Thetownend.com

From a post on the independent website - should promote some interesting discussion

1. Allow teams to replace a player who is sent off, but award a penalty to the other side, regardless of where the offence took place. (Craig Brown)

2. Devote much more effort to persuading ex-players to take up refereeing and use video evidence to impose heavy suspensions for serial cheats. (James Lawton, Independent)

3. Reward teams that keep on attacking and score goals - award an extra point for every side that scores three goals or more in a game. (Ian Holloway)

4. Allow communication between the referee and fourth or even fifth official, situated by a TV monitor (Phil Shaw, Independent)

5. Eliminate feigning injury and time-wasting by allowing physios to treat players while play continues (Neil Warnock)

6. Give referees an imaginary radius around them preventing anyone getting near them, like a force-field (Gordon Taylor, PFA)

7. Two referees, one in each half of the field. (Andy Hinchcliffe)

8. Ban rewards for failure, i.e. parachute payments to teams relegated from the Premiership, and the Uefa Cup place on offer to those who fall at the first Champions League group stage. (Andy Hunter, Independent)

9. Show a pink card to divers - it counts the same as a yellow but, for a professional footballer, is much more embarrassing. (Jason Cundy)

10. Dock points instead of imposing fines for a range of offences, including brawls & diving. (Brian Viner, Independent)

11. Mike up referees, which would reduce dissent and enable referees to explain their decisions, educating the public and media. (Glenn Moore, Independent)

12. Five points for an away win, four for a home win, two points for a score-draw and just one for a goalless draw. (Jason Burt, Independent)

13. Scrap penalties as a way of deciding matches - instead, at the end of normal time and extra time in any knockout event, the team who won the most corners should win. (Nick Harris, Independent)

14. If the result is a no-score draw neither team should be awarded any points. This would encourage attacking play. (Mark Rozycki, Independent reader)

15. To discourage dangerous play, a yellow card should mean a five to 10 minute absence from the field. (Jeff Knight, Independent reader)

16. Play extra time with reduced numbers. Remove three players from each team and the offside rule. Remove another three after 15 minutes. At the end of extra time, if the teams are still level reduce the teams to two players, with a golden goal and no offsides. (Chris Phillips, Independent reader)

And here are some of my ideas (some not completely serious):

17. Ban goalkeepers from wearing gloves - they have enough advantages already

18. But force outfield players to wear special gloves, to eliminate shirt-pulling

19. Magnify the effect of a red card for an outfield player by allowing the captain of the opposing team to choose which outfield player has to leave the field (e.g. a defender gets a red card, but stays on the pitch because the opposing skipper chooses to send off the star striker instead)

20. The fourth official sounds a hooter for the end of the game - referees rarely apply the correct added time, and often add on further time until neither side is attacking.

....or just leave it alone as it is.

The only one i agree with is allowing the physio on while play continues, like in rugby. Obviously that player can't play anyone onside etc.

see the made a rule about that years ago...but no one keeps to it.

The whole idea of going off the pitch if injured was that.....the players get injured...goes off the pitch, thus no holding up for play and he gets treated on the sidelines...then when hes done he comes back on.

If a player is injured...he should have to go off the pitch for treatement infact the physio shouldnt be allowed on the pitch unless its an extreme case (ie John Terry getting booted in the face)

I agree with ex-playes as refs - not a rule change but makes for better understanding - something needs doing about the fiasco with injured players too, and the offside rule needs clearing up as it is a mess too,a nd I would like to see retrospective action using video evidence in increasing and decreasing penalties - currently there is a strange rule that if a ref books someone for violence etc he ahs taken action and nothing more can be done.

Room for improvement, yes - drastic rule changes, no.

I agree with 5.

I also agree with 6 but only if it was a real force field. and refs could learn jedi powers.

I agree with Warnock  :oops:

I agree that it's probably time video decision are tested in the Football League - only because I'm bored of the debate - people who moan about it when their team should have awarded a goal - but if it's the other way around they'll say "that's football."

No, to radical changing of the rules and no to the points changes... 3, 1 and 0 is fine as it is.

9. Show a pink card to divers  :fag:

Don't know which of your ideas are serious Fatbury, as they all sound completely wank.

Dont agree with that. You will be suprised at how many players dont know the rules. When I did my level two coaching course, during the rules section the coach (Alan McDonald incidently) said they took the same test into a professional football club (not mentioning any names) and the results were appalling.

For the record I agree with the second part of 2 and number 8

No.



Yes and yes.



No.



No.



No.



No. We could build a wall around the referee to create the illusion that it's a new stadium.



No.



Yes.



What the fuck?



No.



No.



Shit.



No.



No.



No.



No.



Your ideas are even more shit.

actually 11 isnt a bad idea either. They should also do what they do in Scotland and allow the referee to explain decisions to the interviewers after the game.

Fuck me, have you tried doing that? if can hurt.

 :old:  It never did Lev Yashin any harm! (aside from the fact that he is now dead)

Ah, but you're forgetting that most modern day footballers are pansies.

Petr Cech wears a helmet FFS! Bert Trautman played on with a broken fucking neck!

I don't know why womens football's got such a bad name, when the men are such pussies!

because it is shit :mrgreen:

Oh yeah! I remember now :D

I assume you're the one paying for equipment for Supermarines, Highworth and all the other non league teams all the way down to kick abouts in park on a Sunday afternoon? If you can't apply a rule in the game down to grass roots, you cannot apply the rule, simple as.

If you read my sentiments - I'd like to think you would have got the impression that I'm not totally for it myself - but am bored of the debate - I agree with you. I also said in the "football league" which, yes wrongly ignores Non-League - but hey the don't use ball rotation down there do they ;)

Good post!

Yeah, I did see you wrote Football League after writing my reply, but still think it applies. Ball rotation is not mandatory in the League is it? Wasn't at Rochdale when Robbo booted the new ball over the stand PMSL!

Cant remember seeing a video ref/umpire down at the local rugby or cricket club :shock:

I'm not fussed about games that don't interest me though, I'm only here to defend the game I love.

Yeah but I'm obviously better than this Yashin character ever was and my continuous fingertip saves make not wearing gloves impossible.

I agree to be honest, just playing devils advocate (great film that!) In my opinion if it aint broke dont fix it. apart from the cheating diving wanks obviously.

my random suggestion for a rule change. Offside rule. make it like ice hockey where they have a line accross the pitch and basically the ball has to go into that area of the pitch before an attacking player can. simple. Or just change it back to the old way. :mrgreen:

Whether people agree with it or not - it's that comparison that will probably win the debate in favour of technology.

Agree with STA on the not having players as referees thing. You can tell half of them don't know the rules from the way they question referees' obscure but perfectly correct decisions