Hermann Vaske's The Art of Football Offside

[Triplerubik]

It's a human sport, so I wan't it to be reffed with human decisions. Humans make mistakes, it is a part of life. I would hate it if the beautiful game was reffed by cameras.

[Amusement73]

on the line is not offside

[gringofreestyler]

This is a great routine. Ingenious John Clease as usual. 

[OnePieceSanjiRobin]

In the eyes of the FIFA, his final statement is true.

[WatchVenusSpa]

Soccer needs to do away with offside. They need more excitement in the game.

[5H4K490]

@WatchVenusSpa yea right it will just piss more people of, all youd get is aload of goalie hangers waiting for the ball deep in the opposite half waiting for the rest of the team to bring it forward and it would make defenders more cautious meaning less attacking more cautious plays and there would be loads of longs deep in the other half hpoing there team mates reach it first

[gringofreestyler]

@WatchVenusSpa It would make the game much more boring. The game is for the most part still very exciting with high action. The only possible changes need to be that the linesmen actually need to favor the attacking teams when it is close like the rule states. Most linesmen still favor the defenders when it is close, because they are afraid of being wrong. No offsides would just like the game boring and more long ball.

[UKFilmBuff]

@markstewart3 Nice, got a life? I think not...

[dcf3001]

The linesman gets it wrong! You can still be offside if the ball's kicked backwards...

[UKFilmBuff]

@dcf3001 I am struggling to come up with a senario where the player could be active if the ball is played backwards, which, by it's very definition, would be AWAY from him. The player may subsequently invoke the rule if the ball is shot forward and he can be deemed to be interfereing, hence becomes active. Remember, you can be in an offside position and NOT be deemed to be offside...

[PrinceOfWei19]

@UKFilmBuff how about attacker between the posts on the goal-line, opposition keeper and defence retreating from a desperate last-minute corner attempt at the other end. A team-mate is on the left wing five yards from the goal-line. He plays the ball backwards towards the penalty spot and the attacker comes away from the goal-line to the penalty spot to retrieve it and plays it. Ball has been played backwards, but the attacker was ahead of the ball and in an offside position when ball is played.

[dcf3001]

@UKFilmBuff Attacker gets to edge of penalty area 10 yards out, rolls the ball across the face of the goal towards the penalty spot 12 yards out, striker who's 8 yards out at the time of the pass runs back, controls it and sticks it in the net...

[UKFilmBuff]

@dcf3001 Yeah, I get that. I see your point, could happen, but would have to be pretty poor defending to get into that situation. But you (and others) are right, it is quite feasible.

[UKFilmBuff]

How many are viewing this for the first time today because of the story on the BBC website?

[gunslinga19]

@UKFilmBuff me!

[crupilad]

every1 that watches/plays and definatly refs and linesman all no about offside lol, if they get the call wrong then what that means they dont no what it is?? lol every1 is human i dont think play should be stopped, i also dont think we need goal-line technology because it will lead to other things, how many goal-line desicions can you think of that they got wrong??? not many... but we all remember the 1s we did, let me ask how many decisions has refs and linesmen got right?? a hell of a lot more

[crupilad]

i think its simple lol, your offside if you are behind the last player and the ball is played to you or if your involved in the peace of play. done! 

[MarketingProjects]

why do men make it so complicated?

[gracetruthguy]

lol



[theangryintern]

I've always found it amusing when an offside is called during a set piece...how the bloody hell can someone be offside when there are 20 people in the box? For that matter, how the hell would the referee or linesman be able to even tell?

[crupilad]

@theangryintern its quite simple, its rare for a ref to call offside as he is almost always behind the ball and not in line, that is why you have a linesman to stay in line with the play and flag.

at a freekick with 20 guys in the box all the linesman has to do is look at the last man or men, listen out for when the player strikes the ball and flag when needed.

[redsquall5]

@theangryintern Your are right, its almost impossible sometimes.

[LtChris909]

"its offside when the linesman puts his flag up" lmfao! Even i still dont truely understand the offside rule but thats good enough for me :P

[derikli0103]

haha. yah offside is truely the art of football. this really is a piece of seasoned european wisdom shown in action. unlike american football, which is for fat beer drinking hotdog rednecks to watch..

[daveandtom]

Tom Konkle as the ref and John Cleese as well John Cleese explain the offsides rule

[piesho]

"It's only offside if the linesman lift his flag."

aaaaaaaaaand if the referee agrees with the lineman. Because if the linesman lifts the flag but the referee ignores him then is not an offside.

Remember; the referee has the last word all the time.

[beefygreenapples]

why can;t people understand this? It's really quite simple

[elave16]

yo no puedo creer que los estadounidenses encuentren dificultad en entender algo tan simple como esto y no tengan problema con cosas como el fútbol americano o el besibol!!.

El que se quiere complicar siempre va a encontrar la forma de hacerlo.!

[heftigfin]

The offside rules are actually very simple, they just sound confussing:P

Which sort of makes them confussing... anyways, they're not hard to learn.

[tobiasbas]

WHAT!? it says Tisse in the back ground, wich means 'To Pee' in danish s:

[demoliboy2rulz]

Man, Jonh Cleese hasn't lost his thing yet, i remember him from the monty pyhon days

[turbots]

You're offside when:

- there is only 0 or 1 players of the opposing team behind you (most of the time thats only the keeper but there are special cases) AND

- you are actively partaking in the play (meaning you are in the way of the ball or touching the ball or hindering other people that could affect the direction of the ball)

at the moment the ball is kicked forward.

[laserstun]

Say what you want about American Football, but our offisde rule is much LESS confusing. Ah well, I love John Cleese.

[KSClaw]

heee, I love you John Cleese

[BRADical199]

Well how does anyone know what's about to happen? haha

[neychev]

hiiiiiiiiiiilarious :D

[infidel94]

hahaha lol

[Authority25]

Very true. It's only offside if the linesman lift his flag.

[modernway91]

offside is pretty simple, if you got a board to show it.

[tuone]

the offside rule is quite controversial, sometimes deciding the game.

i defend camera footage should be used by referees

[ledzepfan15]

well fake tackles and divers are more controversial. but i agree we shud implement camera footage to catch those bastards

[VolverinBVB]

They should put the cameras which wil follow the line of defense all the time ;)

[tuone]

they should have camera covering the whole game, but only resource to it in crucial decisions and in doubt

[FilipH86]

no only when there is a goal because of it not else.

[neychev]

nah, it will spoil the "human factor" in the game and will make it too sterile.

[Arquimalandro]

@neychev That is just unbelievably stupid. You call hockey sterile? They use video replays and makes the game MORE controversial and entertaining.

[heftigfin]

@tuone I sort of disagree. Yeah it sux when a game is decided by a rubbish referee, but i wouldn't want football to be depended upon technology, that's a part of it's charm imo:)

Just need to have referees that can keep up with the game.

[elave16]

@tuone Y pensaba lo msimo como pasa con el futbol americano, pero le quita la picardia del futbol que es parte de la gracia del juego.

[TheMightyQuinn99]

@tuone the problem with trying to use video footage to call offsides is that what do you do if they call offsides and he isn't? giving the wrongly accused player the ball back is not nearly the same as if the play had continued and he is in a very threatening situation, presumably 1v1 with the goalie or on a break.

[ap9011]

@TheMightyQuinn99 You just wait until the next break in play. If it IS offside, then it goes back to the free kick, if not, what has happened since the refrral stands.

ie. Player is called offside - play continues - break in play (goal, throw in, etc.) - review video - offside, go back to free kick, onside, what happened stands.

[Cezyca]

@tuone

I strongly agree with the camera footage being used by the referees. Making mistakes is specific to humans, it's normal, but ruining WC final phases IS SURELY NOT OK!

[parkouras93]

@tuone yeah but of course the main counter argument is that this creates a problem of delay

imagine a team questioning 4 plays in a match and each time a play is questioned all the referees have to gather around the monitor and discuss and conclude on a verdict

it would be very lagy for the game flow and the players may begin to lose tempo etc.

[magsstaff]

hes funny in rat race

[jaml311]

offsides is easy to understand but this is still funny

[TheEvilPadawan]

Amen

[daveandtom]

I loved doing this bit with Mr. Cleese! Tom

[mssfldt]

hahaha. great.