Exiled in Texas

Nahhh, SunLun will still have been NETD for 3 of the last 4 years. Typical mags to only consider the last season and forget those previous years. {mag at work} what about the last 10 years? FFS - that's just rediculous to go back that far. What you want to go back and include the year that we beat you 9-1? {mag at work} ummm, sure why not

Having just watched the Rugby worl cup....and wondered how the referee/player respect in Rugby can be so different to football, how do you bring football back into line. You would have games where they finished with 8 players vs 9 and with 17 yellow cards if you immediately started enforcing this. I'd love to see it, but I don't know how they could do it. I can only think that the need to mic the referee so everyone can hear what's said....and you have a different method of penalising the back-chat....such as the extra-10-yards. And then repeat as often as necessary. And I can only imagine what SAF or Wenger would say about a game like that.

Nice one!!

Are you Richard Keys in disguise?

Wanna add in more crazy offside issues? What about players coming back from an offside position to collect a ball when they are now onside......and what if they come back into their own half to collect the ball. Yep - still offside. Try explaining that to the volunteer Dad coach. The explaination is usually followed up by the coach saying to the player....don't worry, you weren't offside....the referee got that wrong/doesn't know the rules.

Important to note....the first part of "law 11 - offside" states......It is not an offense in itself to be in an offside position. The second part describes when to penalise a player in an offside position. Then it goes on later to state ...Interfering with play is defined as "playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a teammate". This is a clarification of the basic law. So standing in an offside position is not an offense. Neither is it interfering with play (as long as they don't touch the ball). And now we're back at the interfering with opponent thing again. Players who don't know the basic laws don't deserve any help from those who do.

Totally agree but i used to love doing it as a player, it feels like good play but it is obstruction imo. As long as the ball is in playable distance....they are playing the ball without touching it. I'm fine with that.....except there is then the thought that they can be charged without penalty. Which usually means a straight charge to the back of the shielding player.

The Ronaldo clip at the Macro level does appear wrong, but when you break it down - touch by touch and realise that there were probably a half dozen touches between the first through ball out to the winger, and the final cross to Ronaldo, and each one is a separate offside decision then it's a perfectly valid goal according to the LOTG. It does "seem" wrong at first, yet at the final moment you think ....wow, great goal and well played by the AR/Ref. Not quite as glamorious but my sons U14 rec game had one opposing player 10 yards offside on the left side when the ball was played through down the middle . Everyone knew he was offside, and assumed a IFK, so no one moved. Meanwhile an on-side player from the right ran through unchallenged and took the ball in and beat the keeper. Frustrating as it was a stupid mistake from the Defenders not to chase it down.....more fustrating because I knew the referee/assistant had played the situation perfectly and it was a valid goal.....and totally frustrating because as mad as I am about gining up a stupid goal.....there is no one to yell at to complain about it. The perils of being a referee (and a coach/player)

Not so sure about that. They'll gather their share of the arrivistes. But Manchester City just aren't as sexy a concept as Chelsea were went they did the same thing a few years back. Speaking from a purely Yank perspective. Maybe its the London bias, but I can't see American glory-hunters going for Man City in the same numbers as they fell for the "big four". (That is, unless, they really go over the top and dominate the Premier League for two or three seasons... ) One win of the Premier League title and they'll be all over them. Attendance and "fan numbers" go hand-in-hand with success as the ranks are swelled with all the band-waggoners. Exception's are noted when the fans/attendance are not in proportion to the success. I can almost feel the Arsenal and Chelsea fans over here switching their allegiences to City.

Bimpy - Appologies - I don't think the rules are wrong....but some of the examples that they give regarding "interfering with play" "interfering with opponent" or "gaining an advantage by being in that position" I think the biggest issue is how they describe interfering with an opponent where it says "making a gesture or movement which, in tthe opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts the opponent" And then they show an example where an offside player lets the ball run through their legs (keeper challenges for that play) and then the ball runs though to an onside player. Very confusing. It just adds more burden on the referee to have the correct opinion (yet one that both teams will never agree to). Did they show the CRonaldo video where he is 30 yards offside, and the defenders are waiting for the flag.....but the ball is played out to the winger, who carries it upfield, passes Ronaldo's position and then he centers for Ronaldo for an easy goal? I actually think that is a great training video to illustrate the law and how it should be broken down by the referees.

Does this add a new name to the RTG Brewce-Ooot mong-fest?

Because each time the ball is played/touched/dribbled by the attacking team, the offside decision is reset. Meanwhile the forward standing on the penalty spot is in an offside position, but not involved in the play so it not deemed to be offside. It's not hard to work out. The alternative is even worse if you penalise players for being in an offside position when they are not involved in the play.... the right winger is dribbling up the right hand side but the left winger is running upfield too (about 1 foot offside, but 60 yards away) ....and now you want to stop play for an offside call? No the current rule is much better for the game. Now, there are some improvements needed in understandings about when a player is involved in the play etc. Thinking of the example where the player in an offside position lets the ball run between his legs and an on-side player runs in to score. Yep, I agree that those examples which are currently legal should be reviewed.

We have to do that every week in the league that I play in now. Ridiculous like. I prefer the ice hockey tradition of the post-game handshake. Line up, shake hands down the line with the oppo, then curl back and shake hands with your team mates.

In the league, a 7-4 battering from us in 1930. Magedia had to mention that.....kerntz

I would also prefer more league involvement In plae of referee issues. Such as the shirt issue. Does it affect the game? If so referee deals with it. Is it a "image issue" then let the Prem League take care of it. Fine the player a weeks wages and then see how much they want to do it. Might still be worth it to Ballotelli but for others maybe not so much. Need more post-game involvement from the league for dangerous tackles and diving.

Agree GC. Let the team choose if they want the extra 10 yards.

The shirt problem seemed a lot worse in the past. Now it seems to be an acceptable consequence. Payers dont seem to mind getting the card so why change it?

Because under Shepard we were begging players to come as trophy signings. Payers who wouldn't normally want to come here came for the money. See Sunderland today for a similar approach

The shirt rule seems to have done it's job. It was brought in to curb a problem and to the most part it does. The problem with the rule is that is very easy to see when the shirt has come off - and doesn't require the "opinion of the referee" like fouls and diving does. The shirt rules is a great example that cards are not given by the referee but earned by the players. They know this rule exists and they know the consequences so it's their decision if they want to do it and take the card. Having said all that....I would remove the rule and classify it as excessive celebration putting the onus back on the "opinion of the referee" I would replace this rule, with one that states that any opposing player struck by a free kick within 10 yards who was not actively retreating should be yellow carded. Oh, and also bring back the rugby style, extra 10 yards for dissent or not retreating. Move the ball 10 yards Directly towards the goal and the dissent stops. I played rugby and giving up a penalty was bad but when they marched you back another 10 and then another 10 by then you were telling your players to STFU

FFS. We only went down for 1 season. This second season syndrome doesn't really to aan established team who went down for one season and then shot back up. Its not like we have been down for 5 seasons and have a total championship squad. Were not Blackpool or QPR coming up from the Championship. We know what the Premier aleague is about, we're not playing on adrenalin and all hopped up on goofballs because we are in the Prem. So stop this talk about us being second season or newly promoted. FFS talk like that is demeaning to the team.

How many other stadiums are there where you can see the roof of another stand? St James' is fairly unique in that regard.

Brentford have sold off the roof of their stadium for years for advertising. Because they are directly underneath the flight path into Heathrow, it's always been airlines who advertised on it. Used to be KLM....quick check of Google Earth and it's now Qatar Airways.

Will never happen....the FA would immediately recind the clubs membership in the FA, and without membership in their countries FA, then how could they particpate in FIFA/UEFA. Ejection rfom the FA would immediately eliminate the teams from UEFA champions league so what's the point. BUT what if.......they went true NFL. Entry Draft, revenue sharing etc. Could be something in that.... Nah, who am I kidding. This is not coming from the top clubs who are secure in the league.....this is coming from the bottom clubs who are afraid of falling out of the league and their investment becoming devalued.

I don't begrudge teams their success...watching Man Utd or Arsenal (last few years) in full flight have been greate examples of how the game should be played. What I can't stand is arrogance from the fans/teams. Man Utd seem less arrogant these last few seasons than they previously were....could be the players could be the fans...not sure but they seem more likeable than in the past. It is amusing to watch Arsenal and Liverpool starting to fall short of their expectations, and their automatic "right" to be in the Big Four.

Send him to Donny, and when he refuses then you can fine him a weeks wage every week. Thereby not paying him, but retaining his registration so he can't go elsewhere.