Does she/he/it (( you can 'crunch' that description )), focus on offsides or actually watch the action on the ball ? We expect that linos must be ' up-with-play ', and in line with the last defender - to avoid missing any offsides...but -- she/he/it rarely manages to be in the same postcode as the defence - and often gets it wrong, or guesses badly. I maintain that judging when a ball is played forward, the lino must have some vision of the ball and - simultaneously, the positions of last defender and forwards (( who may, or may not be interfering with play. ))..... This is almost a physical impossibility - unless the lino happens to be Marty Feldman !... At least with VAR, responsibility for such dimensional assessment is removed from linos remit...... AND If the lino is (trying) to watch for offside, she/he/it cannot see all the shirt-pulling, strangling and other fouls committed....and judging by the number of these forms of cheating, the lino is definitely not watching the action - although it beggars belief that so much cheating is apparently not seen ! ...But if we expect the lino to see when Hawkins (etc), is virtually stripped naked by the opposing defenders, then fans perhaps shouldn't expect the flag waver to notice offsides ! ..... and now we find ourselves back at the start of their dilemma! Personally, I think we should experiment (( at least for one season )) without offsides.. VAR is not the exact science to fully resolve what body part is deemed as qualifying to be 'offside.' - and the delay is tortuous...I don't worry that, without the offside rule, teams will play 'hoofball' (( well - perhaps not other teams ! )) Some teams may choose to 'go long' - but it would still need for more than a lone striker ( unless your team is Gillingham - who cannot deploy anyone close to the halfway line when merely defending a throw-in !!!!!! )). Defenders should be able to cope with one or no strikers if offside is 'permitted.' Personally I prefer to have focus on all the fouling and cheating that goes 'unseen ' (( allegedly )) - The whistler and flag wavers need to see what's happening - and act decisively - and not cheat by ignoring cheating by players - or simply 'turning a blind eye " )) and claim they didn't see Hawkins without his shirt on his back - or book the wrong player - and not the real offender - who has already been carded !!
