Ballboys and girls BEFORE Saturday.....!!

[Motley]

Not having a go at the youngsters who do this but either can we get some older ones for Saturday who know when to slow down the ball return when we want it, or are ready with new balls when we are chasing the game. Alternatively can the club add some professionalism to the supervision of the ballboys/girls and pass the word to them what’s required of them at the right time. Been frustrated all season with our naivity in this area and watched last nights Liverpool game where if it wasn’t for the ballboy Liverpool would not have scored the fourth goal and would probably have been out.....

[G STAR RAM]

Or maybe we could let them enjoy their day and not try and get them involved in silly games at such a young age.

Teaching young kids to get involved in time wasting would be pathetic and quite embarrassing for the club.

[Carl Sagan]

30 minutes ago, Motley said:

Not having a go at the youngsters who do this but either can we get some older ones for Saturday who know when to slow down the ball return when we want it, or are ready with new balls when we are chasing the game. Alternatively can the club add some professionalism to the supervision of the ballboys/girls and pass the word to them what’s required of them at the right time. Been frustrated all season with our naivity in this area and watched last nights Liverpool game where if it wasn’t for the ballboy Liverpool would not have scored the fourth goal and would probably have been out.....

100% this. Everyone connected with the club has a role to play in the success of the team. What a ballboy or ballgirl does could make a £100m difference to the club. They need to know their jobs.

[Motley]

Perfectly valid point G star, but I don’t think Klopp would have asked for his ballboys to just enjoy their day.....nor do I think it’s embarrassing to be “professional” as a club and act like most, if not all premier clubs do...it’s not like we would be  “spying” on anyone...

 

[RamLad1884]

C'mon, we're getting back to our best football, we can beat any team at Pride Park when the fans are in full chant and the team is confident, we don't need any non-footballing tactics to do this. 

Let's not give the Leeds fans coming on here (or any other for that matter) a reason to think we'll beat them with anything but our football ?

[G STAR RAM]

3 minutes ago, Motley said:

Perfectly valid point G star, but I don’t think Klopp would have asked for his ballboys to just enjoy their day.....nor do I think it’s embarrassing to be “professional” as a club and act like most, if not all premier clubs do...it’s not like we would be  “spying” on anyone...

 

I'd like to think we take a stance as a club and not do something just because money crazed Premier League clubs do it.

I'm sure the ballboys/girls know that their job is to get the ball back on to the field. Asking them to mix up the speed that they do it at would be underhand and setting an awful example. 

Just my opinion of course and I'd rather us not have ballboys/girls rather than get some to give us an advantage. 

[Will Hughes Hair]

8 minutes ago, G STAR RAM said:

I'd like to think we take a stance as a club and not do something just because money crazed Premier League clubs do it.

I'm sure the ballboys/girls know that their job is to get the ball back on to the field. Asking them to mix up the speed that they do it at would be underhand and setting an awful example. 

Just my opinion of course and I'd rather us not have ballboys/girls rather than get some to give us an advantage. 

Would weaponising them with empty coffee cups be bad?

[Tamworthram]

7 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

100% this. Everyone connected with the club has a role to play in the success of the team. What a ballboy or ballgirl does could make a £100m difference to the club. They need to know their jobs.

There job is to return the ball in an orderly way enabling the game to restart regardless of what's going on on the pitch or what the score is. To expect them to do anything else is heaping unnecessary pressure on them especially when you start talking about making a difference of £100m. 

I also find it a bit unsavoury if we're going start briefing them as to what they can do to help influence the game. An extreme example but I remember that incident when Hazard kicked the ball boy for lying on the ball and not giving it back. Hazard was well out of order but I wouldn't like to see anything behaviour remotely like that from our boys and girls.

 

[DarkFruitsRam7]

22 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

100% this. Everyone connected with the club has a role to play in the success of the team. What a ballboy or ballgirl does could make a £100m difference to the club. They need to know their jobs.

I think you're the most serious person I know?

[Ghost of Clough]

5 minutes ago, Tamworthram said:

There job is to return the ball in an orderly way enabling the game to restart regardless of what's going on on the pitch or what the score is. To expect them to do anything else is heaping unnecessary pressure on them especially when you start talking about making a difference of £100m. 

I also find it a bit unsavoury if we're going start briefing them as to what they can do to help influence the game. An extreme example but I remember that incident when Hazard kicked the ball boy for lying on the ball and not giving it back. Hazard was well out of order but I wouldn't like to see anything behaviour remotely like that from our boys and girls.

 

No one is asking the ball boys to lie/sit on the balls or throw them back into the stands. Walking instead of running to collect the balls when we want to slow the game down is completely different

[SaintRam]

I haven't paid close attention to the ball shepherds in the Championship, but do they each have their own ball + the ball on the field?

If not, the comparison to the Liverpool moment isn't fair - as he had a ball to throw to Alexander-Arnold before the "active" ball had even left the field.

 

It isn't just down to them either. Sometimes the crowd is slow in getting it back, or they completely miss ballboy/player when trying to throw it back, that just delay things further, or the ball goes into an unoccupied area of the stand entirely!  I haven't noticed any ballfolk being particularly slow.
As for trying to slow the game down, a ballboy actively timewasting is punishable, and rightly so. If you're going to try and influence timewasting with non-players, best to leave it to the crowd.

[AndyinLiverpool]

Is this thread taking the piss?

[Rev]

26 minutes ago, SaintRam said:

I haven't paid close attention to the ball shepherds in the Championship, but do they each have their own ball + the ball on the field?

If not, the comparison to the Liverpool moment isn't fair - as he had a ball to throw to Alexander-Arnold before the "active" ball had even left the field.

 

It isn't just down to them either. Sometimes the crowd is slow in getting it back, or they completely miss ballboy/player when trying to throw it back, that just delay things further, or the ball goes into an unoccupied area of the stand entirely!  I haven't noticed any ballfolk being particularly slow.
As for trying to slow the game down, a ballboy actively timewasting is punishable, and rightly so. If you're going to try and influence timewasting with non-players, best to leave it to the crowd.

No multiball allowed in the EFL.

[SaintRam]

3 minutes ago, reveldevil said:

No multiball allowed in the EFL.

So, that's that then. The comparison is silly.

[Carl Sagan]

6 minutes ago, SaintRam said:

So, that's that then. The comparison is silly.

They have a choice to chase after the ball and return it as quickly as possible, or take their time and get it to a player slowly. That choice should be dictated by the state of the match. When sport is about fine margins, it's unprofessional if the club doesn't instruct them properly over this and make them aware of their responsibilities. It's also an added bonus for the ball boys and ball girls to know they have an important part to play and share in what the team is doing.

[ram59]

The dirties probably have a file on each ball girl/boy and know which one to kick the ball to when wasting time. ?

[RamNut]

I noticed one occasion v west brom where roos had to hurdle the advertising boards to go and retrieve a ball whilst the nearest ball boy remained firmly sat on his wotsit.

Whatever.......

i think i'm more with @G STAR RAM on this one. 

[SaintRam]

7 minutes ago, Carl Sagan said:

They have a choice to chase after the ball and return it as quickly as possible, or take their time and get it to a player slowly. That choice should be dictated by the state of the match. When sport is about fine margins, it's unprofessional if the club doesn't instruct them properly over this and make them aware of their responsibilities. It's also an added bonus for the ball boys and ball girls to know they have an important part to play and share in what the team is doing.

Ballboys urgency should, and usually does, match the urgency of (the home team's) players. That is what they're taught.

If the player is sorting their socks and meandering towards the throw-in/corner location, then the ballboy will not bust a gut getting the ball. If the player is running over to the location, or calling for the ball, the ballboy will go as fast as they can.

This is how they're taught and I don't recall a situation not being in-line with this. I can't remember a Derby player stood at the side of the pitch complaining about not having the ball, unless it's in the crowd.

[David]

28 minutes ago, reveldevil said:

No multiball allowed in the EFL.

Have a guess which club tried to seek an advantage using multiball this season?

Of course it was Leeds United, who else?

 

[RamsFan10]

1 minute ago, David said:

Have a guess which club tried to seek an advantage using multiball this season?

Of course it was Leeds United, who else?

 

No sanction?!? But the EFL and FA hate Leeds don't they? Surprised they didn't give them a 20 point deduction to be honest.