Well I wasn’t really debating anything so much as offering a suggestion. First of all, soccer was invented before the clocks used in sporting events these days. Maybe it made sense to do things this way 100 years ago, but I don’t think we should be bound by such decisions unless they make sense going forward. Second, imagine an alternative rule, in this rule we still count up to 90min, but instead of having extra time, the referee stops time the way they do in American sports, as appropriate. And all the spectators can see how much time has elapsed. Would hypothetical fans be more excited at 89:45 in this version than 92:45 with 3 minutes extra time in the current version where they don’t know how much extra time is left. I would argue that the 89:45 is more exciting because you know when it is going to end. I’m not doubting that soccer fans find the current version exciting. I’m simply arguing that it’s more exciting when you know when it’s going to end. The only difference I suggest is to then switch it to count down, which is really just a superficial difference. The key thing is changing how the referees handle extra/stoppage time.
Soccer/football fans seem pretty conservative to me. It was good in the past, so it will be good in the future. That might work for people who already like the sport, but it makes it harder to get people to watch who don’t drink the special kool-aid.
I think this is a reasonable idea, but I think it is fairly minimal at least compared to the bizarre suggestions of backboards, bigger goals, and no offsides. Counting up vs counting down is purely cosmetic IMO. I don’t see how it would be better by changing it.
The game has aspects that could be improved, if accepting that equals an agenda against the game, then so be it. I also then have an agenda against American football, baseball, hockey and basketball, because all of them have things that could be improved as well. But hey, if you enjoy having the premier sporting event in the world determined by luck more than skill, that’s up to you. I will agree that PK shootouts are exciting, but that’s not enough for me, I want the winner determined by playing all aspects of the game.
Your argument is based on a premise that is based on your personal assumption. The reality shows the exact opposite. You say it is harder for people to follow football who don’t drink from the kool aid but the exact opposite is happening.
It is soccer that is capturing the imagination of people in frontier markets like China / India and South East Asia. If football’s popularity was stagnating, it would make sense but it is not. It is just going from strength to strength.
Let me point out some things that are wrong with your suggestions
I don’t understand why low scoring is a bad thing. It’s the amount of plays that count and there are a lot of them. It’s free flowing attacking plays back and forth for the full 90. Basketball is high scoring. LBJ dunks over some guy and the crowd goes wild. So what? It’s worth 2 out of the 100 points. Touchdowns are worth 7 points. Make them worth 1 each. Each soccer goal can be worth 7 points if that makes it better for you.
First time I’ve heard of this. Players should not be given second chances for skying their shots.
This would limit the tactics played by each team. Barcelona plays possession football (tika taka) and dominated between 2006-2008 whereas Real Madrid plays fast counter-attacking football. It’s about the build up and a finished product.
Okay suggestion but I think a yellow card is punishment enough considering it is 50% from expulsion.
Three subs per game is fine. Players have to have the fitness to last 90 minutes.
Just no because cherry picking. Before the offside rule was implemented, teams would play with more strikers than defenders. Also, it is a test of speed for the attacker and positioning sense of the defender. Keep yourself between the goal and the attacker.
Despite what you think, this will NOT increase the scoring. In fact, it will reduce scoring even more. Here’s why. After the 90 minutes are up, both teams are not going to want to concede. The main strategy when reducing players will be to just sit back. No one will want to go forward because that leaves the back vulnerable. “Parking the bus” is the term.
PK’s are not fair but the game has to end somehow. The better team over the 90 minutes might not win but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.
Okay, lets just assume for a moment you are actually focusing on the aspects that could be improved. based on what you’ve contributed on this thread, you feel PK’s don’t do it for you as a way to settle a game. That’s fine, and a valid personal opinion. I have yet to hear anyone complain about that aspect personally. Personally I believe it’s a great test of mental fortitude and experience… but I’m not sure what your exposure to the game is. Most penalty shootouts do not make it past the 5th shooter, so I disagree about the lack of difficulty. The conversion rate is RARELY 100% and it’s not usual to have 2 or 3 shooters miss on the losing side. If it’s as easy as you say it is, then all 10 outfielders and the goalie should shoot before the game is over. It’s clear our differences are regarding the difficulty level of converting a penalty kick and we’ll have to agree to disagree. As for the crapshoot perspective you seem to hold… well, I don’t think I can dissuade you if the former argument fails to move you.
There are other aspects of football that can be cleaned up but what North American viewers seem to miss is that football is a human game, it has drama, it has gamesmanship, and there are actors. Europeans enjoy this. They also enjoy the David vs Goliath struggle where a tiny team from nowhere can hold off a superior force for 90mins. There are a thousand ways to play the game and sometimes it’s not about winning but presenting yourself honourably on the field of battle.There are heroes, there are villans, there are heroes that become villians. Football lore writes itself. Could it use goal line technology? Yes. Could it use video replay? Yes but then you remove a piece of it’s soul. Everyone else in the world except the New World loves its traditions. Football is full of traditions and that is why it’s loved by so many people.
Lastly, football is an art. The beauty is in not only the final product, but the process in which it came.
I’m not sure where the impression that football is conservative and resistant to change has come from. The game does evolve but it’s a global phenomenon so revolutionary changes aren’t often necessary.
The offside rule was changed in the last 10 years to allow for players that aren’t involved in a stage of play to drop back onside and get involved in subsequent stages of play. previously if any player was in an offside position at all the game would have been stopped.
Golden goal came in, then silver goal, then they were scrapped because they have the opposite than intended effect.
One thing that seems difficult for north americans to understand about football is the importance of the flow of the game, a lot of potential changes would disrupt the flow.
My main criticism about the game is the governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA are corrupt and extremely incompetant. Blatter is a complete fucktard and its worrying that he hold such power. your average football fan will respect Blatter’s opinion on football as much as a basketball fan will respect don sterlings opinion
I don’t understand why Suarez got so much hate for that. People labelled him a cheat but that is not cheating. He used his hand to keep the ball out and got red carded. That’s well within the rules of the game. He stopped a goal scoring opportunity and got carded. If Gyan had scored that penalty, we wouldn’t be talking about it in the first place.
Meh, You just sound like a butthurt American who can’t understand the fuss.
You don’t ‘feel’ the art of the sport, You don’t ‘feel’ the human aspect that can leave the most cool of us emotionally shot, You don’t ‘feel’ the theatre part of the sport, You don’t ‘feel’ the side narratives that come with the actual game yet you ‘feel’ the manufacured commercialized rubbish that is NFL, NBA?
This is the song we all sing from S. America to Europe and Africa to Asia.
The thread is about ways to improve soccer and my way is to stop deciding important games with a PK shootout. The “ease” of scoring on a PK is not my claim, there are a whole bunch of studies on it and the conversion rate is north of 70% and is fairly consistent across all the major leagues. FWIW, I don’t like shootouts deciding hockey games in the Olympics, didn’t like the old NFL overtime rule where the team who got the ball first won more than 60% of the time, and would not like it if the R&A decided that ties in the Open Championship will be decided by a putting contest or MLB eliminated extra innings and decided ties via a home run derby.
I get that shootouts are exciting, but they’re not a test of how good the team are. As you say though, that’s my opinion and you are entitled not to share it.
I was at that game. Best sporting event I have ever been to. Bulls Heat series during the D Rose run came close. Completely agree that Suarez isn’t a cheat but if you’re Ghanaian or an average football fan for that matter, it sure would piss you off.Gyan is almost equally at fault.