Matt Williamson

@dgriffinpix @DerbyshireCCC @DurhamCricket @DerbyshireWomen Back in Derby got the week. Bringing my 7 year old daughter to watch the women and bribing her with pizza and ice cream to stay on for the men! Will say hello if I see you!

Game 1 T20 Blast @DerbyshireCCC v @DurhamCricket plus @DerbyshireWomen at Derby Now you see it, now you don’t. Please don’t miss out. NEW START TIME FOR MEN’S EVENING GAMES AT DERBY IS 6.30PM

@henrywinter Sorry Henry. Disagree. Introduced a turgid soporific style that we used to view with distain on the continent, got away with it by having the best players (another PSR argument entirely) and hypnotised lower leagues into adopting the same styles. Not for me.

Pep Guardiola’s legacy? Look all around from park pitches to Wembley. So many teams and coaches have been influenced by Guardiola. More teams playing out from the back, full-backs inverting into midfield, inviting the press, passing through it, attacking the space. Teams evolving. City won the league in 2021 with false 9s. Then a real 9 arrived, Erling Haaland, as Guardiola tweaked and twisted again. Mixing it up, possession, possession, then going long to Haaland if needed. Mixing it up, possession in the centre, then releasing flying wingers Jeremy Doku and Antoine Semenyo. Guardiola’s legacy? Look at the coaches who learned from him. Enzo Maresca, his likely successor. And Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso, Vincent Kompany, Xavi and Luis Enrique. Look at his impact on England. Nico O’Reilly starts at left-back. Phil Foden developed early by Guardiola, not sent out on loan, embedded in the first team early. He improved John Stones, Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker (who is now retired from England). Guardiola gave James Trafford a run in the cups. He gave Cole Palmer a chance before he craved more starts and went to Chelsea. Others have also moved on after a spell under Guardiola’s enlightened tutelage: Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap, James McAtee, Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Guardiola has undeniably enjoyed huge resources to call upon during his decade at City. He was able to draft in Marc Guehi and Semenyo in January. The sport still awaits the verdict of the 115 charges of rule breaches, charges which City deny vigorously. But Guardiola's achievements deserve celebrating: 591 games, 416 wins, 20 trophies. And so to the future. If it is confirmed that Guardiola is leaving after Sunday’s final game of the season, at home to Aston Villa, he will be greatly missed. Maresca is his mooted successor. He knows the club, knows the way Guardiola worked, and can seek to continue that work. It’s a relatively young squad that Guardiola has built. It’s a continuity job. Surely, though, Kompany would have been the man they really wanted. Club legend. But currently embedded at Bayern Munich. Guardiola's legacy is encouraging innovation, total commitment, near obsession with his work and playing attacking football. This City side are entertainers, playing 4-2-4 at times in the FA Cup final on Saturday. Even if the league is beyond him, the title seized by a coach he helped develop, Guardiola leaves as a winner, with two more trophies this season - and countless memories. Good luck to Guardiola in whatever he does next. #MCFC

@henrywinter It really shouldn’t be complicated. VAR should simply apply whether a ‘clear and obvious error’ has occurred and if not, stay with the on field decision (as per umpire’s call in cricket). Also, offside should have a small margin applied within which it stays on field either way

Celtic’s penalty was certainly a debatable decision. Impossible to be definitive either way, hence current widespread inquest, so they really should have stayed with original on-field. No pen. Understandable anger amongst Motherwell and Hearts coaches, players and supporters. Hearts now travel to Celtic Park for a title decider. The Foundation of Hearts, which owns 75% of the club, has called “on those responsible for the officiating of Saturday’s match to ensure that the highest standards of decision-making are applied, so that the game is decided by the players on the pitch and the team is given the fair opportunity it has earned”. Strong words. North and South of the Border the quality of officiating - and consistency – has been questioned this season. The problem is not the technology but those using it. There are some very competent officials about. But more are needed. Whether the Fir Park hand-ball was the worst decision ever is a moot point. Here are a few that spring immediately to mind, clear-cut mistakes, bound to trigger some frustrated flashbacks, in no particular order…. Diogo Dalot on Jeremy Doku, somehow only a yellow. Michael Keane on Doku, somehow only a yellow. Jordan Pickford taking out Virgil van Dijk. Harry Kane foot up on Andy Robertson. Tomas Soucek stopping a shot from Conor Gallagher with his hand. Rodri hand-ball against Everton. On it goes. Elliot Anderson on Ollie Watkins, cleared on review, mad. Kelechi Iheanacho denied a goal for Celtic against Braga when VAR ruled he’d handled when the ball came off his cheek. Gabriel not being dismissed for lowering his forehead into Erling Haaland. Luis Diaz punished for a non-existent offside when scoring for Liverpool against Tottenham. Lee Mason left his VAR job “by mutual consent” and PGMO apologised after he failed to draw the lines and spot Christian Norgaard offside in the build-up to Ivan Toney scoring for Brentford, costing Arsenal two points. And many others. The problem isn’t the technology; it’s the people using it, with the additional issue in Scotland of whether there is sufficient investment in the technology infrastructure. VAR is the safety net - but currently with too many holes.

@henrywinter Until they change the laws of the game to penalise when the ball isn’t in play there will be no change at all. They hug, hold and throw each other around to prevent movement before the ball is kicked, judging who is doing what at the split second the ball is struck is impossible

It’s a joke how much grappling has been allowed by officials at corners in the Premier League this season.

@TomGaymor 🫡

A few thoughts on frontline policing .... #Police #MetPolice #Peelers

@phillowe1 And whacking an endless amount of pound coins into the fruit machines in the Carrington Club!!

Calla calla Callaghan Callaghan Callaghan…. He brought a new classy look to Arthur’s team, he also brought a bagful of trouble with his eye for the ladies and one in particular! Liked to spin a good tune in the Coconut and Paradise and also Tudor Court, used to live just up the road from me and was a proper character bombing around in his XR3i cabriolet, one of those legends who took us onto the next level. @dcfcofficial #dcfcfans

@domjdietrich @BBCDerbySport 10th to 6th with a shot at play offs with 3 games to go. Top 3 will be a cut above, next 2 a step behind and 6th up for grabs between 4 or 5 teams I reckon…..

@LeighCurtis_DT Need a Soton win/ draw in the week against Ipswich to keep Boro honest on the final day

3-1 Coventry. Mason-Clark. Derby’s play-off hopes alive and kicking. It goes to the final day. #dcfc #dcfcfans

@Alexdcfc17 I actually agree. Can’t see Hull and Wrexham getting to more than 72 pts based on how the promotion and relegation sits right now and who they have to play. Can we win both though? Ipswich winning last night was massive for us meaning Charlton have to beat Hull

ITS NOT DONE AT ALL Wrexham play boro and cov Hull are wank Genuinely still think we do it #dcfc

Must be suffering lack of sleep, in my mind I can see us winning the last two games (last night was arguably the hardest of the 3), I can’t see Wrexham getting more than 2 pts from their 2 fixtures; Hull MAY beat Charlton but not Norwich IMO so the Charlton game is THE one #dcfc

@stace_dcfc I was literally shouting ‘show him outside’ to the screen….

Joe Ward doing the same as he did at Southampton 🙈

@dgriffinpix @DerbyshireCCC Don’t want to be pedantic but if that’s a mower, they ain’t cutting a lot of grass!😆

'Archive Rarities @DerbyshireCCC 1 to 365 in 2026' 108 - Dean Jones sitting on the mower at Wantage Road, Northampton in 1996 - Derbyshire ended that summer in second place in the Championship - a defeat at Northampton was one of the main reasons why Derbyshire didn't secure the title...

@henrywinter Henry how many times do we hear “that’s a foul anywhere else on the pitch”? Different thresholds apply in the penalty area it seems (wrongly IMO), which in turn has allowed other elements to be unpunished (grappling etc) because they’re rarely punished inside the area

Decisions, decisions. Amad Diallo was a penalty. That gets given as a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch. It’s even more a penalty than the Matheus Cunha penalty (which was a pen, however “soft”). Amad was just less theatrical. Penalty not given. Wrong decision. Harry Maguire was a penalty and red card. DOGSO. Penalty and red card given. Correct decision.  Understandable debate over the decisions and inevitable frustration for Manchester United. But United have benefited from decisions that go their way this season. All clubs have these issues, examples, frustrations. The main issue here is … 1) General standard of officiating in the Premier League. Amad decision was poor. Even more investment required in grass-roots refereeing, in fast-tracking talent, in training up academy graduates who don’t make it as pros, and in continued work to improve further the Select Group refs. PL has some good officials. Just need more. 2) Football belongs to fans, not officials. Fans deserve to know what is going on in real time. When decision/incident being discussed by officials, audio should be played live. The authorities don’t want to, feel it places too much pressure on officials so content themselves with brief explanation when announcing decision and clarification on PL Match Centre. Fans in the stadium and tuning in pay a lot for tickets and subscriptions, respectively, and shouldn’t be kept in the dark. Audio works well in rugby union and cricket (and acknowledging those sports have more pauses in play). l went to a VAR demonstration (not PL) earlier this week given by an elite official. Hearing the audio between officials gave insight into the process - and respect for what they are dealing with at speed, especially with players trying to con them.  You are never going to get complete consistency over decisions. There’s always going to be an element of subjectivity with so many incidents. But fans deserve more transparency and accountability. It might restore some trust. #BOUMUN

@BBCDerbySport Maybe, but exposing half fit Ward when he had ‘no other options’ with another RB on the bench isn’t sensible IMO. And players barely play 90 mins regularly with the number of subs, so when they are asked to they’re under more strain. Hardly rocket science.

John Eustace says the number of games played nowadays is resulting in more injuries. The Rams head coach currently has a number of players missing with soft-tissue injuries. Listen to his entire pre-Blackburn Rovers media conference here ⤵️ bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0… #DCFC

@LeighCurtis_DT The issue for me is not giving Gordon a go at RB? We don’t know if he’s good enough if he isn’t give a go- and this season is realistically one where we won’t go down and outside chance of the playoffs so the pressure is less. Who knows, he could be the next Bogle, Lowe etc….?

Eustace said back four selection was forced by problems to Sanderson (calf) and Ward (thigh). Both players had scans yesterday. Didn't want to use the latter, but thinks Elder may have suffered a fractured toe. Here's what he had to say. #DCFC #DCFCfans derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football…

@stace_dcfc @henrywinter The issue with this Stace (and I’ve suggested a change in the Law to accommodate) is that you can’t penalise when the ball is dead prior to the kick being taken. I’d have the ball always ‘live’ thus the referee can penalise holding and so on prior to the kick being taken

@henrywinter The simple solution is rather than the ref speak to players and delay play. Either award free kick to the defending team or a penalty before corner is taken and just get on with the game. A couple of penalties award and it will stop instantly

Grappling at corners was rife during the early stages of the 2018 World Cup, including during England’s games with Tunisia and Colombia. Fifa acted, instructing refs and VAR to crack down on the holding and pulling. It helped for a while. Wrestling in the Premier League, and attempts to crowd out the keeper, risk becoming an epidemic, and inevitably increased with more focus on set-piece goals. It's spoiling the spectacle for many. Officials need to get a grip of the grapplers. If that means more penalties awarded or free-kicks for baulking the keeper ... so be it. The issue will be consistency of application.

The ‘Host and Stay’ number drawing admiration in Riyadh this morning. The lad in the coffee shop went ‘Ah Derby County’. #dcfcfans #massive

@BBCDerbySport I would hope is eyeing a shock as opposed to a shocker

Brewers midfielder Kyran Lofthouse is left frustrated by Port Vale, but eyes an FA Cup shocker against West Ham United. Listen here ⤵️ bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0… #TheBrewers #BAFC

@ScottGretton I lost the will to live watching Cashin, Davies and Alsop playing keep ball for what felt like hours only to pass it to Roberts, who I think had fallen asleep like me and nearly surrendered a goal. Not a fan but a lovely bloke apparently

All the best to Liam Rosenior but that post-match interview is the start of the end for him. Talk about over thinking tactics. He’s gone full Russell Martin. Complete idealist. #ChelseaFC

@henrywinter They could simply apply an element of referee/ asst referee’s call, whereby the margins are so minimal that the on field decision stands. Similar to cricket. It would take seconds to confirm that a particular decision fell within that scope

“Football is a sport, not a laboratory experiment. If the stewards of the game continue to prioritize technical perfection over the spirit of the law, they risk alienating the very people who make the game what it is: the fans. It is time to bring the “Beautiful Game” back to its roots.” This “urgent call for reform” email to IFAB will strike a chord with many fans. Broadcaster Dave Johnson voices the views of supporters' "growing frustration - and frankly, disillusionment” – with the current application of VAR in offside decisions. “While the pursuit of accuracy is noble, the current “microscopic” approach has reached a breaking point that threatens the entertainment value and emotional integrity of the sport”. “Football is a game of flow and spontaneous joy. Currently, that joy is being strangled by lengthy delays that often exceed three or four minutes, only to result in goals being overturned by the width of a shirt seam or a “toenail”. “The recent controversy involving Fulham and Manchester United, where a goal was disallowed because a player’s elbow was deemed offside, serves as a perfect indictment of the current system. When the “clear and obvious” error mandate is ignored in favour of sub-pixelgeometry, the game moves away from fairness and into the realm of pedantry”. Johnson outlines “key areas of concern”. 1. Spirit of the Law: “The offside rule was designed to prevent goal-hanging, not to penalise an attacker for having a larger shoe size than a defender”. 2. Fan experience: “Supporters in stadiums are left in a vacuum of silence, unable to celebrate goals, waiting for a verdict that often feels disconnected from the physical reality of the play”. 3. Margin of Error: “Current frame rates and the manual placement of lines do not account for the biological reality of movement, making “millimeter-perfect” decisions scientifically questionable”. He seeks “fundamental changes to how offside is officiated”. 1. "the serious consideration of Arsène Wenger’s proposal. By requiring a clear gap of “daylight” between the attacker and defender, the advantage is returned to the attacking side, encouraging goals and reducing microscopic disputes”. 2. “Margin of Error” buffer: “Implementing a 5-10cm “tolerance zone” where the on-field decision stands unless the infraction is undeniable”. 3 Time limit on reviews: “If a decision cannot be reached within 60 seconds, the original on-field call should be upheld. This ensures that only “clear and obvious” errors are corrected”. Johnson concludes his email by looking forward to “seeing these issues addressed in upcoming technical sub-committee meetings”. Good luck.