I’ve long thought that the clock should be stopped when the ball is out of play.

But on reflection I’m not so sure. There would be many occasions when a 90 minute game could go on for 2 hours or more.

On Saturday, the ref added on I think 8 minutes at the end. If the clock had been stopped whenever play stopped that time could easily have been two or three times that. If we hadn’t been winning for most of the second half, we would undoubtedly have seen Stoke players employing the so-called ‘dark arts’ throughout the second half, feigning injury, taking ages over goal kicks etc. Who has time to watch a two and a half hour game?

The bottom line is that fans need to catch trains, buses, and get home for other things in their lives, meaning stadiums could be half empty at full time. So I think the current system of referees adding on a reasonable amount of extra time at his discretion is probably preferable.

Posted By: Fenwood Lad, Feb 25, 14:01:50