Call time on this pantomime ploy

THIS 60-second shot clock twaddle. If we must continue to plough down this blind alley it needs to apply from the moment the referee awards the penalty. If the authorities are going to put some stick about at least do it properly and with conviction.

It used to take Barry John approximately 12 seconds, 14 on a slow day, to complete his kicking routine from the moment he was thrown the ball and even with a suet pudding of an old leather ball he didn't do too bad in New Zealand back in the day.

It absolutely should not be 60 seconds, which is being allowed this autumn, from when the team deign to indicate a shot at goal to the referee. The pre-decision faffing around has become an art form in its own right and can take 30 seconds or longer, especially when a team in card trouble are cynically trying to run down the clock. They have it down to a tee and they think we don't notice. You just can't trust the beggars! Players will take an eternity to rise from whatever situation or incident has ensued, shake themselves down, dust themselves off and then look around in a sort of mock bewildered way. A physio or medic might rush on, the referee will say he isn't needed and then somebody will 'helpfully' throw the ball away which further delays matters.

One of the attacking team might then shape, perhaps for a quick tapped penalty, before thinking better of it and there will be lots of shouting and gesticulating while the team's main dead ball kicker will start eyeing a distant touchline.