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Things I don't understand about modern football

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    Things I don't understand about modern football

    1) What ever happened to the obstruction rule? Has it gone? I know there use to be one because when I was a clumsy right back at school I was penalised for it about twice a game. But now what I did is called "shielding the the ball" and is quite OK. Never mind whether the ball is three yards away, and you're leaning on the player behind you like a drunk at a garden party.

    2) Why does every defender in football raise their arm to claim offside as a forward is running past him? Try and catch him you waste of oxygen! You're not the effing referee, your supposed to be an effing player. See that thing in the ref's mouth? It's called a whistle. Until you hear it there's football match going on and your supposed to playing in it.
    Last edited by Amor de Cosmos; 09-02-2019, 05:52.

    #2
    When a corner taker sticks their arm(s) in the air before taking it, does it actually mean anything? There sems a limited vocabulary of communication through the media of arms. The scope is huge before set-pieces for quarterback style number code shouting.

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      #3
      Shielding the ball and shepherding it out for a goal kick seems to have reached new lengths - in both time and distance. It's quite funny to see a defender start the process several yards out, and then find there wasn't enough weight on the pass (or aimless clearance) so both defender and attacker (who's now had plenty of time to catch up) do a little dance until it trickles over the line. But yeah, I shout "obstruction!" at the telly, nobody listens.

      As for 2), I'd like to see the results of a scientific experiment, where one team - say, for a whole season - makes no apparently pointless appeals (and not only offside, the same goes for handball, arms go up in supplication even if the ball is pinging around the area). I wonder if it would demonstrate that appealing essentially works, and officials are swayed, however illogical that may seem. At lower levels, especially. And there's a Psychology paper to be written there: conceding a goal is OK if it wasn't fair, the basic human need to believe in your own innocence beats results.

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        #4
        Originally posted by Sits View Post
        When a corner taker sticks their arm(s) in the air before taking it, does it actually mean anything? There sems a limited vocabulary of communication through the media of arms. The scope is huge before set-pieces for quarterback style number code shouting.
        I think, depending on which arm is raised, it might mean in-swinger or out-swinger. But I suppose, by arrangement, it might mean somthing quite different.

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          #5
          In my son's team one arm raised means near post, both arms raised means far post. Thing is, the corner taker usually makes a mess of it anyway.

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            #6
            Why do managers and coaches scream at and harass the fourth official when a decision goes against them?

            He didn’t make the decision and he doesn’t have the power to change it.

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              #7
              Originally posted by cantagalo View Post
              Why do managers and coaches scream at and harass the fourth official when a decision goes against them?

              He didn’t make the decision and he doesn’t have the power to change it.
              Probably for the same reason as our customers moan at our drivers when the kit they deliver turns out to be totally unsuitable for the job, even though that was what they ordered in the first place. It's an attempt to deflect from their own stupid decisions

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                #8
                Similar in a small way to customers complaining to waiters about the quality of the food.

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                  #9
                  Why is second half added on time nearly always longer than that in the first half? Maybe a ref could explain this one,

                  I've mentioned this before on some other thread, but is the toss for ends necessary nowadays in professional football at least? It seems that there is some kind of tacit agreement between most teams to let the home side kick towards the goal they prefer in the second half (usually the most shouty home fans) in return for a reciprocal arrangement in the return match.



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                    #10
                    Originally posted by Sporting View Post
                    Why is second half added on time nearly always longer than that in the first half? Maybe a ref could explain this one,
                    There's an automatic 30 seconds added first every substitution made and these tend to be in the 2nd half so you're always going to get more time.

                    It's totally arbitrary though. If a game is being won by a margin the ref should just blow. You're losing 0-4, 3 minutes of added time ain't going to help.

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                      #11
                      "You're just a bust stop in..." chants. Why are they do stupid? I mean it works for, say, TNS (you're just a bus stop in Shropshire), but recently I've heard Cardiff fans tell Arsenal "You're just a bus stop in Tottenham" and tell Spurs "You're just a bus stop in Arsenal" - neither if which are geographically accurate or, indeed, sensible.

                      I guess my question is why are so many football songs so stupid?

                      On that note, why the hate? Every league game I go to there seems to be a section of "fans" who just want to abuse the other fans. They've spent money to get in and don't watch the game - they're too busy shouting vulgar swears at total strangers. Why aren't those people getting psychological help?

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                        #12
                        Originally posted by Amor de Cosmos View Post

                        I think, depending on which arm is raised, it might mean in-swinger or out-swinger. But I suppose, by arrangement, it might mean somthing quite different.
                        Surely that would be obvious if the corner taker was left or right footed?

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Patrick Thistle View Post
                          "You're just a bust stop in..." chants ?
                          Great typo there.

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by Patrick Thistle View Post

                            There's an automatic 30 seconds added first every substitution made and these tend to be in the 2nd half so you're always going to get more time.

                            It's totally arbitrary though. If a game is being won by a margin the ref should just blow. You're losing 0-4, 3 minutes of added time ain't going to help.
                            Not in that particular game perhaps, but a couple of dodgy goals in (the correct amount of) added time might help hugely in your imminent relegation dogfight.

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                              #15
                              When did "his arm is in an unnatural position " enter the laws of the game.
                              In terms of chants "you're only here to see the (chanters club)" is the height of stupidity, do they honestly think anyone is going to think "you know you're right, I feel such a fool turning up here for the last 20 years "

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                                #16
                                Yes, what exactly is the natural position for an arm to be in?

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                                  #17
                                  How many players actually are "that type of player"?

                                  And has the "non celebration" against a previous team always been a thing?

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                                    #18
                                    I always thought an extra minute had to be added on for each goal, as well. Which is why it always pisses me off when teams kick off after a last-gasp goal in injury time and the ref immediately blows for full time. By definition there should be at least another minute after the restart for the goal that's just been scored.

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                                      #19
                                      Not sure about this one.

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                                        #20
                                        Originally posted by Rogin the Armchair fan View Post
                                        I always thought an extra minute had to be added on for each goal, as well. Which is why it always pisses me off when teams kick off after a last-gasp goal in injury time and the ref immediately blows for full time. By definition there should be at least another minute after the restart for the goal that's just been scored.
                                        If the goal was scored in the last seconds of added time, surely the ref is obliged to play only a few more seconds.

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                                          #21
                                          I think the guideline is thirty seconds per substitution (as PT said) and the same per goal plus any time for other stoppages the ref decides on.

                                          You could argue that a goal scored in the very last second of injury time doesn't warrant any further time added on as no actual playing time has been lost in the aftermath, so blowing up straight after the restart (which has to occur) is valid.

                                          Edit : cross-post with the far more concise cantaglo.
                                          Last edited by Ray de Galles; 09-02-2019, 11:47.

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                                            #22
                                            Originally posted by Sits View Post

                                            And has the "non celebration" against a previous team always been a thing?
                                            Denis Law is the earliest example I can recall.

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                                              #23
                                              Celebrations were much more muted in those days anyway, weren't they?

                                              There is a quote I remember - possibly from an old WSC - which talked about the difference in celebrations. The bit that sticks in my head is "the scorer would then have his hand shaken by his teammates in the manner of a man who had just stood up in the pub and announced that his wife was 'in the family way'".

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                                                #24
                                                Originally posted by elguapo4 View Post
                                                When did "his arm is in an unnatural position " enter the laws of the game.
                                                Is it actually in the laws? Genuine question.

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                                                  #25
                                                  Originally posted by Snake Plissken View Post
                                                  Celebrations were much more muted in those days anyway, weren't they?

                                                  There is a quote I remember - possibly from an old WSC - which talked about the difference in celebrations. The bit that sticks in my head is "the scorer would then have his hand shaken by his teammates in the manner of a man who had just stood up in the pub and announced that his wife was 'in the family way'".
                                                  But that would be a generation before Law. Whenever I watch '60s and '70s footage on YouTube (which is most days of my empty week) I'm often struck by how exuberant the celebrations are. Not today's choreography, but certainly a lot more than a handshake. Upper lips were already well wobbling by the time colour telly arrived.

                                                  If there's a spin-off thread on things we like about modern football, I'd suggest the post-goal Pointing. In fact, I've been wondering when it first became the norm for goalscorers to publicly acknowledge the assist from a team-mate. In the old group snog they may well have been saying "Great ball, Kev", but it was in-house.

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