So who understands the new offside law ?

[Easy 10]

I gather the crux of it is that in instances when a player is standing in an offside position, he can only be considered to be 'interfering with play' if he actually touches the ball.
My head is starting to hurt a little bit now when I start thinking about it, so christ knows what its like for linesmen and refs who have to call it within a split second.

Who on here is happy that they fully understand the ruling now ?

 

[MRRF 10]

i got to say, i dont understand it

 

[¡Cereal Killer!]

i known the rule for a few years now and fully understand it!

 

[Easy 10]

i known the rule for a few years now and fully understand it!

I've known and understood it for years as well Nathan - until they started fecking about with it this season. Like me, you may THINK you understand it...but the reality is that actually...you might not.

The annoying thing is, that FIFA have hardly advertised this change. Its only when Martin Tyler and Andy Gray nearly came to blows yesterday during the commentry that we discovered something may be afoot.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

A couple of Bill Shankly quotes spring to mind:-

"If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be."

"The trouble with referees is that they know the rules, but they do not know the game."

 

[Beach Hut]

I thought Shankley said "If he is not interfering with play what's he doing there".

And I am unclear on the rule now.

 

[CAFC Matt]

Nah, stupid changes. it was fine as it was but typical FA and FIFA decide to change it

 

[El Presidente]

I disagree, it discourages teams playing the offside trap. The only downside is that Van Horseface will no doubt score even more goals than at present

 

[Inkerman]

I gather the crux of it is that in instances when a player is standing in an offside position, he can only be considered to be 'interfering with play' if he actually touches the ball.

or, I believe, if he is obstructing the view or progress of an opposing player.

I don't understand comments that say this has abolished offside. What it means is that a player can get back onside from an offside position and then receive the ball - which wasn't possible before.

 

[WhitleyDennis]

I thought Shankley said "If he is not interfering with play what's he doing there".

And I am unclear on the rule now.

I thought it was Brian Clough, something along the lines of "If a player isn't interfering with play then what the bloody hell is he doing out there!"

 

[BRIGHT ON Q]

Its quite amusing listening to Andy Gray and Martin Tyler having a domestic over it all.

 

[Safeway]

I thought it was Brian Clough, something along the lines of "If a player isn't interfering with play then what the bloody hell is he doing out there!"

Beat me to it. I thought it was Cloughie as well.

As for any new rules, I'm all for them if they improve the game and stuff. I think.

 

[marvin]

I know the ref we had on satdi didn't understand them.

Sorry its a silly rule, trying to make the game more exciting so they can sell the sodding stuff to the yanks.

Back to basics offside is offside and that's that.

The offside trap is a part of the game, as is beating the fools who can't do it right.

 

[Easy 10]

I gather the new rule is, you can only be offside at the moment the ball is played forward if the player is looking at the ball, and if the match is being played on a numerically odd calender day of the month, when it rained the night before. Except in a leap year, when the defending goalie must have some silver in his kit, and has to have been to the Isle of Wight in the last 5 years.

Or something.

 

[perth seagull]

Stupid rule that makes things even more ambigious. It also gives referees excuses to justify their woefully biased decisions when favouring Shrewd van Diverboy and Man Ure.

 

[chips and gravy]

The tinkering is stupid - given the offsides regularly given in the games I watch the officials clearly don't understand how it works either.

FIFA should either leave well alone or abolish offside altogether. None of this half-arsed stuff

 

[The Large One]

It's not a directive, it's a brand new bloody rule, and brought in halfway through the season.

It's not as though refs and linesmen aren't incompetent enough already, and they have to contend with this shit.

 

[Beefy]

Talking of new rules are you not allowed to keep the ball in the corner anymore.

The ref was having none of it on Saturday and the same happened at the Arsenal game yesterday.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

It leads to moments of panic among the crowd when you think that the idiot linesman is not going to flag the clearly offside striker, only for him to stick his arm up at the last possible moment. Which then gets everyone annoyed for the lateness of the decision.

I can see the likes of Souness, Strachan and Allardyce spitting feathers over it as the season progresses.

Strachan ranted no end about the goal that Ruud Van Horse scored, although conveniently forgot that United should have had a penalty instead of a free kick when Fernandes blatantly and deliberately handled in the area. He should have been booked too. Lucky United scored from the free kick or we'd have had to put up with Taggart blowing a gasket as well.

 

[Deano's Right Foot]

Thank Reuters for this:

New guidelines on the offside rule issued by world soccer's governing body, FIFA, should give greater advantage to forwards and put an end to the debate about what constitutes "interfering with play".

The guidelines were issued recently to national federations, and while they are not a rule change they will now change the handling of offside decisions.

In effect, they mean players who do not touch the ball or directly block the vision or movement of an opponent will not be ruled offside.

The laws of the game state that a player can only be penalised for offside if he is "involved in active play by: interfering with play, interfering with an opponent or gaining an advantage by being in that position".

The new guidelines are more precise, saying offside for "interfering with play" means "playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a teammate".

"Interfering with an opponent" is defined as "preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball, for example, by clearly obstructing the goalkeeper's line of vision or movements", or "making a gesture or movement while standing in the path of the ball to deceive or distract an opponent".

The tricky issue of whether a player is "gaining an advantage" by his position is explained as "playing a ball that rebounds off a post or the crossbar having been in an offside position" and "playing a ball that rebounds off an opponent having been in an offside position".

Italy's Serie A has operated informally with such interpretations this season. When players have been in a "passive" offside position not involved in the game, the linesman's flag has stayed down but has later been raised if the player touches the ball.

FIFA said the aim of the new interpretation "is to protect attacking play intended to result in a goal".

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Pass the Norofen Plus please...