Time for common sense to kick in - Sue Smith

A couple of weeks ago there were a few decisions you could not quite believe and you hoped people would learn from it, but it went to a whole new level last week when Tottenham Hotspur’s Eric Dier was penalised for having a ball hit at him in the penalty area from a couple of centimetres away with his back to it.

I feel for the referees a little bit. I do not think the majority agree with this rule, but it is their job to apply it. There are assessors in the stands marking them and they would be disciplined if not.

Immediately after some of the handball decisions we have seen this season people criticise the referees but the rules are the problem. They cannot be changed mid-season but I was pleased Premier League referees are going to soften their interpretation of them.

I am looking forward to seeing how they react this weekend and how relaxed it is.

What we need most, though, is the rulebook to give them the freedom to apply a bit of commonsense.

You wonder if the people who wrote the current handball law have ever played or even watched football. If you are defending or running, your arms are for balance and need to be outside the silhouette of your body.

You need them for leverage. If you try to jump with your arms by your side you will get no height.

It will change the way players play, making defenders nervous about having their arms anywhere other than right by their side and encouraging attacking players to try to flick the ball against someone’s hand. Why would you not?

There will be occasions when players are in the area thinking they might struggle to beat a defender, so just hit the ball against their arm and get a penalty.

You can say it is unfair play but players will do that if it means they can win a penalty and maybe even the game. I would!

I have been told off by managers in the past for not going down when I felt a touch and some go further and tell players to go looking for a contact, so they would definitely instruct players to look for a handball like that.

When I coach kids, I teach them to have their knees bent and arms out so they can twist and turn depending which way the attacker goes. To suddenly say you have to defend with yours arms at your side or even behind your back is straight away a positive for the attacker. I wish full-backs had to do that when I was a winger!

Years ago when I was playing for England, I was coached that when tracking back I should hold my arms out and make myself as big as I possibly could so players could not go down the line or inside you.

You could never tell someone that now.

I know common sense is not in football’s rulebook but it should be.

You would like to think nobody would argue that a penalty should have been given against Dier last week. Even Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce, whose side scored the penalty, said it was wrong! That shows what a silly rule it is.

Most people that know football could see Dier and Crystal Palace’s Joel Ward were just unlucky to be hit by the ball in their penalty areas on Saturday, whereas Neal Maupay’s arm was lifted to try and block the ball at the end of Brighton and Hove Albion’s game against Manchester United.

The lawmakers want everything black and white but referees just need to be able to decide what is unnatural and what is intentional. It would be quite simple to distinguish between someone who has no idea the ball is going to hit them on the arm and is not trying to gain any advantage and the people who are.

Premier League games referees have officiated so many matches to get to that level so they are clearly very good at what they do. Why not let them make a decision?

We should allow them that discretion over what is deliberate. There would still be debates, but I do not think there would be the silly decisions we saw last weekend.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson