There are two things that have become rife in football that I really can’t stand. I can’t decide which one is more frustrating, so I’m throwing it out there for you, the readership, to give me your take on the contest.

Shepherding it out from about 20 yards

If the ball has been over-hit and is going out for a goal kick, by all means defenders have a right to shepherd it out over the last few steps to make sure the threat of an attack is gone. What really gets my goat, however, is the way that defenders have taken to “shepherding it out” from about 20 yards from the byline, blocking off the attacking player with no intention of actually playing the ball themselves. As far as I remember it, this isn’t shepherding the ball out, this is obstruction. Why referees are not clamping down on this when they clearly have the means to do so is anyone’s guess.

Playing it in to the corner

This one is often wheeled out by teams that end up winning the league, kicking off the pundits with their view that “the sign of champions is winning even when you don’t play well” and other nonsense that belies the fact that rather than try and kill the game off and provide some entertainment for those of us watching, more and more teams are happy to get a single goal advantage and then kill as much time as they can fending off the opposition’s attempts to get the ball out of the 3 yard zone they pen themselves in to as close to the corner flag as possible.

So, fine readers, which one gets your back up the most?

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