Category: Sports Bar
I was perusing the football pages of the BBC web site this evening, as I am wont to do from time to time, when my eye was caught by an article claiming that the English football league is considering proposals to scrap draws and decide all games by penalty shoot out if the scores are tied after ninety minutes.
Just to clarify before I continue, the football league are the body that govern all football in England with the exception of the Premiership which is it's own entity.
So this is something that I'm quite interested to get other peoples views on. Would this be a good thing for the game or not? After all, one has to assume that if the football league were to implement such a drastic change to the rules, there is every chance that such changes would filter up to the Premiership anyway. So if, after ninety minutes, there was no clear winner in a match, should the traditional draw be abandoned in favor of a penalty shoot out?
It's certainly not something that I'd be in favor of seeing happen. I can't help but feel that the football league are now desperately turning their backs on the traditions of the game, pandering to TV companies who'd absolutely love the extra sensationalist aspect to be added, all in a not so subtle attempt to generate ever greater revenues. At least, that's my opinion. After all, the English leagues below the Premier league are certainly not suffering from a lack of support within grounds. Indeed it is a statistical fact that the Championship, the second tear in English football, annually draws more supporters through it's turn styles in a season than Serie A which is the top flight of Italian football, which also happens to be recognized as one of the finest leagues in the World. My point being that evidently the fans of clubs that fall under the jurisdiction of the football league apparently don't believe that the experience that they currently under go of a Saturday afternoon isn't satisfying or entertaining enough.
Quite aside from anything else, what is so wrong with a draw anyway? Some times two sides come together, play for ninety minutes and a draw really is the fairest result at the end of it all. Neither side deserves to win. How about when a team at the bottom of a table, desperate for points, travels to a side that is flying high, a draw maybe the best result that they can hope for and having achieved that feat, they'll feel rightly proud of their achievement. But now we wish to devalue that whole side to the game because it is deemed by a few penny pinchers that draws aren't exciting enough?
Some how this whole thing just feels wrong to me. It just seems so endemic of what's wrong with the game of football at large. Namely more and more people wanting bigger slices of a limited pie.
I suppose really though I could sit here spouting on all day long justifying why the very thought of this proposal upsets me, but in the end it really boils down to this thought. I love the game exactly how it is right now. Football, soccer, is the most popular sport through out the World because what we have right now is quality. I just can't believe that it's very governing bodies would set out to undermine that quality by tearing at the grass routes.
Well, for what they are, they're my thoughts. So what does anybody else think? Am I just a stuffy traditionalist refusing to move with the times? Or do you believe as I do, that draws are an integral part of the game and should be held sacrosanct as such?
Dan.
dan,
i've just read the article myself, and came here to start a board thread on the subject because i felt so strongly about it, when i discovered you'd already done so. I don't usually post to the boards, but this issue struck me so strongly that i felt the need to come here and rant about it.
I am astounded to read what i just read! As i continued to read the article, i became more and more disconcerted that the beautiful game that i have grown to love and enjoy over the last 20 years is slowly falling apart. What with the new rediculous of side rules that recently came into existance, the stupid rules regarding injured players having to leave the pitch and coming straight back on before they can continue, i just feel the game is being destroyed. The governing body of the football league surely can't be considering scrapping draws now? Their vital to the game. Consider a situation where both teams need to win the game, there's 10 minutes left and both sides need the 3 points. If draws were scrapped, then neither side would go for broke and they'd both sit back and go for the shoot out like we regularly see at the end of extra time in the cups. The traditional frantic finale's we've seen over the years would disappear.
I'm disgusted by this preposal, and will not renew my season ticket with Plymouth Argyle if these rules come into existance.
It's a disgrace