[Football] "That wouldn't have been a(n) 'xxxx' last season...."

[Guinness Boy]

Much discussion during and after the game yesterday about the number of bookings being handed out for minor time wasting. It's clear that some things that were routine last season like throwing the ball in the wrong direction (Gross) or arguably kicking it away (Enciso) are currently not being tolerated.

Then on MotD we had a few comments from the gang along the lines of 'that wouldn't have been a penalty / goal / red without being referred' on incidents in games, particularly the Ali Mac red and penalty in the Liverpool game.

And, here's the thing. I don't think the laws of the game have changed one bit.

At this early stage, are games being better refereed with stricter interpretations and punishments for time wasting / shithousing? Is it better that on field decisions are stuck with even when a bit dodgy (both Liverpool's pen and red) or that we could have a huge number of bookings in a game that isn't ostensibly 'dirty' (our game)?

As someone who has a pet peeve with time wasting and the 10 yard rule never being enforced and would prefer no VAR at all, I'm quite happy and the game should eventually flow much better. But the refs have to carry on and the players have to take notice. At the moment they are (understandably) still playing like they did last season.

 

[Littlemo]

I like it tbh. The time wasting the past few years was awful and it’s noticeable that last season everyone was moaning about it but now they moan about the things being in place to try and change it, as though there are lots of options for refs when really all they can do is hand out cards and add on time. You’ll just never please people.

I think after a bit the players will realise and stop doing time-wasting things. We’ll all just have to live with it till they learn

 

[Nobby]

We all know what will happen.
In a couple of weeks there will be pressure from managers and clubs to go back to where we were
Less bookings and 94 minutes not 103
We need to be a bit careful that we don’t get 10 vs 9’s all over the place.
No idea what the answer is but I’m pretty sure that all these more draconian interpretations will be relaxed
Happens every year - we’re changing this we’re changing that and by October everything’s the same as it was
Apart from f ing VAR which didn’t go away

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Agree re the time wasting, but it should not be at the expense of other laws such as blatant holding, off the ball obstruction. Players safety and foul play, should be at the forefront of everything.

Yesterday, I feel this did not happen. I would also argue that Enciso knocked the ball to where he thought the offside actually occurred.

Foul throws (probably for the last 20 years) are no longer penalised, I’m not sure Wolves took a legal one.

Are the time wasting laws being applied rigidly in Europe or is it a PL thing?

 

[um bongo molongo]

I like it tbh. The time wasting the past few years was awful and it’s noticeable that last season everyone was moaning about it but now they moan about the things being in place to try and change it, as though there are lots of options for refs when really all they can do is hand out cards and add on time. You’ll just never please people.

I think after a bit the players will realise and stop doing time-wasting things. We’ll all just have to live with it till they learn

I agree. BUT it needs to be applied consistently. One thing doling out bookings to Brighton players away at Wolves, another doing it to Liverpool players in front of the Kop.

 

[veuve]

Like

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

We all know what will happen.
In a couple of weeks there will be pressure from managers and clubs to go back to where we were
Less bookings and 94 minutes not 103
We need to be a bit careful that we don’t get 10 vs 9’s all over the place.
No idea what the answer is but I’m pretty sure that all these more draconian interpretations will be relaxed
Happens every year - we’re changing this we’re changing that and by October everything’s the same as it was
Apart from f ing VAR which didn’t go away

I disagree. I can remember when playing rugby at school in the 1960s (hated it) it was made very clear that any arguing with the referee meant an immediate sending off. That may be a bit too far, but like many others seeing players surround and harangue and try to bully the referee when something goes against them really annoys me.
similarly kicking the ball away, walking off with the ball to delay things and so on gets to me. It’s only by being consistent that the message will get across. If people start getting sent off for two yellow cards for trivial things, them tough!
I remember Maddison getting booked for simulation when he was “anticipating contact” from Shane Duffy 4 or 5 years ago. He had already been booked for something so got a red. It was hilarious, but he got what he deserved! And apologised to Leicester fans afterwards.

 

[Doingitforthekids]

Consistency will always be the issue.

Mitoma got a yellow for kicking the ball away into the crowd. Deservedly.

But Chong in the same match ran over to stop a quick free kick. Should have been a yellow.

I'm generally in favour but it needs to be applied consistently

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Agree re the time wasting, but it should not be at the expense of other laws such as blatant holding, off the ball obstruction. Players safety and foul play, should be at the forefront of everything.

Yesterday, I feel this did not happen. I would also argue that Enciso knocked the ball to where he thought the offside actually occurred.

Foul throws (probably for the last 20 years) are no longer penalised, I’m not sure Wolves took a legal one.

Are the time wasting laws being applied rigidly in Europe or is it a PL thing?

More than that, I thought many wolves fouls went unpunished. Not the scything obvious ones, but the "at close quarters, nick the ball by barging" ones. Last season (or with a different ref maybe), these would have been given. Our players were left on the deck looking bemused. I know players go down too easily, including ours, and I'd love to see that eradicated, but barging players off the ball reduces the spectacle and limits the impact of talented footballers.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

More than that, I thought many wolves fouls went unpunished. Not the scything obvious ones, but the "at close quarters, nick the ball by barging" ones. Last season (or with a different ref maybe), these would have been given. Our players were left on the deck looking bemused. I know players go down too easily, including ours, and I'd love to see that eradicated, but barging players off the ball reduces the spectacle and limits the impact of talented footballers.

The off the ball foul on Mitoma in the first 5 minutes was ridiculous and a clear booking.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

The off the ball foul on Mitoma in the first 5 minutes was ridiculous and a clear booking.

I agree. Some of those fouls were bookings and not even given as fouls. Fortunately it didn't cost us, but I'd love to understand the thinking from the ref.

 

[Littlemo]

I think one thing is that we’ll need to recognise that bookings for delaying play and bookings for fouls are almost a different category of offence.

I saw (on what was Twitter) lots of fans over the games going “oh they booked them for chucking the ball away but not for taking him out”. As I see it, it’s not really about comparing whether on yellow is a worse offence than another, but that time wasting is being punished as one kind of act and fouls/dangerous play are another. They shouldn’t really be compared to each other in terms of severity.

 

[Icy Gull]

More than that, I thought many wolves fouls went unpunished. Not the scything obvious ones, but the "at close quarters, nick the ball by barging" ones. Last season (or with a different ref maybe), these would have been given. Our players were left on the deck looking bemused. I know players go down too easily, including ours, and I'd love to see that eradicated, but barging players off the ball reduces the spectacle and limits the impact of talented footballers.

I counted three, what looked to me like pushes in the back, the first being Milner, where the ref just waved play on. They didn’t show replays of them so it could just be my Albion bias.

 

[Nobby]

I disagree. I can remember when playing rugby at school in the 1960s (hated it) it was made very clear that any arguing with the referee meant an immediate sending off. That may be a bit too far, but like many others seeing players surround and harangue and try to bully the referee when something goes against them really annoys me.
similarly kicking the ball away, walking off with the ball to delay things and so on gets to me. It’s only by being consistent that the message will get across. If people start getting sent off for two yellow cards for trivial things, them tough!
I remember Maddison getting booked for simulation when he was “anticipating contact” from Shane Duffy 4 or 5 years ago. He had already been booked for something so got a red. It was hilarious, but he got what he deserved! And apologised to Leicester fans afterwards.

Fair enough David. It’s a good initiative. Lets see if the clubs are bigger than the Premier League on this. My guess it will all be watered down in a few weeks
And also if it continues it’s just another way of the “top six” getting more decisions their way
Harry Kane kicks the ball away. Don’t do that again Harry.
Encisco kicks it away. - you’re off kid.

Let’s hope it works anyway

 

[Bodian]

Fair enough David. It’s a good initiative. Lets see if the clubs are bigger than the Premier League on this. My guess it will all be watered down in a few weeks
And also if it continues it’s just another way of the “top six” getting more decisions their way
Harry Kane kicks the ball away. Don’t do that again Harry.
Encisco kicks it away. - you’re off kid.

Let’s hope it works anyway

"Big Six" surely. We are "Top Six".



(indeed, right now we are "Top One").

 

[drew]

We all know what will happen.
In a couple of weeks there will be pressure from managers and clubs to go back to where we were
Less bookings and 94 minutes not 103
We need to be a bit careful that we don’t get 10 vs 9’s all over the place.
No idea what the answer is but I’m pretty sure that all these more draconian interpretations will be relaxed
Happens every year - we’re changing this we’re changing that and by October everything’s the same as it was
Apart from f ing VAR which didn’t go away

Disagree, what will happen is that players will stop being nobs. Doubt that Pedro will stand in front of an opposition free kick. As for Enciso, players have been told to leave the ball. It's not for him to ref the game and decide where the free kick should be taken, if you are going to kick it, roll it to one of their players but better still, just leave it. Players will learn that time wasting has no benefit in terms of the length of the match so it will be reduced. Where players will do it to break up play but at the risk of a booking.

 

[drew]

One area of time wasting that the ref seem to let go was at our goal kicks where Steele holds the ball and then at the last moment throws it to Dunk to take the kick straight back to Steele. I don't know whether they wait for an indication from the ref to start the game or if they are just pushing it as long as they can but I can't help feeling at some point a ref's going to get out his card!!

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Fair enough David. It’s a good initiative. Lets see if the clubs are bigger than the Premier League on this. My guess it will all be watered down in a few weeks
And also if it continues it’s just another way of the “top six” getting more decisions their way
Harry Kane kicks the ball away. Don’t do that again Harry.
Encisco kicks it away. - you’re off kid.

Let’s hope it works anyway

That's bias against a top six side, Shirley?

Edit I see @Bodian beat me to it.

 

[Icy Gull]

Villa will be be the biggest losers with these new laws…I hope

 

[thejackal]

Much discussion during and after the game yesterday about the number of bookings being handed out for minor time wasting. It's clear that some things that were routine last season like throwing the ball in the wrong direction (Gross) or arguably kicking it away (Enciso) are currently not being tolerated.

Then on MotD we had a few comments from the gang along the lines of 'that wouldn't have been a penalty / goal / red without being referred' on incidents in games, particularly the Ali Mac red and penalty in the Liverpool game.

And, here's the thing. I don't think the laws of the game have changed one bit.

At this early stage, are games being better refereed with stricter interpretations and punishments for time wasting / shithousing? Is it better that on field decisions are stuck with even when a bit dodgy (both Liverpool's pen and red) or that we could have a huge number of bookings in a game that isn't ostensibly 'dirty' (our game)?

As someone who has a pet peeve with time wasting and the 10 yard rule never being enforced and would prefer no VAR at all, I'm quite happy and the game should eventually flow much better. But the refs have to carry on and the players have to take notice. At the moment they are (understandably) still playing like they did last season.

FIFA changes the laws literally every season

2023/24 law changes explained

Find out more

www.thefa.com