I’ve mentioned this before and saw it mentioned after Saturday. I remember countless times over the last few years where the ball has rolled past the goal and the ballboys stayed sat down, leaving the player (normally McKeown) to retrieve the ball himself. It frustrates the hell out of me.

Why have we now gone from ballboys who didn’t do their job properly to no ball boys at all? Surely it doesn’t cost anything? Is it something to do with the pallets along the Findus pitchside (that have now been mysteriously covered up)?

No ball boys is about the same as having them at BP, they just huddle up and chat to each other, having said that it's not like we are desperate for the ball to be quickly back in play at the moment so we can concede even more goals.

Those with teenage kids should press gang them into ballboydom.

do clubs train ball boys in slowing the game down when winning and vice versa being quick retrieving when chasing a game ?

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

do clubs train ball boys in slowing the game down when winning and vice versa being quick retrieving when chasing a game ?

They used to be.
I was ballboy  Vs Newcastle when Bobby Mitchell scored and we drew 1:1. We were told just that. Well we might have been, it was so long ago...

Forget Ball boys they are a waste of time let the players field the ball themselves, as for time wasting it works both ways whoever leads waste time and the losing team usually break all records recovering the ball.

Do say the U15s/14s or whatever play on Saturdays if not get those or similar to do it properly as part of their training (like apprentices used to have to sweep the stands clean boots etc)

Quoted from Garth

Forget Ball boys they are a waste of time let the players field the ball themselves, as for time wasting it works both ways whoever leads waste time and the losing team usually break all records recovering the ball.

Totally disagree, it's annoying when there is a break in play, and probably contributes in a small way to the crowd frustration. Plus we all pay for 90 minutes, not 60 or 70 which so many games seem to be these days.

Quoted from GrimRob

Totally disagree, it's annoying when there is a break in play, and probably contributes in a small way to the crowd frustration. Plus we all pay for 90 minutes, not 60 or 70 which so many games seem to be these days.

Frustration is all part of the modern game, without it and excitement it would all become a bore and the wide eyed red faced angry supporter would have nothing to vent his feelings about, could you imagine us all sitting content and quiet as in a library.
Personally I love/hate the bad guys and cheats who whip up a crowd atmosphere baying to see them lose, where would the game be without controversy, pretty boring I`d say