New Rules for Football.

[Muddled]

The bull**** idea you are sheilding the ball out of play and can just stand moving around blocking the ball making no effort to take possesion of it. No skill involved, despite what commentators will tell you its not fantastic defending, its just manhandling a player. Would make games a lot more attacking and would stop teams running the ball into the corner as well.

That's an excellent shout and much more creative than Kenneth.

Next thing, Ken will be calling for scorelines to be continued through breaks and lunches, teams picked at the beginning of the day by the two tallest kids during milk break and the use of no crossbar as all goals that go *through* the keepers grasp are over the bar.

[Angryred]

Bonus point for the losing side who manage to score 3 in a high scoring match except own goals of course! :-)

[kris90210]

I may be falsely remembering but was it not a former Liverpool manager that said if he is not interfering with play what is he doing on the pitch?

Yeah, Shankly I believe?

[Phoenix07]

The La Liga rule of head to head should be used ahead of goal difference.

Bring back the golden goal rule for extra time.

Remove the rule of Europa League for FA Cup runners up if the winner has already secured European football. (Just for Premier League this one).

[Kenneth]

The La Liga rule of head to head should be used ahead of goal difference.

Bring back the golden goal rule for extra time.

Remove the rule of Europa League for FA Cup runners up if the winner has already secured European football. (Just for Premier League this one).

Woah there. Too radical. Don't want to make the game unrecognisable.

[Phoenix07]

Woah there. Too radical. Don't want to make the game unrecognisable.

[Liverpel]

Yeah, Shankly I believe?

I thought it was Clough.

[ChesterDave]

Google actually suggests a former Spurs manager. I googled it a few days ago so forget but may have been Bill Nicholson.

[Liverpel]

"Can you clear up who actually first uttered 'If he's not interfering with play, what's he doing on the pitch'? Was it Shankly, or Blanchflower, or none of the above?" enquires Steve Antrobus. In the last few weeks of debate I have seen various reports attributing the quote to both. I am a Spurs fan but I have refrained from sticking my neck out and claiming it as Blanchflower's, so far!"

And it's a good job you did Steve, as neither Bill nor Danny can rightly take the credit for such insight, something today's rule-making suits would do well to listen to and discuss over their grande double-decaf skinny latte triple mochachinos.

But you will be glad to hear your right to bask in reflected Spurs glory (now there's some words that don't often rub shoulders in the same sentence) has not been entirely denied, as the coiner of the much-quoted phrase was in fact White Hart Lane legend Bill Nicholson in his days as manager at the club - and not, as some scouse quarters would have you believe, Bill Shankly.

Shankly's wordy take on the situation was in fact "If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be." Which, we think you will agree, is completely different.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2004/feb/18/theknowledge.sport

[kris90210]

Cool - learned something new today

[Gibbo]

I see Fifa are after bringing in and extra substitute if a game goes into extra time, good idea that!

[Muddled]

Did somebody suggest a yellow card and a penalty for a foul in the box, red card outside?

If so, it sounds like this could be a possibility for next year.

[RichC]

always bewildered me that it wasn't that way - red card for outside the box and a yellow & pen inside. Red and Pen is far too harsh

[Exiled_red]

always bewildered me that it wasn't that way - red card for outside the box and a yellow & pen inside. Red and Pen is far too harsh

I think it depends on the circumstances

[jono]

Referee to blow time out and time back on. Therefore he doesn't need to look at his watch to blow for time but a siren goes over the ground... like rugby league. Also the game won't stop until the ball goes out of play. The winning side will kick the ball out of play but the losing side will try to keep it in play. Like Rugby union.

There was talk many many years ago that instead of extra time / penalty shootout that every five or so minutes both teams take a player off their team until someone scores. That may have some merit.

An away team gets a bonus point for winning. This may counter Stoke's anti football way of playing.