Other club football

Yes this.

I just don't get it. I don't understand how it's implemented in practice.

For example if the defenders try to make a wall 11 metres away from the ball rather than 10 metres, does that mean an attacker cannot stand in front of them as he's within 1 metres of the wall?

What if it's an indirect free kick in the area, and the defenders make a line on the goal line, where are the attackers meant to stand?

Can you form two walls, and players can't be within a metre of either?

(This may well be covered in the rules but I can't be arsed looking it up properly, it's a stupid rule)

They were crap before the last few weeks, although they did seem to get worse and I would agree with the reason.
But if the other 3 teams had been less terrible then the pressure would have been greater and there wasn't a lot to suggest they could turn it on at need in the Prem. Too strong to be relegated doesn't mean they don't struggle to make it (like us the year before).

It seems that the rule is there because attacking players just cause bother and waste time so it looks bad. This is true.

They justify it by saying ‘there is no legitimate tactical justification for attackers to be in the wall’ which is absolute bollocks because players can stand wherever they fucking want and the tactical justification for that is their own goddamn business.

So yeah.. it’s another ‘new’ rule created so refs don’t have to enforce the rules that are already there.

The BBC quote the rule as this

The International Football Association Board's Law 13 states that when three or more defending team players form a wall, all attacking players must remain at least one metre from the wall until the ball is in play

Which really confuses me. You cannot be within a metre of the wall until ball is in play. So at what point is the offence called,? As soon as kick is taken you can be where you want so do you give away a free kick if an attacker stays within the one metre at any time before the kick is taken? So everyone is just milling around awaiting for the free kick to be taken and the ref blows up under this rule. That can't be correct but I can't see how it is supposed to work.

Various rules act to impede the fouled party. You must wait until the ref says you can take the kick.. you must pass the ball to someone else.. you must play it from the position of the foul (lolz).

If it were up to me, the fouled team would have the absolute right to get on with things however they like whenever they like, the only restriction being that if someone wants to handle the ball to place it, or have play stopped so that they can set up, the position they take the kick from should be enforced. But they do get to restart play whenever they like… not when the ref decides the defenders are ready. Opposition are required to get ten years away immediately (y’know, enforced like it should already be).

Otherwise, if you can pick yourself up and play on then you can. If another player can run in and continue the play then they can. Kinda like advantage by default if the attacking team wants it. Probably means the current advantage rule is scrapped.. the ref can’t pull play back of things don’t pan out.

That might help put a stop to deliberate fouls made specifically to disrupt momentum and allow the defending team to regroup.

Hope for Derby yet.

Leeds have started like an express train at home to Everton. Tempo and intensity of the first 20 minutes is insane - they need to score soon as there's no way they can maintain this.

I can't give you a specific reason why, but Willy Gnonto really annoys me. Like everything about him - his face, his mannerisms, the way he runs, everything just gets my hackles up.

It's a sign of how far we've come that I'm watching more and more Premier League games these days and thinking 'these sides aren't as good as us'.

He was a player I'd have quite liked us to sign when Leeds went down two years ago, but that ship has definitely sailed now. Decent player but he gets nowhere near our first team now.

I've been watching more games just thinking the quality is dropping. See whether Grealish can make Everton look anything better than relegation battlers.

The three promoted clubs this season have come up at the right time. Gap between them and the weakest 'established' Premier League sides is closer than it's been for a while.

1-0 Leeds.

Someone’s going to have to explain to me how that’s more of a penalty than the one we didn’t get yesterday.

I’m surprised how poor Everton look to be honest. Dewsbury-Hall, Alcatraz, Gueye, O’Brien, Beto all look like Championship players.
Grealish has made no difference and Garner is wasted at left back.