I think that is where the confusion is. It truly is second to last player when most people just think of it as last outfield player. The way I am seeing it explained is the goalie was forward and didn’t take the normal spot of the second player.
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I get the need for the offsides rule but I hate seeing great goals disallowed just because somebody has a toe or an ass cheek or something a tiny bit past the defender.
Several weeks back I saw an EPL goal get taken away basically because the guys thigh muscle was a little too big and got beyond the last defender. I'm like what are we even doing here, this is dumb. Get rid of VAR.
This is what confused me. Last defender is what I've always heard. I ignored the goalie. This was confusing to me until your post. I don't necessarily agree with the rule, but I understand it better.
Or at least give a little bit of wiggle room. There was an offsides call the other day (can’t remember which game or if it involved a goal) where the offsides player was facing away and moving away from the goal, but some body part was just barely past the defender.
It’s like, come on. We’re just going to estimate how much stoppage time there should be, but when it comes to offsides, we’re going to be strict down to the millimeter?
It's as much a VAR problem as the rule itself. When it was solely up to the linesman you did get some incorrect calls but at least they were quick and generally less pedantic.
You have to draw the line somewhere. Just like the offensive player can be offside by a toe, the toe of the defender can keep the offensive player onside.
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It was created to prevent cherry picking. The bonus is that it allows the defending team to compress the field, which means they can press and regain the ball easier while at the same pass the ball themselves easier upon regaining.
Without offsides, the game would become entirely about transition. Booting it long or exploiting the massive gap between defenders, who have to always be retreating, and the midfield or forwards. Would not be much skill or strategy involved.
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For further clarity, you need to be behind the second to last defender or behind the line of the ball. So, if there are no defenders ahead of you, but you are still behind the line of the ball then you’re onside still.
While we are discussing the offsides rule, I get confused when offsides is called when a player scores on a bang-bang rebound kick.
Would you say the same thing about great TDs being disallowed because a player was lined up offside or illegally? Or a great slam dunk being disallowed because he trucked a player first or traveled? Or a great hockey goal because that play was offside? Or a great baseball catch because the ball bounced on the ground first?
Rules are rules for a reason, and when you stop enforcing rules because “a play was too great to enforce it”, you destroy the integrity of the game.
It’s hard without looking at a specific case, but the offsides is determined at the time of the shot.
You’re an angel. There is another similar post to this by another user and I decided to just ignore it, because I could think of a good way to reply to it without being a complete jerk. However, I think you did a very good job with your reply.
The first shot or the rebound shot? I understand the rule in regard to passing, but not in regard to a shot. Not that big of a deal, I just don't get the subtle point especially in a bang-bang situation. How can a shot be considered offsides?
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So for example, if a player takes a shot on goal, and it rebounds on a defender to another offensive player. Then the offside position for the second offensive player is determined at the time the first shot on goal was taken. Hitting the defender doesn’t count as a pass; it’s just “accidental” contact.
