Exiled in Texas

There's no requirement to let the defence get ready before taking a quick freekick. That's the whole point of it. has our resident ref been in on this yet ? as i understand it, if they are going to take a quick free kick the atacking team still have get an ok from the ref before the defence has organised. some refs will let it go if it is in a non threatening area (ie not a shot). OK - my Ref Perspective 1 - the foul being committed takes advantage away from the other team, so the defending team has no rights. 2 - LOTG says the defending team must be 10 yards back - it's their responsibility to retreat 10 yards and the referee should only intervene if they are refusing to. 3 - Attacking team does not have to ask for 10 yards - that's a given, but if they ask for the referee to enforce it, then they must wait for the whistle (ceremonial restart) to take the kick. 4 - If the attacking team does not ask the referee to enforce the 10 yards, and elect to take a quick-kick then they have that right (and accept the concequences of defenders being closer) So.....no problem taking a quick free kick and catching out the defenders who were not ready. (Hope that the referee wasn't really interfering with defenders - but likely defenders looking to blame someone/anyone for their mistake).

[What If Scenario] What if a team (say, Newcastle) comfortably mid table, decided to play 10 reserves against the 18th placed team to give them 3 points and push 17th placed team (say, Sunderland) into relegation spot and down they go. Legal?? Fair?? [/What if Scenario] Legal?? Yes, according to some Fair?? Yes, according to some Funny?? Hell YES, according to all

I agree in principle with this, but can't think how it can be defined so it can be legislated. It also borders on match fixing if a team doesn't even try to win a game (yes, I know that's hard to define too).

Unless your John Terry and then you get a publlic appology for the red card and a free session with your pick of the WAGs

Not sure on the exact ruling but an interesting thing about NFL and the draft is that all players who want to enter the NFL must register for the draft, thereby giving all teams a chance to select the player. Of course there are way more players who register to enter the draft than there are draft spots, so many less talented players go undrafted. Only once they are classed as Undrafted can they be free-agents and then any team can pick them up. So there is no way to hide promising young players or sneak players onto your team without another team having a fair chance to sign them. All part of the NFL Collective Bargaining agreement between the players union and the NFL.

That's the shoot-out process that some high schools use in Texas for tied games. Ball is placed 35 yards from goal (easy with the grid iron stadiums we play in) and the attacker has 5 seconds to get the shot away. I was 10 minutes from going to a shootout last night (as the center ref) and luckily one team got a coupld of quick goals. Didn't want to go through the mechanics of timing the 5 secs and the drama of the shootout.....inevitably there are keeper/shooter collisions resulting in possible PK and ejections. However, all that said.....for the last-man foul, a red card and this style shot would see to deal with the infringement and replace the scoring opportunity. I thought they used a system in MLS or at least America but didn't want to say it in case I was wrong since I don't really watch them leagues. Where do the other players stand, sidelines? For my high school games, it's used only for deciding tied games in place of a standard Penalty kick shootout.. So all players are on the sidelines except for the keeper(s), the shooter (and the upcoming shooters waiting in center circle) just like a normal tie break penalty shootout. It's a one shot deal - no rebounds. It's not used in the normal course of the game except for deciding tied games.

Agree with this. We're a few stops away from the pen being taken from the centre spot with the player dribbling up for a shot on goal. That s*** can f*** off. That's the shoot-out process that some high schools use in Texas for tied games. Ball is placed 35 yards from goal (easy with the grid iron stadiums we play in) and the attacker has 5 seconds to get the shot away. I was 10 minutes from going to a shootout last night (as the center ref) and luckily one team got a coupld of quick goals. Didn't want to go through the mechanics of timing the 5 secs and the drama of the shootout.....inevitably there are keeper/shooter collisions resulting in possible PK and ejections. However, all that said.....for the last-man foul, a red card and this style shot would see to deal with the infringement and replace the scoring opportunity.

UEFA cap would be the way to go, but it's tough to make a fair cap across different countries with differing currency, tax bases and economies. Guaranteed that some one fo the top countries would complain that another was favored. Let the clubs fail....at some point the credit card bills become due and the spending has to stop. Some clubs just haven't come to a sense of reality yet.

Afar - Great post on american sports. In my mind the key difference between US sports and the rest of the world is that US sports are all franchises of a closed league. There are 32 teams playing in the NFL (simialr for NHL, NBA and MLB), and the only way to get an league franchise now is to buy an existing franchise from the current owner. There is no second tier, no relegation. For players it's an all-or-nothing situation where you play in the NFL with their rules on drafts/contracts etc, or you don't play at all. And as Gazzalad mentioned - the money is too great compared to the options. Drafts/salary cap etc work really well in leagues that are the absolute pinnacle of the game. But if there was an alternative to any of these leagues that paid close to the same amount then the concept would founder immediately. Cap the Premier league and players would move to Spain, Italy etc in football there are too many options to be like American Football.

well its not like they've had a good one yet this season have they? If its all the same to you I'll take Ashley over any of their pack of morons . Yep - Bet Pompey fans would trade places with NUFC Lock, stock and league placement right now, and there is now way I'd trade places with them.

Yep - it's a poor league despite the fact that it's being lead by two teams that played premiership football last season. It's just convienient for it to be poor for the sake of this article.....if they were writing about Forrest it would be a tough league because of a club the size of Newcastle etc

So despite the spectre of free-spending Portsmouth crashing out of existence, and both Man U and Liverpool teetering financial ruin, this journo thinks it's business as usual in the premiership and it's all spend/spend/spend. Ignore Arsenal, ignore Fulham, ignore Villa - ignore all the clubs that have a reasonable grasp on their finances. The world of football is starting to change, but this journalist probably skipped Economics at school and thinks that it must be spend/spend/spend. It's not how much you spend, but what you buy.

a salary and transfer cap wont come out of the premier league thats for sure it works against their main philosophy: spend spend spend f*** the long term consequences. I feel for the portsmouth fans but somebody has to be made an example of if it will get it into the heads of some thick owners that spending way beyond your means is a bad thing. Besides even if they survive today it will only put off their doom for a while, they're f***ed and we all know it the NHL had a simialr problem, players wages to high and not many fans coming through the door. All the teams owners and the players unions agreed to salary caps. Its worked wonders. Salary caps work when the league being capped is still the best paying league after the cap is in place. Players accept the cap because they can't earn more elsewhere, but in world football if you capped the Premier League, then all the top stars would move to Spain, Italy if they could earn more there.

just relegate two I'd imagine, and whoever should have been playing Pompey that week would get the weekend off, and presumably some points. Still don't think they'll go under like. Chris Cooper, Real's mackem commentator, reckons there was one top flight club a few years ago very close to going into liquidation, but didn't. i think whatever points and gd pompey affected other teams with would be gone too If Pompey go under and cannot complete the season, then you would have to void all their games. You couldn't give "forfeit 3-points" to some teams for games that were not played and make played games stand. It would have to be a level field and all pompey games cancelled.

Do they mean a formal players committee or the team lead Kangaroo Court which is quite common in sucessfull teams. Usually made up of the senior and most charismatic personalities of the team, they hold the team to certain standards and deal with minor infracations like being late for the bus, or incorrectly dressed or screwing up in training in fun and jovial ways, yet the team sets standards that must be met by all members, and management can stay out of minor issues unless they become big issues. I think it's great that the team itself deals with minor issues and holds itself accountable. It's like being late to the pub to meet your mates, and they make you buy an extra round as penalty. Next time you're not late. Maybe this is different to a formal players committee that acts as a go-between for players/management but if that is needed on a regular basis then the team is screwed.

How's that working with the Scots?

Disagree with the "or Touches one of his team" statement. An unintentional deflection caused by a bad pass by the defenders does not make a player in an offside position offside. edit - of course.. ITOOTR applies.

No problem with that at all. The offside decision resets each time the offensive team plays the ball. Once Bowyer, who is onside, plays the ball, as long as it backward towards Kluivert - Kluivert cannot be offside.

Doubt the FA would allow them to move a team's home games to Glasgow, and if they can't play in Glasgow what's the point of taking over a club? Funny OP though!!

Probably - and when your playing away you can tear into French Underware Models without worry.

There are other choices such as Ferdinand or Rooney or even Beckham. So take the Captain's armband away and make a statement.

Not sure really, seeing that he has never played a game for Portsmouth.......

URRRRRRRRRRR! You lose. Isn't this thread about Ambrose?? [scratches head]

Would Ambrose want to come back.....vaguely recall the feeling that he was run out of town (and not necessarily about his football skills)?

My first thought was this was gambling debts, but seems like it's just extortion. Steal stuff, and then ransom it back.