I'm an Essex Owl

I rate Dawson too. Just think it wouldn't harm to keep Westwood for a year or two. He is still quality and organises the defence better than Dawson at the moment imo - agree also Dawson NOT the reason we were letting goals in for fun earlier

I don't want to keep banging on about this and no disrespect to Ronnie Moore but he is talking out of his a r s e there as usual I would agree it is highly debateable whether Nando was in a goal scoring position but that is absolutely nothing to do with whether its a red card or not. FFS its a red card for serious foul play. Doesn't matter where they are on the pitch

Would only keep Westwood from that list. Pains me to let Hooper go as no doubt he will get a two year deal somewhere else (Derby?) and then bang in 20 goals next year. If we re-sign him he will break down again and be injured all year - we cant keep taking risks on the crocks...

Maybe a yellow in 1982. Thing is the game changed since then (as did the laws of the game). If that tackle was not excessive force or endangering safety (which is actually the correct test for serious foul play and hence a red card - not clumsy or reckless as many seem to think) then its hard to think what is a red card...

Its ok Captain - football opinions are like a r s e h o l e s - we've all got them. Its just opinions based on some semblance of knowledge are always that bit more persuasive. If you don't think that tackle used excessive force or endangered safety then its not Specsavers you need its a labrador and a white stick...

"Definite yellow card". This is what p i s s e s me off. FFS please just have a quick read of the Laws of the Game (its Law 12 by the way) before venturing a wild incorrect and uninformed opinion eh? To save you the trouble of reading it, I will summarise what Law 12 actually says (rather than just the ill informed s h i t e people come up with out of general ignorance) SENDING OFF OFFENCES A player, substitute or substituted player who commits any of the following offences is sent off: denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (except a goalkeeper within their penalty area) denying a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent whose overall movement is towards the offender's goal by an offence punishable by a free kick (unless as outlined below) serious foul play biting or spitting at someone violent conduct using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures receiving a second caution in the same match entering the video operation room (VOR) SERIOUS FOUL PLAY A tackle or challenge that endangers the safety of an opponent or uses excessive force or brutality must be sanctioned as serious foul play. Any player who lunges at an opponent in challenging for the ball from the front, from the side or from behind using one or both legs, with excessive force or endangers the safety of an opponent is guilty of serious foul play. Now - have another look at the video and tell me you think that was a yellow...

I entirely agree with you. A yellow in those circumstances is b u l l s h i t. The soul of the game is drained before our very eyes. The point about my post was inconsistency. How on earth is it not over exhuberant to kick a corner flag out of the ground. Personally dont think either should be a yellow but footbal is a crock of s h i t generally these days

Except the law on over exhuberant celebrating of course...

NOT A STRIKER IN A TWO Sorry for shouting...

It probably was difficult playing in those conditions and both sides gave the ball away (under no pressure) frequently. What I don't understand is how the wind stopped us pressing them and closing them down as we did in the first 20 minutes (when coincidentally we could have been 2 or 3 up). Presumably the wind was blowing us back so that we could only get to within 5 yards of them

Thought Bannan was poor yesterday (as he was at Luton and Chelsea). He is out of form at the moment. Is at his best when he has other players with good touch to play one touch with. Looks better with Lee and Hooper there but that aint gonna happen. That formation and that personnel won't get the best out of him....

Quality!

Hope we don't revert to this again on Sunday. We are simply not good enough to do it. Also given we have no real counterattacking pace and absent Lee, Hooper and Nando - and historically Lopez and Wallace - all of whom could take a pass in a tight space or play one touch under pressure) we don't really have the players for a passing game right now. But we do have a couple of strikers who are decent in the air (well one who is and one who is unfeasibly tall) so being more direct suits us.

When we beat Arsenal we were a) at home b) full of confidence and "on our way"TM c) fielding way better players than we will on Sunday.

That's the thing Nev. "Lies damn lies and statistics". It was a tight thing. We battled really hard. The whole team put a real shift in. But we certainly didn't control the game. In fact we did our traditional go in front then concede the initiative thing instead of going in front and then put your foot on their throat. We were a bit lucky that they didn't equalise in the end but equally Reach had a great chance to put us 2 up and that would have been game over. I think we deserved it because of the effort (and as others have said, for once, we didn't look threatened by aerial stuff) but we couldn't have complained if it had gone to extra time.