momentum

[LancyTony]

11 hours ago, Valiant62 said:

Football has elevated time-wasting into a sophisticated art form | Football | The Guardian

WWW.THEGUARDIAN.COM

 

It's not such a sophisticated art form when your average fan can tell the time-wasters! The problem with VAR is it's regulated by the same people who can't officiate a match properly. Get body language experts on VAR - see how many "top" Prem players cheat...sorry...simulate!

[Trumpingtonvale]

Having a 4th/5th official as timekeeper to ensure 60, 80 or the promised land of 90 minutes of play (that would genuinely test a team’s fitness level) will likely make most time wasting antics redundant but won’t necessarily stop the ‘tactical’ feigned injury designed just to break the attacking momentum of the opposition to give the defending side some respite and/or, as we did on more than one occasion last season, allow players to receive coaching - how many times did Covolan suddenly go down ‘injured’ and the outfield players go en masse to the touch line to ‘have a drink’ while AC/DC all but put up the white board with the tactical arrows, noughts and crosses on it?

How then best to stop the ‘momentum breakers’? That’s a difficult one. I like the idea posted earlier that ‘injured’ players leave the field for 5 minutes/a set time while play continues, but that potentially penalises teams when players are genuinely injured. Perhaps adopting what happens in rugby where play continues while physios/medical staff treat injured players on the pitch is an option but then again rugby is played in a way that allows this to happen without it necessarily getting in the way of play. Hopefully there is a sensible alternative.

All this being said the match officials already have it within their means to nip most of it in the bud and just need to be brave (whilst given the support of the governing bodies) and be prepared to issue yellow cards from the off (for unsporting conduct) and not just wait for the last 10 minutes of a game to decide enough is enough.

[wotsyobeef]

43 minutes ago, Trumpingtonvale said:

Having a 4th/5th official as timekeeper to ensure 60, 80 or the promised land of 90 minutes of play (that would genuinely test a team’s fitness level) will likely make most time wasting antics redundant but won’t necessarily stop the ‘tactical’ feigned injury designed just to break the attacking momentum of the opposition to give the defending side some respite and/or, as we did on more than one occasion last season, allow players to receive coaching - how many times did Covolan suddenly go down ‘injured’ and the outfield players go en masse to the touch line to ‘have a drink’ while AC/DC all but put up the white board with the tactical arrows, noughts and crosses on it?

How then best to stop the ‘momentum breakers’? That’s a difficult one. I like the idea posted earlier that ‘injured’ players leave the field for 5 minutes/a set time while play continues, but that potentially penalises teams when players are genuinely injured. Perhaps adopting what happens in rugby where play continues while physios/medical staff treat injured players on the pitch is an option but then again rugby is played in a way that allows this to happen without it necessarily getting in the way of play. Hopefully there is a sensible alternative.

All this being said the match officials already have it within their means to nip most of it in the bud and just need to be brave (whilst given the support of the governing bodies) and be prepared to issue yellow cards from the off (for unsporting conduct) and not just wait for the last 10 minutes of a game to decide enough is enough.

I love the idea of 30 minute halves with the clock being stopped when the ball isn't in play. I also like the idea that if a player on a side has been booked for timewasting, the next player on that side to get booked for timewasting receives a red rather than a yellow.Then there is the option that the league table has column recording the number of bookings for timewasting a team has received which is used before goal difference in deciding positions if teams are on the same points. You could also put something in place where if a team has had a player booked for timewasting then the opposition have the option extending the game by an additional 5 minutes on top of injury time for each booking.

 

Unfortunately I don't think there is an appetite to prevent timewasting as it is good for TV. When play is delayed it allows them a chance to show replays, managers and players in the dugouts, fans reactions and upcoming televised events. All of the money in the game comes from the TV and improvements tend to filter down from the top rather than the other way around. Despite what they say the wishes of fans attending games in person are low priority to the powers in the game.

[Warren]

2 hours ago, wotsyobeef said:

I love the idea of 30 minute halves with the clock being stopped when the ball isn't in play. I also like the idea that if a player on a side has been booked for timewasting, the next player on that side to get booked for timewasting receives a red rather than a yellow.Then there is the option that the league table has column recording the number of bookings for timewasting a team has received which is used before goal difference in deciding positions if teams are on the same points. You could also put something in place where if a team has had a player booked for timewasting then the opposition have the option extending the game by an additional 5 minutes on top of injury time for each booking.

 

Unfortunately I don't think there is an appetite to prevent timewasting as it is good for TV. When play is delayed it allows them a chance to show replays, managers and players in the dugouts, fans reactions and upcoming televised events. All of the money in the game comes from the TV and improvements tend to filter down from the top rather than the other way around. Despite what they say the wishes of fans attending games in person are low priority to the powers in the game.

I still think only time can be controlled. For example re Liverpool.

Alexander Arnold suffered an horrendous tackle on his ankle. Klopp made a big mistake letting him try to play on. It cost Liverpool the Arsenal game. But he's only out a couple of weeks. So the actual margin was fine.

Jota in the Man City game lies prostrate in injury time. That looks like time wasting but he has a long term muscle injury and will miss the World Cup. 

If we go for a stop the clock approach I think the active playing time should be 40 mins as in rugby. Whilst games are stopped players are taking on hydration and soluble energy supplements. 

Another solution is the physios are allowed on the pitch to treat players outside boxes as the game goes on. If ball hits them the same rule as for referees applies. However, the gamesmanship present in football but not in rugby probably renders this unviable. As does the speed of transition. 

 

[geoff1]

21 hours ago, Aguar61 said:

I've noticed more players not just rolling around and clutching heads or limbs,but slamming their hands into the turf, repeatedly,as though VERY seriously injured. 1  minute later,back on a sprint. Cheating gits....boys who cry wolf!

yeah, cheating gits!