Goalkeeper "injury" breaks

[jackal2]

Virtually every game now, one team or the other tells their goalkeeper (or occasionally another player) to feign injury in order to manufacture a break to give tactical instructions to their team. I believe Danny Cowley started it at Lincoln, and now it has become the norm, accepted by players, management and officials alike.

This is an insult to football fans, who do not pay to watch players standing around drinking and chatting mid-way through a half, interrupting the flow of the game sorting out tactics that should have been figured out on training grounds during the week.

It needs to be stamped out, with referees being given licence to refuse treatment to goalkeepers/players who are feigning injury as blatantly as Salford's goalkeeper did last night. In fact, why not book the offending player for simulation? The fans were singing "there's f*ck all wrong with him" and of course everybody in the stadium knew that was true.

If the authorities don't take a firm line on this, then don't come bleating about "fair play" and "respect", because there's none being shown to the paying public by allowing this nonsense.

[LeftPeg_Pie]

I do agree this needs to be looked at, but I think referees judging who should and should not receive treatment due to their opinion of if they are or are not injured is a bad idea, as frustrating as players going down seemingly for no reason is.

Referees can and should certainly be instructed to manage these situations differently when treatment is on-going but like you allude to, I think this and time-wasting in general needs to be a real whole game buy in thing.

I do not really know how you can manage these situations to stop them being the tactical breaks everyone knows they are, but it definitely needs looking at.

[cjpieman]

I do agree this needs to be looked at, but I think referees judging who should and should not receive treatment due to their opinion of if they are or are not injured is a bad idea, as frustrating as players going down seemingly for no reason is.

Referees can and should certainly be instructed to manage these situations differently when treatment is on-going but like you allude to, I think this and time-wasting in general needs to be a real whole game buy in thing.

I do not really know how you can manage these situations to stop them being the tactical breaks everyone knows they are, but it definitely needs looking at.

Just make another outfield player leave the field for a minute?problem solved

[the_anticlough]

Virtually every game now, one team or the other tells their goalkeeper (or occasionally another player) to feign injury in order to manufacture a break to give tactical instructions to their team. I believe Danny Cowley started it at Lincoln, and now it has become the norm, accepted by players, management and officials alike.

This is an insult to football fans, who do not pay to watch players standing around drinking and chatting mid-way through a half, interrupting the flow of the game sorting out tactics that should have been figured out on training grounds during the week. It needs to be stamped out, with referees being given licence to refuse treatment to goalkeepers/players who are feigning injury as blatantly as Salford's goalkeeper did last night. In fact, why not book the offending player for simulation? The fans were singing "there's f*ck all wrong with him" and of course everybody in the stadium knew that was true.

If the authorities don't take a firm line on this, then don't come bleating about "fair play" and "respect", because there's none being shown to the paying public by allowing this nonsense.

You're dead right, everybody should be outraged about this cheating of the paying public.

It's also bad for wider society. They know they're faking. The refs know they're cheating. Fans on both sides know they're cheating. So why persist with this masquerade, teaching youngsters watching that faking and lie-ing is just an acceptable thing in life?

The authorities didn't have to wait til the end of the season to do this, it had become a scourge on the game from the start of the season.

[Thordardaughter]

I do agree this needs to be looked at, but I think referees judging who should and should not receive treatment due to their opinion of if they are or are not injured is a bad idea, as frustrating as players going down seemingly for no reason is.

Referees can and should certainly be instructed to manage these situations differently when treatment is on-going but like you allude to, I think this and time-wasting in general needs to be a real whole game buy in thing.

I do not really know how you can manage these situations to stop them being the tactical breaks everyone knows they are, but it definitely needs looking at.

Just make sure none of the other players leave the pitch or gather around the physio coming on. Make them go to the centre circle or the opposite side of the pitch. There?s only so much a physio can pass on to the keeper to pass on to the players.
It?s got totally out of hand and needs stamping down on next season.

[Robertomac]

At the referee's discretion, the goalie goes off for 5 minutes and hands the gloves to a teammate. It would stop it happening instantly. Like a sin bin kind of thing. FIFA, UEFA, the FA or anyone else doesn't have the balls to take this kind of action however. There will be a weak rule brought in that'll be easily broken without repercussions.

It was indeed Danny Cowley who started this. It's another reason why I sometimes hate football for the total lack of honour and decency in the game.

[jackal2]

I do agree this needs to be looked at, but I think referees judging who should and should not receive treatment due to their opinion of if they are or are not injured is a bad idea, as frustrating as players going down seemingly for no reason is.

There was a referee in one of the home games in our last National League season who did exactly that, in fact more than once during the game, as well as laughing off one of two other standard time-wasting tactics. He laid down a marker from the outset, making it obvious to the players and the fans that he wasn't having any such nonsense, and good on him.

Last night it was obvious that the goalkeeper was feigning and I think the referees should be able to act accordingly, but if we're saying that's unsafe, then another approach would be for linesmen to create a barrier between the pitch and the bench and for the referee to book each and every player who goes towards the bench during such "injury" breaks - a clear ban on "coaching" in those specific situations, much like the rules which precribe when tennis coaches can and cannot speak with their players.

[upthemaggies]

If you penalise a genuine injury then teams will start targeting the keeper to gain an advantage, or keepers will play on when they genuinely need treatment. I reckon the only way to solve the issue fairly would be temporary sub goalies and if the no.1 keeper wants to return to the action then they have to swap by the goal, not waste more time by switching at the half-way line.

[the_anticlough]

Our goalies are precious, so I'd propose this.

To make sure they're really OK they should go off for a full 5 minutes and be examined by their own physios and an independent physio as well. Only when signed off as OK by both, on a long form with lots of boxes to tick, should they be let back on to relieve the emergency goalie.

I would be worried about goalies going down more to avail themselves of this comprehensive medical service, but I think it'd be a price worth paying to protect our precious goalkeeper cadre

[the_anticlough]

If you penalise a genuine injury then teams will start targeting the keeper to gain an advantage, or keepers will play on when they genuinely need treatment. I reckon the only way to solve the issue fairly would be temporary sub goalies and if the no.1 keeper wants to return to the action then they have to swap by the goal, not waste more time by switching at the half-way line.

Part of the solution for that would be automatic yellows and reds for any player targeting or committing an obvious foul on an opposition keeper