It's funny how people see things so differently...

[Swindon On Tour]

If that was given against Swindon I would be livid.
No way a penalty. The dive was an embarrassment and should have stayed on his feet.

Seen worse not given mind.

 

[chriswallace85]

Just sat on a train at Watford Junction and listening to 3 lads chat about footy. All 3 of them were talking about the "blatant" penalty that wasn't given in our game last night, and how in the Prem it would be a pen every time.

Then I look on here and see others saying, never in a million years a pen.

I can see both sides, but was a pen for me.

Looked stonewall at the time. Looked stonewall on the replay.

 

[gatopreto]

Just watched that over and over for the last 90 seconds or so and struggling to see anything to suggest that is a clear foul. Fair enough if others do that's the beauty of football a difference of opinions. I stick by what I say like, if that had been given at the other end I wouldn't have been happy. I think most people would agree Ballard doesn't help the situation throwing himself to the ground like that, no need really.

Ballard's reaction shouldn't really come into the decision making process. It's about the actions of the Leicester player, who clearly impeded him. He jumps in the air with his arm around Ballard and that is after the lower leg contact.

 

[Morse]

It's a pen, IMO. Putting a hand on a player's shoulder when they're running is to gain an advantage by slowing or destabilising them, not a friendly gesture or flirting. It's cheating.
It doean't matter if it's 'soft' or Ballard's fall was 'theatrical', a penalty is a penalty, no matter how disappointed the defending team's fans would be. The defender clearly pulled him back.

'Went down too easily' is the sort of shite crack you get from crap pundits. There's nothing in the laws of the game about that, IIRC.

 

[Salem-Hillbilly]

I’m not so sure it was after watching it back but can see what people thought it was and that VAR would likely give it. Can’t blame the ref as was a 50/50 and someone Ballard’s size shouldn’t be going down from that contact.

Leicester won the league with Vardy doing worse.

 

[admwil]

The Leicester fan at work said penalty even

 

[Father Jack Hackett]

This was a factor about 3-4 times in every game Quinn played for us.

Exactly

It doesn't matter how easily he went down or even whether he does go down. All that matters is whether he was impeded or not.

There's no place for bias in terms of player size. I've seen lots of smaller players get free kicks when they were just physically weak and legally overpowered. Free kicks that someone like Ballard wouldn't get, cos they are expected to take it.

Absolutely, but it shouldn't have been.

But it will likely influence decisions

 

[Useful_Idiot]

The fact he didn't book Ballard for diving suggest the ref thought there was contact but not enough for a pen. Ballard made the ref think it was nothing by going down like that and the ref got scared he'd give away a pen in the last moments. These days if there's contact like that in no attempt to play the ball or even be near the ball its a foul.

Saying that I would be furious if it was given against us so I'm very biased.

 

[gatopreto]

Exactly

But it will likely influence decisions

It will if they are incompetent. But it shouldn't. You can't penalise players for being big and strong.

It's a pen, IMO. Putting a hand on a player's shoulder when they're running is to gain an advantage by slowing or destabilising them, not a friendly gesture or flirting. It's cheating.
It doean't matter if it's 'soft' or Ballard's fall was 'theatrical', a penalty is a penalty, no matter how disappointed the defending team's fans would be. The defender clearly pulled him back.

'Went down too easily' is the sort of shite crack you get from crap pundits. There's nothing in the laws of the game about that, IIRC.

Fully agree. Sick of hearing that line.

The Leicester players movement was very unnatural. It was a clear attempt to disadvantage Ballard. I think he was successful in doing that, some may disagree. Whether or not Ballard should have hit the deck is irrelevant.

 

[AyeAyeAye]

In general the ref had a stinker. The 2 pens we weren’t given but also the 2 fouls given against Leicester players in the 1st half weren’t fouls and would have them 1-1 against the keeper. Basically the ref had a bad night.

 

[TZMouk]

It's a clearly a foul like, but I get some will be pissed off with the club and therefore everything has to be anti-us, and some are harking back to the day you could kick seven shits out of each other.

 

[DrewC]

Just sat on a train at Watford Junction and listening to 3 lads chat about footy. All 3 of them were talking about the "blatant" penalty that wasn't given in our game last night, and how in the Prem it would be a pen every time.

Then I look on here and see others saying, never in a million years a pen.

I can see both sides, but was a pen for me.

It was a penalty for me but referring has been poor what do we expect when on a losing streak

 

[Tom]

it was a pen. Just cause ballard goes down easilly and flops abit doesnt mean its not

I think he may have had more chance getting the pen if he didn’t throw himself like he did.

 

[southstander]

Just sat on a train at Watford Junction and listening to 3 lads chat about footy. All 3 of them were talking about the "blatant" penalty that wasn't given in our game last night, and how in the Prem it would be a pen every time.

Then I look on here and see others saying, never in a million years a pen.

I can see both sides, but was a pen for me.

Definite penalty, brought down the player.
A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offences against an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:

• charges
• jumps at
• kicks or attempts to kick
• pushes
• strikes or attempts to strike (including head-butt)
• tackles or challenges
• trips or attempts to trip

If an offence involves contact it is penalised by a direct free kick or penalty kick.

 

[Flea Market Trader]

Exactly it’s his exaggeration of going down convinces me it’s not a penalty

I also think the way he went down put that seed of doubt into the referees head. Ballard did himself no favours there.

 

[Venkman]

It's a clearly a foul like, but I get some will be pissed off with the club and therefore everything has to be anti-us, and some are harking back to the day you could kick seven shits out of each other.

Finding it a bit weird how some are falling over themselves to say how much it definitely wasn't a penalty.

There's enough for there to be doubt, and ultimately the Leicester player makes contact, from behind, and trips him.

 

[AC Mack]

The consiparcy theories in here are mental. Some people don't agree lads, get over it.

 

[Jelly Belly]

Watched about 20 times now, still no penalty for me.we would be raging if it was given against us

 

[PitYacker]

Why didn’t Ballard just hit it? The way he went down was a blatant dive, by doing it you are leaving it in the hands of the ref to decide what level of contact there was. There certainly wasn’t enough contact for what he did, even if their was contact which VAR may or may not have said was a penalty.

 

[Methusalah]

Why didn’t Ballard just hit it? The way he went down was a blatant dive, by doing it you are leaving it in the hands of the ref to decide what level of contact there was. There certainly wasn’t enough contact for what he did, even if their was contact which VAR may or may not have said was a penalty.

I still have not heard anything to explain why the defender's hand was on Ballard's shoulder if it wasn't to prevent him from scoring ? Ballard's actions are irrelevant and I'm sure had the situation been reversed there would have been plenty of people on here avowing that it was a penalty and it was a clear foul by Ballard .