[talkSAFT]

I sometimes think I've missed a year in my life, and in that year the FA introduced a new Law where goalies were penalised for catching the ball.
Bit of an exaggeration, but a lot of goalies think their work is done if they push or punch the ball away into no-man's land. Surely Coaches should give them a rocket for potentially giving the ball away when their defenders have worked hard in front of them to win back possession.
It's donkey's years since I played, and I'm sure the ball these days has changed, maybe to allow more swerve (?) But every week I see goalies punching a ball away that would be easier to catch. (I don't include Ben or Boaz as offenders).

Can someone enlighten me whether the spinning ball is so difficult to catch these days.

[drewks]

Totally agree talkSAFT. Twas always the big difference between foreign keepers and GB keepers wasn't it - ours tried to catch it and t'others flapped at it......seems like most want to flap/punch these days...

[silverbaggie]

Can anybody with more knowledge of recent rule changes explain the following.
A goalkeeper having gathered the ball, then often places it on the ground with a view to kicking it upfield.

I presume that he isn't allowed to pick it up again if suddenly challenged by an opposition forward.

When did that rule change.

It seems that most modern goalkeepers prefer to kick a ball off the turf rather than out of hand.

And as for the modern interpretation of the offside rule; well I give up.

[talkSAFT]

Can anybody with more knowledge of recent rule changes explain the following.
A goalkeeper having gathered the ball, then often places it on the ground with a view to kicking it upfield.

I presume that he isn't allowed to pick it up again if suddenly challenged by an opposition forward.

If he gathers the ball last played by the opposition, there's nothing to stop him picking it up whenever he likes.
If he gathers a ball last played by his own side he can't pick it up. (Foster should have been penalised with indirect free kick on Saturday, but the ref somehow missed it!)

When did that rule change.

It seems that most modern goalkeepers prefer to kick a ball off the turf rather than out of hand.

And as for the modern interpretation of the offside rule; well I give up.

I think most do, Silver. I know when a player's off, but I tried explaining the Law to my Mrs a couple of years ago, and she said "Yeh - right"

[ritchiebaby]

talkSAFT - try your own adaptation of this from the old BBC606 page. It worked for my wife!   Sad as I am, I copied this so I could use it again.

"The offside rule /for all u girls out there
by spiderbaby87  12 February 2011

Right girls, this is how I learnt it. Have a read and impress the idiot men. X

Imagine your in a shoe shop, there's a sale on and there is a gorgeous pair of Christian Louboutin shoes behind the counter. They're the only pair left in the shop.... and theyre your size

So you get in the queue to buy the pretty pretty shoes... unfortunately the girl in front of you in the q has spotted them too but wait.... The women in front has forgotten her purse... as you look into your bag you realise though you have too (what are the chances you ask??).... Your best friend at the back of the shop spots this perdicament and prepares to throw you her purse for you to buy the shoes as the lady in front struggles.

Now, it would just be plain wrong to step in front of the other girl if you dont have the means to pay for the pretty pretty shoes..... but as soon as you have a purse you can step in front of her and go on to buy them. As soon as you have hold of the purse, or at a push even after your mate has thrown you the purse and it is in mid-flight.... you can go past her.

Now. The shoes are the goal, the girl in front of you is the last defender and the purse is the ball!

Simples."

[talkSAFT]

Thanks, Ritchie. I showed your workings to the wife......and I think she understood!

(I've only ever taken her to a match once. We beat Man City 4-0, and I was doing cartwheels. But her first words on the way out were about the lady's shoes in the row behind!)

Her's quite canny though. Her finished reading your explanation, and said "That's why the Albion have not been caught offside all season." (A bit too close to the truth, I thought).

[4evaabaggie]

Talksaft, your Mrs isn't quite right you should have told the reason we have not been caught offside is because you can not be offside in your own half and under Pulis we haven't crossed the halfway line.

[silverbaggie]

Thanks for the explanation Talksaft but I presume it also means:-

If he gathers a ball last played by his own side (including himself) he can't pick it up.

What I find irritating about the new offside rule is that a player in an offside position then moves back onside before the ball is passed to him then remains offside during that particular attack. I've seen it given when the ball is passed to someone else and the lino flags offside against a player who isn't even in possession.

[talkSAFT]

Silver, This is the official FA regulation on Offside, but I can't see any mention on the point you raised about moving back onside and still being penalised:-

Offside offence
A player in an offside position at the moment the ball is played or touched by a team-mate is only penalised on becoming involved in active play by:

   interfering with play by playing or touching a ball passed or touched by a team-mate or
   interfering with an opponent by:
   preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s line of vision or
   challenging an opponent for the ball or
   clearly attempting to play a ball which is close to him when this action impacts on an opponent or
   making an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball

or

   gaining an advantage by playing the ball or interfering with an opponent when it has:
   rebounded or been deflected off the goalpost, crossbar or an opponent
   been deliberately saved by any opponent
   A player in an offside position receiving the ball from an opponent who deliberately plays the ball (except from a deliberate save by any opponent) is not considered to have gained an advantage.

A ‘save’ is when a player stops, or attempts to stop, a ball which is going into or very close to the goal with any part of the body except the hands/arms (unless the goalkeeper within the penalty area).

.................................................................................................
On that bit about 'can't pick up after gathering a ball last played by himself', there's no mention of that in The FA Laws:-


".....a deliberate kick of the ball with your feet, or a throw-in, to your team goalkeeper. It results in an indirect free-kick to the opposing team if the goalie touched it with his hands or arms. Playing the ball with the knee, thigh, chest, or heading the ball, is within the rules of fair play."

[talkSAFT]

..........back to my original post, is today's ball so difficult to catch???
(I've wondered for a few years, but either today's ball is manufactured for a wicked spin,..... or goalies are getting bloody lazy.)
Anyone know?