Does Adam Smith have to keep raising his arms?

I didn't make a great deal of it in my match report on West Ham's defeat at Dean Court that AFCB had been fortunate at some moments of the game, but one instance that does stick in the mind is remembering seeing Adam Smith have the ball smashed against his raised arms when in the box as the game drew nearer to the close.

Caught - arms up!

It's not the first time that we have seen Adam Smith defending with his arms held high. He was adjudged to have made such an infringement in the Man Utd game that led to a penalty, and while I am not a big fan of seeing defenders try and attack the ball with their arms held behind their back, Adam Smith needs to think a bit more about how he defends when the opposition is looking to cross in the box and he rushes out to block the ball.

Advertisement 

Broom Hill Garden Buildings

It is not difficult to make yourself a big target without having to raise you arms and some times I just feel that Adam gets caught up in the moment of trying to do anything he can to stop that cross from coming in. It is surely more important for him to keep his eye's on the ball and position himself well rather than flapping at the ball. Still the game moves fast and it is some times more natural for a player to block in a way with his arms out, when he is off balance and may not be conscious that his arms are being raised high.

The penalty count against AFCB has started to go up though in recent weeks and some of them I feel have been quite unnecessary. A last ditch tackle and trying to stop what looks to be a certain goal is all well and good, but nothing infuriates me more than a soft penalty just because a player has forgotten to keep their arms down. So Adam, please take note.