Speed up the game and stamp out time-wasters, urges Leeds’ Farke
REFEREES are taking the wrong approach to timewasting by simply adding time on rather than trying to protect the flow of the game, according to Leeds United manager Daniel Farke.
The start of the season saw some huge amounts of time added to games as the authorities tried to clamp down on time-wasting.
Unsurprisingly, that quickly tailed off in the Football League – less so the Premier League where video assistant referee decisions take up large amounts of time.
Nevertheless it had a positive effect, with the Football League announcing in December the ball was in play nearly five minutes longer per Championship game, slightly more in League One and for an extra seven minutes in League Two.
But Farke's concern is less that the ball is not in play long enough but that teams who set out to spoil games can disrupt momentum, as Blackburn Rovers did in Saturday's 1-0 win at Elland Road.
“The explanation when every goal-kick or free-kick lasts 30 or 40 seconds and he (the referee) doesn't give yellow cards is we add this at the end of the game but it always breaks the rhythm,” he argued.
“You're trying to build pressure. It's so much more difficult to create chances when it's always a stopand-go game.
“I don't like it as a supporter because I think it's ugly to watch.
“They add a few minutes but the few minutes are still stop and go. This shouldn't be the solution.
“I would love it if the officials would encourage the lads to play more football instead of always just time-wasting.”
It is a skill of the game to “manage” it as the officials allow, which at times can mean eating up the clock, so it is hard to blame the teams. If Leeds go from one of the Championship's top teams to one of the Premier League's weakest next season, the boot will be on the other foot.
“I don't blame the opponents because they're fighting for their lives and it's up to the officials,” said Farke.
“I don't like nowadays how we react, to just add time and end up with 10 minutes' added time. I'd rather have the situations before. It was much stricter 10, 20 years ago but it's another generation, we have to accept this.”