A&H

Junior/Youth Rolling Subs

With respect HRW, I think you have the wrong end of the stick.
There are national football associations, perhaps not the UK FA, that stipulate rolling subs in competition rules.

On Bloodbeard's point about coaches abusing unlimited subs in matches where a stoppage is required for subs, my local association has age and level specific competition rules to thwart that - the coaches are only allowed to make a certain number of changes (each with as many subs as available) per half. Otherwise some coaches abuse the unlimited subs and make a sub every stoppage for the last 20 mins to kill a game.

By the way. Offside is not applied at under 9s here and I can't find that in the laws either ;)
 
The Referee Store
Never trust the managers for anything.

Re-read responsabilities of the referee. If you don't like them, please don't become last weeks ref for the rest of us.

You have overall responsability for the game, and overseeing the correct substitution procedure - every time. what if you send off nr 12, and they deny he was even on the pitch. Your match record shows where he was on or off!

I guess you love having assistant - means you can leave them to all the decisions and do even less.

Suck it up princess, it's what you get paid for.

NB - I actually love referees like this, means that in overall rankings it's another one below me and i havent even got my kit on yet!!

Unlikely to become last weeks ref for him pal, unless you both get onto the FIFA list in the very near future.
 
As far as I can see, nowhere in the LOTG does it say that the referee has to go to the halfway line to check substitutes coming on. The only relevant section that I can find is in the powers and duties of the referee which states that the referee "ensures that the players’ equipment meets the requirements of Law 4".

I can inspect all the players before the match to do this, I don't need to constantly stop the game to check that substitutes haven't changed their kit since last inspected them.
 
Page 70 mate, towards the bottom. "Players are to be inspected before the match begins and substitutes before they enter the FOP"

That's the bit I'd like amended in a world of rolling subs ...
 
Thanks - missed that - but I would still say that if I have inspected substitutes before kick off then I have inspected before they enter the field of play. Doesn't say immediately before..
 
Thanks - missed that - but I would still say that if I have inspected substitutes before kick off then I have inspected before they enter the field of play. Doesn't say immediately before..
:rolleyes:. So we have you 'stretching' this law by inspecting earlier and @CapnBloodbeard 'stretching' it by inspecting from 50 yards away. Let's just be honest here, we think this law is foolish in a world that's increasingly moving towards rolling subs so we're coming up with ways round it :). If they didn't mean immediately before entering the FOP then why differentiate subs from players at all?? And Capn, if you can genuinely spot a small piece of jewellery from halfway across the pitch then you're obviously a better man than I ;):)
 
As with many things, rules can be bent. Define inspection :)
Looking at the sub from 50 yards away doesn't seem to be breaking that law to me. Stretching it, certainly. But as I said - bending, not breaking.

Oh, and HRW? Check your attitude, because it absolutely stinks. Don't appreciate your comments one bit.
why dont you like HRW comments because they are true
 
:rolleyes:. So we have you 'stretching' this law by inspecting earlier and @CapnBloodbeard 'stretching' it by inspecting from 50 yards away. Let's just be honest here, we think this law is foolish in a world that's increasingly moving towards rolling subs so we're coming up with ways round it :). If they didn't mean immediately before entering the FOP then why differentiate subs from players at all?? And Capn, if you can genuinely spot a small piece of jewellery from halfway across the pitch then you're obviously a better man than I ;):)

Well the whole idea of 'bending' laws is that...well, we're bending them! Applying our sense of common sense, fairness and/or practicality in a manner which may only fit in the laws at a stretch, but doesn't clearly break them. Generally speaking, knowing how to bend the laws (but not break them) is an important tool for a referee. The LOTG state 'inspect', don't state where or when. Yes, I'm probably stretching the interpretation to suit my sense of practicality - but until the LOTG explicitly state otherwise it's not strictly incorrect. After all, stating that the law implies subs must be inspected at each change is only your interpretation, which isn't wholly supported in the laws ;-)

Justified because, aside from the issue of not pointlessly tiring myself out when I may have up to 5 games that day, wasting another 20min of total game time and severely disrupting the flow of the game just on the very, very slim chance I may be able to catch somebody who is still wearing a chain after I inspected him previously. Practical considerations. If the LOTG explicitly stated I need to be at halfway with each sub then so be it. They don't, so yes - I get to take advantage of that leeway. We all take advantage of stretching the LOTG every single match.
 
We all take advantage of stretching the LOTG every single match.
Ok, last comment on this one and then I shall retire gracefully :). "Inspect" is defined as 'look at closely' or 'examine'. Therefore I genuinely don't believe it's possible to 'inspect' from halfway across the pitch. For what it's worth, I totally agree with you that if we're after a good game of football for everyone then inspecting kit before every rolling sub is not the way to get it. I'm just irritated that (I believe) the laws are written in such a way as to mandate that.

And the wider point is that once we all decide to 'stretch' Laws, we will inevitably do so in different ways. Leading to inconsistency which annoys players and coaches and therefore creates its own problems. Obviously some of the Laws are down to the opinion of the referee .. but on those which are written as mandatory I just feel that life would be simpler for everyone if all referees simply followed them ( in both letter and spirit :)).
 
If you didn't stretch the interpretation of the law you'd book every player who holds an opponent back, or who argues with you in the slightest fashion ;-)

Also, 'street' definitions don't always coincide with the LOTG. 'Deliberately' doesn't. Even 'kick' can be a stretch.

And finally, there are a number of industries where an 'inspection' can occur at a distance. Due to practical considerations. A tree surgeon doesn't need to crawl along every branch to inspect the tree for safety :)
 
Back
Top