It’s football, but not as I knew it!
MY brother has suggested I write to you about football. Well it isn’t football as I knew it, when I was young and played.
We have so many players from all over the world playing for our clubs, coming here for the vast amount of money they can earn.
When I watch it on TV, out of 22 players you will be lucky to have three or four English players starting the game in our Premier League, and we have very few English managers; getting fewer each season. They are often fired within weeks, some on a five year contract, and walk away with a vast sum of money. This is money that should be going to our lower leagues and to the roots of football, not to add to the bank balances of the already rich.
Refereeing standards have gone down too. Perhaps because players go down with a gentle tap, holding their ankle or leg.
Let’s look at the rules. We now have a technical area for managers who seem to spend more time out of them than in them, often arguing with the fourth official. May I suggest they clear the playing area of all managers and their staff, into the stands. They have all week to coach their players.
I have never worked out why we need a fourth official, all he does is hold up a board, he does not help the referee with decisions.
We now have a person who watches for balls that cross the goal line, and seems to do nothing else, even though our FA has goal line technicians.
Playing with the multi-ball system can only lead to unfairness, when ball boys are clever enough and trained to gain an advantage. The ball you kick off with should be the only ball used, unless it is damaged.
I see from kick-off, very often, one player not standing in his own half.
Throw-ins. Your feet should not be over the line. Referees do not seem to enforce this law, also players walking down the line yards from where the ball went out to gain advantage, and drying it with a towel.
Corner kicks. The FA say that if the ball is clipping the white line of the D it’s perfectly ok, so why have a D? To save any argument, put a white spot where the ball is to be placed.
I can never support shirtpulling, elbows or raised arms. They say it’s a man’s game but this is beyond me. You are supposed to use your feet, this is why it’s called football. Not enough is being done to clamp down on this, it’s a fine example to our youngsters.
How many times have you seen a referee give a foul for obstruction? An indirect free kick? It’s been a while since I’ve seen one given, why is this?
After 90 minutes no substitutions should be allowed, the team who are winning always use them to waste time and slow the game down.
Players stretchered off are on their feet as soon as they clear the touch line. Referees should have the power to penalise players by keeping them on the side for five minutes or longer, and this should apply to all players that con referees in this way.
Offside. The new law. Which now states that if a players is in an offside position but not interfering with play, it’s ok; if he’s not in line with the goalkeeper, the player with the ball can go on and score.
I always remember Jack Charlton being asked about the new rule, and his reply was, ‘If you’re stood offside, you’re bloody well offside.”
T Cadman, 24 Mount Road, Wordsley, Stourbridge