Matchday thread: Rams v Wycombe 16/12/2023

[macstheman]

Is that 5 bookings!!!??? 😠

[Geoff Parkstone]

Well it's not like me to mention female refs, but, female refs.....

[Andy_Faber]

Well it's not like me to mention female refs, but, female refs.....

Whether male or female she was shocking today. However no more shocking than the team. No urgency, shocking distribution and ball control, pathetic game management at the end, Hourihane must practise popping corners into the goaly’s hand he’s so good at it, and Sibley’s one game run of form has come to an end.

[macstheman]

Easy to blame the ref but the crap we seem well capable of playing is a far bigger issue. Yes, crap can get results in this league but it fosters a lack of consistency and that will always bite back.
We got what we earned today ie a point, they were ****e but we weren't good enough to finish them off. Perhaps our ****e will win at Lincoln!!

[ramAnag]

Disappointing

[ramAnag]

Disappointing...but that’s how it goes sometimes. Not losing was important as is picking ourselves up and being ready for Lincoln next time round. Still handily placed, but at least five points from the next three matches seems essential and that should begin with three at home on Thursday.

[Ramshank72]

Did anyone stand today? Any difference to the atmosphere?

[Andy_Faber]

Did anyone stand today? Any difference to the atmosphere?

I was out last night with a chap who stood and he liked it, but not having to show his ticket every time he left his row. Atmosphere didn’t seem much different from my POV / POH

[SithHappens]

Need a result like this to bring is back down to earth

[MadAmster]

Well, they brought us down to their level... again. One of the most disjointed displays I've ever seen in the 1st half. As well as the stop/start that is typical of any game featuring Wycombe we also failed to find teammates with our passes. 2nd half was better but that wasn't a hard ask.

I wasn't surprised that one of the 3 MFs was subbed at HT as all 3 had been booked. Surprised it was Sibs as, IMO, he was not the worst of the 3.

As I said in the OP there was much time wasting by our opponents. They regularly stole up to 15 yards at throws and were pulled back twice.

That neither side had a shot on target in the first half wasn't a surprise considering the woeful performance of both sides.

The cards? NML and Hourihane both lost control of the ball and dived in to try to retrieve it, catching an opponent with their studs. Correct yellow. Bird pulled their player back to prevent him launching an attack. Yellow. Sibley, half hearted "shot" 10 yards over the ball, an age after the whistle. Following the ref's instructions from the start of the season, yellow. Personally I would have had a word and told him a repeat would see a card. She was, however, consistent when Vokes did similar in the 2nd half she carded him as well. Collo and Leahy. That all started when Leahy went down under a nothing challenge from Sibs. Leahy made far too much of it. Collo pulled him to his feet and told him, to basically, man up. That resulted in a handbags spat. Another one where a quiet word might have been sufficient under normal circumstances but, at that point, several players were getting "tasty" and the cards were likely designed to quieten things down.

The penalty given. I've said before that I wish causality was still in the wording. As the Laws are currently worded, just about any contact whatsoever is deemed sufficient to award a foul. IMO, there was insufficient in Ward's contact to warrant their player going down. As it is, Welch can't be criticised for giving the penalty under the current Law.

The not given penalty. IIRC, 64 minutes, the ball comes in and Cash goes to head home. A Wycombe defender has the front of Cash's shirt in his left hand in attempt to make it hard/impossible to get a good header in and his right arm is round Cash's back, further hampering his attempt to score. Penalty. Pure and simple. Not given. The one big decision she got wrong, IMO.

On another medium she was slated for her performance by most fans. Three didn't agree, saying she had a good game. Two other refs and yours truly. Her refereeing was much better than the standard of play displayed by either side.