Time Wasting

After yesterday's time wasting but let's be honest every team do it, what do people think the pros and cons are for having an official time keeper. He sits in the stand and and every time the game is stopped, throw ins, goal kicks, free kicks etc, he stops the clock and restarts it when the game begins. This could be shown on a large digital clock so that players and fans can see the situation. This takes it away from the referee and injury time no longer exists. On this note some years ago Sky would show match stats at the end of the game and the ball was in play for only between 40- 50 minutes per game. I pay for 90 minutes not 45 of whatching no action.

Maybe we should start sending ball boys off for time wasting too.

You'd have to reduce the playing time to 80 mins or even less to get a match length similar to what we have now.

There's a lot to be learnt from rugby union as in stopping the clock.

Quoted from promotion plaice

There's a lot to be learnt from rugby union as in stopping the clock.

Better learning from Rugby League they've been doing it for decades the posh boys have only been doing it since TV got interested. RL has a rule where by if one side forms a scrum and the other tries to slow the game down by not being ready the ref calls time off.

Both codes don't call time off that much in reality all the standing about at the scrum in union is still part of the game and if the ball goes out the time it takes for a line out is not added on. They do call time off when they go to the screen or have to bollock the players for not packing down properly but the changes refs call at the scrum has reduced a lot of mucking about at the set piece.

Refs in football have the law on their side they just don't choose to use it because most of them know the rules but know nothing about the game.

I reckon that if the away team are blatantly wasting time all game and then the home team score with with say 5 or 10 minutes left, then they shouldn't add on any time for time wasting, just add on the time for injuries and subs, as it then gives the possibility for the away team to equalise in time added on for their timewasting.  

Not only yesterday but one of the other recent games at home the time wasting started from the very first kick....it is frustrating...but ...McKeown also does it 9/10 when we are away from home and 0-0 or leading.

Quoted from Nelly GTFC

Abit unfair that the Village Green Rovers keeper didn't get yellow carded for all the time wasting he did in the first half, then McKeown got yellow carded in injury time for the exact same thing.

We were winning at the time and to be fair McKeown does it on a regular basis when we are winning and that wasn't the first time  he has been booked for time wasting.

I think stopping the clock when the ball is out of play is a great idea. I saw they were looking at doing it and making playing time 60 mins. The games would still finish at ten to five and you wouldn’t have all this time wasting balderdash which is a huge negative in football.

What gets on my wick is that the refs appear to do all the right things but don't add the correct time on.

Take yesterday - time wasting from minute 1, there was a huge delay to take the penalty, their player gets booked for time wasting and the referee points to his watch to show that he is adding it on. You  would imagine therefore that the added time for the first half would be say 4 minutes?

Of course, every single time it is either 1 minute, or as yesterday 2 minutes and they wonder why players continue to do it? They know they can basically get away with it. The only way to eradicate it is to add on increasing minutes till they get the message it is self defeating.

I'm not sure about the solutions that have been put forward. How far does the beautiful game have to be pushed towards sterility. The free flowing nature of football makes the game far more attractive than the stop start of rugby. Blow the whistle for time off and blow it again for the game to start again. Technology will advance so quickly that we could have games in the future where every decision made is 100% correct. A great part of the game is taken up with fans venting their spleens about being hard done by or equally by having a lucky break. I know every fan of every club feels like the footballing gods are generally against their respective clubs, but it generally evens itself out apart from if you're Man U playing at Old Trafford. Maybe over the years we wouldn't have had to suffer "Fergie Time", and yes, timewasting can be extremely frustrating when we're on the wrong end of it, but football is the great game it is because it's not perfect. It's why forums like this one thrive, prosper and are full of threads about the inequities and shortfalls of the game..

0-0 games should be 0 points for both teams too!

Quoted from HertsGTFC

Better learning from Rugby League they've been doing it for decades the posh boys have only been doing it since TV got interested. RL has a rule where by if one side forms a scrum and the other tries to slow the game down by not being ready the ref calls time off.

Both codes don't call time off that much in reality all the standing about at the scrum in union is still part of the game and if the ball goes out the time it takes for a line out is not added on. They do call time off when they go to the screen or have to bollock the players for not packing down properly but the changes refs call at the scrum has reduced a lot of mucking about at the set piece.

Refs in football have the law on their side they just don't choose to use it because most of them know the rules but know nothing about the game.

FFS, another snide ,stereotypical pop at a group of sportsmen.

Quoted from rancido

FFS, another snide ,stereotypical pop at a group of sportsmen.

having the clock stopped whenever the ball is out of play and reducing game time to 60 minutes is being actively considered i think.
on average that would mean slightly more actual 'play' than now

And just think of all the wonderful TV advertising breaks which it would allow!

That's the only reason this would be under consideration.

one other point from Saturdays game, they tried to take a short goal kick, but were closed down quickly. The defender stepped into the penalty area and played the ball before it had left the penalty area, to stop him loosing the ball, resulting in the referee correctly ordering the goal kick to be retaken.

I would like to see a change in the law to stop this. One solution would be to award a corner instead of another goal kick when a defender touches the ball in the area from a goal kick.

Quoted from mimma

one other point from Saturdays game, they tried to take a short goal kick, but were closed down quickly. The defender stepped into the penalty area and played the ball before it had left the penalty area, to stop him loosing the ball, resulting in the referee correctly ordering the goal kick to be retaken.

I would like to see a change in the law to stop this. One solution would be to award a corner instead of another goal kick when a defender touches the ball in the area from a goal kick.

Could not agree more I said when that happened that should be penalised with a free kick blatant stretching of the rules

I think there is too much messing with the rules.. just leave it as it is and let the ref decide on deliberate time wasting,, lets face it all teams do it to

Quoted from Maringer

And just think of all the wonderful TV advertising breaks which it would allow!

That's the only reason this would be under consideration.

You've convinced me it would be a bad idea for this reason alone!

Went to to Spurs v Brighton last night and it was like a replay of Town v FGR from the time wasting perspective. Goalkeeper shamelessly wiping every spot of dirt off the ball, then walking back to move it 2mm before every goal kick. Then going through a cabaret act with a defender about who was going to take free kicks to waste another few seconds. Crowd were screaming for a booking after 15 mins but no action. After 25 minutes referee spoke to the Brighton captain but no bookings.
4th official added 2 minutes but that was due to an injury.
At some point somebody has to recognise that we pay good money to watch footie, not some overpaid tarts wasting time.
By the way, if you enjoy a bet, Brighton to go down might be worth a few quid, they were awful

Also whatch how long most goalkeepers keep the ball in their hands, I thought the rule was 6 seconds but I have never seen a goalie flagged for this. It makes you wonder if the TV companies do not want a game to overrun as it would spoil their schedules, unless every ref is just not capable of enforcing the rules.