Carlisle United had their first game back in League One yesterday, facing Fleetwood Town at Brunton Park in a tough clash which ended one goal apiece but it wasn’t the result that ticked Paul Simpson off after the game.
Supporters in the ground also got a taste of the new additional time rules and may have been astounded when the game ran into the 103rd minute of play before the referee finally blew his whistle to signal the end.
The new laws were tested at the 2022 FIFA World Cup and have since been adopted by the EFL for the 2023/24 campaign to cut out time-wasting and to ensure that the ball is in play for an appropriate amount of time.
Simpson unhappy with the rules
The new rules will have a settling-in period for supporters, players and coaches. However, Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson has already professed his displeasure with the excessive added time.
Speaking after the game, Simpson said [quotes via News & Star]:
“We’ve just spoken about player welfare in the office, but with the extra added time there has been no attention paid to player welfare.
“There’s going to be more injuries because of the extension on time and because we’re going to have to put more demands on players in training to make sure they’re fitter and robust enough to deal with the extra time.
“We’re going to put players’ welfare at risk.”
The experienced coach also revealed a conversation had between him and the fourth official during the 1-1 draw on the opening day:
“When I asked the fourth [official] at the end of the first half he said he had eight [minutes] because of the amount of corners and free-kicks, but they were going to put five up.
“Then at the end of the second half, we get 11 minutes, but there’s an injury and a stoppage so it goes to 13.
Writer’s View
There are drawbacks and benefits on both sides of this argument. On the one hand, time-wasting was getting out of hand. On the other, playing an extra 15+ minutes per game over the course of a 42-game minimum season is a cause for disaster.
It’s fine for sides in the Premier League and Europe to deal with injuries caused by this additional time. If Manchester City lose a centre-back, another £50 million star will take his place.
For a club like Carlisle United, losing an important first-team member may have much more dire consequences.
