Yes, I am going to start this article by complaining about the offside rule, but don't worry because I've got plenty of other things left to moan about that you aren't interested in. Watching the Arsenal v Middlesbrough game on the television last Saturday evening just brings home to you, well maybe just me, how daft the current offside rule has become. The problem coming from the opening goal of the game scored by Boro's Jeremie Aliadiere. Mark Schwarzer's long punt downfield saw Aliadiere, in the middle of the pitch, a good yard offside but "not interfering with play". The ball up being capitalised on by an onside Tuncay Sanli who sprinted down the left before crossing into the Arsenal box. Now this is where I have a problem (insert own joke here) as Aliadiere, not offside from the cross, had a good yard on Kolo Toure from the original kick forward due to him originally being in an offside position. Keep going, you'll read and understand this whether you like it or not. That "stolen yard" thus enabled Aliadiere to be completely unmarked as he volleyed the ball home past the reach of Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia. So, the resultant complaint being that Aliadiere had plainly obviously been interfering with play as his original offside position had enabled him to steal a march on the Arsenal defenders and score a goal because of it. And that for me is where this offside rule becomes a complete farce, Arsenal defend well, keep a high line, catch Aliadiere a yard offside, and yet plays go on and they get punished for it. It's not the first time I've seen goals come from similar situations either, on numerous occasions a player being offside has meant him being in a far better position when a goalscoring chance has arisen, that rather making a mockery of the whole thing. It's time then, in my opinion, that we went back to the old rule of if you were offside you were offside, end of story. As soon as you allow interpretation to come into play, with the current interference situation, you create massive grey areas, lack of consistency and confusion all around. You know that will never happen though as, for a start it would be far too sensible, plus the authorities are never going to admit they got it wrong by changing it in the first place. To be honest I don't understand what was wrong with the original rule, everyone knew where they were I suppose and it made sense so you can't be having that. Now it makes it far harder for officials, supporters and players alike to have a clue who is active and who is inactive. They say it was changed to promote more attacking football, well I can't say that I've seen more attacking football because of it, all I've seen is puzzled expressions on faces. And another thing, yes another thing, whatever happened to that rule where a free-kick was moved forward ten yards if a player showed excessive dissent? I didn't imagine it I'm sure, and it seemed a sensible idea that worked as well, which is presumably the reason it was ditched. For me too the lack of respect currently shown by some players towards the officials is the one thing that really needs sorting out in the game in at the moment. I liked that rule when it was brought in, especially the way it was an easy one for a supporter to understand as you could see the referee pacing the ten yards out. Understandably it encounters problems when the dissent shown is a couple of yards outside the box and you can't move the free-kick into the penalty area, so perhaps in that instance you could allow the set-piece to be taken from anywhere outside the box that the taker chooses. You never understand where these rules disappear to either, they come in with a big blaze of glory as the new cure for all evils, and then a year later they are ditched without anyone seemingly noticing. About the only rule that has come in over recent years, and even that was over 15 years ago now, that really has worked, is the backpass rule which has been an excellent introduction. Although us Carlisle fans didn't think in the early days as the ball came bearing down onto Tony Caig's boot. Anyway, that's enough moaning for this week, I'm going for a lie down in a darkened room, especially after the amount of Easter eggs I've just eaten. On that subject, happy holidays to all, and let's hope that we don't commit too many fowls today, that everything will be all white and we can hatch an eggcellent gameplan, and that's no yolk. |