9. Ball Out Of Play Time Stops
Another idea from the world of American football and this one is a real simple idea. When the ball is thrown or the man running with the ball is pushed out of play the game clock is automatically stopped. This helps the average American football game run 3 to 4 hours with the clock always stopping for the ball going out of play. I would hate to see Premier League games go that way but using the clock stops when the ball goes out of play idea it would stop one unnecessary evil from continuing to be a big factor in the game, the added time board. Added time or injury time is one of the biggest and most argued about decisions in modern day football right up there with the offside law and how much players should get paid. Every single football fan has been upset or has been cost a match by the seemingly random addition of said Fergie Time adding seconds or sometime extra minutes from seemingly out of nowhere. Added time looks to be more like guesswork rather than the actually amount of time lost in a game with no one but a tops Maths professor being able to work out how a team gets 5 added minutes to keep attacking. Even with the referees wearing 8 different watches they seem to be clutching at straws trying to be fair and work out the time wasted during a game. We would all agree its near impossible to get added time right so why not every time the ball went out of play or when a player goes down hurt why not have the clock stop right there. With no added time every game would be a perfect 90 minutes and there would be no complaints about being robbed by the 4th official. It would also but a stop to time wasting as you cant waste time if the clock stops every time play stops, you can stop the momentum sure but each second spent lying on the floor clutching a leg like they are in a mortal agony wouldnt take time off the clock. Also waiting an age for a winning team to take a throw in or a goal kick would be a thing of the past with a stopped clock time wasting would be a useless tactic. It seems odd and a bit picky but rugby uses it to good effect too so its not just an American only idea and it might just improve on one of footballs biggest problems.