Thetownend.com

right then, the offside rule...

played in a 11 aside game last night and 0-0 after 20 mins then ball is knocked over our left backs head (by none other than Gary Parker(name drop sorry), who incidentally I wanted Swindon to sign when he was nearing the end of his career) with the right-winger onside but the centre forward is an offside position so club linesman flags that he is offside (as they are told to do)...ref plays on and right winger knocks the ball in for the CF to knock it in....ref gives the goal and I aint happy.

My understanding was that this should be offside because the CF has gained an advantage from being in an offside position, think its something to do with the old '2nd phase'??

I asked the ref (kevin small) to show me the rule in his handbook after the game, which he couldn't do as he didn't have it on him!

whats the consensus on the mighty TEF?

not sour grapes or owt honest as we lost 5-3, just want a bit of clarity for me sanity....

offside, the lino should be able to tell the ref the CF was offside from the first movement...regardless of whether he goes back onside when the ball was played he was off

freekick, keeper restarts play

Offside. He's active in that phase and clearly gaining and advantage.

What position were you playing JB?

Not offside,plainly because the goal stood. Also the CF would only count as offside if the winger hadn't of played it to him - players are only offside if they are beyond the 2nd last defender at the time of the final touch of a player on his side.

According to the rule book the decision was correct. Being in active play is defined as; playing the ball (passed by a team mate), interfering with an opponent and gaining an advantage by playing a ball that rebounds off the woodwork or an opposing player (when the ball was last played by a team mate).

Simply being further up the pitch at the time of the incident doesn't come in to it. Which kind of makes sense as by the time the ball does come to him and he's in an onside position, the defenders have had the time to make up the ground.

The latest rule book is here for anyone who wants to check:

http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/federation/laws_of_the_game_0708_10565.pdf

There's an interesting bit on page 40 (decision 3). It appears to say, for example, that if a player kicks the ball in to the air deliberately and then heads it back to the keeper its viewed as trying to circumvent the back pass rule and results in a booking and an indirect free kick, whether the keeper touches the ball with his hands or not. Never seen that one happen before.

I seem to remember being flagged offside for this at Worldnet and Bennett running down the left winge (onside) getting stroppy  8)

that doesn't sound like me

I think DV won the stroppiest git award anyway, I shouldn't worry.

Actually I seem to remember the lino not flagging until we'd run 30 yards up the pitch, which doesn't make any sense.

I was CM and Parker made the game look so easy...I thought it wouldn't suit him due to the bobbly pitch but he was pinging it everywhere and first time most of the time....worst thing is they're all scummers as it was Kidlington who we were playing....

The defenders may not necessarily had time to get back though....e.g. that means that any CF could just wait on the edge of their 18yrd box until the winger gets passed him and pulls the ball back (i.e. the CF does not get ahead of the winger) to him and he is onside?? surely not??

the plot thickens....the rule needs mpore clarity....ya think?!?!

as long as the striker wasnt offside when the winger crossed the ball in it is fine.

There are no 'phases' in the rules, sounds like Andy Gray talk. If the striker wasn't interfering or gaining an advantage when the ball was played to the winger, goal.

Bring back the standard rule for fucksake.If you are in a offside position then tough shit.

But then if somebody's down injured near the touchline in an offside position, and a ball gets played through the middle to the CF who scores, is it right to disallow it for offside?

(No, it's not)

For what it's worth, I'd say the goal should have stood. And jonny, that's a great find about the backpass rule. I'll be waiting eagerly for it to happen and for the whole crowd to go insane when a yellow card and indirect free-kick is given :D

who do you play for and what league

But as the winger was onside and the striker then moved in to an onside position before the ball was played, so the defenders must have had enough time to get back (distance wise they wouldn't be disadvantaged and its their problem if they are too slow).

The rules are now crystal clear, the confusion comes from people not reading them properly and questioning whether the rules should be what they are. I think they're pretty good, as play was stopped far too often before due to offside when the player had nothing to do with the play. If people take the time to read, understand and accept the rules everything would be fine.

the initial pass, then the second should be treated seperately.quite rightly they were and it's a valid goal

yeah definitely the right decision, van nistlerooy is the master of perfecting this, always does it. Really it does rely on the wingers being pacey alot.

shrivy and its hellenic vets prem...guessing you still play MR??

I know I've said it earlier but it seems the consensus on here is that its a goal (which I guess was proved by the refs decision!)...so for all you CF's out there, just sit on the edge of the oppositions 18 yard box, put the ball in the onion bag....and keep the rule book in your sock just in case ;-)

You won't like this, but the correct decision was to award a goal.  I will try and explain simply why...

The ball was initially played to the winger who was onside but the CF was offside. 
Because the ball went to the onside player (winger) and the striker didn't recieve the ball or interfere with an opponent who could get the ball (how could he if he is in the middle of the pitch) then the correct decision is to play on.  Assuming when the winger crosses to the stricker (2nd phase) the stricker is now onside, then the goal has got to stand.

Years ago (more than 10) the offside law changed from the old "if someone is offside, give a free-kick" to the newer version "give the free-kick if an offside player interferes with play or an opponent".  You get pricks like Andy Gray and Alan Hansen who say rubbish like "why do they keep changing it?" (they don't, and haven't changed it for about 10 years) and "why don't they go back to the old method?" (because the "new" method is fairer and you get more goals as a result - therefore matches are more entertaining).

I guess the reason why the ref didn't have his book to show you why, is because the latest one is 140 pages long and would take a bag on its own.  If you want to understand more about the offside law, you can download a pdf version at http://www.thefa.com/TheFA/RulesandRegulations/~/media/Files/PDF/Get%20into%20Football/Referees/lawsofthegameen_0910.ashx/lawsofthegameen_0910.pdf and look at pages 31, and 100-108.

Now , cue the jokes about "interfering with an opponent"!

My mate played Centre Half against Christian Roberts the other week. Just thought i'd drop that in there. :)

Who is Christian Roberts playing for Barry?

It was for a Cardiff old boys team of some sorts and wasn't professional. My mate just stepped in to help out for a mate or some bollocks and found he was up against Chrissy Roberts. :)