Three points debacle

[newyddion]

a 40 man squad

So award the original game three nil to Blackburn and we stay up on goal difference! All ifs and buts and maybes now though!

I would have though Blackburn would have been up for that. Why would we not have called to let them know? At least we would have had one team on our side.

 

[MFP]

a 40 man squad

I would have though Blackburn would have been up for that. Why would we not have called to let them know? At least we would have had one team on our side.

Blackburn's chairman wanted that outcome, but the PL declined. Not entirely sure why. Perhaps they believed this situation required a punishment for us rather than a gift for Blackburn. Perhaps they didn't want to deal with other clubs who felt it unfair that they'd be awarded 3 points for a game they never played.

 

[newyddion]

Blackburn's chairman wanted that outcome, but the PL declined. Not entirely sure why. Perhaps they believed this situation required a punishment for us rather than a gift for Blackburn. Perhaps they didn't want to deal with other clubs who felt it unfair that they'd be awarded 3 points for a game they never played.

a punishment for the club and maybe even the manager.. but not the players or the fans.

 

[Billy Horner]

So award the original game three nil to Blackburn and we stay up on goal difference! All ifs and buts and maybes now though!

Correct. But if we’d “just turned up anyway and lost 10-0”, like Robbie Mustoe was suggesting, we’d have been relegated on goal difference.

 

[newyddion]

Correct. But if we’d “just turned up anyway and lost 10-0”, like Robbie Mustoe was suggesting, we’d have been relegated on goal difference.

Who’s to say we would have lost 10-0?

 

[theredrooster]

As above. If the punishment had been a 10-0 defeat, we would have been relegated on goal difference.

I never mentioned anything in my post about staying up or otherwise so I'm not sure why you're making this point to me as if I've overlooked something. I deliberately didn't comment on whether we would have stayed up as to do so would be pointless speculation (much like your assertion we would have been relegated on 41 points).

Had we forfeited the game with no other punishment there is an argument we could have gone down with a lower points total as I do agree with other posters that the perceived injustice galvanised us.

Equally, there is an argument that if we had forfeited the game we wouldn't have had to play 4 games in 9 days (or whatever it was) at the end of the season so we would have been fresher and might have turned some of those draws into victories and stayed up. It's all ifs, buts and maybes in an alternative reality which is why I never went there. However, I still think the punishsment should have been the awarding of the game to Blackburn by a considerable margin.

 

[MFP]

I never mentioned anything in my post about staying up or otherwise so I'm not sure why you're making this point to me as if I've overlooked something. I deliberately didn't comment on whether we would have stayed up as to do so would be pointless speculation (much like your assertion we would have been relegated on 41 points).

Had we forfeited the game with no other punishment there is an argument we could have gone down with a lower points total as I do agree with other posters that the perceived injustice galvanised us.

Equally, there is an argument that if we had forfeited the game we wouldn't have had to play 4 games in 9 days (or whatever it was) at the end of the season so we would have been fresher and might have turned some of those draws into victories and stayed up. It's all ifs, buts and maybes in an alternative reality which is why I never went there. However, I still think the punishsment should have been the awarding of the game to Blackburn by a considerable margin.

How is awarding the game to Blackburn is seen as a punishment for us. How do you interpret it?
I don't remember the exact judgdement given for deducting us points, but maybe the PL's reasoning is that in the interests of fairness towards the league, the fixture has to be fulfilled. We have to play 38 games. However, their ruling cannot be at the advantage of Blackburn, and we, as punishment for failing to play the game, cannot be seen to gain advantage from it either.

 

[newyddion]

How is awarding the game to Blackburn is seen as a punishment for us. How do you interpret it?
I don't remember the exact judgdement given for deducting us points, but maybe the PL's reasoning is that in the interests of fairness towards the league, the fixture has to be fulfilled. We have to play 38 games. However, their ruling cannot be at the advantage of Blackburn, and we, as punishment for failing to play the game, cannot be seen to gain advantage from it either.

We had 12 first team players available to chose from.. which included a £7m Italian international. We didn't have a leg to stand on. It is my understanding that even if we had 7 players available to play then the match should have gone ahead (although one injury or sending off would have resulted in the game being called off) The idea of having 12 players and yet we could not play a competative game is crackers! Why have players in the squad if they can't compete?

I can't remember us having a squad of 40 players or even 35 tbh.. I thought robbo kept it to 32 (something to do with the number of seat/chairs)

 

[Billy Horner]

Who’s to say we would have lost 10-0?

It’s what Robbie Mustoe said. I was merely pointing out that he was wrong.

I never mentioned anything in my post about staying up or otherwise so I'm not sure why you're making this point to me as if I've overlooked something. I deliberately didn't comment on whether we would have stayed up as to do so would be pointless speculation (much like your assertion we would have been relegated on 41 points).

Had we forfeited the game with no other punishment there is an argument we could have gone down with a lower points total as I do agree with other posters that the perceived injustice galvanised us.

Equally, there is an argument that if we had forfeited the game we wouldn't have had to play 4 games in 9 days (or whatever it was) at the end of the season so we would have been fresher and might have turned some of those draws into victories and stayed up. It's all ifs, buts and maybes in an alternative reality which is why I never went there. However, I still think the punishsment should have been the awarding of the game to Blackburn by a considerable margin.

Apologies if you thought I was having a go at you, because I genuinely wasn’t. I agree that you were just suggesting a more fitting punishment.

I was pointing out that, every else remaining the same, that punishment would also have resulted in our relegation. Of course, you’re also right that everything else would not have remained the same, as on the one side we wouldn’t have had the galvanising effect of the ‘unjust’ punishment, whilst on the other hand we wouldn’t have had such a fixture pile up in the last week of the season.

I do, however, believe that people have invented a myth that we would have definitely stayed up but for the points deduction. The truth is it would have been touch and go at best.

 

[Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret]

In January of this year West ham women's team got a game postponed because of an outbreak of flu. The FA said player welfare was paramount. There is a specific rule pertaining to such an incident. The team has to submit a doctor's report 48 hours prior. It's a shame such levels of professionalism were not prevalent in 1996.

 

[newyddion]

Ring the FA, ring the manager.. field seven players with no subs get one sent off. Job done.

 

[MFP]

We had 12 first team players available to chose from.. which included a £7m Italian international. We didn't have a leg to stand on. It is my understanding that even if we had 7 players available to play then the match should have gone ahead (although one injury or sending off would have resulted in the game being called off) The idea of having 12 players and yet we could not play a competative game is crackers! Why have players in the squad if they can't compete?

I can't remember us having a squad of 40 players or even 35 tbh.. I thought robbo kept it to 32 (something to do with the number of seat/chairs)

I think it was Eric Paylor that once pointed out that Boro should just have said more players were out with illness and injury and that we couldn't put together a match day team at all.

 

[Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret]

Also worth noting that in 2007 spurs asked for their game v arsenal to be put back by a number of hours or postponed due to an outbreak of food poisoning. The FA said no.

Edit actually to qualify the fa did the same as they had for us and left the decision up to spurs. Spurs had precedent - namely us and so went ahead with the game. I remember either Martin jol or one of the players referencing us in an interview in the tunnel.

Can't find any mention of the Chester Shrewsbury game which Gibson says we should have been made aware of and for which the FA were criticized over leaving the decision in the hands of the club.

I wonder if spurs kicked up a stink leading to the rules being changed. I assume the women's game uses the same set of rules as the men's?

 

[newyddion]

I think it was Eric Paylor that once pointed out that Boro should just have said more players were out with illness and injury and that we couldn't put together a match day team at all.

You've got no just cause to call the match off otherwise even with 10.. I think it goes down to 7!!

 

[Oldcodger]

Still on about it
Done and dusted

we tried to pull a fast one and got done over

massive penalty in the long run
We’ve never really recovered from it

 

[Adi_Dem]

Still on about it
Done and dusted

we tried to pull a fast one and got done over

massive penalty in the long run
We’ve never really recovered from it

I do feel like that was a real sliding doors moment for us. Staying up that season just might have been huge.

 

[Tomato Soup]

This event did provide material for a rather decent Cup Final song though -

 

[newyddion]

21st December 1996

3-5-2 experience at the back, flood the midfield and quality upfront.

Summerbell does a number on Tim Sherwood and Andy Campbell's pace turns them inside out.

---------------------------Walsh----------------------------
-------------Anderson--Robson--Blackmore--------------
Hignett--Ormerod--Summerbell--O'Halloran--Campbell
---------------------Fjortoft---Beck-------------------------

3-0 to the boro!

 

[Ratedr69]

21st December 1996

3-5-2 experience at the back, flood the midfield and quality upfront.

Summerbell does a number on Tim Sherwood and Andy Campbell's pace turns them inside out.

---------------------------Walsh----------------------------
-------------Anderson--Robson--Blackmore--------------
Hignett--Ormerod--Summerbell--O'Halloran--Campbell
---------------------Fjortoft---Beck-------------------------

3-0 to the boro!

would probably beat our current team that lol

 

[newyddion]

would probably beat our current team that lol

hmm..
--------------------Lumley--------------------
----------------Fry--Hall--McNair------------
Spence--Howson--Morsy--Saville--Coulson
-------------Tavernier--Watmore-------------

who'd have thought we'd be left with so little going forward.. and on the wings