It's sort of 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, mind you think a few of you here are guilty of video watching
However it is a major crime to leave Rooney unmarked 8 yard out centrally in front of goal.
There is certainly an element of ball watching there. All of the Villa players are guilty of that, it's a generally disorganised
defence, and people like Clark should be playing a role in organising it.
Just mark the players up and get goal side of them, you don't need to watch the ball if he has nobody to pass to.
In Alan Hanson's words "Shocking Defending".
Prior to that Villa had one of the best away defensive records in the league and their overall record is pretty decent
so maybe we should not read to much into just one incident.
I'm with Charlie. Clark's judgment was definitely at fault but ball watching wasn't the mistake. He was doing anything but ball watching.
He wasn't watching the ball, he got distracted from his duty by the decoy run of Mata who had clearly slipped his marker,
but the final pass was not going to be made to find its way through 3 Villa players towards Mata, with Rooney in that space.
I'm looking for a copy of my aritotelean logic textbook from UCD in 1985/6. Written by Dr Patrick Bastable but it's out of print.
If anyone can get their hands on a copy...
But, Stutts, if you're book-watching you won't see the action all around you on the thread, and while Dr Bastable will be pleased, another doc will be very annoyed with you!
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
I don't see how that's a defence (quite the opposite) but I like the analogy.
Has any of the doc's posts not referred in some way to St Ledger?
Clark is young for a defender. St Ledger is pushing 30. Clark has room to improve. What is St Ledger's excuse?
St Ledger has been grand at International level. I'm referring more to the lack of progress in his club career.
The doc has been around since before Clark ever came on the scene. Before Clark came along most of his posts were about St Ledger's original nemesis, Alex Bruce.
I don't know if they're all better than him but they've certainly all played at a higher level than him.
I'd be more concerned that, added to your belief that tracking a runner counts as ball-watching, you've also somehow decided that being 29 doesn't qualify as "pushing 30".
Doc do you think Andy King will throw you a surprise rager when you turn 30 next 28 December? Maybe they will combine it with the Xmas party.
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
Well the Boy Blunder will have plenty of time to ball watch from the Villa bench today!
Where did you watch the Leicester match from last night, Sean?
Finally getting a start v Hull. Left back though.
"We lost because we didn't win"- Ronaldo
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