What was wrong with the old interpretation that the forward got the benefit of the doubt when the offside was not clear?
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Theoretically that interpretation still exists. In practice it was a dumb approach and VAR has inadvertently highlighted why. The advantage to the attacking team rule came in at a point when teams were organising offside traps which were killing the flow of games as much as anything else. Those traps often asked one linesman to look at something physically impossible e.g. to be running back from the halfway line as five defenders moved up and maybe 3 strikers and 2 midfielders moved the opposite way and from different starting position. Attacking teams quickly split into those who tried to beat the offside trap by better timed movement and those who realised you didn’t need to do that at all. You just needed enough confusion to make it look as though there was a potential injustice. Lots of movement and players could do that and did.
Once TV highlighted that officials were being duped, officials became much more reluctant to give an advantage to the attacking team and the slow inexorable and inevitable move to introducing technology began.
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Well noted, but imo, offside traps are a legitimate part of defenders’ toolkit and were never as disruptive to the flow of the game as var is currently. (Also riskier if attackers are given more leeway)
Wholly agree. Offside traps used to really annoy the opposition but when done properly they were almost a thing of beauty.
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Good luck to both this afternoon. If it’s half as good as yesterday’s very decent final then we’re in for a treat. I’ll be recording and watching later as i’ve a six course Mexican meal to attend to.
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Well, I was rather looking forward to resurrecting the South Coast derby next season but to be fair Southampton deserved their play-off victory this afternoon. They looked in control for pretty much the whole game and limited Leeds to very few real chances. Southampton defenders always seemed to be first to balls into their box. Leeds will be disappointed with their performance on the day.
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Well well well.
So was I
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The Mighty Whites never really looked like scoring today, and that, combined with some comedy defending, meant that this was always ever going to end one way.
Oh well. 
M.O.T.
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It’s a hard one, Dave. Obviously, I’m delighted and to be truthful a bit teary. This division is brutal.
Am about to nip to the corner shop for cold Champagne. We will toast you this evening along with our success, and wish you the best for next season.
Cheers,
Chris
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I’m having a celebratory pint of Wychwood Hobgoblin.
Which went down so quickly, that I had another!
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We were underdogs in my view so losing isn’t a surprise - they have a better squad. They beat us playing the way poor teams beat us but with better players. 532 left no space out wide and as I keep banging on about we don’t have midfield players to deal with midfield congestion.
Always gutted to lose, never seen us win at Wembley or Cardiff but I’m not gutted to miss out on the EPL. We’re nowhere near good enough for that and still have work to do on the squad. We can’t start another season with a 9 who hardly plays, no enforcer, no box to box mid etc.
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Disappointed for Leeds. They were great for the first and last 15 minutes but second best in the middle hour. Summerville was absolutely dreadful throughout and should have been taken off much earlier. James was excellent when he came on; he should have been brought on at 60 minutes, and Gnonto left on as well.
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Tweet of the day has to be “ Find someone who hates your ex as much as Leeds United hate the play-offs”.
An absorbing match rather than a great one. The great tactical genius that is Daniel Farke produced a performance in which every really good Leeds player looked well below par and the number of shots on target was dismal. Another way of putting this is that, for all my belief that Russell Martin is more style than substance, here he proved me comprehensively wrong. Southampton neutered United like another United neutered City yesterday. It wasn’t always pretty but it was effective and impressive. Of course an EPL rebuild is now required which will tell us more about Saints finances and Martin. In the meantime, congrats.
All bets off on whether Leeds now stick or twist manager wise. Or indeed, any club.
I also had the initial thoughts, “Russell who?”. And as an ST holder, I have despaired at times with Saints’ farting around at the back……comment from my Sis** at one of the recent games, “too much Pep”, and we know that Pep can get it wrong…
…but today was not that day!
I could not get to Wemberley for other reasons, no Sky, so was reliant on the Beeb for updates. At over-time +5, the stress level made me go out to the back garden to bring in the laundry…….then I heard the cheers.
**Sis (who, incidentally, played for Southampton Junior Ladies, fify years ago) was watching the game in a bar in Istanbul, on the same day as Galatasary won their league. She said the beer was free!
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This time next year I am going to be happy if Saints manage 17th.
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