At 75 minutes we looked home and dry. The crowd had turned a bit, their players had run out of ideas and they had started arguing with each other. Job done. The red card is a total game changer.
For a start, the first yellow was a joke and he doesn't get that unless it happened in front of Kompany, who should be embarrassed with his behaviour. He definitely got our player booked. It was barely a foul, if it was one at all. The second yellow, the goalkeeper gives their lad a bit of a hospital pass but Bramall actually pulls out of the tackle and stands up. Its never a yellow card in a million years. Bramall sent off for staying on his feet twice and arguably not committing a foul all night.
The referee has managed to give us three yellow cards and one red when we only gave away four free kicks and the only really bad challenge all night was by Burnley when their lad clattered Cheo on our right wing and the ref copped out by giving only a yellow and giving us us one at the same time for the pushing and shoving. total bottle job. To add insult to injury he finds 13 minutes of added time onto the 45 in the second half, and they win from a throw in that was very obviously our ball.
Burnley fans will say we wasted some time and we did a bit, nut not nearly as much as they are suggesting. The physio was on three times in the second half and one of those their player was down longer than Norton-Cuffy at the same stoppage. The truth is that Burnley and their fans were frustrated because they were losing and moaned about everything when there really wasn't much amiss. Sadly the ref bought into it. He allowed their players to surround and intimidate ours while they were being treated and in the end allowed Burnley to get quite close to actually refereeing it. The reality - and we all know it - is that the big club at home against the small club gets all the big calls. Its scandalous, but that is how it goes.
Honestly, I don't enjoy criticising refs but whenever we come to this division we see several games a season when you don't think you are getting a fair roll of the dice, and tonight was one of them.
Performance wise we were excellent. We defended well and maintained a threat. I honestly think with eleven men for the duration we win that game. We had ridden out everything Burnley had and they had gone a bit. I'm delighted with the performance but gutted for the players that we have nothing to show for it.
Still fuming. It's hard enough having to compete on an uneven playing field where they get a £40m gift before the season starts, but it leaves a bitter taste when we still manage to play well enough to win or at least draw and get nothing. With three quarters of the game gone they had run out of ideas but the officials rode to their rescue in the nick of time. Neither of Bramalls two yellow cards were yellow card offences. The decision to play ten added minutes was ludicrous. The ref just got swept away with the frenzy that came with the red card. To cap it all the last goal came from a throw in that clearly should have been ours. I admire Taylor for being as restrained as he was post match. I'm not sure I could have managed it. If Burnley get that level of help from officials all season they are certs to go up.
A set of officials frightened to death about getting a potential earful at full time from a big name.
Kompany's conduct for Bramall's first booking was a joke , literally on the field in our players face.
Ten minutes of added time along with the five we played in the first half was laughable but very predictable. Im sure if it was the other way around we would have had four or five max.
Yep. Cardiff away there were the full array of substitutions with their players doing a lap of honour as they went off and Cardiff certainly took their time over things, one or two injuries etc. Millers 1-0 down. Added time? Four minutes. There is an expectation now that if the underdog away team is ahead they are going to waste time. Crowds jump on it before it even happens and refs are put under massive pressure. We suffer from it regularly.last night wasnt a one off. When we were one nil up they got a throw in and room an age over it. Longer than we ever did. Not a peep about that. I said to my daughter if that was us taking that time they'd be going bananas. Kompany was a disgrace. He definitely got Bramall booked and spent half the game waving his arms in the air and counting to five whenever Viktor had the ball. Not very classy. Neither was the way they stood over our players in groups of three or four when our players were injured and physically shoved our players as they went off. All of which they were allowed to get away with. The ref let them control it and almost referee it. Shocking. Burnley wont be bothered because they got the result they were after, but for what it's worth I now want them to go up just so they can get smashed every week in the Premier League next season. Let's see if they play a free flowing attacking style to include no time wasting or gamesmanship when they are the underdogs at Man City etc when they are the relative minnows week after week. Theyve become a bit billy big b's in the Championship and expect teams like us to be rolled over, and I've certainly lost any respect I had for them.
Watching the Bramall two yellows. No way the first foul was ever a yellow. The second one, the keeper plays the ball a bit short to Roberts. Bramall has got to go and challenge him and try and nick it. He would get a rollicking if he didnt. He goes full pelt to get there but then realises he cant win the ball and makes no attempt to tackle Roberts. He just stands up. No foot in, no tackle, no lunge. Nothing. If there was any contact it was Roberts who caught Bramall with his follow through. It is never a foul in a million years. It didnt look a foul in the flesh at the time and it doesnt look a foul on the replays. An awful decision because of home team pressure and a player rolling around like a dog in a sandpit trying to con him. Unfortunately it not only put us down to ten men but cost us our best player on the night. Bramall was outstanding for those 75 minutes. It's no coincidence that their two injury time goals came down that flank. Still fuming!
