Exprimental Football Rules

[Ard-Rí]

I couldn't agree more, Ard-Rí. This whole project is a wrong-headed, misinformed attempt to resolve non-existent problems while not just ignoring the real problems but contriving to worsen them. The Mary Poppins movement within the game, and especially within the media, has chipped away at the ethos of the game for decades, until it has reached the point where it is accepted without question that the game needs to be made more "attractive", that the only legitimate footballers are forwards, that defenders are some sort of criminal underclass whose excesses need to be curbed and that physical clashes are to be eliminated completely.

Very true. I'm young enough to still play the game (thank God), and being a defender it seems like you have to go out of your way to be seen not to make contact with a forward. There was an incident a few years ago when we played Laois, late on in the game, and Stephen Bray actually stepped back from a Laois man who was picking the ball up so that he would be seen to have been too far back to have pushed him. The Laois man dived (or fell over, if we're generous) while picking the ball up and predictably the referee gave a free anyway. Stephen Bray was about 3 yards away from the Laois player. Now if a player not only can't make contact with the opposition, but actually has to avoid it because he knows that the referee wants to penalise him, then it's obvious that there's something very wrong happening in the game.

There is a widespread assumption that the biggest problem in the game is "cynical" fouling. You can't listen to a sports bulletin or read any news report on gaelic football without coming across the awful "cynical" cliché. This rules-revision circus has now institutionalised this nonsensical concept, with proposals emerging to penalise "deliberate and cynical" fouling with a different set of sanctions to those applied to other fouls.

A foul is a foul. The penalty is a free. Repeated fouling attracts a series of heavier sanctions. That's how it stands now. What, exactly, is wrong with that? Only two things, in my opinion – the failure or refusal of referees to apply the rules as written and their failure to recognise or punish the real cynicism - the cynical diving and cheating that seeks to mislead them. The solution to that is not to rewrite the rules, it is to fix the refereeing problem.

What is a cynical foul? Does the definition depend on the attitude of the fouler? How is this to be determined? Or is it to be based on the position on the pitch, or the time of the game, or the reaction of the player fouled (and we all know how that influences referees)? To illustrate the nonsense of this – try to define a non-cynical foul.

The biggest problem with this is not that it's addressing the wrong problem, but that it will worsen the biggest problem in the game – diving, cheating and injury-feigning. It is a diver's charter.

Not only that, but a proposal is now emerging to penalise the famous, imaginary "third man tackle", which, as we have shown here before, does not exist in the rules. There is nothing in the rules that says I must move out of the path of any player, whether he is in possession or not. (There is also nothing that says I may not move into his path, as long as I don't charge him, even though referees have been penalising this in a freelance capacity for decades now). And that's for good reason in (what was) a physical contact game.

If this proposal is approved, we will not only see misinterpretation, as players are penalised for standing their ground, but we'll see players altering course to ensure they are "fouled" (see players chasing the garryowen in rugby) and, of course, more diving.

These people are going to ruin our game. We need to fix the real problems of the game – diving, cheating and the growing namby-pambification of it – not make them worse in some sort of misguided, media-appeasing, hotch-potch of populist claptrap disguised as serious analysis and reform.

Great post. I agree with all your points, it's the old story - if in doubt introduce another card or another rule. It'll probably end up like that handpass one anyway, the 'clear striking action' has returned to its normal form after a few weeks of players being harassed by bureaucrats for not punching the ball like they were trying to knock it out.

3 men who clearly have never reffed a game in their lives.

While I admit that's true in my own case, why does it matter?

[Rossfan]

Whatever about the Zulu/Hardy splat ...
I find it hard to understand how anyone can say football is grand as it is and sure what's a few oul fouls here and there anyway. What's the average number per game 50/60
How many minutes continuous play do you ever get in a football match compared to hurling or soccer e.g.
Then we have the FRC who ignore the biggest contributory cause to the awfulness that is most (adult) Gaelic football nowadays - the FCUKIN HANDPASS/THROW.

[Ard-Rí]

The ball spends about 40-50% of the game in play IIRC, which is roughly the same if not slightly higher than soccer and rugby.

[DuffleKing]

I'm completely with Hardy on this. Its astonishing that anyone would think that you'd have to have extensive refereeing experience to form an opinion on this.

Zulu has actually stumbled upon one of the bigger issues with these rule changes - we don't have a group of referees with an even basic understanding of the dynamics of the games as it is never mind adding to their decision making. The coloqial grasp of the tackle that referees have is so diverse that you'd have to wonder if they are coached, advised or critiqued at all or if they are does the tutor know a thing about the game.

In addition, with the pace that the modern games move at, the fitness of some of the perceived top referees in the country is astonishingly bad. Take last years all Ireland final ref - who isn't in the top 50 in the country imho - as an example. His fitness and capacity to get around the pitch is embarrassing

[Hardy]

Rossfan - do you think these proposals will reduce the number of frees in games?

[Zulu]

I'm completely with Hardy on this. Its astonishing that anyone would think that you'd have to have extensive refereeing experience to form an opinion on this.

Zulu has actually stumbled upon one of the bigger issues with these rule changes - we don't have a group of referees with an even basic understanding of the dynamics of the games as it is never mind adding to their decision making. The coloqial grasp of the tackle that referees have is so diverse that you'd have to wonder if they are coached, advised or critiqued at all or if they are does the tutor know a thing about the game.

If that's a reference to me, I never said you had to have refereeing experience, extensive or otherwise, to have an opinion on this. In fact I said nothing of the sort.

Your second point is the pertinent one, none of us could explain to a foreigner what you can and can't do when tackling in various situations. We need to clarify exactly what you can and can't do in all situations. We also need to improve refereeing standards, increase punishments for cynical and/or repeated fouling and retrospectively punish diving. There isn't a huge amount wrong with the game but we do have problems worth addressing.

[Hardy]

I'm completely with Hardy on this. Its astonishing that anyone would think that you'd have to have extensive refereeing experience to form an opinion on this.

Zulu has actually stumbled upon one of the bigger issues with these rule changes - we don't have a group of referees with an even basic understanding of the dynamics of the games as it is never mind adding to their decision making. The coloqial grasp of the tackle that referees have is so diverse that you'd have to wonder if they are coached, advised or critiqued at all or if they are does the tutor know a thing about the game.

If that's a reference to me, I never said you had to have refereeing experience, extensive or otherwise, to have an opinion on this. In fact I said nothing of the sort.

Just what was the point of your post about three men who never refereed a game, then?

Your second point is the pertinent one, none of us could explain to a foreigner what you can and can't do when tackling in various situations. We need to clarify exactly what you can and can't do in all situations. We also need to improve refereeing standards, increase punishments for cynical and/or repeated fouling and retrospectively punish diving. There isn't a huge amount wrong with the game but we do have problems worth addressing.

I agree.

[Zulu]

As I said already, it was the first line of a more detailed post which I didn't get to finish but I still posted that point as you all seemed to lay the majority of the blame at the referees feet. While they definitely are an issue the game is difficult to ref, especially when players come into contact, so I felt it unfair to blame refs primarily. If you ref a few a games you do find yourself in situations where you could give the free either way or leave the game go and this is at the heart of the inconsistencies we see in games and this should be appreciated by people.That isn't anywhere near saying you can't have a valid opinion without refereeing first.

[Rossfan]

Rossfan - do you think these proposals will reduce the number of frees in games?

The FRC seem to think so anyway  especially those for picking the ball off the ground and not fisting it over the bar.

[PAULD123]

Does anyone know exactly what is happening regarding new rules? The black card/forced substitution system is clearly to be debated in March and will not come in until 2014 (if at all) but what about the other rules? The mark, the clean pick up, the rugby-style advantage rule? Are all these to be considered with the same schedule or will they/could they be in for the championship?

[Rossfan]

This report should have been published in October so that Clubs/County Conventions could consider those proposals and make others if they wished.
Then let the whole shebang go to a Special Congress next October and any changes voted in be implemented from 1/1/14.

Any idea when their report on competition structures etc is to appear???

[emmetryan]

Hi lads,

I've put together a column on the FRC proposals here http://action81.com/blog/?p=6533

Emmet