8 second goalkeeper rule

[Tickhill Blade]

Can we bring back the 4 step rule or whatever it was as well?

 

[GrunkyPeep]

Feels like football could learn from rugby here. The ref in rugby shouts "use it" and if the player still has the ball 5 seconds later it turns over to the other team.

 

[coaxingstar71]

It does, I know what you mean. It’s just something about the “artificial” nature of giving a corner without the ball having crossed the line.. doesn’t sit right somehow. I can’t think of any other circumstance where something like that is applied

Interesting fact. If a throw in is taken and the ball goes directly into the goal without any player touching it, the referee will award a corner.

 

[Tickhill Blade]

Feels like football could learn from rugby here. The ref in rugby shouts "use it" and if the player still has the ball 5 seconds later it turns over to the other team.

If there's one sport not to learn from when it comes to messing with the rules, it's rugby union. Even the players don't know what's going on half the time, never mind the spectators

 

[McGrath]

If there's one sport not to learn from when it comes to messing with the rules, it's rugby union. Even the players don't know what's going on half the time, never mind the spectators

Ha, I try and watch it from time to time. It gets so hyped up around 6 Nations and World Cups. I always come away scratching my head thinking the team that's won basically understood the rules better.

Football is a simple game. That's what makes it so great and sets apart from other sports. There's no need to keep tinkering with

 

[PotterLog]

Interesting fact. If a throw in is taken and the ball goes directly into the goal without any player touching it, the referee will award a corner.

If it goes into the thrower’s own goal. If it goes into the oppo goal it’s a goal kick (Rory Delap did it once )

 

[Beans]

Feels like football could learn from rugby here. The ref in rugby shouts "use it" and if the player still has the ball 5 seconds later it turns over to the other team.

There'll be a visual countdown from the ref (it says in the article) telling them to get rid within five seconds. My guess is the "first" three seconds before the countdown will be a lot longer than three actual seconds but I don't mind it as actually having a clearer way to tell keepers to get on with it.

I like the change although in practice it probably will barely rear its head more than a couple of times a game at most. However if it eradicates the whole "keeper falls on the ball after a routine catch in injury time and spends 20 seconds laid on the floor" thing then that's a win.

I've wanted a similar thing for goalkicks themselves. Keeper has X seconds to restart play from the moment they receive the ball, otherwise give a corner. Every game has multiple balls dotted around now and it would also put onus on the attacking team to retrieve the ball for the opposition keeper to start the "countdown".

I also think having the punishment for this as a corner means it's more likely to be enforced. Corners hardly ever lead to anything so it's not too severe a punishment but I'm sure 99.9% of keepers would prefer to have the ball booted down the other end of the pitch than have to deal with a corner.

 

[S64 Blade]

Any rule is only as good as it's implemented. As we know from other examples, they are usually done so badly and inconsistent in its application.

 

[GrunkyPeep]

If there's one sport not to learn from when it comes to messing with the rules, it's rugby union. Even the players don't know what's going on half the time, never mind the spectators

Both sports are leagues apart in their complexity and rugby needs to innovate on their rules to try to bring in more neutrals.

Rugby, for all its faults, does do some things well though. There is definitely things we can learn from their successes and failures too.

 

[Cappy]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned, but this is just going to be another thing for pundits and forums and 24/7 radio channels to fucking moan about all the time. The moaning about the inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and perceived unfairness, will far outweigh any previous moaning about keepers holding the ball, IMO.

Boring cunts with stopwatches, assemble!

 

[Tickhill Blade]

I agree rugby does some things well, there is the often discussed differences in respect shown to referees, explaining decisions etc.

However, the constant rule changes to offside, rucks/mauls/scrums mean you need a copy of the rulebook handy to understand it each season

 

[Selly]

There'll be a visual countdown from the ref (it says in the article) telling them to get rid within five seconds. My guess is the "first" three seconds before the countdown will be a lot longer than three actual seconds but I don't mind it as actually having a clearer way to tell keepers to get on with it.

It won`t take long for fans to spot that some teams get a longer 3 seconds than other teams...

I also think having the punishment for this as a corner means it's more likely to be enforced. Corners hardly ever lead to anything so it's not too severe a punishment but I'm sure 99.9% of keepers would prefer to have the ball booted down the other end of the pitch than have to deal with a corner.

It feels like this is probably the reason for the change. I don`t think I've ever seen a FK given for a breach of the 6 second rule - and I suspect at least some of that is due to the ref not wanting to the one that gives a free kick 8-10 yards out when every other ref ignores it. As you say they will far more likely award a corner.

Personally I'd rather they actually enforced the current rule - would only take a couple of weeks of teams "time wasting" and conceding a free kick in their own box to eliminate it completely. As it is, and assuming they actually enforce it, this may do the same.

As others have said - Goal kicks are perhaps far more open to abuse.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

Ha, I try and watch it from time to time. It gets so hyped up around 6 Nations and World Cups. I always come away scratching my head thinking the team that's won basically understood the rules better.

Football is a simple game. That's what makes it so great and sets apart from other sports. There's no need to keep tinkering with

If referees actually applied the laws of the game in the first place. So many foul throw ins, free kicks taken from wherever the players decide to take them from, wrestling in the box at corners etc. It's the referees that need sorting out and they need to be answerable for their decisions. These idiots cost people their jobs and clubs vital points with their ineptitude.

 

[Jan Age]

Forcing a player to release the ball before his team mates are in position? How fucking stupid what’s next the 5 seconds to make a pass rule … followed by the only 3 passes allowed in your own half rule ….

I wish people would just fuck off and leave it how it is or even was

 

[McGrath]

If referees actually applied the laws of the game in the first place. So many foul throw ins, free kicks taken from wherever the players decide to take them from, wrestling in the box at corners etc. It's the referees that need sorting out and they need to be answerable for their decisions. These idiots cost people their jobs and clubs vital points with their ineptitude.

Bookings for diving would be a nice start

 

[Cappy]

I hope there's a team out there who are awful at playing it out from the back, even worse at going long, so they just get their keeper to hold on to it, give away a corner, then counter-attack their way to a 4-0 victory


Against Wednesday

 

[Beans]

Personally I'd rather they actually enforced the current rule - would only take a couple of weeks of teams "time wasting" and conceding a free kick in their own box to eliminate it completely. As it is, and assuming they actually enforce it, this may do the same.

I get this argument but think the stakes are so high, and football is so low-scoring, that just having officials militantly enforce the law (I know, I know, why have the law if you don't enforce it) for a few weeks could justifiably said to be breaking the competition. Imagine getting relegated for losing a game during a two-week window where the game was essentially officiated differently and you conceded from a freekick in the box where your keeper held the ball for seven seconds. Same with giving pens for every shirt-pull on corners etc I think, any changes should come between seasons so everyone's on an even playing field.

Again, I get the "just don't do it then" counterargument.

 

[Selly]

Imagine getting relegated for losing a game during a two-week window where the game was essentially officiated differently

Imagine losing a game during a two week window* where they decided to add on stoppage time to a ridiculous level**.

* I appreciate it was more than two weeks

** I also appreciate that we could have won that Spurs game and we probably would still have gone down

 

[Selly]

just having officials militantly enforce the law (I know, I know, why have the law if you don't enforce it) for a few weeks could

I would also say that you don`t militantly enforce the rule for two weeks and two weeks only - you always enforce it but the behaviour from the players changes after a couple of weeks.

I hope this sticks. Its funny how some rule changes come in and get a couple of weeks and seem to drift away (the six second rule) whereas other stick (the backpass rule/keepers unable to pick up from your own throw).

I'm not sure why this is - is there something subjective about the 6 second rule? Did refs just get fed up of enforcing it? Imagine the chaos if refs suddenly didn`t enforce the backpass law a month after the start of the season?

 

[YES Blade]

I'm sure it's already been mentioned, but this is just going to be another thing for pundits and forums and 24/7 radio channels to fucking moan about all the time. The moaning about the inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and perceived unfairness, will far outweigh any previous moaning about keepers holding the ball, IMO.

Boring cunts with stopwatches, assemble!

I’ve never understood why they don’t just link up the ref’s watch to the scoreboard or have a clock operator.

That would be pretty easy to implement and give everyone clarity on stoppages and time wasting.

 

[Selly]

I’ve never understood why they don’t just link up the ref’s watch to the scoreboard or have a clock operator.

That would be pretty easy to implement and give everyone clarity on stoppages and time wasting.

And leave the refs open to all sorts of abuses about when they do/don't stop the clock.

IF we assume that 45 mins per half is sacrosanct, then I;d like a Stadium clock operator with the ref calling "time off" and "time on" for specific situations.

• Goals
• Bookings/Sending off
• Injuries requiring a training to come on to the pitch
• Substitutions
• F**king VAR
• Any non-game related issues (i.e. problems in the stadium etc)

I reckon that probably covers all the scenarios where the ref would stop his watch today, and would be far more open.

I'd also like the refs miked up as in rugby - but that's probably never going to happen - not least because you'd pick up every 4 letter tirade from the players

 

[YES Blade]

And leave the refs open to all sorts of abuses about when they do/don't stop the clock.

IF we assume that 45 mins per half is sacrosanct, then I;d like a Stadium clock operator with the ref calling "time off" and "time on" for specific situations.

• Goals
• Bookings/Sending off
• Injuries requiring a training to come on to the pitch
• Substitutions
• F**king VAR
• Any non-game related issues (i.e. problems in the stadium etc)

I reckon that probably covers all the scenarios where the ref would stop his watch today, and would be far more open.

I'd also like the refs miked up as in rugby - but that's probably never going to happen - not least because you'd pick up every 4 letter tirade from the players

For me it should be transparent and not open to whether the ref thinks it should be stopped or not.

I’d agree with your list, but if they followed that to the letter, there could be 10 or 15 minutes added time. A positive might be that players wouldn’t dick about when being subbed as they can see that time has been stopped.

 

[b1ade4life]

8 seconds, you'd have to have some quick players and equally quicker thinking to get the ball upfield to your advantage in that situation.

No doubt it will be abused as often as possible by some sides, especially the ones that already get away with stupid decisions already.

Will refs go to VAR to check if it was 8 seconds to the millisecond???

 

[LBA_Blade]

Ha, I try and watch it from time to time. It gets so hyped up around 6 Nations and World Cups. I always come away scratching my head thinking the team that's won basically understood the rules better.

Football is a simple game. That's what makes it so great and sets apart from other sports. There's no need to keep tinkering with

Yet the powers that be love to change everything to favour a new style of play. The offside law has changed so many times, the handball law with the crazy drawings is another one and constant tweaks as well as bringing in VAR or not depending on what league or competition you are in and what round of said competition you are playing in. I follow Rugby Union and although teams do adapt to the referee especially when it comes to scrums, certain nationalities will favour certain things and you tend to see French referees if you lose a few scrum penalties against you, they will just keep being given.

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

If referees actually applied the laws of the game in the first place. So many foul throw ins, free kicks taken from wherever the players decide to take them from, wrestling in the box at corners etc. It's the referees that need sorting out and they need to be answerable for their decisions. These idiots cost people their jobs and clubs vital points with their ineptitude.

Also with yards from a free kick, except when they decide to pace it out and do the squirty cream. Midfield kicks don't count apparently.

 

[Bladepicker]

It, like any such rule change, will be enforced by ref's like they are the gestapo until there's a decision that results in a goal from a corner but the keeper only got 7 seconds. Then they will be told to be a bit more forgiving and we wont see it again.

 

[Groucho Blade]

Will this lead to opposition players standing in front of goalies stopping them releasing the ball quickly?
Thankfully we stopped this (mal)practice a long time ago, but I can see some teams might start doing it again.
If we were any good at corners I’d suggest we do it too…but not if we go up. Prem teams will probably score hatfuls against us on the counter from our own corners.

 

[HighfieldBlade]

However, the constant rule changes to offside, rucks/mauls/scrums mean you need a copy of the rulebook handy to understand it each season

Couldn't agree more.
I've been a few times to watch Rugby Union and whenever the ref stops play or awards a penalty I'm left wondering 'eh wtf just happened?'.

 

[Selly]

For me it should be transparent and not open to whether the ref thinks it should be stopped or not.

I’d agree with your list, but if they followed that to the letter, there could be 10 or 15 minutes added time. A positive might be that players wouldn’t dick about when being subbed as they can see that time has been stopped.

Perhaps, but then the guidance right now (30 seconds per goal/substitution) to me doesn`t seem to be enough. look at Leeds second against us - we weren`t restarted within 30 seconds (and understandably so, as much a it irritates me, the Leeds players should get to celebrate properly) and I don`t know if all that time was added on (a moot points once the 3rd went in)

On the flip side, substitutions don`t needs to take 30 seconds, so we shouldn`t be adding 30 seconds in that instance.

Perhaps the "time off" for bookings is too far - certainly have it for red cards (where you always get 2 or 3 of the team who are now down to 10 men wanting a conversation with the ref, with their hands in a praying motion - even when their player has more or less decapitated a member of the other team)

I'd expect any injury that requires a physio already results in the clock being stopped.

As with so many of these things, the biggest benefit is the transparency. Everyone knows exactly how long is left in the match. How on earth anyone can argue that isn`t a better system that the one we have now.

It would dispel the myth of "fergie time" once and for all...

 

[SUFC Guy]

Get this up on scoreboard as soon goalie picks ball up.

For the opposition only