No offside rule - Hearts game?

[naeclue]

I vaguely recall hearing talk of Hearts playing in a game with no offside rule as an experiment.

 

Story was the game was high scoring and entertaining, but there was no follow through on the experiment.

 

Anyone shed light on this?

[Deevers]

Played Killie just after we were pipped by them in the league in 1965 and whipped them 8-3 if I remember correctly.

[john brownlee]

twice killie and newcastle gordies got wipped as well 7-0 I think we also played Burnley seem to remember it was like post season summer thing I thought it was later than that(65)

[naeclue]

Found an article on trials on non-offside, mentioning the Hearts v Killie game (actually 8-2!), and some other variations on offside in here too:

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/240624-how-the-scottish-fa-tried-to-revolutionise-the-offside-law/

 

Looks like Craig Thomson has become a latter day champion of games without the offside law, judging by press hoo-ha around Dortmund Malaga game... :-)

[Craig Herbertson]

There was another one much later in the 70's with an experimental offside line around the 25 yard mark. Ford was playing. can't remember anything else about it.

[kissthebadge]

There have been a number of games this season in which our defence decided not to play with the offside rule.

[2NaFish]

Did it just descend into a game of long bangers with nothing happening between the two 18yd lines?

[naeclue]

Did it just descend into a game of long bangers with nothing happening between the two 18yd lines?

 

STV article says there were signs of that:

 

"The effect was a reduction in midfield congestion, with attacking players able to receive the ball higher up the pitch and defensive lines forced to drop deeper. Rangers boss Willie Waddell, who was Kilmarnock manager when they were hammered by Hearts, had deduced as much before one of his teams again fell victim to the changed rules, this time in a League Cup semi-final defeat to Celtic, of which goal scorer Harry Hood admitted: ?the third goal I scored against Rangers would have been offside in a normal game.?

 

Journalist Glenn Gibbons, recounting his memories of the trial to STV?s The Football Years program, was aware of Waddell's reservations. ?[He] said that it would ruin the game because it would take midfield play out of the game. People would just hit long balls forward to players who couldn't be offside. And in fact during that experiment we saw signs of that.?

 

The SFA wanted to shift offside line to 25 yards to alleviate that, but weren't allowed to continue with the experiments.

 

http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/240624-how-the-scottish-fa-tried-to-revolutionise-the-offside-law/

[colinmaroon]

Waddell conveniently forgot that FIVE of the eight goals wouldn't have been offside under the existing rules.

 

If we had played with that freedom in the title decider, instead of freezing on the day, we would have been League Champions - and, it had nothing to do with the offside trial, nor Killie not trying, because they tried but, as they were a defensively minded, counter attacking team, who used the offside trap, they were torn apart.

 

The pace of Donald Ford really did for them.

[upgotheheads]

I was at the game. There was quite an unreal atmosphere given that they had and beaten us when it really mattered just a couple of months before. I was at that game too.

[Francis Albert]

Wasn't the Kilie game played one half with no offside and one half with offside only within a 20 yard line?

[Hearts Heritage]

Match reports

 

http://www.londonhearts.com/scores/images/1965/1965061901.htm

 

 

[Jingle Bells]

"the 70's with an experimental offside line around the 25 yard mark"......I think that might have been in the early rounds of the League Cup. I seem to remember Kenny Aird scoring twice in one tie and it being quite a entertaining experiment overall.

[colinmaroon]

Wasn't the Kilie game played one half with no offside and one half with offside only within a 20 yard line?

 

One half - no offside and, yes, the second half with a "line" - although I thought it was the 18 yard line, but I may be wrong.

[Tommy Brown]

The league cup (1973ish) was tried out with th 18 yard lines extended out to the shy lines, you could only be offside between the goal line and 18 yard line. Too young to realise if it was good or not, dont remember if it was earlier rounds or the whole competition.

[4marsbars]

Think they experimented with a line (18 yard line?) in the Drybrough Cup. We didn't ever qualify for that because it was the top scoring clubs from previous season.

 

Clearly it was an experiment that favoured hoofballers, because Hibs once won it.

[fordy]

I was also at the 8-2 game, and as someone else has said, most of the goals wouldn't have been offside in a 'normal' game.

Only Hearts....

[sandyk]

Did it just descend into a game of long bangers with nothing happening between the two 18yd lines?

 

Long bangers you say...

 

[AllyjamboDerbyshire]

I was also at the 8-2 game, and as someone else has said, most of the goals wouldn't have been offside in a 'normal' game.

Only Hearts....

Correct, and 6 were scored in the second half, once offside was in play from 18 yards. First half the players seemed a bit lost with no offside at all.