[keane2097]

Originally Posted by Spiritoftheseventies

I mean players taking eight or nine steps before shooting for goal.

By steps rule then you mean the way players are only supposed to be allowed four steps before "playing" the ball?

How would you change it?

[bog master]

Originally Posted by keane2097

I really disagree that fussier refereeing of technicalities is the way to improve the game.

Fair enough, that's your opinion. But as supporters, we have all been on the wrong end of a decision and end up howling at the ref. I believe we are sort of stuck in a time warp, the players/training/coaching/stategies are so near a professional level, yet I feel the referees and rule makers are somewhat stuck on the older, amateur ethos. "Awww, cant send that man off in the first few minutes of a big match, he's trained so hard and its his big day", or referees playing for a draw but giving that last few seconds to score the equaliser etc.

[keane2097]

Originally Posted by bog master

Fair enough, that's your opinion. But as supporters, we have all been on the wrong end of a decision and end up howling at the ref.

Super-intelligent cyborg ninja refs aren't going change this.

Originally Posted by bog master

I believe we are sort of stuck in a time warp, the players/training/coaching/stategies are so near a professional level, yet I feel the referees and rule makers are somewhat stuck on the older, amateur ethos. "Awww, cant send that man off in the first few minutes of a big match, he's trained so hard and its his big day", or referees playing for a draw but giving that last few seconds to score the equaliser etc.

I don't really think this happens at the higher levels of the game anymore tbh. See the Kilmurray - Portlaoise AI SF for the first instance and the Kilmurray - Kerins O'Rahillys game for the second.

This has very little bearing on my point anyway, that fussy refereeing of minor technicalities of the rules would be to the detriment of the flow of games and the sport in general as a specacle.

[Spiritoftheseventies]

Originally Posted by keane2097

By steps rule then you mean the way players are only supposed to be allowed four steps before "playing" the ball?

How would you change it?

thats the problem. If you increase it to six steps it becomes eight. And no point reducing it. But far too many times players are taking multiple steps. Rule needs reviewing

[bog master]

This has very little bearing on my point anyway, that fussy refereeing of minor technicalities of the rules would be to the detriment of the flow of games and the sport in general as a specacle.

Maybe I am being utopian here, but what is the sense of having rules that are not adhered to? Like steps, some refs allow 5, maybe another allows 6 or 7-8-9. I to want to see the game flow and not afraid to make comments on how the game may be improved, I may be right or may be wrong.
And this is where consistency of refereeing comes in. Have attended 5 of 6 League games this year, and appreciate refs as well as players are working under new rules, but the there is no consistency in application of new and old rules.

[keane2097]

Originally Posted by bog master

Maybe I am being utopian here, but what is the sense of having rules that are not adhered to? Like steps, some refs allow 5, maybe another allows 6 or 7-8-9.

I'm skeptical about this idea that you either have to clamp down 100% on the letter of a rule or there's no point having the rule at all.

Two good examples are the steps one you mentioned, and the handpass rule.

While we often see players skirting the edge of what's allowed by taking extra steps, and we supposedly had 60 illegal hand passes in last year's AI, you really have to question whether there is a detrimental effect of this on games.

Having the rules in place act as a deterrent to players, and allow refs to clamp down in scenarios where players are taking the complete piss, but I don't think it's neccessary to anally apply these rules to every single circumstance in order to have a decent game of football.

In fact I think doing so would make it very hard to have a decent game.

Originally Posted by bog master

And this is where consistency of refereeing comes in. Have attended 5 of 6 League games this year, and appreciate refs as well as players are working under new rules, but the there is no consistency in application of new and old rules.

IMO, you're never going to get consistency between referees to the full extent.

It's something that ought to be striven for somewhat maybe, but I think reality needs to be considered as well and the reality is that individual referees will have different bugbears when it comes to the rules.

This is to be seen widely in Rugby Union, where it is completely accepted that a game will be refereed differently by Jonathan Kaplan than it will be by Joel Jutge for example.

And this is fine imo, assuming both teams are subject to the same interpretations of the rules for the full duration of a game.

Ideal scenarios are all well and good, but we'll never achieve them so we ought to embrace the reality I've painted above and see how we can make the best with it.