The "professional" foul

[lake district canary 4,531]

Laughingly called the professional foul, it has got to the stage where anyone running past someone and threatening a defence, is pulled back. It's been going on for years, but is so accepted as part of the game now that it is ludicrous. Phrases like "he had to bring him down" and so forth are just pathetic.......a player, through skill and pace, gets past his man and is pulled down in full flow and it is supposed to be ok to pull him down, ruining one of the best sights there is in football?  

Yes, the player gets booked, but for me it is a sending off offence. Mistimed tackles are one thing, but deliberate pulling someone down just because he's run past you is as cynical as it gets and should be deserving of a red card imo.

Too much of the beautiful game is dissappearing - and to consider it "normal" or "ok" or "necessary" to bring down a player in that situation is just wrong. It happened last night to Sara - and yes, our players do it too - but it is does spoil football.

Lily-livered, weak officialdom from the top of the game, with no sense of looking after football. Pundits who just perpetuate things like this - with stupid comments like "he's entitled to go down" when touched with a feather in a penalty area, or "he had to bring him down" in the case of the professional foul.  People get booked for genuine tackles that are minutely mistimed - but get nothing worse when they purposely pull down a player from running past them. It's unnacceptable in my view.

Edited September 21, 2023 by lake district canary

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

Agree that much of the beautiful game is disappearing, but I see it the other way around. As soon as you have red cards (or indeed sin bins) for single fouls, you encourage the most cancerous form of cheating of all, namely simulation. In fact, I'll go as far as to say the best thing we can ever do is abolish the penalty kick for precisely that reason.

Speaking of the game being less beautiful, bring the offside law back to what it was 20 years or so ago. If the second-last player is ahead of the ball when it is deliberately played forward then no matter where you are on the pitch, it's offside. End of story. Has the advantage that everyone can understand it, and it's readily applicable at grassroots football to boot. VAR is then made far easier as they literally have one decision.

Lastly, the judgement of handball needs an overhaul. The old days of "ball-to-hand" were absolutely fine.

Edited September 21, 2023 by TheGunnShow
Couple of adjustments needed.

[KeiranShikari 1,412]

I don't think it should be a red card but I do think the rules need to change. If I was in charge of the sport I'd be introducing a sin bin style system. Professional foul = 15 minutes out of the game.

[Google Bot 3,278]

Concern if you make it a red is that players may as well just go in with a reckless challenge as it carries the same risk.  Most players do it as they haven't the energy to track the player back or wrong sided to attempt a safe challenge, so take the easy option and settle for a card.

It is very annoying though and just been allowed to become part of the game, almost like a lifeline.

Duffy saw yellow last night for it, and was very blatant.

[Petriix 2,838]

Yet we could have easily prevented the second goal last night had Sara committed just such a foul to prevent Leicester attacking. It's part of the game. 

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,821]

2 hours ago, TheGunnShow said:

In fact, I'll go as far as to say the best thing we can ever do is abolish the penalty kick for precisely that reason.

Penalties definitely need some kind of amendment. The reward/punishment, which is a goal 75-80% of the time, is miles greater than the crime in pretty much every case.

[TheGunnShow 5,940]

15 minutes ago, Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man said:

Penalties definitely need some kind of amendment. The reward/punishment, which is a goal 75-80% of the time, is miles greater than the crime in pretty much every case.

Have penalty corners instead as in hockey. Put corner markings on the inside of the penalty box on the bye lines, have the defensive team on the line until it's played, opposing team can work a routine to hit one. Attackers still get a free kick to create a move, but defence has more chance of defending it.

EDIT: In fact, you'd probably find referees more willing to start penalising the wrestling that goes on in penalty areas on practically any set-piece, and penalty corners should naturally provide plenty of goalmouth action.

Edited September 21, 2023 by TheGunnShow

[keelansgrandad 6,679]

I get annoyed when I hear "He took one for the team". What a load of horlicks. Its just ingrained into a player that you don't let them pass.

Shirt pulling is annoying as you can get away with it on the blindside of the ref. Just like Adam was done on the blindside last night.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,821]

6 minutes ago, TheGunnShow said:

Have penalty corners instead as in hockey. Put corner markings on the inside of the penalty box on the bye lines, have the defensive team on the line until it's played, opposing team can work a routine to hit one. Attackers still get a free kick to create a move, but defence has more chance of defending it.

EDIT: In fact, you'd probably find referees more willing to start penalising the wrestling that goes on in penalty areas on practically any set-piece, and penalty corners should naturally provide plenty of goalmouth action.

That's one solution. The Athletic ran an article on it last year, which is well worth a read:

https://theathletic.com/3161748/2022/03/04/penalties-are-too-generous-a-reward-we-have-a-solution-and-it-involves-running?source=user-shared-article