EFL Match Officials adopt new approach for 2023/24 season

[magpie_mania]

You would imagine so, MM. "Towels or other articles" should cover that. Besides, I think they're introducing "multi-ball". In Rugby, injuries , (unless serious), are treated while play continues. Would it be feasible for footy to do the same?

I can't see why not in a way but can you begin to imagine how they will have to re-write the offside law!
far

Time-wasting has got far worse while I have been watching (50+ years). Another thing that annoys me is when a team get a free-kick and a player holds onto the ball for a few seconds to enable their team mates to get back in position. That is delaying play, but will it be called? And the way that keepers go down now when making the simplest catches. For some reason, they don't seem to need to if their team is losing.

[Magpies1959]

I think as soon as a player goes down 'injured', the moment he starts hitting the ground with his fist to suggest a bad injury, then play just carries on until the cheat gets up and is made to look a fool. As someone who randomly suffers with intense stomach pain, requiring hospitalisation, the last thing I feel like doing is beating the bed or settee with my fist.

[magpie_mania]

I think as soon as a player goes down 'injured', the moment he starts hitting the ground with his fist to suggest a bad injury, then play just carries on until the cheat gets up and is made to look a fool. As someone who randomly suffers with intense stomach pain, requiring hospitalisation, the last thing I feel like doing is beating the bed or settee with my fist.

Good idea ..... but they will just stop hitting the ground!

Teams now have throw-in coaches, set-piece coaches etc - how about 'Time-wasting coach'?! Just make it official.

[durhampie]

I was starting to reply to this to say you’d soon think differently if one of our players is genuinely injured and we lose them for 10 minutes.
Then I thought, I’ve played football all my life. If I’ve ever been on the floor for more than 10 seconds, I’m going off injured.
Again I’m conditioned to accept professional footballers can roll around on the floor but then be up and sprinting 2 mins later.

If they are genuinely injured, then you sub them...Its the time wasters who will think twice..

[Elite_Pie]

Good idea ..... but they will just stop hitting the ground!

Teams now have throw-in coaches, set-piece coaches etc - how about 'Time-wasting coach'?! Just make it official.

I'm pretty sure lots of teams have had a time wasting and diving coach for ages.

They would be called 'Head of Game Management' and 'Simulation Advisor'.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

When I started watching football, games would kick off at 3pm and be over by 4:45pm. But in those days things like time wasting and game management (clever time wasting) were unheard of. Despite the bold words in the EFL statement, it still seems that that minutes will be added for time wasting rather than addressing time wasting itself.

Games finishing at 5:10pm will be commonplace.

It does seem like that is the way it’s going. Although it does seem like a potential cure rather than prevention approach.

I hope it works and that there becomes no benefit to “gamesmanship” or “game management” but for me the jury is out until it’s seen in action.

Football is supposed to be a fast fluid game and not a stop/start game that you see more of in Rugby and American Football. It can’t lose its fluid nature.

If a team is under pressure from the opposition then they can in theory still disrupt the oppositions play by feigning injury or cramp, taking ages to take a goal kick, falling over and covering up the ball in an attempt to win a free kick and various other tricks in the book. All it means is that it drags it on for longer.

Maybe it’s being purist or idealistic but outlawing certain actions as someone else has said under the banner of “not within the spirit of the game” or “unsportsmanlike behaviour” would be better and install some discipline, boundaries and respect for the game.

[Magpies1959]

The term 'game management', really sticks in my craw. It is nearly always just good old fashioned time wasting. Notts use game management, under LW, in the main, by slowing the game down with shorter easier balls between the players, usually between the defence and midfield. This is totally acceptable, as it just puts the onus on the opposition to win the ball back.

[the_anticlough]

To be fair the EFL have made one belated but positive change:

“Clubs will no longer be permitted to use towels or other articles, including items obtained from spectators to dry footballs during matches.”

Not just Tozer, but I found it incredulous that the ball could go out of play, then we had to wait for a towel to be provided and a ball to be dried as part of normal time.

Yeah and about time. Wrexham were lucky that opponents didn't call out the ridiculousness of using bathroom items by insisting on using a towel (or loofah) for every throw-in.
But if they still do, what? No referee advice or coaching please, just give the throw-in the other way.

Reading though all the changes, I'm very happy the EFL will be adopting some NBA style rules on 'delay of game'

Match officials will also be taking a more robust approach to dealing with clear/deliberate actions that are impactful in delaying the restart of play, with players cautioned

Generally though, it's certain that we're going the World Cup route where 10mins overtime is normal. Cynical teams and managers will still find ways and disrupting the flow is as important for them as the time itself. The exceptions for on-field treatment (any goalie injury, same team players collide, penalty-taker) and 30secs rule seem too close to what happens now. I don't think they've got the philosophy quite right, for example the important thing is that the penalty is taken pretty quickly, not that player X has a right to take it (Mullin and Tozer hit in the same set of changes )

IMO, time-wasting is the scourge of the modern game. A loud alarm bell is that managers suffering from it say they would do exactly the same if the boot was on the other foot. If that isn't a challenge to the governing bodies to fix it, nothing is.
These changes seem to acknowledge the problem but don't go far enough and we're heading for 5:05 plus finishes. Eventually then, we could be heading for a match clock along with all the delay of game cautions.

[kings1]

A rule I’d introduce is that when a substitution is made, the play resumes and the player coming on has to wait the exact amount of time it took the substituted player to leave the pitch from the moment the board goes up.

[uysapie]

I wish they would enforce the existing rule on throw ins and make the player throw in from the point where the ball went out of play, not 10-15 yards down the line.

https://www.thefa.com/football-rules...--the-throw-in