Drop Ball

[manager50]

A new subject and just an open question to all, with regard to the "stopping the game 'cos someone is down injured". I am a bit old school and the head injury obviously needs attention, but it was a bit like Saving Private Ryan sometimes!

 

Saturday against Camberley and they have a player down in the middle of the pitch with a slight knock. Their keeper gets the ball and chucks it out to his full back, who progresses and slips a pass into the striker. Our full back knicks it off him and the ball is free, our full back is favourite to get there and we will have possession in their half. The referee then blows as the player is down. He then proceeds to do the normal drop, but where the player was lying and not where the ball was, whilst our lads are querying why we stopped when they had the ball and chose to play rather than throw it out of play - I also think he got straight up, but cannot be too sure. So, he drops it for them and they proceed to lump it down the pitch and it goes out of play 5 yards in front of the corner flag, so we have a throw deep in our half. Johnny Wilkinson would have been proud of the accuracy. They press up the pitch and the game starts there.

 

Later on they have another man down and they have possession in in their half inside the centre circle. Ref again blows and eventually drops the ball for our lad. In view of the previous incident, he strikes it down their end for a goal kick, to which they complain and the keeper gets the right hump although he will at least be able to reach well into our half with the kick, as the boy can kick!

 

My main thought is that these incidents happen fairly regularly in games now. In the first instance they had the option to throw the ball out and chose not to, although they were chasing the game and the keepr may well have be more focused on getting the ball forward, so there is no real complaint there. They had a whinge about us doing the same as them, but we were afforded that option by the referee, which is where I am coming from. The reaction to what we did, because of the score at the time and the amount left to play, could have escalated because tempers became slighly frayed.

 

My thought is that, with the referee having taken control of the situation by stopping play and then allocating a side to have the first "strike", is he empowered to insist that they return the ball in an acceptable manner so that the game can continue without fuss. This is probably one for the refereeing experts, but the daft thing is that such a seemingly minor incident in a decent game had so much coverage afterwards in the bar.

 

No complaints about anything or anyone as such, but I thought it may provoke discussion.

 

In fact, I must say, the referee was decent Saturday and is one I cannot recall having seen before.

 

Now, back to work.....................!

[Mewcenary]

The referee can't insist on what the teams will do in a drop ball scenario.  If both teams want to contest it, despite play being stopped due to an injury, then that is what will happen.

 

However, if the referee has _suggested_ that the ball should go back to the keeper (or whatever) and the players have agreed this.... if the player subsequently decides to try and score instead then that is Unsporting Behaviour.  Stop play, caution, IDFK to the other team!

 

The drop ball should always be given from where the ball was at the moment the referee stopped play.

 

 

 

 

 

[Krooner]

I agree with you Steve. Far too much of it now. I always try and get to the player and ask if he requires treatment. If he says yes I will take into consideration the match, who has the ball and where they are. I have stopped play and the team that are attacking has their player who has asked for treatment Been shouted at but explained that I asked the player and he wanted it.

 

As for drop balls it is correct as Mewwie states above but if the player chooses to score there is nothing you can actually do in Law.

[bomaya]

Everytime I see "IDFK" written on here by a ref, I think they are saying "I don't fecking know".

[Krooner]

Got that about right Bommie

[Footy Mad]

Got that about right Bommie

 

 

Thought everybody knew that we just made things up as we went along

[Krooner]

What is good for the goose eh Footie