Feigning injury being used as a tactic to waste time

[VidaRed]

Couldn't find another thread discussing this phenomenon of time wasting being used as a tactic by feigning injury every few minutes, the spanish teams appear to excel at it and the refs are allowing it.

And mind you I'm not talking about wasting a few minutes at the end. Look at this stat from our game against atletico.

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[V.O.]

Unfortunately, there's only two ways I can think of to deal with it. Either referees grow a pair of bollocks between them and start punishing that shite and adding on the actual amount of time wasted, or the clock stops when the ball is out of play and they play an hour or whatever the average time for the ball to be in play is.

The first option would be my preferred choice by miles, but of course it's laughable that it would ever happen.

 

[MVP_88]

Also in the 2nd half, every time the ball went out for our throw in, Atletico players would ‘warm up’ towards the ball to stop us from taking the quick throw in. Honestly, dislike them as much as dog owners who don’t clean up after their dog.

 

[Reapersoul20]

This has always pissed me off a LOT.

It also pisses me off how long United take to take a set piece, even when the time is against us. Statistically, set pieces aren't great chances (especially corners) so just take the facking thing and get it over with - stop the faffing about, especially when we're trailing.

The lack of urgency in our team when up against it is astounding.

 

[buckooo1978]

disgraceful that

a ball in play clock would put an end to it

 

[do.ob]

I never really understood how we can have something as impactful and (financially) costly as VAR in the game, but not something as simple as a stop clock, that would eliminate time wasting in an instant.

Also why is it always the Spaniards? Atletico and Sevilla are easily seen as the most unfair teams in Europe, Barcelona are famous for their play acting, too.

 

[Leftback99]

I never really understood how we can have something as impactful and (financially) costly as VAR in the game, but not something as simple as a stop clock, that would eliminate time wasting in an instant.

Also why is it always the Spaniards? Atletico and Sevilla are easily seen as the most unfair teams in Europe, Barcelona are famous for their play acting, too.

It is ridiculous how added time is just made up by the referee. Should be a 30 minute stop clock controlled by the VAR team.

 

[led_scholes]

If they make it mandatory for the player to leave the field for a minute or 2 when he is down, then less players would risk faking it.

 

[Bubz27]

I read years ago on average the ball is in play for an average of 60 minutes in a 90 minute match. 2/3.

11 out of 30 minutes is around 1/3. Incredible.

 

[Pexbo]

4 mins added time.

 

[Gandalf]

One option that should be considered is to retroactively punish simulation. Players get fines and bans for violent conduct that is missed during a game so if a player throws themselves to the ground without contact and it is not reviewed in the game but replays clearly show no contact make it an automatic 1 game ban. I think clutching your face and writhing on the ground when a player bumps your shoulder should also be a a suspension.

I would also like to propose kneecapping anyone like Rodrigo de Paul who after every fake injury rushed to the referee and started making the yellow card gesture. Trying to get fellow players booked, particularly when you know it was not even a foul, is the height of cnutish behaviour and no I am not bitter about it I swear.

 

[Andre Kagawa]

According to Trippier they even do it in training!

 

[Sied]

disgraceful that

a ball in play clock would put an end to it

It'd be interesting to see this trialled. That second half was painful to watch and it wasn't just because of our performance.

 

[Vidyoyo]

I never understand refs who let players waste time. If it were in their shoes, I'd be doing loads of cheeky shit like tapping my watch and dancing a merry jig while they're writhing in fake agony on the ground, a little smirk in the corner of my mouth to let them know who's boss. Understandly it doesn't happen because referees are about as intimidating as a pair of fluffy slippers.

The gits.

 

[flameinthesun]

Its part of the dark arts of football. I hate when the opposition do it but man I wish we had a few more ander herreras in the squad. As a team we are too polite to the opposition and the ref!

 

[kouroux]

Unfortunately, there's only two ways I can think of to deal with it. Either referees grow a pair of bollocks between them and start punishing that shite and adding on the actual amount of time wasted, or the clock stops when the ball is out of play and they play an hour or whatever the average time for the ball to be in play is.

The first option would be my preferred choice by miles, but of course it's laughable that it would ever happen.

I'd stop the clock each time a player goes down for an injury, whether it's a real injury or not. For all the other stuff like subs, I'd let the clock run

 

[Red_toad]

Simply make the refs stop their watches until said player is off the pitch or has made a miraculous recovery. Refs not stopping the clock is just encouraging that behaviour.

 

[Lay]

Doctors note if you have gone down with an injury twice in a game.

 

[Chairman Steve]

Best way to counter this is stop the clock like in Rugby or an arrangement where you have 4th Official or the VAR Officials run a timer for ‘ball out of play’ or ‘stopped play’ and then relay the stoppage time to the on-field officials that way.

I’d also introduce a rule similar to one found in Cricket where teams are punished through fines for slow over rates. Basically the same principle where a team is dragging proceedings out trying to take momentum away from the other team, and also makes for a poor spectator experience. In a hypothetical football case, if a team was the cause of so many minutes of stoppage then they get punished.

 

[RacingClub]

As a team we are too polite to the opposition and the ref!

Your players are the whingiest bunch of crybabies in the Premier League at the moment

It's hilarious that this thread exists when Bruno (who does it most if not every game) and Dalot threw themselves to the ground pretending to be injured after losing possession in the game the other night.

Do you only find the feigning of injuries distasteful when it's for time wasting purposes?

 

[donkeyfish]

I'm willing to feign integrity by calling out this disgraceful behaviour, hiding skillfully under the carpet that I don't mind it when it benefits the team I'm rooting for.

 

[RacingClub]

I'm willing to feign integrity by calling out this disgraceful behaviour, hiding skillfully under the carpet that I don't mind it when it benefits the team I'm rooting for.

Exactly, great post.

 

[Beachryan]

Your players are the whingiest bunch of crybabies in the Premier League at the moment

It's hilarious that this thread exists when Bruno (who does it most if not every game) and Dalot threw themselves to the ground pretending to be injured after losing possession in the game the other night.

Do you only find the feigning of injuries distasteful when it's for time wasting purposes?

Ah whataboutism, the very highest form of internet debate.

Two 30 minute halves, clock stops when ball si out of play. There is virtually no coherent argument against this, and I believe FIFA have actually started trialling it somewhere. Didn't Wenger like that idea too?

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

The worst bit of time wasting wasn't even an injury. When Koke was subbed, the referee ordered him to go off by the nearest touchline. Koke ignored the ref, walked 3/4 of the length of the pitch to give the armband to Oblak, then walked back to the middle of the pitch to slap hands with the oncoming sub.

Bollockless referee did nothing about a player ignoring his instruction and just allowed him to take a full 2 minutes off the clock (and only added on 4)

The rule of exiting the field by the nearest line is the worst applied rule in football, and only seems to be enforced when a team making a sub isn't even trying to waste time.

 

[Lentwood]

You can't blame AM, they don't have the talent or the budget to compete on a level playing field in the Champions League so they have to use the 'Dark Arts'.

You have to blame weak referees who allow it to happen. I'd love to see a strong official add 32 minutes of injury time on against them

One easy thing they can do to help a little would be to ban substitutions after the 80th minute.

Slightly more controversial but I believe viable idea would be to say that ANY time the referee has to stop the game for an 'injured' player, that player MUST be off the pitch for 5-minutes of game-time.

That SEEMS on the face of it to be punishing players for getting injured, but if you think about it, there are only really two scenarios the referee should stop the game-.

1) A head injury, in which case, a concussion sub must be used (or just play with 10)
2) A very serious injury (broken leg etc...) in which case, a sub should be made anyway.

The referee should NOT be stopping the game for anything else. A kick on the ankle, someone treading on your foot, an elbow in the ribs etc...none of these are good enough reasons to stop the game.

If a player feigns a serious injury or head injury in this scenario, the team suffer. If it's a genuine injury/head injury, the team don't suffer (not any worse than they would anyway). Therefore making it fair.

 

[Lay]

Ah whataboutism, the very highest form of internet debate.

Two 30 minute halves, clock stops when ball si out of play. There is virtually no coherent argument against this, and I believe FIFA have actually started trialling it somewhere. Didn't Wenger like that idea too?

Yeah but Wenger also likes the idea of a World Cup every two years.

 

[flameinthesun]

Your players are the whingiest bunch of crybabies in the Premier League at the moment

It's hilarious that this thread exists when Bruno (who does it most if not every game) and Dalot threw themselves to the ground pretending to be injured after losing possession in the game the other night.

Do you only find the feigning of injuries distasteful when it's for time wasting purposes?

I don't even find it distasteful, whatever it takes to win hence my post. Whether its united or when I actually play, if you touch me I'm going down, if we are under pressure in the last 3 minutes I'm going down. When I play I'm constantly chatting to the ref trying to get players booked! I love that stuff, at the end of the day its a competition. I just wish our team was as clever and experienced at it as others!

 

[Strootman's Finger]

I'd rather lose and be relegated than play like Athletico Madrid

 

[padr81]

Couldn't find another thread discussing this phenomenon of time wasting being used as a tactic by feigning injury every few minutes, the spanish teams appear to excel at it and the refs are allowing it.

And mind you I'm not talking about wasting a few minutes at the end. Look at this stat from our game against atletico.

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This is something that really needs to be fixed, in general though in the last half hour the ball would only spend 18-20 minutes in play in a normal less cheaty game.

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/var-premier-league-stop-clock-132838

 

[RacingClub]

Ah whataboutism, the very highest form of internet debate.

So pointing out that your players have/do and will behave in the same manner (like every other football team in world football) and pointing that out is whataboutism?

Ok mate it's just those dastardly Spaniards , not like your noble red devils.

The stop clock is a great idea and should have happened years ago.

 

[NoLogo]

disgraceful that

a ball in play clock would put an end to it

Honestly I have thinking this for a log time, because let's be honest time-wasting by feigning injuries is not a new phenomenon, it has been in football as long as I can remember, which are the 90s. Doing two 30 minute halves of pure playing time, imo seems like a no-brainer to put an end to this shite.

 

[Bubz27]

According to Trippier they even do it in training!

I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if Simeone made Oblak their vice captain so Koke had to walk far to give him the armband if/when he gets subbed off.

 

[RacingClub]

You have to blame weak referees who allow it to happen.

Exactly the only reason teams engage in this sort of behavior ( or others like diving/ simulation) is because they are rewarded for it.

If they weren't rewarded it would stop organically because they would be at a disadvantage.

 

[Dan_F]

There’s so many things that could be done to improve the game for spectators, but it’s been shown time and time again that they genuinely don’t give a shit about the fans. Instead, they will mess around with the wording of VAR, change what is offside or handball.

No one cares about that as long as refs try to apply it consistently. A week after the Spurs game and does anyone actually care about the Telles/Dier thing? Even if we’d have drawn I can’t say I’d have thought about it past the next game.

One easy change to make football more enjoyable. Stopping a counter attack on purpose is an orange card. 10 minutes sin bin. The current rules are far too weighted in favour of teams playing a high press and were never invented for that type of football.

Someone try and convince me that’s a bad idea?

 

[buckooo1978]

Honestly I have thinking this for a log time, because let's be honest time-wasting by feigning injuries is not a new phenomenon, it has been in football as long as I can remember, which are the 90s. Doing two 30 minute halves of pure playing time, imo seems like a no-brainer to put an end to this shite.

its fans who are being ripped off too. Maybe getting 30-40 mins football in total

 

[buckooo1978]

It'd be interesting to see this trialled. That second half was painful to watch and it wasn't just because of our performance.

the referee was perfect for Atletico

blew for everything

 

[Judas]

I think like there's a line that teams like Atletico over step, its just a bit embarrassing after a certain point. I couldn't bare to watch my team do that all the time. It's a bit like tactical fouls, maybe I'd enjoy them more if we did them, but they're just negative and a very boring and spoiling part of modern football.

 

[DWelbz19]

Atletico are absolute masters of that shite. The referee being so green on the night and our team not knowing how to deal with that game management (constant silly fouls inviting them to play act; likes of Fernandes non stop whinging etc) just played right into their hands.

 

[RedDevil@84]

The only solution is for English teams to adopt this strategy. When English teams will start doing it on a regular basis, then UEFA will realize that such stuff shouldn't be allowed.

 

[Solius]

If they make it mandatory for the player to leave the field for a minute or 2 when he is down, then less players would risk faking it.

Wouldn’t work. If a team has a player genuinely taken out by an opponent why should they be punished by having that man off the field for a few minutes.