The Devil’s Advocate

Latest Posts

  • The Colour Commentator

    Watching as much football as possible, I am often bombarded by the largely personal and often erroneous views of the Colour Commentator, a male or female ex-player whose job it is to side with the players on every issue. Both… Continue reading

  • Why Are Women Short-Changed in Football?

    Now, this seems like a no-brainer, but after a highly successful Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the A-League-W still looks like a poor cousin of the A-League-M. Even the naming of the leagues is a half-hearted attempt… Continue reading

  • Quick Two from the A-League-M

    Last night I watched Sydney FC v Melbourne City at Allianz Stadium and one decision got right up my nose. In the 83m or thereabouts, Max Burgess fouled Marco Tilio with a hold and push which began on the outside… Continue reading

  • So Which Laws of the Game are We Going To Enforce (Part 2)

    Midfield and defensive free-kicks have not been policed properly. Referees love the ‘ceremonial free-kicks’ (close to the goal) which have one or two player walls to police (including the ‘draught excluder’ – player lying on the ground to cover the… Continue reading

  • So Which Laws of the Game are We Going to Enforce? (Part 1)

    Over the years, the Laws of the Game as styled by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) have become clearer in some areas and more confused in others. Of all the 17 Laws, there are a number of aspects which… Continue reading

  • VAR – What is going on?

    Getty Images As we sift through the rubble of the Liverpool v Newcastle game – probably not an unexpected result, but certainly the Jota penalty decision raised some hackles. Was it a penalty? What does the Premier League direct its… Continue reading

  • What’s Happening with Referee Decisions in the EPL?

    OK, the English Premier League is (as Winston Churchill quipped of the Soviet Union in 1939) ‘a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma’, but even that observation does not even begin to address the lack of logic of… Continue reading

  • The Madness That is Football (especially at Christmas)

    Allow me to introduce myself – I am the Devil’s Advocate. I am Australian (ex-patriot Brit) have lived here for 85% of my life. I am a devoted football fan and have more experience of all aspects of football, from… Continue reading