Official match thread: Preston North End V Southampton

Osmajic made the difference 2nd half last night, ball to his feet and he looks the class player I was hoping we had bought. Cracking strike for his goal and a fab lay off for Potts who ran shoulder to shoulder outmuscling their defender and nutmegging the goalie, felt like a defeat at the end but need to pick themselves up pretty quickly ready for The Tigers

px6,Phantom Winger,ginagee,pnebraddy87,

Pen? Pete I've had a look at the video and it seems to confirm much of what I saw in real time. (I think it's pretty harsh anyone shouting 'robbed' when this is based on a video that the ref did not have and when he had to make a decision in real time...I didn't hear shouts for a pen when it occurred. Most people were just baffled as to how the ball stayed out of the net)). A critical part of the guidance you cite states 'unintentional contact between the ball and hand is not handball'. The shot was so close and the ball spun up so quickly off the defender's foot I don't think he could have known much about it....certainly wasn't deliberate or anything he could avoid. He was well on his way down at the time so his arm would be out. The only position in which the guidance specifically make it clear that it's an offence is when the hand is above shoulder height.

However having seen the video I concede a lot of refs are likely to have given it had they seen it.

I've asked myself 'if it had been the other way around would I have thought it a pen?' And to be honest, and I can't ignore the video having seen it, I would probably have thought that 'we have got away with that'....but recognised that it wasn't as clear cut as some seem to think.

I don't like VAR but an incident like this is a good example of its value...assuming the VAR officials can get it right., whatever it is they are interpreting.

At one time this would have been very clear.....no pen on the criterion of whether it was deliberate handball or not.

The more the rules and guidance have been changed and elaborated and the more technology has come into play the more arbitrary it has become. Progress?

Cannot fault committment from all players last night gutted to concede with 20 secs to go definitely a pen for me sending off for shirt pulling by Smallbone got away with loads miss by Osmajic at 2-1 Millar should have shot across keeper and hope ball ricochets to Osmajic or into defenders running back ghost of Sir Bobby Charlton appeared with Osmajics goal and Potts run & finish sublime would have taken a point pre-match as long as performance better but feel robbed after such a performance

Deflated driving home and still the same now…..but we have scabbed a few points late on so can’t really complain.
RL got it spot on last night and everyone, well almost everyone did their bit.
Mads does not do enough, drifts in and out of the game.
Also I have said it before Freddie’s kicking and overall getting the ball in play is poor……no very poor.
However overall very positive following last night

Can debate that penalty claim all day long (I am not sure the ball was going in...defender stopped it going in with his foot and it spun upwards to hit his hand). Personally I don't see how that can be anything but accidental but I also accept that they get given....fortune wasn't with us. I just wonder if one of the factors that influenced the weak referee was that if he had given the pen he would have had to send off the player...and that would have been harsh for something he could have known little about (in fact it was pretty good defending).

(This is like a car crash seen by half a dozen people who all have a differing explanation).

As for Osmajic I posted recently that I couldn't see the point in picking him unless the ball was played to his feet or in front of him. (Totally agree with thema comment). Delighted to see that if you do this then he can play a bit. Long may it continue but will Lowe really change a system that has balls being pinged in from wide or from deep midfield? How often will he play two at the front?

Potts! The enigma.....why can't he play consistently like that? He was clearly up for it last night and , after half time, seemed to follow instructions to get forward. He even bollocked Keane at one point when he lost the ball, having run too far with it...he'd been looking for Keane to move into playable space. (Keane was pulled shortly afterwards)

My MoM though , Millar.....he was up against a class fb in and no doubt many will consider he should have done better for their opener (I thought that of Woodman who may have been unsighted). However he also gave Peter-Walkers a run for his money down the left and, at times, Saints had to double up. How on earth could Lowe have repeatedly picked Brady ahead of Millar in critical recent matches is beyond me. He constantly troubled their defence and put in some good balls.

Ginagee raised a matter with which I entirely agree...the perimeter advertising boards need to kept turned down. First 10 mins I was struggling to pick out anything they were so blinding.

Your last sentence, I struggle to pick anything out for 90 mins!! Haha