Just Seen A Freeze-Frame....

Offside or not, the assistant referee was a long long way behind play. She certainly was not in any position to judge.

 

He looked offside from every angle until they sketched a line to suggest the ball was slightly ahead of Abraham. To be fair to the assistant ref, the play moved so swiftly that it was hard to be in line. Their one attack of pace and quality.

 

Clutching at straws there mate.

 

I just don’t understand this being able to stand miles offside in the build up like it doesn’t give him an advantage when it comes to putting the ball into the net.

 

How do you expect any assistant to keep up with Tammy Abraham though? If they were that fast they would be an athlete not an official.

 

Maybe so.

But I look at it from another angle.

A referee or linesman (sorry woman) cannot give a decision they dont see.

Imagine the outrage if she had stuck the flag up (ooh err misses) and he was onside because the angle she is looking at gives a false reaction.

I thought he was off. I was screaming at the TV, but I'm content that it was the right call even if she wasnt in line to call it anyway

 

this 100%

 

It doesn't though because James was onside when the ball was played to him, so James has to catch up with Abraham to get in front of him to play the ball across. If James can get up to Abraham the defenders can too.

 

Onside, move on.

 

If it had been a male assistant referee im pretty certain most of these posts wouldnt have existed. Whether she was up there or not it was the right call- it doesn't matter. If you think they would be going on about it then you're a ******* liar.

 

Me neither. I don't like any part of the new offside rule.

 

Still gives him an advantage IMO. Look at Sibback he can’t get goalside of him cos he’s so far ahead. Might be the rule but it’s daft. Gives the attacker a massive advantage.

 

Not really though? The ball can’t be played to Abraham unless either the attacker gets ahead of him or defenders get between him and the goal. Therefore no advantage.

 

Sorry my feeble mind can’t understand that tbh. Brought up in an era when that was called offside regardless. Simpler times.

 

Genuinely find it difficult to believe you think that. Not that you're incorrect about the rules, you're not, but it was clearly an advantage. A couple of times in the game you get a player springing the offside trap. But when he does he very rarely has a partner to play it to as two players timing the run perfectly is extremely difficult. Didn't need it tonight. One player sprung the offside trap the other was standing miles offside, clearly gaining an advantage.

 

Not really. I’ve often said that the offside rule is virtually impossible to administer (and that was before they started messing about with it). My opinion was, and is, that the linesman has to have eyes like Marty Feldman (for younger readers, he had eyes that pointed in opposite directions: one to the left, one to the right ), particularly where a long pass is involved, given that the rule is based upon the player’s position at the moment the ball is played. All I’m saying about tonight is that the lines woman was so far behind play that she couldn’t possibly have been in a position to judge. For what it’s worth, I’m actually not bothered that we lost (but happy we played quite well). My nerves cannot withstand another relegation battle, and getting 50-plus points on the board is definitely my priority.

 

we allowing goal hanging now then?

 

I didn't say I agreed with it (although I can somewhat see the logic behind it), I was just explaining why he was legally onside.

 

It could be amended so that the player has to be stood or running away from goal. The rules need looking at for many issues, this being just one of them. The game has to be pleasing to fans. It's not just the fans not understanding the rules, some of the rules are crap. Players adjudged to have handled when the ball is walloped at them, we can't expect them to be Riverdancing in the box. Teeny, tiny touches that are given as penalties etc. The excitement and physicality is being taken out.

 

Agreed there are some loony rules these days but if Abraham can be stood miles offside when the ball was played out to James, then score with no defender between him and the goal line at any point in play thereafter, then he was played onside BY HIS OWN TEAMMATE.

That has to be Association Football's looniest ever rule.