[Football] Law changes that have actually improved the game

[drew]

Well that's fair enough but the thread is about rule changes rather than refs. But nobody will ever be able to convince me that fouls like the one on Welbeck should be punished by a penalty kick. If something like that had gone against us in the last minute to deny us a win, I'd go POSTAL (as [MENTION=70]Easy 10[/MENTION] would most likely say).

Rules like that are ruining football; goals are such a precious commodity in a football match that chucking penalties around like confetti totally undermines the game.

I know I'm not going to convince you but I think the Welbeck one was definitely a penalty. Robertson swung wildly, didn't connect with the ball and was lucky where he caught Welbeck.

 

[drew]

I agree that they should simplify offside and the handball rules. There should be no interpretation element to those rules. But I think the no interpretation should be extended to VAR as well. It should be used solely where a decision is immediately standout wrong. Bookings and red cards shouldn’t be overturned or swapped over because the VAR ref has a different opinion on it.

This year VAR decisions where Man Utd scored after the full time whistle, and March gave away a penalty outside the box, were a disgrace. The fact that VAR can be used as a tool to dig refs out of a hole like we saw at WBA, shows that it’s more than a few rule tweaks away from being ok. VAR needs to be looked at in terms of how it is applied.

I think less is more personally. They can review every goal, and if they can’t see anything in the first 10 seconds then the original decision stands because its not clear and obvious.

If something is wrong then it's wrong. Think a lot of problems have been VAR trying to decide whether it was 'clear and obvious'. If the ref has missed something then tell him. As for the penalty after the whistle, I don't have a problem with that. The incident happened before the whistle.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I know I'm not going to convince you but I think the Welbeck one was definitely a penalty. Robertson swung wildly, didn't connect with the ball and was lucky where he caught Welbeck.

I agree with you 100% that is was a foul. But I just feel that the situation where every infringement in the 18 yard box (pretty much) automatically results a penalty is a bit too binary and quite often disproportionate to both the offence and the goal scoring opportunity denied.

Sure if a player is clean through on goal with only the keeper to beat and he is completely cleaned out by the centre-half, then penalty. Similarly, a deliberate handball to stop a shot on goal etc - penalty. But minimal contact in area of the box that doesn't represent a clear goal scoring opportunity or accidental handball should be an indirect or direct free kick. Soon we're going to end up with an average of 3 or 4 pens every game which ruins the match as a spectacle and totally distorts the competition.

 

[Arthur]

In what way does the sin bin affect players safety?

I've only seen it implemented once and it was for a player that was getting a bit wound up to go off and cool down without the exclusion being permanent. Think it's a great step forward.

Can't be any good for players to be warming up and then cooling down and then having to get warm again. There was a lot of inconsistency around where players can and cannot be to keep warm.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Nothing has gone wrong with it, I just don't like it. In my opinion it's been poorly implemented, officials don't seem to know or how to enforce the rules and in a time when player safety seems to making all the headlines it can't be any good for the players.



Totally different, the linesman would have his flag up right away (don't even get me started on that new offside law around raising the flag!) and 99/100 you'd know it wouldn't be overruled so wasn't a goal.

I now long for the day where a linesman disallows a goal and not by a machine.

Yeah, maybe. I suspect, on reflection, my attitude to some things, which is not always mainstream, is just me. I saw a couple of goals chalked off for offside when I had lost my shit a few years ago, and have simply gone 'never again'. Even watching round my mate's house, I don't celebrate immediately. Think youself lucky you don't have my company at the football; it would be like being stuck with Victor Meldrew