball unless you're some sort of contortionist who can bend his feet/legs into a strange position. I think that was one of those occasions, this whole studs up thing is a concept everyone trots out these days. Red cards should only be for dirty, over the top challenges designed to hurt people. I'm sick of this referee by finickety rules rather than use some subjective common sense.

In my opinion no way should that have been a red card and the games are being spoiled by these soft cards. There were loads of red cards across the divisions last night. It's no longer an extreme measure it's a matter of technical fouls and rules, pisses me off

I would like to throw my weight behind the argument and say I agree with common sense.

Back when I was a kid, I was taught various ways to control the ball. One was to trap the ball in the same manner Featherstone did.

We always get shit refs who hate Pools.
Its there fault weve only won 2 of our last 16 games.

I remember being at school and making a perfectly clean sliding tackle but with my foot perpendicular to the floor. The teacher told me to 'watch them studs' and I told him to fuck off.
Not sure of the relevance of this story other than studs showing has slowly crept in over the years and now is the norm to the detriment of the game. Football will end up being a game where you can only get the ball back if the opposition misplace a pass as tackling will be outlawed.

Yup, nasty biased refs!

Not sure why we ain't appealing the red card if it's apparently so obviously not a red card.

Because over the years we've seen how utterly pointless that process is.

I don't think anyone is suggesting it's all down to the refs, nobody is saying that but in the space of a few days we have been unlucky not to beat the top two in the division who have be both benefitted from a couple of contentious decisions.

All of the stuff people have said about raise your studs and you're off is totally wrong, I posted a link to the laws. It's all down the referees interpretation and I really don't see any 'excessive force' yes it's arguably a dangerous challenge that's a little careless and could have caused injury, that is only worthy of caution according to the laws. Too many soft red cards are spoiling too many games and that is speaking more widely than just Pools games.

I would say that putting your studs into the body of an opponent is 'A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent' - which would result in a red card.

It looks bad when you see the contact.



But this was only a yellow card

It always looks worse like that though (apart from the De Jong one which was bad whichever way youn saw it!) in reality he'd played the ball then saw the man coming at pace and flinched at the potential contact. No intent whatsoever from Featherstone just a coming together and an unfortunate bounce. His studs aren't really raised are they it's looks like they are pointing down to me which figures as he'd just played the ball with the end of his foot. His foot is quite high which warrants a free kick and possible caution. I don't think me and PoolieTom are going to agree buts never a red card in a million years, we really need to get away from sending people off for stuff like this for the good of the game.

Thats how I saw it

I didn't see it at all - think the ref was in my line of sight - but from the TV footage I'd say it was like Toto's penalty give away - both debatable decisions but we'd have been happy enough to see them given if the roles were reversed.

Their end was a bit tragic - 300 odd fans, all with speech impediments. "Come on Lu-on."

If Typhoo put the T in Britain who put the glottal stop in Lu-on?