[HerefordBull]

Re the hoo-hah with the dropped ball that led to Hibs goal. It happened right in front of me, but the BBC highlights didn't show that the QOTS player (Miller, I think) had kicked the ball away and Fontaine had to go and bring it back. It's up to the competing players to be ready for the dropped ball and QOTS were caught out and paid a big price for being so unprofessional. A lot of time-wasting from them and it looked as though Russell spent more time on the ground "fouled" or "injured" than on his feet.

Whilst I agree whole hearted with you Ritchie and Hibs actually did nothing wrong this falls into the "sporting" behaviour category just as does time wasting, diving etc.

I've mentioned this on another forum and have had mixed responses. In hospitality afterwards Fontaine said the ref shouted he was intending to drop the ball and then took the ball off him and dropped it at his feet. Fontaine said thanks very much and had time to come forward and find McGinn  with no queens player in front of him.

My point is that in the modern game you rarely see a contested drop ball with 2 players going for it. Ironically last week it was a contested drop ball that led to our goal against Falkirk. ( perhaps we should ask for a drop ball in the 90th minute at all games.)  It seems to be that nowadays both sides decide at a drop ball who is going to have it and give a pass back to the opposition. In this case I'm sure Queens thought after a quick word their player would take the drop ball and pass it back to Oxley. I don't think it was that Queens weren't switched on it was they were expecting what the normal is in the modern game with a  "sporting" restart. 

It was a lesson for them to play to the rules first.

It doesn't break the rules and if it happened to us next week at Ibrox I can imagine the forum threads but is it in the spirit of the game ?...........discuss.   

We may see now more contested drop balls, balls not being put out of play for an injured player on the opposition, and throws being kept after the ball has been put out for injury etc  Obviously if there wasn't so much time wasting by all sides it wouldn't be such an issue.

GGTTH