'Stop the clocks...' - Sheffield United boss reveals remarkable details of QPR 'gamesmanship' after proposing radical rule change
Sheffield United boss Paul Heckingbottom has added his voice to calls for a radical change to football after revealing the remarkable extent of QPR's gamesmanship at Bramall Lane on Tuesday night.
The Blades were beaten 1-0 by Michael Beale's side to suffer a rare home defeat in South Yorkshire, with a sense of frustration around the stadium all evening at the way the visitors ran down the clock on their way to an impressive three points against the league leaders.
Heckingbottom expressed his frustration after the game with the practice in general, while attempting to take nothing away from QPR and their victory.
And, speaking ahead of this weekend's trip to Stoke City, Heckingbottom expanded on the theme, revealing an in-depth review had been conducted into how long the ball had been in play for.
With United finishing the game with 66 per cent of possession, Heckingbottom said: "So they had 32 minutes and 19 goal-kicks, averaging 30 seconds a time. So nine and a half minutes. So the ball was in play for 20-odd minutes minutes of their 32. That can't be right.
"Going back to Birmingham, exactly the same. The game was stopped for 13 minutes and seven gets added on.
“It can't be right.
"We have to face it and deal with it, but we're allowing a tactic to just grow and grow. It's not good."
Heckingbottom's particular frustration is with referees, in his words, "pretending" to clamp down on time-wasting. "Why point to the watch? That's what winds me up, that it's not dealt with properly. Just do it properly.
"I was annoyed about decisions in the game but they're decisions. Telling the time is black and white. You can't get that wrong.
Football's got to sort it.
"If the ball's out for 21 minutes, we should have had 21 minutes injury time.
"There was a free-kick in front of us that took 63 seconds to be taken. People pay money to come and watch.
"It's not me being naïve; when we're winning away we slow it down. But where's the line? Have the clock stopped when it's out of play and have a 60 minute game. That'd be a better product.
"We weren't good enough to break [QPR] down and that's where we got it wrong. But people have paid money to watch it."