Leeds Utd v. West Brom 1971
Andrew Drake
I’ve just been watching the famous West Brom goal from 1971 that denied
Leeds United the championship and Danny Baker is making a big fuss about how
not only was there a blatent offside which started off the move, but that
the final pass for Astle to score was also offside.
Now I’m not one to argue that Leeds United losing the championship to a
disputed goal is very,very funny indeed. However I’m not convinced that
there was anything wrong with the goal.
For those who don’t have access to the video I will recap.
Leeds are in possession just over the half way line just on the left. The
Leeds player tries a short pass across field, but the ball strikes the West
Brom no. 8 and rebounds forward with the Brom player scuttling after it.
Ahead of him another Brom player (Sugget ?) is in a wildly offside position.
He looks like he is jogging back at the time. Leeds appeal for offside and
(according to the commentator) the linesman flags. The Brom player begins to
slow down and looks to the referee who waves play on. The Brom player runs
in on goal before slipping the ball across the area to Astle to score. When
Astle recieves this ball he is also in an offside position (as pointed out
by Danny Baker), however I reckon that when the ball was played, he was
almost certainly behind the ball and so couldn’t be in an offside position.
For the original offence at the halfway line, it is at the referee’s
discretion whether or not to award the foul for offside, the linesman’s flag
is just an indicator to show that someone is in an offside position. Perhaps
the referee decided that,since Sugget was running back, and the Brom no. 8
was running with the ball and not passing it to the offside player, it did
not warrant the whistle.
Any thoughts ?
Andrew Drake
Colin Morris
Andrew Drake wrote in message <73dtnp$sf5$1...@mendelevium.btinternet.com>...
I remember this incident very well, not only because, as you say, it was
extremely funny to see that thuggish Leeds team lose out, but also because
the referee - Ray Tinkler of Boston - made a great decision. Poor Mr Tinkler
got pilloried on 'Match of the Day' that night by, I think, David Coleman
who just couldn't accept that a referee is at perfect liberty to overall his
linesman's offside flag. Tinkler judged that the West Brom player in an
offside position wasn't interfering with play and, as you say, Astle was
almost certainly in an onside position when the pass was made to him.
Huw Morris
You're obviously watching Danny Baker's Freak Football video (complete
with the genius of Old Trafford - classic!) Let's talk about the two
possible offsides:
Firstly, Suggett was definitely in an offside position. The problem is
that as Brown went haring away with the ball, Suggett turned round and
joined the attack, rather than jogging back. That in itself is enough
for Suggett to be called offside. However, even if he *had* ignored the
ball and jogged back, this took place in 1971 not last week, and back
then there was far less interpretation about the interfering with play
aspect. Overall, in 1971, definitely offside. In 1998, as a linesman I'd
still just about have given it.
On the second "offside", I think you're correct. Unfortunately the
camera doesn't show exactly where Astle was when Brown pased the ball.
I've run the video frame by frame to see exactly how much ground Astle
was making wrt the ball, and I think it's pretty clear that he must have
been some way behind the ball. What's really funny is that Baker is
having a go at the referee for allowing the first offside, when Baker
doesn't appear to even understand the offside rule! What a knob!
Huw (qualified ref and West Brom fan)