Soccer questions after watching the World Cup

Post #43,611 by bluke 6/27/02 7:13:10 AM Reply	Soccer questions after watching the World Cup Now that I have watched a number of World Cup games, the following has really piqued my curiosity. The game clock never stops. A penalty could have occurred, someone could be hurt, etc. it doesn't matter the clock continues running. This seems bizzare, why would you want the clock to run when the game has stopped for an injury (and then add in time at the end)? In the other timed sports that I am familiar with (such as basketball, American and Canadian football, hockey) the clock stops when play stops. In every World Cup game that I have watched after 90 minutes has passed extra time has been added, a number of questions: 1. Who decides how much time needs to be added? 2. When is the decision made? 3. How is the amount of time to be added figured out? 4. When do the players and coaches find out how much time will be added? 5. Is it always in minute increments? 6. Why not just stop the clock instead? It is fascinating to compare the seemingly haphazard clock management of soccer (the extra time is clearly not a true picture of the injury time) to the NBA or NFL where every second counts.
Post #43,614 by pwhysall 6/27/02 7:53:13 AM Reply	Re: Soccer questions after watching the World Cup The clock is hidden from the players and the crowd. Answers to your questions: 1. The referee. 2. On the fly. 3. The referee decides. 4. A few moments before the end of the half. 5. Yes. 6. Football is a fluid game that doesn't have the stop-start nature of things like American "Football" or Ice Hockey. The game doesn't have set plays like Rugby For Retards, and even set pieces can be improvised - being awarded a free kick only means that you have the right to take a free kick from a dead ball - it doesn't necessarily mean you /have/ to. The only time the ball is truly dead is when it goes out of play. The rest of the world isn't obsessed by having the ability to play its games in 3-second bursts. What is the objective difference between stopping the clock, and adding the time on at the end? Remember, the game played in the World Cup Final doesn't substantially differ from that played in the barrios of Sao Paulo in terms of equipment - there's a pitch, a ball, and two goals. Peter [link\|http://www.debian.org\|Shill For Hire] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Blog]
Post #43,711 by bluke 6/27/02 10:51:46 PM 6/28/02 2:41:59 AM Reply	very strange As even you agree the game clearly starts and stops when either the ball is out of bounds or a player is hurt. Therefore it would make sense to stop the clock. Did you really mean that the palyers and fans have no idea how much time is left in the game? That seems truly bizarre. In other words the players, coaches, etc. don't even know that the end of the game is approaching and they need to hurry and try to even the score and no one knows how much extra time will be added, how can the players play like that? It removes any end game strategy and tactics. you wrote: "What is the objective difference between stopping the clock, and adding the time on at the end?" For one, the additional time is only an approximation of the time lost as it is in whole minutes. If you stop the clock you don't have to approximate anything, the clock is exact. Secondly, it just seems much simpler to stop the clock. It seems very kludgy to have the clock keep running and then add on time. Edited by bluke June 28, 2002, 02:39:03 AM EDT Edited by bluke June 28, 2002, 02:41:59 AM EDT Expand All History
Post #43,813 by ChrisR 6/28/02 3:18:37 PM Reply	Alternative Explanations Quite obviously the rules are intended to keep any team from the United States from ever winning the world cup. Not only is it a confusing concept to any American that's ever played another game with a clock, but it also prevents us from fully exploiting the gaps in play with necessary beer commercials. Break to a commercial and you run the risk of missing the only goal scored in 90 minutes of play. :-) Halfback passes to center, back to wing, back to center, center holds it! Holds it! Holds it!

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