Cod Almighty | Diary

Everybody knows the good guys lost

18 September 2019

Miss Guest Diary writes: I had already ruled out attending the Salford game before the season started when I discovered that there is no station, tram stop or hotel within walking distance of their ground. I'm way too old to be messing around with unfamiliar bus routes after dark. I admit to feeling a little regret when I saw how many tickets had been sold – I love a large away crowd under floodlights. But, as things turned out, I am content with my choice.

So I sat at home with one eye on Liverpool's dismal European performance and one eye on the #gtfc hastag on Twitter. What I 'learned' was: Salford are rubbish; their goal was against the run of play; we've had it with 4-3-3; stop lumping the ball up to Hanson; Ogbu didn't deserve 90 minutes; we want Max Wright; bring back 4-4-2; and Jolley ruined the game with his tactics and substitutions. And then there's that disallowed goal.

At first there was mystification about why it was disallowed. Eventually the consensus was that Green infringed the new rule about opposition players joining the defensive wall at a free kick. But then the controversy became about the fourth official bringing it to the referee's attention after the goal had already been awarded.

Is that allowed? Don't ask me. I have been watching Town for 30 years and I only found out at the weekend that opposition players are not allowed in the penalty area when a goal kick is being taken. This came to light when my other half remarked that the comedy goal conceded by Arsenal was the result of a rule change. "What's that?" I queried. Apparently the ball now becomes 'live' as soon as the keeper kicks it rather than when it leaves the area. This has obviously led to the temptation for players to pass it around in front of goal, with the potential for disaster, as Arsenal discovered.

Oh, and I only learnt a couple of months ago that a player can't be offside from a goal kick. But I digress: back to Town's disallowed goal.

Of course it was the perfect opportunity for a conspiracy theory that, to halt Salford's slide down the table, the match had been fixed and that Gary Neville was the man on the grassy knoll. Thus displaying two prevalent traits of the Town fan: the chip on the shoulder which says the whole world is against us, and the hubris which says Town are a big club worth conspiring against.

Michael Jolley's post-match interview with John Tondeur was a strained affair in which he claimed Town played better than on Saturday. It was also a masterclass in self-contradiction. He refused to criticise the Salford bench for drawing the fourth official's attention to Green's infringement but then said the decision was "unjust" and had "ruined the game". Asked whether he thought McKeown was responsible for conceding their goal, he said he was "reluctant to blame the keeper" but then said if McKeown looks back "he'll probably have some thoughts about how he could have saved it". You could almost see Jolley's gritted teeth from here.

All in all, a night to forget. At least it's a new ground for those who like to collect these things. Mostly men, I suspect. Now I must leave you, to trek up to Blundell Park to pick up my Chelsea ticket. I've still not definitely decided to attend the game. Just hedging my bets, as I may even be too old for messing around with familiar tube queues after dark.