Football. if you could change one rule.

[On Balance]

Stop the clock when the ball is out of play, it would stop all the time wasting and ridiculous added on time.

If only one rule change then I’d have to agree with the above. One thing to bear in mind though, basketball is made of of four quarters each of 10 minutes. The clock stops regularly and when I’ve been to watch games they can last around two hours. They are exciting though and certainly end to end.

If a game of football starts at 3pm and they keep stopping the clock, it could take around five hours to complete a game.

[Calgarybaggy]

I would like to see the following: a free kick from where the ball is located for time wasting; penalties given only when there is a scoring opportunity that is prevented by a foul - and I think it is ridiculous that you don’t get a penalty if you are one yard outside the box and about to shoot but do get a penalty if you are one yard inside, one yard from the goal line and with your back to the goal. If it’s not a penalty, it’s still a free kick of course; I would like to see the clock stopped only during the last, say, 15 minutes and then, like a rugby game, when time is up a horn sounds and the next time the ball goes out of play the game is over; I would also like to see a player who get sent off replaced by a substitute if there is still a substitute available - mainly because a sending off usually kills the game as a spectacle. The sending off still disrupts the offending team and it’s strategy etc, and the player would still get suspended etc, but watching 10 trying to play against 11 can get very boring especially if it happens with most of the game remaining. Sorry - thats four things!

[WBA1955]

If only one rule change then I’d have to agree with the above. One thing to bear in mind though, basketball is made of of four quarters each of 10 minutes. The clock stops regularly and when I’ve been to watch games they can last around two hours. They are exciting though and certainly end to end.

If a game of football starts at 3pm and they keep stopping the clock, it could take around five hours to complete a game.

It's also used in Rugby and their games usually finish on time.
Footballers are generally thick so it would take a few games to cotton on that time wasting is actually a waste of time.😃

[baggiematt]

The 6 second rule with the goalies being enforced. Indirect free kick if they go beyond.

[mickd1961]

The 6 second rule with the goalies being enforced. Indirect free kick if they go beyond.

I’d look at creating a second penalty spot on the edge of the area.

Any obstruction foul within the area and blatant “blocking off” of an attacking run, especially at corners would result in an 18 yard penalty kick.

I’d also bring in an extra point for whichever team wins the aggregate of goals scored in the two league matches each season.

This would stop teams coasting at 3-0 for example but would also see teams who maybe won there home match 3-0 and be losing 3-0 or 4-0 away still pushing hard to score.

This concept works well in Speedway, teams who are either in front or losing tend to keep pushing.

[BaggieBlood]

Stop the clock when the ball is out of play, it would stop all the time wasting and ridiculous added on time.

Homeleigh and I used to argue about this on here.

I was with you, but HLC thought the game would last another 2 hours and was against it.

[Calgarybaggy]

Back in the late 70s and early 80’s when I moved to Canada, the old North American Soccer league was at its height, and they often played in American football stadiums where there was always a big official clock that wound down from 45 minutes to zero. If someone got injured the rev would signal to stop the clock and then restart it when the player had been treated. He could also stop it for time wasting and anything else he wanted. The ref was still technically in charge of the time but when the time ran down to zero he would always blow the final whistle. So you always knew when the game would end and how much time you had for one last corner or whatever. The games rarely went more than about 10 minutes longer even though the ref could stop the clock and I never felt cheated that the game had gone on too long or not long enough. The clock wound down from 45 minutes and that was it. I think the reason why football insists on the ref controlling the time is because back in 1870 the ref was probably made the ref because he was the only person who had a wrist watch and nobody had a stop watch. It’s anachronistic and totally unnecessary to keep this old tradition going, as the NASL proved.

[Dubbag]

Lots of good ideas above.
The traditional aspect of football is gone.
VAR as an introduction has been a disaster for the game and was hamstrung with rules. Refs lost their authority over a game.
Hopefully most of the mercenaries in the game will fcuk off to Saudi Arabia or another blood soaked environment.
Football may eventually revert back to its roots of entertainment for the masses.
Can but dream.

[boingy]

No VAR. it’s ironic that it was supposed to bring fairness to decisions but even if it is employed in any given situation is still down to personal choice, so often a team has a case but VAR isn’t checked. It’s a nonsense now.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

If only one rule change then I’d have to agree with the above. One thing to bear in mind though, basketball is made of of four quarters each of 10 minutes. The clock stops regularly and when I’ve been to watch games they can last around two hours. They are exciting though and certainly end to end.

If a game of football starts at 3pm and they keep stopping the clock, it could take around five hours to complete a game.

I've heard it suggested that the clock is stopped but game time is reduced to 1 hour? Crazy? On average the ball is currently in play for only 50 odd minutes so you would get to see more football!