ROTHERHAMGATE: OUTCOME ALREADY DECIDED

Rotherham United vs Cardiff City outcome revealed
By Matt Smith

Cardiff City will not be awarded three points despite leading when their game at Rotherham United was abandoned following a period of torrential rain in South Yorkshire.

Aston Villa loanee Jaden Philogene-Bidace netted after just six minutes to put the Bluebirds ahead in what must be described as a relegation six-pointer at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

The score would remain 1-0 up until the 47th minute when referee Oliver Langford removed the players from the pitch as the heavens opened.

While four groundsman made their way onto the field of play in an attempt to mop water off the surface, such efforts eventually proved to be of no avail as the abandonment was confirmed just prior to 5pm after consultation with the EFL.

With the official cut-off point to decide a result being 75 minutes, the fixture will now be required to be replayed and will restart from a score of 0-0.

Those of a Cardiff persuasion are feeling very frustrated by the outcome of what had, initially, appeared to be a promising day for the Welsh side.

We have to accept it and move on. If we stay up it won’t have mattered.

The 75 minute 'Rule' has been in place for a long time and is almost certainly the one that will be followed in this case.

As a Bluebird supporter, it will be very frustrating and annoying; particularly given the total lack of effort of the Rotherham ground staffs (all three of them) and encouragement for said lack of effort from the Millers players and coaching staffs.

I fully expect the game to be replayed and I just hope some way is found for those Bluebirds who travelled to be given free travel and tickets for the rearranged game. It would be only fair and just.

Coming, somewhat ironically, exactly five years to the weekend after 'Snowgate', it remains to be seen what punishment, if any, Rotherham will receive; but I would be sadly confident it won't involve points and/or the awarding of a Bluebird win...

It's expected. What should happen if the book thrown at Rotherham.

Blatant cheating.

1. Lack of groundstaff.
2. Ill prepared pitch.
3. Unfilfillment of a fixture.
4. Unprofessional.

It's obvious to all what they've done.

We will batter them again.

Lets pray its not the same outcome as Derbygate.

If we play the whole match again, they should let us walk the ball in at the start of the match.

Basic sportsmanship that you see on certain occasions.

If we play the whole match again, they should let us walk the ball in at the start of the match.

Basic sportsmanship that you see on certain occasions.

Never considered this option That really would be something

In some countries they replay the remaining minutes. That should be the outcome here.
Same team and subs.

I wouldn't worry about it have you seen their run in fixtures much worse than ours

New day rising


They may be down but they could dent our escape.

Rotherham United vs Cardiff City outcome revealed
By Matt Smith

Cardiff City will not be awarded three points despite leading when their game at Rotherham United was abandoned following a period of torrential rain in South Yorkshire.

Aston Villa loanee Jaden Philogene-Bidace netted after just six minutes to put the Bluebirds ahead in what must be described as a relegation six-pointer at the AESSEAL New York Stadium.

The score would remain 1-0 up until the 47th minute when referee Oliver Langford removed the players from the pitch as the heavens opened.

While four groundsman made their way onto the field of play in an attempt to mop water off the surface, such efforts eventually proved to be of no avail as the abandonment was confirmed just prior to 5pm after consultation with the EFL.

With the official cut-off point to decide a result being 75 minutes, the fixture will now be required to be replayed and will restart from a score of 0-0.

Those of a Cardiff persuasion are feeling very frustrated by the outcome of what had, initially, appeared to be a promising day for the Welsh side.

Apparently Chris it’s not a done deal yet!
Although I believe it will result in a replay starting the match at 0-0.

From WOL …..

Cardiff City's abandoned clash with Rotherham United could yet result in a number of different outcomes amid an investigation.

The match at the New York Stadium was abandoned just a couple of minutes after half-time following a freak downpour that left visible surface water in several areas of the playing surface.

Cardiff were winning 1-0 at the time, and are believed to unhappy with how the incident was handled by the Millers, whose groundstaff also found themselves in the firing line on a shambolic afternoon in south Yorkshire.

READ MORE: Cardiff City demand answers over Rotherham 'shambles'

It's understood the EFL are still in talks with both clubs over the circumstances of the decision, and will take time to review all evidence before opting for their next move.

Despite suggestions to the contrary, there are no formal EFL regulations around the abandonment of matches, with the league instead treating each occasion on a case-by-case basis.

Additionally, the proposed 75-minute cut-off point for games being replayed is not actually a formal rule.

Suggestions of such measures appear to have been fuelled by a recent League 1 clash between Oxford United and Ipswich Town back in January, which was halted by thick fog.

Referee Bobby Madden brought the two bosses together to inform them that if the match was abandoned after the 75th minute then the scoreline of 1-1 would have stood as the final result. Both decided to continue, and Oxford went on to win the game.

However, there's actually no such rule in the EFL regulations, with each case instead handled at the league's discretion.

The logic is that because postponements often happen for different reasons, the league cannot apply a one-size-fits-all approach.

As a result, nothing has yet been taken off the table in regards to what happens next, although some possibilities are clearly more likely than others.

Indeed, it's still possible Cardiff could yet be awarded three points for the win - and it wouldn't be the first time the EFL has gone down that route.

For example, when Blackpool's clash with Huddersfield Town was abandoned on the final day of the 2014/15 season, the result was eventually declared a 0-0 draw.

Tangerines fans staged a pitch invasion 48 minutes into the fixture as part of a protest against the club's ownership, holding the game up for an hour before the decision was made to call it off. As well as the match being declared a draw, Blackpool were also subsequently charged for failing to fulfil the fixture.

However, given the hosts were already relegated and Huddersfield were safe, the result was, in the context of their respective seasons, ultimately meaningless.

On that occasion, the EFL clearly saw little point in re-arranging the game.

Given the potential impact Cardiff's trip to Rotherham may have on the Championship relegation battle, it seems unlikely the EFL will reach the same conclusion this time.

Another potential option would be to restart the game from the point of it being called off, but there doesn't seem to be an awful lot of appetite for that outcome. Both sides could face challenges in terms of fielding the same teams, for instance, while other aspects like weather conditions, are likely to be different.

That will inevitably spark concerns over fairness and the integrity of the fixture.

For now, the league are continuing to investigate, and it's understood that if Rotherham are deemed to be at fault for the game's abandonment, it could well have an impact on the EFL's decision.

Then again, the burden of proof in such circumstances seems murky, with Rotherham likely to argue they did all they could to get the game on.

As such, a rearranged fixture from the start appears to be the most likely outcome at this stage.

If Rotherham were winning 4-0 they would have had 100's of fans on the pitch helping to clear the rain off.
Rotherham are not to blame for the rain.
But they are to blame for their lack of effort in clearing the water off.
The behaviour of Rotherham should be punished because it brings the game into disrepute.

There should be a penalty of some sort for not attempting to drain the pitch sufficiently, it was obvious to everyone there and watching on TV, the clowns on the pitch were for entertainment only.