[Football] Changes needed in the EPL and EFL

[Affy]

My thoughts on things the club should petition for in the summer for changes to the game:

1. Stop the clock when the ball goes out of play. Possible reduce the game time from 90 mins to 60/75. No more feigning injuries, delaying the restart etc. Teams can still “manage” games but will need to do so with the ball in play at least.
2. Recruit some overseas officials. All the current (bar Jarrod Gillett I believe) are from the UK. Mix it up a bit. Get some officials in with different experience
3. VAR decisions capped at 90/120 seconds. If it takes longer than that then it shouldn't be deemed a “clear and obvious error”
4. Offside should have clear daylight otherwise consider it “level” - this remove the lines being drawn
5. Handball should go back to being intentional
6. Benefit of the doubt given to attacking teams.
7. VAR authority expanded for calls in corners/goal-kicks/throw-ins, ball out of play etc and diving.
8. Stockley Park doesn’t make any decisions. At all. Just refers the referee to the screen if they feel a “clear and obvious error” has occurred.
9. Play the VAR conversations through the grounds. Show the VAR screens. If they are getting the decisions correct, this shouldn’t be a problem.
10. Stamp put any player approaching the referee/assistant referee. Instant booking.
11. Introduce the semi automated offside from the World Cup
12. Any person who puts their hands on an official receives and automatic 10 game ban
13. Managers/coaches are allowed to go the VAR screen with the referee to see the incident and (calmly) discuss their views*
14. Bring in concussion substitutes

*appreciate RDZ may struggle with this one

My reasoning is that the officials should have the power and confidence to referee the game impartially and fairly. They have to be competent to do so but this should give them a similar level of respect to rugby where decisions may not be agreed with but are accepted regardless. This may in turn, lead to an increase in better refereeing.

Appreciate not everyone will agree with my thoughts but thought this a good chance to have a sensible discussion on what we’d like to see to improve the overall game.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

Re. Point 4 - in my opinion, offside decisions should only be given by VAR if it can be seen by the naked eye, NOT by drawing lines to find a millimetre infringement. Any doubt should favour the attacker.

 

[5Ways Gull]

Agree with most of those. Some of them would need global adoption, so buy in from FIFA and EUFA, particularly the first one. Maybe for no. 10 the captain is allowed to approach the ref?

 

[timbha]

15. Team captain to be responsible for getting players ready for the kick off within 90 seconds (?) of them scoring a goal. Yellow card if not.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

Agree with most of your points, but especially 8. The referee should make the big decisions. If VAR thinks he's got one wrong, refer him to the screen.

I don't know what conversations the referee and VAR officials have, but it sometimes feels that the referee isn't 100% sure so he fails to make a decision, then VAR doesn't feel it has sufficient evidence to change the (non) decision made by the referee and we end up with a decision that neither the referee or VAR would have made.

 

[Da Man Clay]

I thought concussion subs already existed? Agree with pretty much all of them other than 13. Manager view is an irrelevance and a manager shouldn’t be able to influence a decision.

 

[drew]

My thoughts on things the club should petition for in the summer for changes to the game:

1. Stop the clock when the ball goes out of play. Possible reduce the game time from 90 mins to 60/75. No more feigning injuries, delaying the restart etc. Teams can still “manage” games but will need to do so with the ball in play at least.
2. Recruit some overseas officials. All the current (bar Jarrod Gillett I believe) are from the UK. Mix it up a bit. Get some officials in with different experience
3. VAR decisions capped at 90/120 seconds. If it takes longer than that then it shouldn't be deemed a “clear and obvious error”
4. Offside should have clear daylight otherwise consider it “level” - this remove the lines being drawn
5. Handball should go back to being intentional
6. Benefit of the doubt given to attacking teams.
7. VAR authority expanded for calls in corners/goal-kicks/throw-ins, ball out of play etc and diving.
8. Stockley Park doesn’t make any decisions. At all. Just refers the referee to the screen if they feel a “clear and obvious error” has occurred.
9. Play the VAR conversations through the grounds. Show the VAR screens. If they are getting the decisions correct, this shouldn’t be a problem.
10. Stamp put any player approaching the referee/assistant referee. Instant booking.
11. Introduce the semi automated offside from the World Cup
12. Any person who puts their hands on an official receives and automatic 10 game ban
13. Managers/coaches are allowed to go the VAR screen with the referee to see the incident and (calmly) discuss their views*
14. Bring in concussion substitutes

*appreciate RDZ may struggle with this one

My reasoning is that the officials should have the power and confidence to referee the game impartially and fairly. They have to be competent to do so but this should give them a similar level of respect to rugby where decisions may not be agreed with but are accepted regardless. This may in turn, lead to an increase in better refereeing.

Appreciate not everyone will agree with my thoughts but thought this a good chance to have a sensible discussion on what we’d like to see to improve the overall game.

Agree with some but I would actually take out the reference to clear and obvious. If something happens the ref or lino didn't see, or something they think they saw, then that's an error that VAR can correct (I'm not though referring to anything that happens anywhere on the pitch so don't agree with it being used for corners etc). Don't agree with the daylight rule but do agree with the other poster that it should eliminate the line drawing or as a compromise, introduce the semi automated system. As with other sports, the discussion should be broadcast. Communication is key. They now seem to have dispensed with the VAR on the big screens as by the time they do sometimes put it up, everyone is well aware it's been reviewed!!!

 

[beorhthelm]

point 7 i really, really don't get. VAR isn't working, so you want more VAR?

 

[jcdenton08]

The FA have been very slow (albeit with Easter weekend) in announcing Mr. Attwell and Mr. Salisbury’s respective suspensions/demotions.

I imagine a meeting this morning, and announcement this afternoon.

The media certainly aren’t letting this go and I hope the club are scrapping away too.

Unless… there’s no chance the apology was the end of it?

 

[Mo Gosfield]

For me, the whole of football needs to look at itself re ' gamesmanship ' Otherwise known as feigning, cheating, conning or simulating. There is no honour among thieves. It has reached a level now where certain practices are just accepted as ' part of the game ' Everybody does it because everybody else is doing it. If I don't do it, somebody will do it to me.
It used to be sufficient to roll over two or three times when fouled. Now, it is accompanied by a high pitched scream, to embellish the situation. If a hand or arm brushes an opponent, then cue a lifeless, stricken body on the ground, with teammates gathering around demanding a red card. Players feign injury at set pieces, dropping to the ground, knowing that, amongst many bodies, they will invariably get away with a delay.
Simulation in winning penalties has long since become an art form. Race into the box, draw the keeper out and at the last split second, ping the ball past him. Initiate the contact by dragging your leg against him, go down theatrically and bingo....refs fall for it every time.
Answer.
1) Every act of simulation should be met with a yellow card.
2) A penalty kick should only be awarded if.....a) The attacking player is in full control of the ball when the incident occurs and b) The contact is initiated by the defending player.
Officials have to be re-educated in the acts of simulation. They have to be shown hours and hours of play acting and conning. The players are clever. They will try to take advantage of any situation and too many people in the game turn a blind eye to it. We have a responsibility to the younger generation to try and show them that cheating doesn't pay. It is a cancer in the game. As fans, we watch this shit happening every week. It is ingrained in the game and will be extremely difficult to turn round but we have to try. Let it go and the beautiful game will be an ugly, tawdry, dishonest mess.

 

[Baldseagull]

5 minutes added time for a yellow card issued for time wasting.
Time for treatment added in full, plus 1 minute, for head injury breaks in play.
3 VAR referees, all in agreement to over rule or agree with on pitch Ref, split decision sends ref to monitor.

 

[Grizz]

13 is daft tbh. It takes an age for VAR decisions already and you want managers given a chance to discuss it calmly with the Ref?

 

[Da Man Clay]

The FA have been very slow (albeit with Easter weekend) in announcing Mr. Attwell and Mr. Salisbury’s respective suspensions/demotions.

I imagine a meeting this morning, and announcement this afternoon.

The media certainly aren’t letting this go and I hope the club are scrapping away too.

Unless… there’s no chance the apology was the end of it?

Salisbury reffed in the championship yesterday so expect that’s his demotion done.

 

[Affy]

point 7 i really, really don't get. VAR isn't working, so you want more VAR?

I’m hoping that VAR does work. The concept is fine but the current application isn’t working (dow. To the officials). I’m all for giving it a bit more for calls if they can can get competent people to actually do it. I’m assuming a best case scenario. But, agreethat if they can;t then certainly no more power in its current state.

 

[GT49er]

Re. Point 4 - in my opinion, offside decisions should only be given by VAR if it can be seen by the naked eye, NOT by drawing lines to find a millimetre infringement. Any doubt should favour the attacker.

While some decisions may require longer to check, for off-sides VAR should have 10 seconds only - if it takes longer than that it isn't clear and obvious. Who cares about a toe-nail or a knee-cap being a millimetre in front of where it should be? -that's not what offside should be about.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

point 7 i really, really don't get. VAR isn't working, so you want more VAR?

Somebody never wants to go home after a match again.

Games will take days

 

[GJN1]

15. Team captain to be responsible for getting players ready for the kick off within 90 seconds (?) of them scoring a goal. Yellow card if not.

I like this. I think it was Villa who took about three minutes to get back into their own half after they scored at the Amex.

 

[Pavilionaire]

I think we're past the point of no return here.

Nobody knows what VAR is supposed to be doing - is it just "clear and obvious" errors, or is it all errors? It changes from crew to crew, game to game.

What VAR has shown is that a good proportion of foul play is simply missed by the on-field officials. 'Clear and obvious' accounts for maybe 20% of VAR decisions at most, with 80% of VAR infringements not clear or obvious. Yet even without VAR the incidents will get replayed on TV and the officials will be shown to be wrong, game after game.

In theory VAR could work, but players and officials make this impossible with their theatrics. Witness Chris Kavanagh emphatically sweeping his crossed arms as Mitoma ends up on the deck, then Hojbjerg gesticulating for Mitoma to get up as though he'd just dived untouched to the ground. And Mitoma - because he is honest - didn't roll around like he'd been pole-axed, ergo the VAR crew read the body language and do nothing.

Cheating is endemic in the Premier League and it is sucking the joy out of the game for fans, players, coaches and officials.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Agree with the thrust of the OP's points, (though some I wouldn't go with). It's the constant low level timewasting, cheating, gamemanship, that's sucking the life out of the game.

All I can say is that ref's should be targetting on how liberally they spray the yellows around for this sort of thing. At the moment, if a ref sends 3 people off, he's deemed to have lost control. This is where we need a cultural shift in how they are assessed and how we speak about them.

For a game that finishes 9 v 9 because both teams have been constantly doing this stuff, the ref should be assessed upwards, that is what should be getting him cup finals.

The danger is that a club like us, (and yeh, we're not angels, but there are far far worse) see know alternative to descend into this because its the only way we can compete.

Already, I think, why am I spending £30+ to watch grown men pretend to be hurt and to prevent a sport from being played. This behaviour is a massive turn off for the fan paying public, less so for TV audiences as they just show replays or waffle while this is going on. But to be at a ground where you pay a fortune, and watch F all football, is so frustrating