Women's World Cup

[PromoTheRobot]

Am I? As much as a they-should-micro-manage-every-last-second guy like yourself? You do realize soccer players get no real rest except the delays in kicking the ball and after scoring a goal? I guess the ref could have stopped the clock after the 4th US goal and Japan had their group meeting to try and rally each other too. I coached against a guy that once his inexperienced team was losing would come on the field after they got scored on and do 1-3 minutes of coaching before their ensuing kickoff. Great coach, would never do it if they weren't losing.

 

When I was a kid in the 70's and 80's the refs never declared how much injury time was being added on. You just went until the whistle while the announcers tried to guess what the extra time would be. I miss it, because it definitely added to the drama of the game.

 

And the game is not about a goal. It is about possessing the ball, then utilizing individual and team creativity/skill to create and take advantage of opportunities to score.

 

Since you asked, yes. If they aren't playing the clock shouldn't run.

 

To me it's not about micromanaging anything. It's about fair play. Level playing field, etc. Considering how much scandal surrounds FIFA, isn't giving one official that much power and control a bit dangerous? Like you're asking for match fixing.

 

Also You're comment at the end is confusing. The game isn't about scoring, just making scoring chances??

Edited July 6, 2015 by PromoTheRobot

[The Big Cat]

 

Since you asked, yes.

 

To me it's not about micromanaging anything. It's about fair play. Level playing field, etc. Considering how much scandal surrounds FIFA, isn't giving one official that much power and control a bit dangerous? Like you're asking for match fixing.

 

Also You're comment at the end is confusing. The game isn't about scoring, just making scoring chances??

 

You said the game should be rigidly timed, like Americans are used to. I mentioned baseball, fine.

 

But what you're getting at here in your complaints about 'loosey goosey' timing methods is a complaint about the essence of the game.

 

If you don't like it, okay. But it's part of the game.

 

The rules of the game are written such that they're entirely up to interpretation. That's sort of the point.

 

And different leagues interpret and enforce them differently, breeding different styles of play and different strategies country to country.

 

That's part of the game.

 

If you don't like it, fine. But you might as well be complaining about offsides.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

Congrats!!!

 

 

CBF

[PromoTheRobot]

 

You said the game should be rigidly timed, like Americans are used to. I mentioned baseball, fine.

 

But what you're getting at here in your complaints about 'loosey goosey' timing methods is a complaint about the essence of the game.

 

If you don't like it, okay. But it's part of the game.

 

The rules of the game are written such that they're entirely up to interpretation. That's sort of the point.

 

And different leagues interpret and enforce them differently, breeding different styles of play and different strategies country to country.

 

That's part of the game.

 

If you don't like it, fine. But you might as well be complaining about offsides.

No wonder they riot so much.

[The Big Cat]

No wonder they riot so much.

 

You're coming across as one of those "I just don't get soccer" Americans who we all know is really just a "I just don't want to get soccer" American. I don't want to think that's the case, but if it is, just own it. Nobody says you have to like soccer, it's entirely up to you.

[GG]

 

half court GOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL un frieking believable!!!

 

It helps when a world class athlete trips over her feet when backpedaling.

[C.Biscuit97]

I'll be honest. I was pumped for the tournament and it was a big disappointing. At least Mrs. Domestic Violence gave up a few goals.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

You're coming across as one of those "I just don't get soccer" Americans who we all know is really just a "I just don't want to get soccer" American. I don't want to think that's the case, but if it is, just own it. Nobody says you have to like soccer, it's entirely up to you.

I get soccer just fine. I also never said I didn't like the sport. I think some are bristling at the suggestion the "beautiful game" could use a tweak.

Edited July 6, 2015 by PromoTheRobot

[DC Tom]

I get soccer just fine. I also never said I didn't like the sport. I think some are bristling at the suggestion the "beautiful game" could use a tweak.

 

Or maybe soccer doesn't need a tweak. So they don't nitpick every damn thing? Compare soccer's 12-page rule book (which amounts to "Here's how you set up the field, here's how you handle the ball, now don't be an !@#$.") to football's massive and ever-tweaked tome of rules, which requires a team of officials to understand it during the game and gets its own color commentary.

 

So how is soccer's simplicity a bad thing? Frankly, I'd prefer it if American sports were tweaked in line with soccer, rather than the opposite. How much more watchable would basketball be with a running clock obviating "hack-a-Shaq" tactics?

[PromoTheRobot]

 

Or maybe soccer doesn't need a tweak. So they don't nitpick every damn thing? Compare soccer's 12-page rule book (which amounts to "Here's how you set up the field, here's how you handle the ball, now don't be an !@#$.") to football's massive and ever-tweaked tome of rules, which requires a team of officials to understand it during the game and gets its own color commentary.

 

So how is soccer's simplicity a bad thing? Frankly, I'd prefer it if American sports were tweaked in line with soccer, rather than the opposite. How much more watchable would basketball be with a running clock obviating "hack-a-Shaq" tactics?

It may well be better, but I have to ask, would you prefer NFL games be timed like soccer?

 

Honestly I don't see how keeping time more precisely changes anything structurally about the game, other than wasting time faking injuries, which I thought no one likes anyway?

[DC Tom]

It may well be better, but I have to ask, would you prefer NFL games be timed like soccer?

 

No, because things that are different are not the same.

 

Honestly I don't see how keeping time more precisely changes anything structurally about the game, other than wasting time faking injuries, which I thought no one likes anyway?

 

They keep time very precisely. A 90 minute game.

 

They don't track stoppages precisely. Only approximately. And tracking stoppages precisely would be a major structural change to the game. Stopping and restarting the clock on every throw-in, free kick, corner kick, goal kick, injury real or faked, etc. How is that not a major structural change?

[Observer]

I'll be honest. I was pumped for the tournament and it was a big disappointing. At least Mrs. Domestic Violence gave up a few goals.

 

She must have beat the spit out of her 6'8" 270lb nephew.

 

TV ratings through the roof for the final--about equal to World Series Game 7. Now if soccer could only string together some more ratings through CONCACAF, UEFA, etc.

 

MLS TV ratings still lag far behind but their attendance is high.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

No, because things that are different are not the same.

 

 

They keep time very precisely. A 90 minute game.

 

They don't track stoppages precisely. Only approximately. And tracking stoppages precisely would be a major structural change to the game. Stopping and restarting the clock on every throw-in, free kick, corner kick, goal kick, injury real or faked, etc. How is that not a major structural change?

I didn't say stop the clock every time. Just after goals, during set pieces (corner kicks, free kicks, penalty kicks) and during injuries. Or in other words...stoppages. Tom, how does that change the strategy of the game one inch?

Edited July 6, 2015 by PromoTheRobot

[Jauronimo]

 

Or maybe soccer doesn't need a tweak. So they don't nitpick every damn thing? Compare soccer's 12-page rule book (which amounts to "Here's how you set up the field, here's how you handle the ball, now don't be an !@#$.") to football's massive and ever-tweaked tome of rules, which requires a team of officials to understand it during the game and gets its own color commentary.

 

So how is soccer's simplicity a bad thing? Frankly, I'd prefer it if American sports were tweaked in line with soccer, rather than the opposite. How much more watchable would basketball be with a running clock obviating "hack-a-Shaq" tactics?

Or at the very least some consistency rather than a system which spots the ball based on judgement for 95% of the game and then reviews plays for 5 minutes to determine to the inch between 1st down and 4th down the other 5% (even though the preceding spots were all left up to judgement). A set of rules which doesn't care how long the clock runs for 56 minutes but then will review the replay to spot the timeout signal to reset the clock within tenths of a second strikes me as just odd.

[eball]

Promo -- with all due respect, this is an argument you can absolutely not win. I agree with the guy up-thread who reminisced about the days when they wouldn't tell you how much injury time had been added on. Soccer is not a "timed" sport in that sense. At the end of games, when you know the injury time is about to run out, they always let the team losing by one goal have "one more rush" to see if anything can be sustained. It's imprecise and that's the beauty/simplicity of it. It doesn't need to be "fixed."

 

I hate the fake injuries and there's only one way to get rid of them -- suspensions.

[Jauronimo]

Promo -- with all due respect, this is an argument you can absolutely not win. I agree with the guy up-thread who reminisced about the days when they wouldn't tell you how much injury time had been added on. Soccer is not a "timed" sport in that sense. At the end of games, when you know the injury time is about to run out, they always let the team losing by one goal have "one more rush" to see if anything can be sustained. It's imprecise and that's the beauty/simplicity of it. It doesn't need to be "fixed."

 

I hate the fake injuries and there's only one way to get rid of them -- suspensions.

Agreed. In all major sports. Hockey needs suspensions for diving as does basketball. Fines will not get the job done.

[Observer]

I didn't say stop the clock every time. Just after goals, during set pieces (corner kicks, free kicks, penalty kicks) and during injuries. Or in other words...stoppages. Tom, how does that change the strategy of the game one inch?

 

When you're burning down the clock with a lead in soccer, late in the game you boot the ball out of bounds more, jog your defenders up slowly for kicks and throw-ins. You do a lot of winding down the clock. And on the other side, you're racing to get all the stoppages restarted. So if you change how the clock is measured, you change the strategy around all those stoppages.

 

As a viewer, one of the things that's great about soccer is its predictable timing. A soccer half is 45 minutes plus maybe 3-5 minutes of stoppage time (more stoppage time in men's soccer because the men are little bitches and even more time if one of the teams is South American, Central American, Italian, or Spanish). That makes the viewing experience predictable on duration, which is excellent. No commercials except half time. You watch a game end to end in less than 2 hours every time.

[KD in CA]

I get soccer just fine. I also never said I didn't like the sport. I think some are bristling at the suggestion the "beautiful game" could use a tweak.

 

As for me, the "tweaks" have significantly harmed major American sports with the asinine 'getting it right' obsession. Replay sucks, in all it's forms. Waiting around for five minutes while they decide to add 1/2 second to the clock is ridiculous. Endless TV timeouts, endless penalties, etc. I can understand the backlash against 'Americanizing' soccer.

[Observer]

 

It helps when a world class athlete trips over her feet when backpedaling.

 

That was one of those "oh crap I'm way out of position" backpedals. She knew she was in deep trouble the second Lloyd struck the ball and thus had to watch it all the way in. The trip made it easier but that was not going to be an easy save with her charging towards her on goal just hoping to touch the ball. She was in deep crap and credit Lloyd for taking the chance at beating her. Those don't often go in but every once in a while you catch the keeper.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

When you're burning down the clock with a lead in soccer, late in the game you boot the ball out of bounds more, jog your defenders up slowly for kicks and throw-ins. You do a lot of winding down the clock. And on the other side, you're racing to get all the stoppages restarted. So if you change how the clock is measured, you change the strategy around all those stoppages.

 

None of which would stop the clock under my suggestion so that wouldn't change at all.

Edited July 6, 2015 by PromoTheRobot