The Ref Stop

Preston North End v QPR

P

PinnerPaul

RefChat Addict
The less said about the Rs performance the better, but saw my first offside free kick taken in "wrong" half to brighten up my afternoon!

The new laws clearly haven't made their way up to Preston as this is what OFFICIAL PNE web site said

"......but it would have been an extremely controversial goal as it came from a free kick given for offside that was taken five yards inside the wrong half of the pitch by the home side":confused::rolleyes:

In fact QPR WANTED to take the free kick in own half but ref (Andrew Madeley, who had a very good game) made them take it from the correct spot!

If they're confused at this level, we don't have much hope of anyone understanding lower down!
 
The Ref Stop
I said in my pre match yesterday to my assistants how I wanted it signalling (flag up but with no follow up signal for Far/Near/Middle and a windscreen wiper) and then leave it to me to place it. The ground we were at had dug outs either side and I said they probably won't know law change so just explain what's going on to the relevant bench next time you're next to them.
 
On the evidence so far, the EPL is still doing its own thing.

At Stoke on Saturday, the AR's flag went up for the offence (before the attacker played the ball) and the kick seemed to be taken from 20/30 yards upfield (i.e. more or less where the attacker was when the ball was played forward).
 
I think that was always likely to be the case, as the higher you go in football levels the less you worry about where the offside restart is taken from. More often than not players want to get the ball down and play quickly, so referee instructions are generally to let them get on with it unless it is blatantly wrong. So I think they were always going to be happy in letting teams take it from 20 yards further back if the team is happy with this.
 
I was going on the OP, which given it said the restart was taken in the wrong half means it was clearly taken closer to goal than where it would have been taken from in previous seasons.
 
To add to the confusion, on Sunday, fellow AR said he was told that level 3s had been told to take free kicks for these type of offsides on the half way line - "to save arguments & confusion"!
 
Well, that's what I said the law should have said, rather than risk a goal from an IDFK way in to the offside player's own half.
 
bloovee said:
Well, that's what I said the law should have said, rather than risk a goal from an IDFK way in to the offside player's own half.
Click to expand...

But there's no logical argument for taking the fee kick on the half way line.

Its not where player was when the ball was kicked/played and its not where player was when he touched the ball & anyway law doesn't say that, so not sure how you justify it if asked why fk is there?
 
It's as far up the pitch as the AR who's giving offside can go. Perfectly logical. You can't justify it under the daft new law but it's logical.

In most cases it's hardly mattered where the kick was from. Goodness knows who thought it was an issue. If a team wanted to take a free kick from the now-correct position (usually where the ball was when play was stopped) they could - few referees would insist it came forward to the old correct position, but if a team wanted to, the ref shouldn't have stopped them.

But now it matters, if you can take a free-kick in a dangerous position. It will only last until a game-changing goal is scored in a major competition from such a free kick.
 
Good discussion Blovee, but can't accept that logic. If a foul takes place close to you as AR that you flag for, but in "other half" the free kick isn't brought back to take it in line with where you are!
 
I was going to ask where's the logic in the AR signalling on which side of the field the offside offence occurred, if the offence occurred 20 yards inside the other half and the AR is no longer level. But, logically, what's the point in still having any signal? (p. 57 2a/b/c) You don't signal for players who aren't interfering, so it's now obvious where the FK should be taken from, and the signal is redundant. I'm out as AR first of season on Saturday so I'll tell him I won't bother using those signals....
 
Last edited:
bloovee said:
I was going to ask where's the logic in the AR signalling on which side of the field the offside offence occurred, if the offence occurred 20 yards inside the other half and the AR is no longer level. But, logically, what's the point in still having any signal? (p. 57 2a/b/c) You don't signal for players who aren't interfering, so it's now obvious where the FK should be taken from, and the signal is redundant. I'm out as AR first of season on Saturday so I'll tell him I won't bother using those signals....
Click to expand...
Is it common practice where you are for the AR to tell the referee what he will and won't be doing??
 
The assistant simply raises his flag to indicate an offside offence has taken place, he's not indicating where it was. The position should be fairly obvious when the referee doesn't indicate near/middle/far
 
GraemeS said:
Is it common practice where you are for the AR to tell the referee what he will and won't be doing??
Click to expand...
I shall be very discreet. "I assume you're not bothered about my indicating where the kick should be taken as under the new laws it's from where you stopped play". What happened to PinnerPaul the other night? Maybe his ref took exception to being told what to do!
 
at our new laws RA meeting last night, the guy presenting, suggested his method of signalling this would be to raise the flag in the normal fashion for offside and then point into the attacking team's half. mind you he also said that KFTPM, kick number 6 could be taken by kicker number one once the first 5 kicks were completed... he did apologise though once someone pointed out that that didnt make sense :)
 
I didn't TELL him what to do, him being a 3 and me being a 7 that would have been very presumptuous!

We agreed that ARs would flag , not indicate where in fop fk should be,move to halfway line and then ref would indicate where (in the "wrong" half) fk should be.

Lo and behold we DID have one last night, although not on my side sadly.

As you would expect, most spectators, players and a few on the benches had no idea what was going on!
 
I don't get the "flag up" but then no "flag far/middle/near" logic.

In these scenarios - where the attacker becomes active in his own half - the AR should still be following the second last defender, wherever that may be, until the moment of the "becoming active offence". The AR should be following the second last defender/ball during any "wait and see" offside scenario.

At the moment the player becomes active, the AR gets their flag up, OK. (I tend to also shout for my ref's attention, or buzz if we have buzzers, or say it if we have headsets). The timing of the flag with the player becoming active should make it obvious - at least to the officials and anyone who knows the laws - where on the field the player has become active - and therefore where the IDFK will be taken.

Then surely it is essential for the AR to flag far/middle/near so that everyone knows it is an offside decision and not e.g. ball out of play.

That the AR may be 50m away from parallel with the point of the offence is not a concern for me. Under the old laws we were not necessarily parallel with the offence. Of course, if you were an AR standing still - not following the 2nd last def/ball - in a wait and see - you might have been parallel (!) but also I think we've established before, that was not correct technique ;) *

(*I am still AR under last year's laws... and I know how hard it is keep moving during a wait and see - but that is the challenge here for ARs isn't it - we have to keep moving during the wait and see?)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top