Changes to Football - Do They Work?

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

With the latest bonkers rule change announced in the last week (The Blue Card) I've reflected over the "rule" changes that have happened since I started going down the Molineux some 50 years ago. I mulled over their success rates. I've listed below my views on those changes I can recollect, on the whole it may be that I hanker over the game I first fell in love with but generally think the constant meddling has left us in a worse place than when I started. Forgive the length of this post been something I've considered doing for a while now.

Goal Difference (1976/77) - Replaced Goal Average. I can remember the Wolves vs Liverpool 1975/76 season climax at Molineux and all the possible goal average permutations influencing both the championship and relegation (Liverpool would have finished second with a 1-1 draw but won the league with a 2-2 draw or better). It was bloody complicated and having seen goal difference in the World Cup a much easier ruling came in the following season. Turning a 2-1 win into a 3-1 had extra value. A positive for me.

Red & Yellow Cards (1976) - A minor adjustment butremember at the time pundits protesting that the likes of Clive Thomas would be theatrically brandishing them left right and centre. I remember the old days when a scribble in the book was all you'd get for a booking,giving cards settled down and made things much clearer.

Three Points for a Win (1981) - I think this is a hit, teams still keep going for a winner rather than settle for the draw. One of the better changes in my opinion.

The Playoffs (1987) - We were amongst the first teams to suffer, having finished 4th in Division 4 ( promotion spot the previous season) and then losing to Aldershot in the playoffs, but what a season the following year we had. It can be heartbreaking but it's also a great way to win promotion and keeps more teams involved for longer throughout the season - a real positive

Two Subs Rule (1987) - was a positive, but developments since, with now up to five subs per game, just favours those clubs with expensively assembled squads, where will it stop? Can see a point, where teams will be able to roll on/roll off players in every position. Was a positive but for me they should have stoped at 3 subs.

The Bosman Ruling (1995) - was going to cause chaos, but clubs have adjusted, some suffering big losses and players contracts have gone through the roof, look at what's going to happen to Mbappe this summer. Whilst we've adjusted personally as a supporter the impact on me has been higher ticket prices and other costs all driven by players and agents renumeration. Overall hasn't been a positive change for me.

Transfer Windows (2002) - still don't get this, in what other industry is movement of labour so restricted? Hits clubs like us more than those that can carry injuries more easily. Combined with Bosman and FFP, just means that competition is slowly being killed. Maybe a transfer deadline earlier in the season, e.g. 31st December would work better.

FFP (2011) - intention was good but implementation and impact has been terrible, in fact a disaster in my view, can't think of any other industry with this bizarre set of rules that restrict competition and protects the established elite. Just waiting for the day a club takes Uefa et al to court for breach of competition law. A complete failure for me.

VAR (2018) - No one likes it, they don't care. The whole of football knows it's a mistake, sucking the life out of a beautiful and spontaneous game, whilst also shrouding decision making even more promising suspicion over the favouring of certain teams. They won't get rid because they'd lose so much face and they'd have to give their brown envelopes back. The worst thing that has happened to the game on my 50 years of watching it.

Blue Card (202?) - even more nonsensical meddling. Will have a host of negative unintended consequences. Just stop now, please just stop!!

Handball and Offside (last 50 years) - for most of the time we understood it and like it or not generally accepted the officials judgement, but ever since VAR they've meddled with the laws to suit the technology. It's become mind boggling sterile and evermore inconsistent. Get rid of VAR and let the Ref's decide pleeeeease!

Five Subs/Bosman/Transfer Windows/FFP/VAR/Blue Card/Handball & Offside - on balance evolution and introduction of these changes has had a negative impact on the whole, but the last 20 years have just been mental.

Interested in your opinions guys.........

 

[WolfLing]

Generalising a little here, but all the pre-90s changes were for the good of the game and arguably made the game better.

Most of the post 90's changes are financially driven (Bosman, transfer windows, FFP), or to make a simple product more technical for the good of TV (VAR), and therefore indirectly financial too.

The blue card and offside/handball changes appear to be to try and make the game better again, but in reality, they could probably be achieved by tweaking the existing rules.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

Transfer window, blue card, FFP & VAR should be altered under my rulings.

Replaced with

Instead of transfer windows - instead introduce… Spending cap 120m per club per season.

Blue card, bad idea unless you use it instead of a second yellow card. Controversial but say 5 blue cards accumulated you miss 5 games. Maybe a better idea.

FFP, spending cap 120m per season as mentioned above I think is fair to each club in the premier league. Stop more Everton, Chelsea and Forest scenarios. Introduce wage cap of say 150m per club per season.

VAR should only be used to check goals & penalties. Offsides they get wrong so I would take that away. Let the game be about celebrating goals again. Decisions made on the pitch. 2 video reviews/appeals per game per club.

Loans so that only 8 players can be loaned out per club. Stop player harvesting. Like chelsea used to.

Introduce indirect free kicks again!

Any player who surrounds the ref found guilty after the game or during the game to serve 3 match ban. This will stop the big clubs intimidation tactics.

All substitutes have to be made before 85 mins to stop time wasting in added time. Unless there is a serious injury (same rule for concussion sub)

Any player caught diving or faking injury to get 3 game suspension with a new BLACK CARD being waved by the ref. Player is not sent off but will face 3 game suspension. This is to make the game fairer and stop fakers and time wasting.

 

[Olivergoldblack]

Love it. I agree with what you say, apart from I'm OK with transfer windows.
I already hate the idea of the blue card, no one is asking for it. Just gonna cause more confusion and will be really inconsistent and it'll be gamified some how. They need to fix var first before they start confusing everyone with something else.

 

[Ned]

I’m good with transfer windows, which I think comes under the financial bracket.

In terms of the game changes themselves only goal line technology has been a benefit recently, then it’s going back to the back pass rule and offside rule not just being any player.

 

[Spitfire]

With the latest bonkers rule change announced in the last week (The Blue Card) I've reflected over the "rule" changes that have happened since I started going down the Molineux some 50 years ago. I mulled over their success rates. I've listed below my views on those changes I can recollect, on the whole it may be that I hanker over the game I first fell in love with but generally think the constant meddling has left us in a worse place than when I started. Forgive the length of this post been something I've considered doing for a while now.

Goal Difference (1976/77) - Replaced Goal Average. I can remember the Wolves vs Liverpool 1975/76 season climax at Molineux and all the possible goal average permutations influencing both the championship and relegation (Liverpool would have finished second with a 1-1 draw but won the league with a 2-2 draw or better). It was bloody complicated and having seen goal difference in the World Cup a much easier ruling came in the following season. Turning a 2-1 win into a 3-1 had extra value. A positive for me.

Red & Yellow Cards (1976) - A minor adjustment butremember at the time pundits protesting that the likes of Clive Thomas would be theatrically brandishing them left right and centre. I remember the old days when a scribble in the book was all you'd get for a booking,giving cards settled down and made things much clearer.

Three Points for a Win (1981) - I think this is a hit, teams still keep going for a winner rather than settle for the draw. One of the better changes in my opinion.

The Playoffs (1987) - We were amongst the first teams to suffer, having finished 4th in Division 4 ( promotion spot the previous season) and then losing to Aldershot in the playoffs, but what a season the following year we had. It can be heartbreaking but it's also a great way to win promotion and keeps more teams involved for longer throughout the season - a real positive

Two Subs Rule (1987) - was a positive, but developments since, with now up to five subs per game, just favours those clubs with expensively assembled squads, where will it stop? Can see a point, where teams will be able to roll on/roll off players in every position. Was a positive but for me they should have stoped at 3 subs.

The Bosman Ruling (1995) - was going to cause chaos, but clubs have adjusted, some suffering big losses and players contracts have gone through the roof, look at what's going to happen to Mbappe this summer. Whilst we've adjusted personally as a supporter the impact on me has been higher ticket prices and other costs all driven by players and agents renumeration. Overall hasn't been a positive change for me.

Transfer Windows (2002) - still don't get this, in what other industry is movement of labour so restricted? Hits clubs like us more than those that can carry injuries more easily. Combined with Bosman and FFP, just means that competition is slowly being killed. Maybe a transfer deadline earlier in the season, e.g. 31st December would work better.

FFP (2011) - intention was good but implementation and impact has been terrible, in fact a disaster in my view, can't think of any other industry with this bizarre set of rules that restrict competition and protects the established elite. Just waiting for the day a club takes Uefa et al to court for breach of competition law. A complete failure for me.

VAR (2018) - No one likes it, they don't care. The whole of football knows it's a mistake, sucking the life out of a beautiful and spontaneous game, whilst also shrouding decision making even more promising suspicion over the favouring of certain teams. They won't get rid because they'd lose so much face and they'd have to give their brown envelopes back. The worst thing that has happened to the game on my 50 years of watching it.

Blue Card (202?) - even more nonsensical meddling. Will have a host of negative unintended consequences. Just stop now, please just stop!!

Handball and Offside (last 50 years) - for most of the time we understood it and like it or not generally accepted the officials judgement, but ever since VAR they've meddled with the laws to suit the technology. It's become mind boggling sterile and evermore inconsistent. Get rid of VAR and let the Ref's decide pleeeeease!

Five Subs/Bosman/Transfer Windows/FFP/VAR/Blue Card/Handball & Offside - on balance evolution and introduction of these changes has had a negative impact on the whole, but the last 20 years have just been mental.

Interested in your opinions guys.........

I'd say that's pretty much nailed it.
The fairest subs rule was probably 3 from 5, or possiibly 2 from 3 at a push.

 

[Mancwolf56]

With the latest bonkers rule change announced in the last week (The Blue Card) I've reflected over the "rule" changes that have happened since I started going down the Molineux some 50 years ago. I mulled over their success rates. I've listed below my views on those changes I can recollect, on the whole it may be that I hanker over the game I first fell in love with but generally think the constant meddling has left us in a worse place than when I started. Forgive the length of this post been something I've considered doing for a while now.

Goal Difference (1976/77) - Replaced Goal Average. I can remember the Wolves vs Liverpool 1975/76 season climax at Molineux and all the possible goal average permutations influencing both the championship and relegation (Liverpool would have finished second with a 1-1 draw but won the league with a 2-2 draw or better). It was bloody complicated and having seen goal difference in the World Cup a much easier ruling came in the following season. Turning a 2-1 win into a 3-1 had extra value. A positive for me.

Red & Yellow Cards (1976) - A minor adjustment butremember at the time pundits protesting that the likes of Clive Thomas would be theatrically brandishing them left right and centre. I remember the old days when a scribble in the book was all you'd get for a booking,giving cards settled down and made things much clearer.

Three Points for a Win (1981) - I think this is a hit, teams still keep going for a winner rather than settle for the draw. One of the better changes in my opinion.

The Playoffs (1987) - We were amongst the first teams to suffer, having finished 4th in Division 4 ( promotion spot the previous season) and then losing to Aldershot in the playoffs, but what a season the following year we had. It can be heartbreaking but it's also a great way to win promotion and keeps more teams involved for longer throughout the season - a real positive

Two Subs Rule (1987) - was a positive, but developments since, with now up to five subs per game, just favours those clubs with expensively assembled squads, where will it stop? Can see a point, where teams will be able to roll on/roll off players in every position. Was a positive but for me they should have stoped at 3 subs.

The Bosman Ruling (1995) - was going to cause chaos, but clubs have adjusted, some suffering big losses and players contracts have gone through the roof, look at what's going to happen to Mbappe this summer. Whilst we've adjusted personally as a supporter the impact on me has been higher ticket prices and other costs all driven by players and agents renumeration. Overall hasn't been a positive change for me.

Transfer Windows (2002) - still don't get this, in what other industry is movement of labour so restricted? Hits clubs like us more than those that can carry injuries more easily. Combined with Bosman and FFP, just means that competition is slowly being killed. Maybe a transfer deadline earlier in the season, e.g. 31st December would work better.

FFP (2011) - intention was good but implementation and impact has been terrible, in fact a disaster in my view, can't think of any other industry with this bizarre set of rules that restrict competition and protects the established elite. Just waiting for the day a club takes Uefa et al to court for breach of competition law. A complete failure for me.

VAR (2018) - No one likes it, they don't care. The whole of football knows it's a mistake, sucking the life out of a beautiful and spontaneous game, whilst also shrouding decision making even more promising suspicion over the favouring of certain teams. They won't get rid because they'd lose so much face and they'd have to give their brown envelopes back. The worst thing that has happened to the game on my 50 years of watching it.

Blue Card (202?) - even more nonsensical meddling. Will have a host of negative unintended consequences. Just stop now, please just stop!!

Handball and Offside (last 50 years) - for most of the time we understood it and like it or not generally accepted the officials judgement, but ever since VAR they've meddled with the laws to suit the technology. It's become mind boggling sterile and evermore inconsistent. Get rid of VAR and let the Ref's decide pleeeeease!

Five Subs/Bosman/Transfer Windows/FFP/VAR/Blue Card/Handball & Offside - on balance evolution and introduction of these changes has had a negative impact on the whole, but the last 20 years have just been mental.

Interested in your opinions

A

Generalising a little here, but all the pre-90s changes were for the good of the game and arguably made the game better.

Most of the post 90's changes are financially driven (Bosman, transfer windows, FFP), or to make a simple product more technical for the good of TV (VAR), and therefore indirectly financial too.

The blue card and offside/handball changes appear to be to try and make the game better again, but in reality, they could probably be achieved by tweaking the existing rules.

Totally agree. Another positive one pre-90’s was the back pass to the goalkeeper change.

 

[Adrian_Monk]

The back-pass rule - IMO one of the few changes to have a positive impact. Watching Grobbelaar and Lukic waiting for some foolish striker to come running towards them before gleefully collecting the ball from 76 minutes onwards throughout the 80's was as enjoyable as waiting for VAR to **** us over again.

Golden Goal - mixed feelings. Enabled a guaranteed Germany win vs Czech Republic in Euro 96 but also saw Italy knocked out to that Ahn Jung-Hwan goal in 2002.

Silver Goal - typical meddling to make a change even worse leaving supporters scratching their heads over what happened next.

 

[SmokeyGB]

Back pass rule and goal line technology ones that been the hits.

 

[Bostin]

Transfer windows are absolutely pointless as nothing happens until the final week

 

[Flump]

I for one like any changes made before I was about 18, and think anything since then is new fangled rubbish!

 

[WolvesAndCows]

Any player caught diving or faking injury to get 3 game suspension with a new BLACK CARD being waved by the ref. Player is not sent off but will face 3 game suspension. This is to make the game fairer and stop fakers and time wasting.

This needs to come in. Refs need to clamp down on it.

 

[WW1963]

I'd agree with the OP's list and add that VAR itself has changed rules time and again.

VAR sticks out as its own monster.

 

[Mile End Wanderer]

This needs to come in. Refs need to clamp down on it.

Glad someone on here agrees with my ideas.

We need to make the game fairer for all

 

[glorybox]

As a full back as a kid the back pass rule gave me the jitters at first..! Crazy to think how long football had been around before that was introduced.

 

[Very Proud (AKA Still Proud)]

The back-pass rule - IMO one of the few changes to have a positive impact. Watching Grobbelaar and Lukic waiting for some foolish striker to come running towards them before gleefully collecting the ball from 76 minutes onwards throughout the 80's was as enjoyable as waiting for VAR to **** us over again.

Golden Goal - mixed feelings. Enabled a guaranteed Germany win vs Czech Republic in Euro 96 but also saw Italy knocked out to that Ahn Jung-Hwan goal in 2002.

Silver Goal - typical meddling to make a change even worse leaving supporters scratching their heads over what happened next.

Back pass rule and goal line technology ones that been the hits.

As a full back as a kid the back pass rule gave me the jitters at first..! Crazy to think how long football had been around before that was introduced.

Can't believe I missed the back pass rule, it was in my head when I started the list, I have to agree got rid of lots of time wasting and I can see Hansen passing it back to Grobbelaar in my head right now

 

[Baboon]

Amongst all the rule changes the introduction of VAR stands out as by far the most detrimental. It has hugely detracted from the principal reason we go to games, that wonderful moment when your team scores but then it's "ah, hang on a minute . . . ". Don't fiddle with it, bin it and restore the joy.

 

[WW1963]

Amongst all the rule changes the introduction of VAR stands out as by far the most detrimental. It has hugely detracted from the principal reason we go to games, that wonderful moment when your team scores but then it's "ah, hang on a minute . . . ". Don't fiddle with it, bin it and restore the joy.

Joy is being robbed everywhere. The powers that be won't be happy until everything is painted battleship grey. Both CS Lewis and George Orwell saw the same picture over 70 years ago.

 

[Darvo]

VAR is the one that has sucked the joy out of the game. It really is the pits. What I’d give for it to be binned.

 

[Frank Lincoln]

The lawmakers have made a simple thing like handball into a complex science. How it is interpreted is changed because of VAR. How I long for the days when handball was a straightforward decision for the referee to make.

VAR should be scrapped immediately, it has done nothing to improve the game.

The introduction of red and yellow cards was a definite plus as it gave clarity to supporters.

 

[Boss Hogg]

Transfer windows are absolutely pointless as nothing happens until the final week

Agree it’s just like basketball, give both teams 90 points and then let them play for the last 30 seconds. The old transfer deadline day in March worked perfectly well.

 

[Macman]

The older rules are pretty much spot on, the latter rules not so.

On the subject of Play Offs, I do like them (although the winner should NOT get a trophy, promotion is their trophy), but I do like what non league do now, and the teams that finish 3rd and 4th get home advantage in a one-off game to see who gets to the final. That way it favours the teams that had most points, plus the team in last qualified place has a hard route to win promotion. Ive just never been a fan of the team in 6th winning promotion at Wembley having finished, say, 15 points behind 3rd place.

Oh, agree that VAR should be scrapped totally, with immediate effect.

 

[Contrarian]

I for one like any changes made before I was about 18, and think anything since then is new fangled rubbish!

Me too. Though probably a different age! I still haven't got over replacing the Third Division North and South with Divisions 3 and 4. And as for this daft renaming of League One being the third division ...

Incidentally, on 3 points for a win, overall I believe there's been surprisingly few differences over the years, than if 2 points had stayed in place. One significant one was that in McCarthy's second season, the last-day-Blackburn-survival, we would have gone down and Birmingham stayed up if it had been 2 points for a win.

 

[Minimalist]

I really dislike the 5 subs from a bench if 9 rule
I think it is a huge advantage for the biggest clubs, also it probably puts a pressure on smaller clubs to have excessive squads, which is counter to the intentions of ffp!

Look at this forum when a team is announced and there are a couple of u21’s on the bench! If it were 3 from 5 people would be far more content with what we have.

 

[Spitfire]

Agree it’s just like basketball, give both teams 90 points and then let them play for the last 30 seconds. The old transfer deadline day in March worked perfectly well.

This is how I’ve always seen basketball too .

 

[VancouverWolf]

I think they should bring back the ‘indirect free kick’……especially in the box.


Probably some younger readers wondering what I’m talking about.

I think I remember an indirect free kick about 5 ft. from the goal on the byline during a World Cup game……anyone else see that?

 

[Spitfire]

I think they should bring back the ‘indirect free kick’……especially in the box.


Probably some younger readers wondering what I’m talking about.

I think I remember an indirect free kick about 5 ft. from the goal on the byline during a World Cup game……anyone else see that?

There are still indirect free kicks.
Goalkeeper picking up a back pass, offside etc.

 

[Fenrir_]

My initial impression from reading the OP was everything pre-1990 seems a good thing now and I wouldn't want to change it, everything post-1990 seems detrimental

Been mentioned but the back pass rule was a brilliant change, and a great addition was goal line technology

Too many crap things being introduced to the game though, no doubt about that

 

[SA Wolf]

I'm pretty-much in agreement with the OP, however one change that he appears to have overlooked is the one regarding goalkeepers and the amount of time they are allowed to hold-on to the ball. I believe it is 6 seconds, however, we see week-in, week-out goalies holding onto the ball much longer, hence delaying the game. I know this was one of the late Jonzy's bugbears.
In the dim and distant past, goalies used to collect the ball, bounce it to the edge of the area and boot it downfield, thus restarting the game quite quickly. FIFA's meddling hasn't improved this area of the game imo!

 

[Madmalc]

I hate the goal kick where it's passed to one of two defending players standing in the penalty area or even the 6 yard box.
I don't know when it changed from no players were allowed in the penalty area or D.

 

[JadeWolf]

I do think sometimes the beauty of football is that it’s a really simple game, you can go down the park with your mates and play with pretty much the same rules as the players at the top level. Now with all the technology and the changes, it feels like the gap between the elite level and grassroots is massive. A different sport almost.

 

[Bryce]

I hate the backpass rule too.

VAR has been interpreted and implemented so badly it has been a disaster

Sod the blue card introduce an18m penalty for professional fouls ANYWHERE on the pitch, or ref abuse , diving , cheating. That would enforce respect

 

[jrpb-3]

I think the intention of most of the changes is good. The issue with things like VAR in particular and handball changes is the difficulty in implementing them in a way that actually delivers what was intended, the proposed blue card feels like another change that is going to create as many new issues as ones it fixes.

 

[Premier Quality]

The transfer deadline is a good thing - the problem beforehand was having your squad cherry picked after a good start to the season, and not being able to have any consistency, the window stopped that.

 

[WickedWolfie]

I hate the backpass rule too.

VAR has been interpreted and implemented so badly it has been a disaster

Sod the blue card introduce an18m penalty for professional fouls ANYWHERE on the pitch, or ref abuse , diving , cheating. That would enforce respect

Competent officials develop respect. Only the incompetent need to "enforce" it.

 

[Black Country Wanderer]

Agree mostly with the OP
VAR has its place though,we all agree on Goal line technology which is VAR under another name
Offsides with VAR are, or should be, a simple yes or no,just go with the feet and cut out the vertical lines,your feet get you to a goal scoring position not your torso
Remove the clear and obvious rule,if the ref has made an error reverse it,its that simple
Just put a one minute time limit on checks,if thats inconclusive carry on
I sort of understand why transfer windows are used,losing your players at any time in the season would be harsh
The blue cards are stupid,just move the free kick 10 yards up field if the team want to do so in the case of dissent,if the offense is that serious just use the yellows
Most of the changes just need simplifying and used correctly,micing up the ref would help a lot too