Should football start to ‘stop the clock’ for injuries, time wasting etc like they do in rugby league?
It’s a question we’ve touched on before here on Vital Rotherham and it’s come back to my mind after Saturday’s game against Sheffield Wednesday.
The Fourth Official’s board went up with eight minutes of time added on – now, as we know, that is a minimum of eight minutes – so should us Millers fans be moaning when the Owls scored on the one hundred minute mark?
Well maybe yes, maybe no.
Firstly, I don’t think anyone was arguing about the original eight minutes added on after an injury – it was accepted. What we don’t know is where did the other two minutes come from? Time wasting, another injury, ref forgot to stop watch? The problem is we don’t know. Nobody but the referee knows.
Apparently, referees don’t actually stop their watch. When there’s an injury the referee (and I believe one of the linesman (though if it was the one who was running down the line in front of the Family Stand then heaven help us)) looks at his watch and keeps a check of how long the injured player is down. Well, that’s accurate isn’t it!
I think that it’s about time the refs watch is linked to an official clock and that watch should be stopped by the referee – or someone watching the game – when there’s an injury or when he thinks there is time wasting. And I also think that clock should be visible for everyone to see. There would be no argument then. Everyone in the ground would see how long was left and when the clock was stopped and re-started.
It’s what has been done in rugby league for a long time – though I understand rules on timing is changing in RL for this coming season – and it does work.
Talking about clocks and time the clock at the New York Stadium and every other ground I can remember going to stops dead on forty-five minutes and ninety minutes. Why is that? Does the ‘clock person’ go for a cuppa then or go home?! Why can’t the clock carry on until the game ends, whether that be ninety minutes or one hundred minutes? Does anyone know if there is a reason for this?
