Chris Wood and The Offside Rule

[Il Duce]

I’ve seen Arsenal score with an arm!

I’d just about got over that!

[Spijed]

I reckon if VAR hadn't been thought of, the linesman wouldn't have had a problem - he would have got it right. But VAR isn't just an extra way of deciding the decision, it's a whole new rule.

Until 1990, Wood would have been offside, because he was level with the second-last defender. From 1990 until just about now, he would have been onside, because he was level with the second-last defender. What VAR has done, in the minds of referees (who appear, like sheep, to be following the party line of someone who isn't actually suited to tell them what's what) is abolish the concept of "level". In the old days, if two players were standing 15 yards and one foot from goal, they were level. Now they aren't, because you have to assess whether one man's shoulder was actually 15 yards 1 foot and an inch away, or the other man's foot was 15 yards 0 feet and 11 inches away.

When the "level is onside" concept was brought in, it was the deliberate intention of the lawmakers to give the attacker and extra couple of feet or so to be onside. The new VAR lawmakers, without consultation and (so far as I can see) without even bothering to think about it, have cut that back down to an inch or so.

Isn't that why a batsman can actually be given not out in cricket even though the replay can show the ball would have hit the outside of a stump?

A margin of error?

[Roosterbooster]

Easy to blame the striker tho isn't it, not that the pass should of been made earlier? The ones where he is 'ambling' back onside is usually after chasing down a punt up field, to then have another punt upfield, if you think he can sprint onside, then chase the punt and repeat for 90mins then that is stupid. Sorry.

It is very easy to blame the striker (naturally we look for a fall-guy). And there are times when a delayed pass causes the offside. It happened yesterday. But not 6 times.
As for being offside because you are too tired to get back onside after chasing a long punt???? I don’t buy this argument in the slightest. There will be the odd occasion when you have a large-ish distance to make up to get back onside following a clearance or break down in phase-play. But think about when this happens. If the distance is big, then either it’s because the keeper is clearing (and hence the chance of the call coming back quickly is low), or it’s because the other defenders have got out quickly and you havent followed (and this won’t be following a big punt chase).
Of course you can’t chase around like a headless chicken all game. But the Burnley players are expected to do close to that. Boyd tried to. Hendrick tried to. Barnes too. Wood doesn’t work anywhere near as hard as the others.
Watch any good striker, and they get back onside when a second phase is a possibility. Getting back onside is just as important as chasing a through ball, and you usually don’t have to go that far, because the second phase usually happens when the clearance is short. Even in these circumstances, Wood doesn’t get back onside often enough.
Look at the ruled out goal yesterday. Wood never looked at the LB position. He could only see the CBs. Any decent LB would have pushed out and Wood would have easily been offside. Unless he’s psychic, he had to assume the CBs were the last line. But he made no attempt to bend a run 5 yards to get level with them first. He didn’t even bother checking behind him to look at the LB position.

[JimmyRobbo]

Chris Wood is a 1 goal in every 2 starts PL striker.

Vokes and Barnes pretty much the same too.

We’re lucky to have 3 “one in two” strikers who fit into our wage structures.

That’s in not the most of attacking of sides too Ansbro ole that starved of penalties.

Spot on. Anywhere near 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 is a good striker's return at our level. Shearer when he was flying in his prem years scored 148 in 303. Jermain Defoe in both his Spurs stints was about 40/50 goals in 140 games. Wood, Vokes and Barnes offer a lot more than Defoe. I can take Wood's frailties along with his many strengths. Provided he is giving his all and showing commitment to the cause.

[Quicknick]

It didn't look offside at all.

[davemanu2000]

Two points of Burnley robbed .He was never offside .

[joey13]

Offside rule obviously doesn’t apply to City

[Ashingtonclaret46]

Offside rule obviously doesn’t apply to City

It wasn't even close either. The mind boggles!

[groove]

Has anyone considered that this is part of the game plan? We had all this with Andre Gray and I remember SD saying he likes forwards to play just off the shoulder as it creates doubt in defenders minds. I think Wood is under instruction to play a high line and is therefore bound to be caught offside more often.

[IanMcL]

Under VAR, perhaps it should be a space between the attacker and defender. The lino can make their best judgement and can only be overruled by VAR if above applicable. None of this for business.

[jojomk1]

Has anyone considered that this is part of the game plan? We had all this with Andre Gray and I remember SD saying he likes forwards to play just off the shoulder as it creates doubt in defenders minds. I think Wood is under instruction to play a high line and is therefore bound to be caught offside more often.

The idea of such a game plan may not be wrong but Wood was well in front of the nearest defenders around him - I don't think he even knew where the left back (playing him on) was

The goal should have stood but we have nobody with the pace required to play off the shoulder of any defenders

[Rileybobs]

The idea of such a game plan may not be wrong but Wood was well in front of the nearest defenders around him - I don't think he even knew where the left back (playing him on) was

The goal should have stood but we have nobody with the pace required to play off the shoulder of any defenders

If you watch the replay, Wood had made the run hoping that Mc’Neill would play a slide ball through to him. The pass didn’t come so Wood’s momentum almost carried into almost an offside position. He then showed good reactions to follow in the shot, similar to how he did against West Ham last season.

Wood’s run was naturally going to take him beyond the centre back as he was expecting the pass to come. When it didn’t come it was physically impossible for Wood to change direction and get himself back level with the centre back. He had no reason to know where the left back (who was behind him) was as he was making his run to beat the centre backs who were in his eyeline.

I think we all agree that Wood is caught offside too much but those blaming him for the assistant’s error and claiming that he didn’t know he was onside are clutching at slippery straws.

[keith1879]

Has anyone considered that this is part of the game plan? We had all this with Andre Gray and I remember SD saying he likes forwards to play just off the shoulder as it creates doubt in defenders minds. I think Wood is under instruction to play a high line and is therefore bound to be caught offside more often.

I wish you could explain this simple and obvious fact to the people who sit around (but especially behind ) me. They seem to have no concept of trying something repeatedly until it works as the opposition tires. Every other team in football does this to some extent but apparently Burnley have to get everything right all the time.

[ClaretTony]

his arm was offside, given they give offside for level nowadays he was offside

Arm doesn't count because, it is only the parts of the body with which you are able to play the ball. He's onside.

[ClaretTony]

Has anyone considered that this is part of the game plan? We had all this with Andre Gray and I remember SD saying he likes forwards to play just off the shoulder as it creates doubt in defenders minds. I think Wood is under instruction to play a high line and is therefore bound to be caught offside more often.

Yes, I think Sean Dyche has considered it.

[Spijed]

For all the criticism Wood gets hopefully everyone should have noticed that when a ball is played down the line he generally gets to the ball first, instead of the defender. He's nowhere near as slow as people think he is.

[Vino blanco]

I've said it on here many times before, Wood is our best striker.

[dsr]

Offside rule obviously doesn’t apply to City

City goal wasn't offside. He would have been under the new rules of VAR where "level" has been abolished because they think (wrongly) that technology can prove it to the inch. But in real life football, ever since the offside rule began, that was level.

You can't use VAR rules in football matches where VAR isn't in use. To use VAR rules, you're expecting the lineman to make a judgement between one man's shoulder and another man's foot when they are standing ten yards apart, but one is an inch nearer the goalline. It it literally impossible. (As it is for TV cameras, incidentally.)

[Test User]

[Vegas Claret]

Arm doesn't count because, it is only the parts of the body with which you are able to play the ball. He's onside.

I know, I was being sarcastic as I immediately pointed out in my next post and also to other 5 people that have said the same as you

Still a bonkers offside decision though

[redwasp]

Don't forget he used to play for one of the biggest teams in the country so he would usually been given onside, now he has to understand what it's like to play for "little Burnley" where if there's any doubt you are offside.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Just seen on Twitter he’s been offside more than any other player this season.
13 clear of second place.

Or I should say given offside more than anyone else based on the above picture.

[scouseclaret]

That's a shocking stat. Hope to see more of Vydra and/or A N Other next season.