Stop the clock (3 Viewers)

Should we move to a 60 minute “stop clock” system?

  • Yes

    Votes: 43 36.1%
  • No

    Votes: 76 63.9%

  • Total voters
    119

robbiekeane

Well-Known Member
Not a new article but just came up on my feed when was looking at this seasons rule changes.

Writing in the Daily Mail, former referee Mark Clattenburg suggested football introducing 60-minute matches with a stop-clock to eradicate gamesmanship.

Other sports like basketball and American football use a stop-clock, and it's a straightforward concept: essentially, the clock is stopped whenever the ball is not in play, for incidents including injuries, substitutions and the referee dishing out cautions.

Football's law-making body the International Football Association Board (Ifab) has previously looked into the possibility of introducing a stop-clock.

In this season's Premier League, the average 'ball in play' time is 55 minutes and three seconds - the lowest it has been in over a decade.


What do people think, should we go for a stop the clock system?

I personally think it’s absolutely necessary because the fact that the average ball in play time is like 55 minutes is a joke
 

win9nut

Well-Known Member
Not a new article but just came up on my feed when was looking at this seasons rule changes.

Writing in the Daily Mail, former referee Mark Clattenburg suggested football introducing 60-minute matches with a stop-clock to eradicate gamesmanship.

Other sports like basketball and American football use a stop-clock, and it's a straightforward concept: essentially, the clock is stopped whenever the ball is not in play, for incidents including injuries, substitutions and the referee dishing out cautions.

Football's law-making body the International Football Association Board (Ifab) has previously looked into the possibility of introducing a stop-clock.

In this season's Premier League, the average 'ball in play' time is 55 minutes and three seconds - the lowest it has been in over a decade.


What do people think, should we go for a stop the clock system?

I personally think it’s absolutely necessary because the fact that the average ball in play time is like 55 minutes is a joke
But stoppage time worked so much in our favour last season, may Robins time continue!
 

robbiekeane

Well-Known Member
But stoppage time worked so much in our favour last season, may Robins time continue!
I don’t think it did. We just scored in the dying minutes of a game and that wouldn’t change. It just stops any ambiguity around whether the time should be added or not
 

Seaside-Skyblue

Well-Known Member
I'm quite shocked that 55 mins is the average time the ball is in play actually, I now feel a bit cheated that I'm only paying for 55 mins of footy in my ticket price! Even though it stops teams winding down the clock, I think gamesmanship will still exist but moreso to disrupt play / flow of the game i.e players going down etc.

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South West Sky Blue

Well-Known Member
Not a fan of a stop clock. It’s a bit too American for me. However at least it’s part of a solution to the ridiculous levels of “gamesmanship” going on now.
Wanted Everton to go down last year for that reason. Was also a bit embarrassed by the last 5-10 mins of the England women’s Euros win.
Something should happen to change this. Without a better idea- trial it in the EFL cup first and then see if it merits wider adoption.
 

robbiekeane

Well-Known Member
Not a fan of a stop clock. It’s a bit too American for me. However at least it’s part of a solution to the ridiculous levels of “gamesmanship” going on now.
Wanted Everton to go down last year for that reason. Was also a bit embarrassed by the last 5-10 mins of the England women’s Euros win.
Something should happen to change this. Without a better idea- trial it in the EFL cup first and then see if it merits wider adoption.
Doesn’t it happen in rugby? Genuine question I don’t watch it but I thought it does
 

SkyBlueGuy

Well-Known Member
I am highly suspicious of this idea. Whilst I agree it would be nicer to see more actual football throughout a game, it feels like one of the super league type ideas. Fans being told its a change for their benefit, when in reality the motivations are money focused. If this happened I would not be surprised if we ended up with superbowl type half time shows in the FA cup etc. I actually quite like American football, but it takes ages to watch and feels soulless at times to me. Possibly something to do with the ridiculous amount of advertising that happens before, during, and after the game
 
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Hobo

Well-Known Member
Doesn’t it happen in rugby? Genuine question I don’t watch it but I thought it does
Plentry of gamesmanship and time wasting in rugby. Fake injuries needing treatment, discussions how to take the lineout. Slow walk into position.

It is not just about minutes being played. It is about disruption of opponents play and momentum. Timewasting can still occure when the ball is in play and on the pitch.

One big problem whether football, cricket or rugby, like it or not all clubs/teams do it. So they all condone it happening. Coaches even have a term for it 'game management'.
 

thekidfromstrettoncamp

Well-Known Member
I am 1 who thinks the clock should stop when the game stops. I also think referees could clamp down on timewasting more giving a goalkeeper 1 warning and then the book as an example.
 

Dec-ccfc

Well-Known Member
It’s the FA and on pitch officials who should be clamping down on gamesmanship, start punishing time wasting and simulation frequently. Retrospective action for teams found consistently disrupting the flow of the game.

If we want the game played to a certain level of standard it has to be enforced, changing the time does nothing as teams will just start the games from the 35th minute.
 

tskezz

Well-Known Member
The 60mins idea does the rounds every now and again. It seems to Americanized for my liking.

I do think timewasting should be picked up on more, I've heard ideas about a clock on display to all that the ref or 4th official would be hooked up to so when they stop their clocks it would stop etc. Then when a player is blatantly wasting time going down it can be stopped and if it isn't fans and the fa/clubs can see and question why.

The issue we have now is when there is or isn't ET we are left guessing to why.

I can't remember the team but was a game last season where we scored in ET and their fans took to socials going mental blaming us i think because someone ran on the pitch? Then one of our fans compiled a video of all the times they went down in the second half and it added up to the same amount of ET.
 

Evo1883

Well-Known Member
If it would make little to no difference to the time I'm in attendance then what's the point ?
 

Ian1779

Well-Known Member
Have they trialled this anywhere at all? Would be interested to see how different/same things were.
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
Just enforce the laws we have rather than invent new ones.
Not sure you can though. As an example, if someone wants to feign injury when they are substituted, to waste time, they can hobble and limp off instead or walk off.

When it comes to corners and throw ins, you can stop, wipe the ball, ask the ref where to take the throw in from/place the ball in the corner so it's not quite touching the white line etc.

There are so many ways to waste time. A ref is never going to book a player for them asking where to take a throw in from and they are never going to book a player who pretends to be injured, because you can never tell if they are faking it or not. Easy to fake a head injury too, or pretend you have been elbowed in the face.

Players are going to find ever increasing ways to waste time too. It's a fine art now.

The game needs to evolve and that means change unfortunately. Happens in just about every other sport.
 
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Otis

Well-Known Member
Not sure you can though. As an example, if someone wants to feign injury when they are substituted, to waste time, they can hobble and limp off instead or walk off.

When it comes to corners and throw ins, you can stop, wipe the ball, ask the ref where to take the throw in from/place the ball in the corner so it's not quite touching the white line etc.

There are so many ways to waste time. A ref is never going to book a player for them asking where to take a throw in from and they are never going to book a player who pretends to be injured, because you can never tell if they are faking it or not. Easy to fake a head injury too, or pretend you have been elbowed in the face.

Players are going to find ever increasing ways to waste time too. It's a fine art now.

The game needs to evolve and that means change unfortunately. Happens in just about every other sport.
And just how many times have we as fans gone "5 mins added? That was way more than 5 mins wasted."
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
The fucking about would still happen , the clock would just be stopped instead , would it save time ?
Yes. Because if you are trying to waste time, faffing about with a goal kick, or a corner, or free kick or a corner, you are achieving absolutely nothing.

What's the point trying to run the clock down when the clock has stopped?
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
I find it quite laughable that at the moment we have the equivalent of a Masonic handshake going on, with the crowd having absolutely no idea how much or little time is going to be added on.

It's like this one big secret that no-one is privvy too.

At the moment, all the time wasting is hurting the game we love.
 

Frostie

Well-Known Member
Not sure you can though. As an example, if someone wants to feign injury when they are substituted, to waste time, they can hobble and limp off instead or walk off.

When it comes to corners and throw ins, you can stop, wipe the ball, ask the ref where to take the throw in from/place the ball in the corner so it's not quite touching the white line etc.

There are so many ways to waste time. A ref is never going to book a player for them asking where to take a throw in from and they are never going to book a player who pretends to be injured, because you can never tell if they are faking it or not. Easy to fake a head injury too, or pretend you have been elbowed in the face.

Players are going to find ever increasing ways to waste time too. It's a fine art now.

The game needs to evolve and that means change unfortunately. Happens in just about every other sport.

All fair points but I don't have too much issue with a lot of it, it's part of the game. All that should happen is the time is added on but it almost never is.

If we're going to look at stopping the clock every time the ball goes out you're looking at extending matches by over 30 minutes & all the knock on issues that come with that - increased demand on players, more injuries etc. No doubt the TV companies will have their say too.

The simplest solution is to have the 4th official (or even a 5th official) in charge of timings - referees already have an impossible job.
 

GaryMabbuttsLeftKnee

Well-Known Member
Genuinely shocked that when I hit 'Yes', how low the percentage is. I imagine it's not a view shared by all, but I believe time wasting should be one of the very top priorities to be fixed. Sunday, Sunderland were time wasting from about minute 25. A stopped clock means, although they can do it to 'disrupt' the pattern of play, noone can ever benefit from less time with the ball in play. It's a no brainer for me, but clearly the majority disagree,
 

Otis

Well-Known Member
All fair points but I don't have too much issue with a lot of it, it's part of the game. All that should happen is the time is added on but it almost never is.

If we're going to look at stopping the clock every time the ball goes out you're looking at extending matches by over 30 minutes & all the knock on issues that come with that - increased demand on players, more injuries etc. No doubt the TV companies will have their say too.

The simplest solution is to have the 4th official (or even a 5th official) in charge of timings - referees already have an impossible job.
Yeah, I get that, but I don't think it would add on all that time, because once players see the trying to delay the game isnt working, there is no point in doing it.

I think it should at least be trialled. See if it makes things better or not. Obviously would be best to trial it at a lower level, but they are not going to have the technology in place in order to do that are they.

Players are wasting time because they know they are getting away with it and the added time very rarely seems to correlate to what the crowd are anticipating
 

lordy_87

Well-Known Member
Just need refs to show some bollocks, yellow card immediately for any excessive time wasting, send them off if they do it again. Make sure added time is long enough to cover the time wasting, if it's 10 mins+ so be it.
 

Stafford_SkBlue

Well-Known Member
Crazy that these days there are so many officials but who is actually keeping a tab on timekeeping, the 4th official seems to have his work cut out looking after the managers/coaches in the technical area and being constantly harassed by a few of them. The game does need a timekeeper, who can stop the clock for subs. injuries or blatant timewasting or lost ball etc.
This would give it a bit more transparency.
 

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