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[Hugh]

We saw it yet again last night, after a sustained spell of ALty pressure, a Maidenhead player went down "requiring" treatment for some time. After which he was able to continue. Of course he could have really taken a knock, but the same routine has happened in other games, and we know that teams do use it as a tactic to relieve a spell of pressure. This means we get home later (from places like Maidenhead) and see a less entertaining game. Too many time wasting tactics go unpunished whilst at the same time the football authorities see fit to obsess about marginal offsides. A few years back (well maybe a bit more than a few now...), at one world cup they insisted that players who got injured were taken off on an electric cart promptly for treatment. If not the same, we should certainly think along similar radical lines or such nonsense will just continue.

And another example of a keeper taking the p... again last night when the ball was given back to him for a goal kick, he kicked the ball "accidentally" into the stands (like Peter Jamieson, who, as mentioned previously, didn't catch the ball when it was thrown very near him for a goal kick). No ifs, no buts, such behaviour should always result in a booking, and referees should be alert to it

The back pass rule shows that radical changes can be made when they want to, and it is high  time to get tough on such spoiling  tactics, especially with the large amount of stoppage time that is common place these days (and I remember when Manchester United scoring a goal as much as 4 minutes into stoppage time was considered noteworthy) .

[AltyTunnelSteward]

Unless every match official is a qualified medic it isn't possible to intervene when injuries occur.

I suspect that, although in principal, the subject matter may have some value, your observations  / suggestions are spectacularly impractical

[cheshire cat]

Wheeling them off for assessment by a qualified medic would certainly put a stop to it.

[Bath Alty]

But also punish players who are genuinely injured by a bad tackle for example

[One Foot in the Grave]

Very simple - if you go down, and stay down, you must leave the field. You will not be allowed to re-enter play for 2 minutes. You can, however, be immediately substituted. That would cure a lot of it.

Goal kicks/free kicks should always be taken within 30 seconds of the ball being dead, and on the pitch. Delay it, you're booked. Players not retreating 10 yards within 10 seconds should also be booked !

[Bath Alty]

So defender kicks forward, forward goes down, stays down and has to have a 2 minute rest while team with the aggressor have an extra man?  Any disincentive to go down also acts as a punishment for genuine injuries so unless you are prepared to make a judgement on which ones are genuine I think you have to live with the status quo

[MadFrankie]

Delay it, you're booked. Players not retreating 10 yards within 10 seconds should also be booked !

Pretty sure that this, or something close to it, is already a law but is hardly ever applied. Only seems to be applied if the kick is taken quickly and deliberately hit against the offending team member who hasn’t retreated.

[RockyRobin]

Some form of Rugby's ten yard penalty to be used for some offences would work (not the injury thing obvs)

[ICB Alty]

I'm going to be controversial here and say Stop Clock needs bringing in. There is already a 4th official, VAR both of which could control the time, its done in rugby and if used correctly in Football, could stop timewasting and controversey over substitutions and added on time for injuries. Time is only stopped in Rugby when the Ref deams it necessary and not for free kicks, throw ins, goal kicks etc. If used correctly it would work.

[One Foot in the Grave]

You'd never get home for your tea, unless they cut it to 35 in-play minutes per half. Sometime, set your stopwatch and monitor how much time the ball is dead - you'll be amazed (ATS may know the answer.....)

[nimeta]

Luckily it's not just Alty who are exposed to this kind of nonsense ... all part of the game I guess

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbVJ-31JSrA

[Hugh]

Unless every match official is a qualified medic it isn't possible to intervene when injuries occur.

I suspect that, although in principal, the subject matter may have some value, your observations  / suggestions are spectacularly impractical

Genuine question, what exactly happened with the electric carts business, was it in any way effective, why wasn't it repeated, and what are your insights into the matter (of electric carts specifically but also more generally on time wasting) as  a qualified referee?

In any case, as I've suggested above, quite a lot could be done by enforcing the rules we already have (four steps rule, anyone?), and the matchday experience would gain more from, say, a properly enforced six second rule than "VARs" obsessing over an offside fingernail.

[Saughall Robin]

I think electric carts would be better utilised loaded up with IPA and doing laps of the touchline during half time. 😎🤭

[Hugh]

Now there's an idea!

I seem to remember Everton doing something similar with those mints (doubtless someone can tell me if they did in 1975).

[One Foot in the Grave]

Now there's an idea!

I seem to remember Everton doing something similar with those mints (doubtless someone can tell me if they did in 1975).

They did Hugh. The Toffee Girl, a regular feature at Goodison Park, used to throw Everton Mints into the crowd. Health & Safety probably put paid to that tradition.