What one thing would you change about football?

[Barrow Boy]

Players 'shielding' the ball when it is about to cross the line to their teams advantage eg. corner/goalkick or throw in. In my mind this is blatant obstuction and would be eliminated by making it the rule that the player can only shield the ball once he has actually touched it so he is deemed to be in possession/control of the ball.
Also give the referees the power to award a penalty goal in certain situations. Scenario: player breaks into the box, rounds the keeper and shoots on target when an opposition player handles the ball and prevents it crossing the line. Why should the offending team be given a chance to save a penalty when they have illegally stopped a clear goal from being scored?

 

[rool]

Any player shielding the ball near the corner flag in the last few minutes can be legally kicked in the arse by an opponent.

Only kicked??

What I really don't get with this element of the modern game, and refs on NSC might be able to help me with this, is that how come a defender is virtually allowed to wrestle a player away from the ball without trying to play it himself without giving away a foul.
If this is replicated in any other part of the pitch a foul would be given.

 

[vegster]

Only kicked??

What I really don't get with this element of the modern game, and refs on NSC might be able to help me with this, is that how come a defender is virtually allowed to wrestle a player away from the ball without trying to play it himself without giving away a foul.
If this is replicated in any other part of the pitch a foul would be given.

In the same vein, its acceptable to push and pull players all over the place while waiting for a corner or free kick to be delivered in to the box yet a nudge in open play often results in a penalty ?

 

[strings]

Players 'shielding' the ball when it is about to cross the line to their teams advantage eg. corner/goalkick or throw in. In my mind this is blatant obstuction and would be eliminated by making it the rule that the player can only shield the ball once he has actually touched it so he is deemed to be in possession/control of the ball.
Also give the referees the power to award a penalty goal in certain situations. Scenario: player breaks into the box, rounds the keeper and shoots on target when an opposition player handles the ball and prevents it crossing the line. Why should the offending team be given a chance to save a penalty when they have illegally stopped a clear goal from being scored?

I agree strongly with both of those suggestions, more so than any other on this thread. The penalty goal rule would have stopped the Suarez (why does that name ALWAYS come up?) injustice in the World Cup quarter-final.

 

[Birdie Boy]

Here's an idea, probably get shouted down though:

Goals outside the box are worth double?

I like this one...

 

[Braders]

Ticket cost ... I'm slowly being priced out of supporting the club I love.

 

[severnside gull]

wage cap to cover all footballers from academy through to first team (thereby preventing twats like Portsmouth relegating fringe players to the academy so they "don't count" in the restrictions put on them by the FL) graded from bottom to top of the league structure so that promotions are rewarded but clubs have a chance of being financially stable. No linkage to revenue though as that is too easy to fiddle

 

[Barrow Boy]

Ticket cost ... I'm slowly being priced out of supporting the club I love.

You'd better pray we don't make it to the Premiership then!

 

[Braders]

You'd better pray we don't make it to the Premiership then!

it's what I fear (although I would love to see Albion there - even if it's through the telly )

 

[GreersElbow]

More transparency in a club's finances..

 

[Gregory2Smith1]

a couple of things i'd like introduced

1 injuries on the pitch dealt the same as rugby,therefore blatant feigning only penalizes there own team & players that are genuinely injured get treatment immediately without having to wait for the ref to stop the game,plus the game would only last 90 minutes! can't stand all this board waving 5 minutes of added on time nonsense

2 goalkeepers not allowed out of the goalmouth area,they are so fit these days that they are glorified sweepers,how many times have you seen a great pass through the middle,only to see some 6ft 5 keeper come running out and booting it up the field,they get enough protection as it is,it would make midfield players more creative & you would have less off side

 

[JOLovegrove]

There are 2 things that spring to mind for this subject:

1) Footballers wages - As much as I love the sport, it still annoys me the ridiculous amount of money they get paid. And I know they are international stars, but it is still too much.

2) Not supporting your local club - Many people in my college support teams teams simply because they are good, and many haven't been to the teams home ground. Surely if people did support their local club, teams like Portsmouth would not be in the situation they are in. I understand if you grew up/lived there for a while, but how can you class your self a Liverpool fan if you have never been to Merseyside?

 

[halbpro]

2) Not supporting your local club - Many people in my college support teams teams simply because they are good, and many haven't been to the teams home ground. Surely if people did support their local club, teams like Portsmouth would not be in the situation they are in. I understand if you grew up/lived there for a while, but how can you class your self a Liverpool fan if you have never been to Merseyside?

I also don't understand this. Just support your local team, or at least pick someone localish if you want a Premier League side (although I concede that's tricky in some areas of the country).

I actually pick a Premier League side for some arbitrary reason, just to have someone to follow in the Premier League. Makes watching MotD a bit more interesting, and gives a purpose in going to the pub to watch a game (although given at the Amex so frequently now it's been a while since I've been to the pub). Currently my pick is Spurs, entirely because 'Arry amuses me. Quite happy they're doing so well actually, but the Seagulls will always bee my first love.

 

[Art Vs Science]

Not really. The old established top teams of liverpool utd and arsenal were joined by chelsea because someone came in with the money to bring in quality players, and then those four were joined by man city when they got owners who could afford to pay for better players. Capping wages based on previous success protects the established order and prevents this from happening any more. The chances of, say, Bolton, being bought by a rich man who pays the money to bring in the better players that brings them into the top group are completely eliminated. They won't ever be able to pay the wages needed to bring in the players needed if wages are capped in your system.

But Bolton and the likes Cannot afford to join the join 4/5 now anyway in terms of budget/wages. I am not saying JUST cap wages based on Previous success alone. Maybe even take that out then, but a system where as a player is valued and paid via some kind of points system would surely given smaller teams a chance of getting a better player than they can currently afford. It has been the same for many years now. The top 4/5 stay there pretty much(Man City have bucked the trend only because of mega rich owners) the same all the time.

I do not see how regulating wages and Market value would harm football as a whole. Smaller clubs could attract a few better players rather than being totally priced out of many players they are now. It HAS worked in other sports so cannot see why it would not work in football if it was regulated the same across FIFA member countries

 

[brightonbaz]

I would love to see a stopping clock - ball goes out clock stops. None of this "where they get 5mins of added time from" - also means fans get what they pay for!

Plus I would really love to see the play off in prem for final champions league spot.....wouldn't it be great if a team like Sunderland won the play off and then competed in europe with all the financial rewards it would bring. Would gradually break the stranglehold of the top four. Great shout this one

Fiinally - marching band at half time

 

[Acker79]

But Bolton and the likes Cannot afford to join the join 4/5 now anyway in terms of budget/wages. I am not saying JUST cap wages based on Previous success alone. Maybe even take that out then, but a system where as a player is valued and paid via some kind of points system would surely given smaller teams a chance of getting a better player than they can currently afford. It has been the same for many years now. The top 4/5 stay there pretty much(Man City have bucked the trend only because of mega rich owners) the same all the time.

I do not see how regulating wages and Market value would harm football as a whole. Smaller clubs could attract a few better players rather than being totally priced out of many players they are now. It HAS worked in other sports so cannot see why it would not work in football if it was regulated the same across FIFA member countries

But bolton could afford it if they got a rich sugar daddy. If you cap based on league position and such, they might get a rich sugar daddy, but he wouldn't be ale to use his money.

I don't have a problem with a cap in general, but linking what that cap is to where a team finishes in the league (unless done so the top teams have lower caps than higher teams) will result in no upward movement, regardless of any cash injections to a club.

 

[Art Vs Science]

But bolton could afford it if they got a rich sugar daddy. If you cap based on league position and such, they might get a rich sugar daddy, but he wouldn't be ale to use his money.

I don't have a problem with a cap in general, but linking what that cap is to where a team finishes in the league (unless done so the top teams have lower caps than higher teams) will result in no upward movement, regardless of any cash injections to a club.

(going back to my original post on this subject)I was making a few general suggestions on how that would work and you seem to have got stuck on that. There could be many ways how they would format it. i mentioned that a few replies ago. Overall a salary/valuation cap would only be a good thing IMO.

 

[Buffalo Seagull]

I hate the number of players who fake injuries just to get play stopped, especially when the opposition are in an attacking position. 95% of "injured" players are up and running about again within 30 seconds of their supposed injury. The clever ones limp for about 15 seconds first to make it known to the crowd that they suffered a particularly serious injury.

In Australian Rules football, play is only stopped for an injured player if a stretcher is called for by the trainers, or if a player is bleeding from a wound.

I'd introduce this practice...if a player needs treatment, they get themselves to the sideline to receive it (or perhaps allow a trainer on to the pitch), but play continues. If the player thinks the injury is serious enough that they need play to be stopped, they either have to be subbed or remain off the pitch for 5 minutes.