Question If Southend sort of cheated like Reading ?

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

For those that haven't seen it, Reading scored possibly the most bizarre goal ever in a professional match.
The ball came across from a corner and hit a Watford player on the thigh and is going out for a corner about 3ft wide of the post, when a Reading player tries to keep it in and whips it back across the front of the goal, and after a little pinball the silly Lino tells the Ref in his ear piece that ball had crossed the line and was in fact a Goal, and the silly ref gave it.
It wasn't just the goal that wasn't that amazed me, it was the reaction of the Reading players as they accepted the gift, with none of them backing up the Watford players by telling the ref he had made one of the biggest howlers ever seen.
Has our football world become so much dog eat dog, is there any honesty and integrity left.
Would you be happy if Southend sort of cheated like Reading ?.

 

[Firestorm]

I would hope that we would let the opposition go straight up the other end and score.

As we do as a general rule , a couple of minutes early wouldn't make much difference !!

 

[BoyWonder2]

But at the end of the day, why should they save anything. Just look at what AB said after the match. He wasn't expecting Reading to do them any favours at all.

Its similiar to players diving for a penalty. IF Freedman had dived at Crewe and the ref gave it and we scored, I wouldn't expect us to let the other team score because of the refs mistake.

 

[Ljubljana Branch]

If it were against Wakering in a pre-season I'd expect them to own up. Otherwise it's a professional league, and I wouldn't expect nor want any Southend player to do so. That said I would feel proud (although maybe not until after the season and the goal hadn't cost us).

Ultimately the players are hansomely paid to ensure that Southend United are successful. Giving the opposition goals isn't going to help....

 

[canveyshrimper]

I would hope that we would let the opposition go straight up the other end and score.

As we do as a general rule , a couple of minutes early wouldn't make much difference !!

This has happened against Southend, I remember a match at Griffin Park in the late 60's, Gary Moore scored a perfectly good goal, but the ball went through a hole in the side netting and rolled out of play. The referee gave a goal kick to Brentford.

 

[Firestorm]

There have been instances of extreme sportsmanship in games though, were teams have let the other team score straight from the restart after a goal was scored.
The one I do remember is Di Canio catching a cross when he had an open goal to head into (against Everton ?) after the Keeper had gone down with a serious injury.

 

[BoyWonder2]

There have been instances of extreme sportsmanship in games though, were teams have let the other team score straight from the restart after a goal was scored.
The one I do remember is Di Canio catching a cross when he had an open goal to head into (against Everton ?) after the Keeper had gone down with a serious injury.

Yes it was against Everton.

Wasn't there something last season in the Carling Cup between Leicester and Forest when the fella had a heart attack at half time. I think it was Leicester who was leading 1-0 in the original game before it got called off, and in the rescheduled match Forest let Leicester score to make it 1-0 as per the last game and they carried on from there.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Yes it was against Everton.

Wasn't there something last season in the Carling Cup between Leicester and Forest when the fella had a heart attack at half time. I think it was Leicester who was leading 1-0 in the original game before it got called off, and in the rescheduled match Forest let Leicester score to make it 1-0 as per the last game and they carried on from there.

That's right I was going to mention that in my post, but I was buggered if I could remember who the teams were.

 

[Ailsa Road Shrimper]

I think the game should be played properly, I'd rather support a team who loses than wins through cheating. Just because opposition players dive, try to get players sent off etc isn't an excuse to do it ourselves. Football is being ruined by con merchants, which then leads to bad refereeing because it's so difficult to tell if a player falling to ground is being genuine or not.

The only way forward for the game is TV replays for all big decisions and severe punishments for players found to be conning the referee!

 

[sufcintheprem]

A few years ago I saw another contender for most bizarre goal decision. The guy on the right got to the byline and crossed a bouncing ball in which the keeper only partly dealt with. The attacker coming in at the back post instinctively threw something at the ball but the only part that could get the ball in the net was his forearm.

No prizes for guessing which team was the benefactor on that occasion at Vicarage Road.

These things happen in football and the referee is there to manage the game. To me it's no different to a striker fouling a defender to get up for a header and score a goal. If the officials decide something then you just go with it.

The effort that hit the bar, arguably, was almost worth a goal :)

 

[maninasuitcase]

I don't think Reading are cheats, they didn't appeal for a goal. I'd be more concerned with the lack of furore about Scholes punching the ball in the net or Terry rugby tackling a player, appealing the red card, turning up to the hearing with a QC and winning. Now that really is cheating.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I don't think Reading cheated, but at the same time I'd rather if that happened to us, that we point out it was no-where near being a goal. It would give you a huge psychological edge over both the opposition and the ref.

 

[Aberdeen Shrimper]

The reading players are paid to play football, not to make decisions, if the Ref/Lino cocked up then it is there decision and i can not see how any one can accuse Reading of "Cheating"

Coppell has said that he is willing to replay the match, IMO they have done all they needed to.

If it was Southend....I would say take the goal because no doubt somewhere down the line a really dodgy decision would go against us. It usually weighs its self up

 

[sufcalways]

Wouldnt mind seeing it against Col U or Orient really, anyone else then I'd hope we would score an own goal.. or let them score, whatever the case.

 

[Skyblue]

Slightly different senereo but there was an Italian game on telly some years ago where Milan needed a point for the title and the opposition needed a point to stay up. They were both playing contently for a nil nil scoreline when suddenly this Milan guy hit a shot from about 40 yards that flew straight in. Both sides were stunned and just looked at each other and the bench. Straight from the restart it looked like Milan more or less let(allegedly) the opposition walk the ball into their net with only bare token resistance. Once the status q was resumed they played out the rest of the game in mind numbing fashion in their own halfs. The poor commentators were at a loss as to what to talk about during the game as it was a non event.

 

[leeblue]

it was the officials who koked up let them take the flack if they want to dish out silly goals then let em, steve coppell made this point earlier, the ref/lino messed up why is that readings fault?

 

[hockleyshrimper]

This is a good topic. My initial reaction was that that id like to see us not cheat and give a goal back. But when you think about it, would we give someone a goal if they scored a perfectly good goal against us and the ref gives a foul?
How many good goals have we scored over the years that the ref hasnt allowed us? Do we demand the other team gives us a goal to compensate?

The only answer surely is goal line technology.

 

[mattytheshrimper]

would not like it if our players knew it wasn't a goal and didn't say anything. if it was against leeds or orient then i might be persuaded but seriously hate cheaters in life and in football. hated nicky baileys little dives every now and again. for example against peterborough he dived for a pen.

 

[chapperzUK]

That was weird and they didn't even let them score!

 

[mattytheshrimper]

That was weird and they didn't even let them score!

thats a good point actually. wonder if it was suggested by any of the players.