On the topic of free kicks I found it so bloody typical that as soon as JWP went off we got three free kicks in great shooting positions, poor lad must have been livid on the bench. How many direct free kicks has he gotten to take this season? I remember one in a recent game, think Swansea which was right on the edge of the box and too close for him to get enough shape on it and one in a game early in the season that was a whisker wide and clipped the post I believe, other than that just a couple of speculative long rangers. Maybe he's taken a bunch more and I just can't remember them because he put them in row Z haha. *EDIT* Also on the foam, don't know if anyone else noticed but there was a moment in the game yesterday on one of said free-kicks where Friend marched the wall back and got them in a nice straight line 10 yards. As he went to spray the foam Sturridge put his foot out and started to fiddle with his shoe laces, instead of telling him to move back or just spraying right across his foot, Friend actually moved his hand back 4/5 inches to compensate, and then the rest of the wall moved forwards a bit up to the new line. Have to say as annoyed as I was at the game I let out a wry smile, fair play to Sturridge, probably identified the ref didn't have the bottle to tell a player to move his foot let alone give a pen haha!
Completely agree it's crap,never a quick free kick,not sure the refs are compelled to use it though are they. If they are I suppose I'd better stop screaming at them to stick that kin cream and get on with it. Just gives em more time to pose for those bloody cameras.
Things are better. Where they used to creep forward 2 or 3 yards and then run before the ball was struck they now only creep 1 yard forward. 9 yards away is better than 7 or less as stated earlier. However noticed the other night. PSG had a free kick and Ibrahimovic scooped up the foam surrounding the ball placement and drew his own curve to the side of where the ref had. Not gained a massive advantage other than being half a yard more central but still. Once the rules are tested and a player gets away with that then more will try it and then they will try more etc. Referees, assistants and 4th officials are going to have to insist on the rules being adhered to or we'll be back to the start again. Also in the Liverpool vs whoever they were playing game the other night Liverpool's wall was in front of the line every time not creeping forward. They moved forward the instant the referee stood up from spraying and he did nothing about it.
I agree! Tennis, NFL, Cricket have all gone this way. Why not? Traditionalist be damned! And while we're at it can we widen the goals a metre each way so we can consistently get 5-4 scorelines? Who knows, Pelle might even bag a couple!
Could not disagree more with your first sentence,they might look better on television but it is slowly killing any excitement with quick free kicks and only serves to give defenders (the culprits) more time to get in position.
A low-tech item like foam spray being used to reinforce a rule for free-kicks is seen to slow up the game and yet people are happy to consider the introduction of video evidence
If teams want a quick free kick they only have to ask the referee. Not difficult. The spray has been a good introduction.
I understand that sentiment, however it is better that defenders have to be the correct distance now (or nearer to the correct distance), thus giving the free-kick experts more chance of scoring.
Doesn't the ref only use the spray when the opposition form a wall? I've seen a few free kicks during various matches this season that were taken without the foam coming out, usually when it would be pointless to form a wall admittedly, but quick free kicks still happen. I hadn't realised the ref was delaying free kicks so that a wall can form and he gets to play with his spray. I think the spray is a good thing personally, as it always annoyed me when the wall would creep forward taking most of the advantage away from the team awarded the free kick
But you're seeing something that isn't happening. If someone takes a free kick it goes on just as before. If they start hanging around and waiting while things form up, there comes a point when everyone has to wait for the whistle. That's completely unchanged. You were never allowed to take a free kick at any old time while the wall was forming or the ref was pacing out the wall (which they did even before foam, remember?) Here's Graham Poll on the subject: "With a free-kick around the penalty area, we always ask the players whether they want it quick or slow. This is their window of opportunity to surprise the defence. If they want it quick, then they have given up the right to re-take it, no matter if it hits a defender who's three yards away. The same goes if they kick it over the bar. They only get one chance. The flip side is if they want it slow, they can't then take it while I count out the ten yards for the wall. They must wait for my whistle. (my italics) There is nothing in the laws of the game that say we have to indicate for the free-kick to be taken. It's just like when someone wants to take a free-kick anywhere else on the field. As long as the ball is stationary and in the right place then the attacking team can take it as quickly as they like." Vin
