Penalties in Carling Cup

Maverick · 08-11-2006, 09:15

Can anybody tell me why when we played at Watford and it came to pens the saftery officer at Watford got to make the decision to take the penalties at the end where all the home fans where and yet last night Watford and Newcastle tossed for it? We tossed for it against Blackpool and those of us at Watford wern't exactly causing any trouble!

Maverick · 09-11-2006, 15:29

Take it from the lack of response nobody knows the answer??

I think it's a scandal that somebody with nothing to do with the game got to decide this and we went out the cup cos of it.

lancsdave · 09-11-2006, 15:41

You would be amazed at how powerful safety officers are at football league grounds. Not sure how you went out of the cup because of it though ?

Maverick · 09-11-2006, 16:24

I can understand them making decisions to delay kick off times for crowd congestion or having early kick offs in derby games to prevent drunken violence but for a safety officer to be able to decide what end a penalty shoot out is taken is just wrong.

Lancsdave I'm not saying we would have won the shoot out at Vicerage Road even if it was at the other end but it does make a difference to the players who arnt confident walking upto the spot and taking a pressure pen when there is 6,000 fans hurling abuse at you from behind the goal. If they tossed up for it and the pens were taken at our end so we could try and put the Watford players off then it might have been a different story. Look at the Newcastle game against Watford on Tuesday night. Tossed up, pens taken at goal were Newcastle's fans were, Watford players bottled it and they lost the shoot out!

maccawozzagod · 09-11-2006, 16:51

it was probably decided that there was a significant amount more people at the other end and that the most people possible should have a clear view. I would imagine there were a few more Geordies at Vicarage Road than Stanleyers.

Maverick · 09-11-2006, 16:55

probably was but that's not a safety issue is it?

Must be a rule about it somewhere surely? I remember this issue all kicked off a few seasons ago in the league cup when Everton played Birmingham at Goodison and Moyes and Trevor Francis almost came to blows. Pens taken at Everton end and Everton won.

KIPAX · 09-11-2006, 17:11

Maverick That was Preston v Birmingham. Francis tried tot ake the team off and they wouldn't go.

lancsdave · 09-11-2006, 18:16

Can I ask how it was known the safety officer decided. ?

Maverick · 14-11-2006, 17:02

Kipax it happened against Everton also as I was at Goodison when it happened.

Lancsdave I asked Cav who told me the safety officer decided and he never got asked to toss up or told the reason for the decision.