Robert O'CarlosFor argument's sake, let's say you get to revise the rules of football.
What would you change with regard to the offside rule?
Would you go back to the simple days when any player ahead of the last defender would be flagged offside?
If you're a fan of the 'not interfering with play' rule, can you envisage a day when a defender who is nowhere near the play can be discounted as well?
28.02.2009
RedrebelFootball would be a disaster mate if there is no offside.
28.02.2009
Robert O'Carlos:-D
I'm not advocating we scrap the rule completely.
I'm just interested how you guys think it could be improved. For me, it just seems overly complicated these days.
There's also something that strikes me as being an unfair advantage in having the attacking team able to have players ignored where offside is concerned, but not the defending team.
28.02.2009
FeriAtsEvery change FIFA intoduces in favour of attacking team, makes the game a little bit more defensive. It's becoming more and more risky to rely on off side traps as a defense strategy and teams dedicate more men to defending as a result of this.
What we really need is actually simpler off side rules and more technology in the game. Video assited refereeing, anyone?
02.03.2009
Robert O'CarlosIt's a truism that the game is made more defensive by making it more attacking. You've hit the nail bang on there, FeriAts.
:-)
Video technology is certainly something to be looked at, but the limits of it's use would need to be defined very early on. Personally, I would only consider it in the event of any decision which leads directly to a disputed goal or penalty shout, not for every offside decision. Which would mean, of course, that a move would have to be completed even if there was a potential offside, and only referred if it resulted in scoring.
But then you've got the whole debate about how football should be the same whether you're Manchester United or Grays Athletic, and how many clubs outside the top couple of divisions could afford the technology?
03.03.2009
FeriAtsThe thing is the game is not the same at all levels. The rule book accomodates some flexibility for the less fortunate. You may not have goal nets, flagposts at middleway, linesmen may not have flags etc etc.
And I do not believe the technology is that expensive. How much is a cam these days? You don't need broadcasting quality for refereeing.
03.03.2009
Robert O'CarlosI agree with you that the game can't be the same for all levels. When I mentioned the argument about keeping football uniform across all levels, it was actually just to repeat one of Fifa's main objections against the use of technology.
:-)
Must admit, I've never really thought about how expensive it must be to kit out a pitch, but a couple of fixed cameras on each goal line, and a couple of mobile cameras and someone to operate them (for incidents 40 yards out, say) every other week would surely add up for clubs 5 or 6 divisions down? Suppose you could get away with 2 fixed cameras mounted high to cover a fair bit of the pitch. Might not be much use in a goal mouth scramble though. Then you've got the editing software to consider.
:-)
I could see the various FAs shelling out quite a bit.
03.03.2009
CaptainGerardI would change the definition of off side a bit. Instead of the the moment the ball is played, linesmen should look at when the ball meets recepient. There will be much less contreversary.
16.03.2009
Robert O'CarlosInteresting viewpoint.
:-)
I'd have said that was the one aspect of the offside rule that was sacrosanct. Surely that could only benefit the defending side in that there would be no need to play for the offside anymore.
16.03.2009
FeriAtsCaptain's idea would have chanhed the dynamics of the game drastically. It would look more like Rugby and zonal defense would be a thing of past.
18.03.2009
