It's just been confirmed that vanishing spray will be used from the start of this coming Premier League season.
They should use it for keepers during penalties as clearly the existing goal line isn't enough to stop them coming off it before the ball's been kicked.
I thought it was pretty pointless in the end, when the referee used it to mark the position of the free kick it was often a few inches in front of where the ball had already been placed so if the player wanted to move it forward they could have done anyway. And it was routinely ignored by the players when used to mark the 10 yards for the wall, many moved in front of it before the ball was kicked anyway and were not penalised for it. Nice idea but either use it properly or not at all.
The longer it is used in the MLS the more often it is used improperly and ignored. From someone who has to watch it being used all the time the sport is better off without it. Perhaps some of the other people on here who watch the MLS can comment as well but in my opinion it should be gotten rid of.
I've no objection to it. However, what about the arbitrary way that refs measure 10 yards. Some use galumping great strides which must leave them nursing a groin strain post match. Some take mincing little Nancy boy tippy toe shuffles. Some can't even frigging well count to ten. What's the point in insisting players stand behind an ill-measured, poorly estimated line? Give the buggers a tape measure or there's no point. It'd never happen in crown green bowling.
Newark, whilst I fully understand the sentiment of your post, and admire the crisp, simplicity of your delivery, I am struggling to understand its relevance to anything on this thread. Are you just given to random expressions of prejudice across the Internet?
Agreed. Most MLS refs don't know what 10 yards is and it can vary anywhere from 7 to 15 yards. And of course the ball is usually placed no where near where the offence took place anyway. By the way, if you think UK refs are bad, in general they don't even come close to the idiotic decisions of MLS refs.
I think its more about stopping the wall creeping forward than anything else, which is a good idea. I dont think we need to see ref's armed with laser guided measuring devices, just need them to get the wall about 10 yards away, ish is fine, then a line that the wall can't creep past. Sorted.
It's all bollocks,but it had to come. The entire game,especially at the top end has become all but a laughing stock. Wages are the root cause,followed by greedy agents and clubs who demand success at any price. The diving,cheating and overnight millionaire status simply encourages attitude and greed from a set of ****s who won't put jack **** back into the game once they greedy snouts have had a few years kicking a ball about and/or they grow tired of the limelight. The games ****ed,but like any drug it's addictive.
The laws of the game say 10 yards. Today's technologically tooled up referee could easily be provided with the wherewithal to make this happen, so why not? The current system of a bloke using his powers of estimation is a farce and always had been, especially with some of the spatially unaware clown shoes who referee football matches. It's not difficult to measure 10 yards with accuracy. We wouldn't allow a penalty to be taken from, say, 11 yards just because the referee had short legs. And yet we've suddenly decided to issue refs with magic spray. Ohhhh, shiny things! It's missing the point really.
I do agree in a manner with you, and I am not averse to seeing the continued expansion of the refs utility belt, although at some point the weight might be too much. I'm not sure a backpack would be workable. If they're anything like me, the measuring tape will be at the bottom, and it will evade any attempts to find it. Surely if the ref has short legs, it will more likely be 9 yards rather than 11? Sorry to be pedantic there.
Slightly off tangent, but something that's been eating away at me for a while now - Anyone think that referees are in the way of the play too much these days?? I do. I've noticed it more and more over the last 3 years or so. They must have been advised to get up closer to the action by the authorities, but they always seem be a nuisance, with players having to play round them, especially in scenarios such as a team attacking around the oppositions box, trying to break through a team that's defensively set. Yes, they need to make the correct decision, so it's better to get a better view, but I'm sure it wasn't like this a few years back and I'm fed up of shouting "Get out the f**ing way ref", every match I watch. Just a thing I've noticed.
I quite like the idea of a kind of retractable lightsabre that could be wafted about, in a Luke Skywalkeresk manner to ensure that all are at least 10 yards away from the ball. The penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal. Not 10 like the distance for a free kick. Not sure why. So both 9 and 11 yards would be closer than expected. Depends how short the refs legs are I guess. of course, refs don't measure the penalty spot so my point is, I suppose, fairly redundant.
