Football and the offside rule

[Deleted member 23270]

I saw a program recently that looked at the oldest club in the world and the original rules they set out. There was no offside rule, it was added at a later date.

My question is......would you like to see it removed from the rules?

Surely it would lead to more goals (which is what we all want to see?) and no dodgy VAR decisions.

 

[SaintHacker]

No, I'd like to see it go back to the old rule, where any player was offside end of, not just one thats 'active', and stop this ridiculous business of waiting for a passage of play to finish before flagging. If its off side stick the bloody flag up!

 

[Imurg]

Cloughie had it right.....

 

[chico]

Cloughie had it right.....

Think it was Shankley "If your not interfering with play you shouldn't be on the pitch"

 

[Blue in Munich]

No, I'd like to see it go back to the old rule, where any player was offside end of, not just one thats 'active', and stop this ridiculous business of waiting for a passage of play to finish before flagging. If its off side stick the bloody flag up!

I’d take that or no offside; anything but the utter dog’s dinner that we currently have.

 

[clubchamp98]

While we’re sorting the offside rule sort the handball rule as well.

 

[Orikoru]

No, I'd like to see it go back to the old rule, where any player was offside end of, not just one thats 'active', and stop this ridiculous business of waiting for a passage of play to finish before flagging. If its off side stick the bloody flag up!

Correct. VAR has caused all the problems, not the offside rule. I'd add to your post - bring back the concept of level actually being onside. Nowadays if you're level VAR will show some part of you, be it your ear or your toenail will probably be a millimetre beyond the defence and that makes it offside apparently.

But to get rid of the offside rule would make football farcical. Teams would all leave a goal hanger up top, defences would have to defend 20 yards deeper to stop forwards getting in behind - the game would become so stretched out they'd have to start playing drawn-out formations to cover the space, like a 3-2-2-2-1 or something. Daft.

 

[Pants]

..... would make football farcical.

Rather late for that. Football (the beautiful game ) has been farcical for years. They should learn from other sports but, of course, they won't as there's far too much money at stake.

 

[Neilds]

Whatever happened to having daylight between the attacker and defender? If we went back to that it would save all the drawing of lines and working out who is wearing the bigger boots!

 

[PJ87]

Whatever happened to having daylight between the attacker and defender? If we went back to that it would save all the drawing of lines and working out who is wearing the bigger boots!

Never was a law. Made up by sky

 

[WGCRider]

Nowadays if you're level VAR will show some part of you, be it your ear or your toenail will probably be a millimetre beyond the defence and that makes it offside apparently.
.

But that the rule nothing to do with VAR. VAR just applies the rules as written. In your sentence above you are in effect proposing changing the offside rule so that 1mm would be onside. But you have to draw a line somewhere. 1mm is now onside so that means 2mm if offside.

Interestingly - the way VAR works the system know instantly if it's onside or offside. The "lines" we see are for TV viewers at home. Same in tennis - they run tournaments without linesman and the chair umpire is told instantly by the system if it's in or out. The imaging we see when players challenge is purely for the audience.

 

[Tashyboy]

Me I am all for offside. But with the implementation of VAR It is a massive joke. EG. A player is offside, the linesman can see he is offside but does not raise a flag until he makes contact with the ball or further on in the passage of play. Eh, how’s that right. His flag should go up straight away. If he is not sure it goes to VAR. What is and is not offside is a joke. His hand is offside. Seriously, do players have to run round in straight jackets. Offside should stay, and as CC98 says so should Handball. They have both become overly complicated.

 

[PJ87]

Me I am all for offside. But with the implementation of VAR It is a massive joke. EG. A player is offside, the linesman can see he is offside but does not raise a flag until he makes contact with the ball or further on in the passage of play. Eh, how’s that right. His flag should go up straight away. If he is not sure it goes to VAR. What is and is not offside is a joke. His hand is offside. Seriously, do players have to run round in straight jackets. Offside should stay, and as CC98 says so should Handball. They have both become overly complicated.

I am all for leaving it for var to deal with just incase

If they wrongly raise the flag play stops and that's that but If the goal goes in Easy to check

We have seen goals ruled back onside by var because the flag was delayed so let's not see perfectly good goals ruled offside due to incompetent officials

 

[Tashyboy]

I am all for leaving it for var to deal with just incase

If they wrongly raise the flag play stops and that's that but If the goal goes in Easy to check

We have seen goals ruled back onside by var because the flag was delayed so let's not see perfectly good goals ruled offside due to incompetent officials

i should of mentioned clear off sides, there have been instances where the flag could of been raised and players have been injured because play continued

 

[nickjdavis]

But that the rule nothing to do with VAR. VAR just applies the rules as written. In your sentence above you are in effect proposing changing the offside rule so that 1mm would be onside. But you have to draw a line somewhere. 1mm is now onside so that means 2mm if offside.

Interestingly - the way VAR works the system know instantly if it's onside or offside. The "lines" we see are for TV viewers at home. Same in tennis - they run tournaments without linesman and the chair umpire is told instantly by the system if it's in or out. The imaging we see when players challenge is purely for the audience.

If this is the case...why does it sometimes take an age to come to a decision and communicate it?

 

[PJ87]

If this is the case...why does it sometimes take an age to come to a decision and communicate it?

Normally because they are checking for other factors, ie foul in build up, if anyone else was offside etc

 

[KenL]

Whatever happened to having daylight between the attacker and defender? If we went back to that it would save all the drawing of lines and working out who is wearing the bigger boots!

Does that work under floodlights?

 

[Orikoru]

But that the rule nothing to do with VAR. VAR just applies the rules as written. In your sentence above you are in effect proposing changing the offside rule so that 1mm would be onside. But you have to draw a line somewhere. 1mm is now onside so that means 2mm if offside.

Interestingly - the way VAR works the system know instantly if it's onside or offside. The "lines" we see are for TV viewers at home. Same in tennis - they run tournaments without linesman and the chair umpire is told instantly by the system if it's in or out. The imaging we see when players challenge is purely for the audience.

What I mean is, if you rule it by that margin then it's practically impossible for the forward to be level with the defender. Some part of his body will always creep in front as they run side by side. So in order to guarantee he's onside, he actually has to be several inches behind the defender. I personally don't think that's right. It should be ruled by eye so if he appears level with the defender, he's onside. A forward needs to be able to time his run knowing that level is fine, but he can't do that now. Ruling it by 1 or 2 millimetres is nonsense.

 

[larmen]

I hate the passive offside rule with a passion. An offside player drags a defender back, and suddenly another guy is onside, an offside player at the last moment let’s a ball slip by and is passive, 3 players are reaching forward ball and luckily the guy who wasn’t offside headed it in but the other 2 don’t count, …

Make the rule black and white. Anyone offside? No goal.
VAR is fine, the rules are stupid.

 

[WGCRider]

What I mean is, if you rule it by that margin then it's practically impossible for the forward to be level with the defender. Some part of his body will always creep in front as they run side by side. So in order to guarantee he's onside, he actually has to be several inches behind the defender. I personally don't think that's right. It should be ruled by eye so if he appears level with the defender, he's onside. A forward needs to be able to time his run knowing that level is fine, but he can't do that now. Ruling it by 1 or 2 millimetres is nonsense.

I understand what you are saying. However try writing that as a rule. The rules now are clear, your implementation is in effect saying "every now and then a little offside is okay".
We could/would achieve the same result you are proposing but saying we should use VAR as we do now but after the conclusion the captain on the wrong side of the decision roles a dice - if it's a 6 we rule in his favour. I will bring back some of the fun of linesmans' error. As stupid as this sounds it's not far off what happens in cricket with umpires call. The ball is either hitting or not.
Joking aside I would take issue with your use of "practically impossible" cause it really isn't. In athletics we though it was practically impossible to eliminate false starts in sprinting. Then they decided that any false start = disqualification. Turns out false starts aren't a massive problem anymore.