OFFSET YOUR WORLD CUP TRAVEL WITH GREENERTRAVEL
Date: 23rd January 2026
Football, as we all know, is more than just a pastime, or hobby, or just “something to do on a Saturday afternoon” – not that many games are actually played then any more, mind you.
It’s more than that, much more.
Some people say its a ‘religion’, it’s in their blood, its town v town rivalry going back hundreds of years…. all sorts of descriptions.
There’s a problem however – in fact many problems.
Most of it is based on value for money and ‘real’ entertainment.
A long time ago – and not that long ago that I can’t remember – players were brilliant, football was entertaining, Scottish players were lighting up England, Italy and Spain with their skill.
Albeit, a lot of these players were just getting by. Some of them had other jobs to keep the wolves from the door. Not the midlands club by the way- actual predators, like the leccy man or the rent man.
Now however, we have players who aren’t even famous in their own street, earning a normal man’s yearly salary every week – and barely touches a ball. More interested in his headphones, his fashion, and his drama classes on the grass, than actually earning his money.
That, is where the problem lies. The game and the players have changed – and not in a good way.
The ‘normal’ man in the streets is spending money they can sometimes barely afford to watch overpaid (in a lot of cases) prima-donnas who simply don’t ‘entertain’ them – and it’s a bitter pill.
There are a few things within the game today that are making this bitter pill even harder to swallow.
I’ve decided to list a few, after speaking to fellow fans, that we/they feel are frustrating the supporters – to the point that they leave matches early, don’t go to away matches any more – or simply don’t bother at all.
There are those who buy season tickets to keep their club alive, yet don’t go to matches due to the problems with the rules, the referees, or the conditions they are forced to watch the game in.
Here is a list of what I’ve found out:
VAR: Initially brought in to check debatable issues on field, and to “encourage goals” – and that any ruling out of goals will be due to a clear and obvious reason.
That’s all changed. Goals can’t be celebrated any more until there’s a check. The cheers from the crowd has now become a sigh of relief. Not what we need or want.
VAR takes too long – there is no need for forensic pixel-detailed investigations to see if a players knee cap was a millimetre ‘offside’ in order to punish the attacking team.
There needs to be changes, an abolishment, or a time limit. Ten seconds max if that.
Goal celebrations: VAR aside, goalscorers are no longer allowed to celebrate in the way they want. No crossing the white lines or your booked. No running to the fans. No ripping your shirt of for a bit of drama. Oh no, that’s a yellow card too. Why? Only in the UK are we stifling the joy of a goal.
Booking a player (or sending him off) for being excited is a disgrace and needs to change.
Offside: Another thing that VAR has taken charge of. This needs to be dramatically overhauled.
If a ball is not in the goal because one centimetre or less is still above the white line – or if a ball is still in the corner triangle because of the same reason – then surely a player is still ONSIDE if a centimetre of his body is still in line with the last defender, no?
Introduce this and it may help to ease the whole debate, and increase the goal tally – after all, that’s why we go, isn’t it?
Corners/Throw-ins/Free Kicks: This is the bane of my life, honestly – and of many other supporters.
Put simply – get the ball back in the corner triangle. It dangling on the edge of the curve in order to steal a yard is infuriating and wrong. The same thing goes with free kicks. It’s time the ‘assistant referees’ actually took part in the game and flagged the referee when the goalie [or whoever] steals five, ten yards at a free kick, by continually throwing it or rolling it into a new position. Stop it it. Flag it. Enough is enough. The same goes for throw-ins. The ball went out at a certain point. It should be thrown in from there. The refs are ignoring the subtle strolling up the line by players, they ignore the booing and waving from fans. Tey ignore the stop-start run and the eventual extra fifteen yards they’ve stolen before they throw the ball. Stop this by standing in line where the ball exited play. If the player keeps stealing yards, or cheating as we like to call it – then book him.
Penalties/Fouls in the box: If a foul is given in the middle of the park for pishing, grabbing, wresting players to the ground, or holding them with two arms ensuring they have no freedom of movement – then surely the same rules should apply in the penalty box, no?
Do this and we’ll not only see more goals, but we’ll see the end of something that frustrates the life out of fans and players alike. Strikers need to be given the benefit of the doubt too – hwn a goalkeeper simply goes down at a corner, as if he’s been charged at or fouled – the ref needs to check it. Not simply give a free kick to the goalie. It ‘s cheating. We’ve seen oit a hundred times and we’ve seen it even more in the football highlights at night. VAR could do a job there. Yellow card for cheating, and an indirect free kick in the box. Let’s see how long that behaviour lasts if the ref decided to do his job for a change.
With regards to penalties – this needs to change too. One kick, one chance. No rebounds to follow ups. If you miss, you miss. Game restarts with a bye kick, end of. If it hits a post and goes in off the keeper, it’s a goal.
Goalkeeper pass backs: Get rid of the “Its okay to pas the ball back to the keeper with the knee or thigh” – absolute garbage. No pass backs with the legs. If you can’t pass it back with the chest or head, then the defender will just need to deal with it and actually try playing football for once. This would also open the game up a ;little and create more goals, I’m sure.
Substitutions: Keep five subs. It’s fine. However, if a player is seriously injured and it has been agreed by the doctor, then a ‘Blood Sub’ should be available. There is no logigal reason why a team should be punished by having nine or ten players on the park due to the other teams foul play. This needs to be looked at seriously, as it’s another frustration that fans have been screaming about, but for some reason, football is the only sport that won’t allow it.
Feigning Injury/ Retaliation: If a player goes down [screaming in some cases] and wins a free kick – sometimes resulting in a yellow card for the opponent – then the injury needs to be checked. If that player suddenly jumps up and walks away as if nothing has happened (except the gaining of an advantage) then VAR could help here, or at leat the ref’s own common sense could kick in and he could take alternative action against the cheat. Fans have had enough of this, and it must be regarded as one of the things that annoys supporters more than anything. Get rid of that and we might see fans coming back to the game. If the player HAS been treated by the physio and has clearly NOT been injured, then they should not just stand at the side for a few seconds and get waved back on – they should have to remain off the park for a minimum of two minutes – which will negate the advantage they thought they had gained by stopping the game.
With respect to retaliation – if a player has been injured, assaulted, or put in a situation that could have resulted in serious injury [even if it didn’t] – and that [player reacts angrily to what happened – then the referee should see sense and simply warn him. Not book or red card him for reacting naturally to what could have been, or in fact was, dangerous. Referees need to start using their heads and stop playing to the cameras – the fans are NOT there to watch them. They should be almost invisible and let the game flow as much as possible.
Bookings: There are far too many yellow cards for what should in fact simply be a foul. Two of these and a player is off the park – ridiculous. Football is a contact sport and it should be treated that way by the officials. Yellow cards slow down the game and players then start to pull out of tackles which can be dangerous, but primarily it kills the game as a spectacle.
These points above ae only a handful of things that most football fans will be familiar with. There will be many more. But, if these could be sorted as a starter for ten, then that would be something.
The best thing however, that could and should happen, is the change of the season start/finish dates.
We wonder why players and teams from warm countries are so good at passing, dribbling, trickery – and we’re not so much. Well, one of the reasons is they don’t play football during the Winter and Spring. They play it in nice weather all year round of course, and when we come up against them in Europe or international games – we can’t match them. Why? Because we’re still booting a ball around in driving wind and rain and snow – an absolute joke. Even the Scandinavians know that’s no good – and if we play them in Europe in August, they’re already at their peak fitness and halfway through their season. Easy peasy.
We could start in March and end in October – play would improve, crowds would improve, conditions would improve.
And maybe, just maybe, those absent fans will come back. Let’s wait and see – but remember not to hold your breath.
Regards,
Derek McQuade
Posted in: Fan's Blog, Latest News
Tags: derekmcquade, fans blogs, Scottish fans, Scottish football