Away goal rule

I cannot get my head around the fact that this rule is still in place. It defies all logic and fairness.

As much as I'm pro the rule it does kill a tie like tonight which makes what Liverpool did against Dortmund even more impressive.

It's a necessary rule imo as you had the ball boys having the football straight back to the Bayern set piece taker/ designated thrower as soon as it went out. You need something to balance that.

If you take the rule away what incentive is a team going to have to score particularly if they're considerably weaker than the other side.

Overall like the back pass it's a fairer rule imo even though it has cost Ireland and United dearly in years before.

I think some people on here are against it because it inconveniences their evening's entertainment in front of the tele. I'll admit I'd love to have seen extra time for selfish couch   potato reasons but it's an excellent rule as it gives an edge to a tie.

I'm OK with the rule. But does the away rule apply in the second leg if the match goes to extra time?

irishmufc wrote: As much as I'm pro the rule it does kill a tie like tonight which makes what Liverpool did against Dortmund even more impressive. It's a necessary rule imo as you had the ball boys having the football straight back to the Bayern set piece taker/ designated thrower as soon as it went out. You need something to balance that. If you take the rule away what incentive is a team going to have to score particularly if they're considerably weaker than the other side. Overall like the back pass it's a fairer rule imo even though it has cost Ireland and United dearly in years before. I think some people on here are against it because it inconveniences their evening's entertainment in front of the tele. I'll admit I'd love to have seen extra time for selfish couch   potato reasons but it's an excellent rule as it gives an edge to a tie.

The rule was brought in because the difference between playing at home or away was much larger in those days, as can be seen in results like the aforementioned Celtic game in 1970, win 3-0 at home and lose 3-0 away and to encourage the away team to attack. While there is still an obvious advantage to playing at home, it isn't as stark a contrast as 30/40 years ago and the very reason it was brought in has reversed, teams are now often playing quite cautiously at home. In a close tie between two similarly matched teams many coaches will be happy with a scoreless draw at home. I felt it was an excellent result for Man City last week for example.

Edited by pre Madonna - 03 May 2016 at 11:26pm

Well summed up by Pre Madonna. I always thought it was a decent rule until a couple of years ago when posters here made valid points for getting rid of it. If my club was home in the first leg , a nil all draw wouldn't be a bad result as a score draw away would see us through. When you go through all the pros and cons its an outdated rule which is not fair for the extra time reference made above , and it doesn't encourage more attacking play in general.

I would pay to watch LVG vs Ranieri in Buckaroo or Wenger vs Jose Mourinho

eireland wrote: I'm OK with the rule. But does the away rule apply in the second leg if the match goes to extra time?

pre Madonna wrote: The rule was brought in because the difference between playing at home or away was much larger in those days, as can be seen in results like the aforementioned Celtic game in 1970, win 3-0 at home and lose 3-0 away and to encourage the away team to attack. While there is still an obvious advantage to playing at home, it isn't as stark a contrast as 30/40 years ago and the very reason it was brought in has reversed, teams are now often playing quite cautiously at home. In a close tie between two similarly matched teams many coaches will be happy with a scoreless draw at home. I felt it was an excellent result for Man City last week for example. Another major issue I have with the rule, which was touched upon by eireland's question, is the fact that the team playing away second has an extra half hour in which to score an away goal should the tie be level on all fronts. I remember an exciting european tie between Celtic and Bordeaux being ended as a contest by a Bordeaux goal early in extra time at Celtic Park in a tie where there was very little between the 2 teams over 180 minutes. It has served it's time but should no longer be a factor in deciding top games.