What about if every team had to have at least 5 players inside the oppositions 65 at all stages in the game this would get rid of blanket defence and would encourage far more route one stuff like hurling.
Replying To Solo_Run: "Only one rule will make Football watchable again. I'm a former player and former ardent fan. The game is an embarrassment right now, I only watch really big games on tv - still go to my own county matches of course but more so out of support than loving the game any more.
Its been ruined by the hand-pass. We've lost all interest outside the diehard fans. Hurling and Rugby are far superior games. (To me, Soccer has just become so boring).
The hand-pass was not always in the game - it was brought in to reward fielders who caught a ball but got boxed in and then were too easily penalised, no space to kick, so not rewarded for winning the ball. The fact that hand-passing (i.e. throwing it most of the time) is now the primary means of progressing the ball forward shows how much of a contamination it has become. The solution.......
Hand-pass all day long if you like - but you can't hand-pass forward.
May seem drastic but its not. You can still have over-lapping play. But it one swoop it knocks out half the hand-passing, and forces teams to play longer balls and teams will develop tactics accordingly. No counting or anything like that, easy to officiate, sometimes borderline, so allow lateral perhaps, but not forward.
Game will be transformed from the absolute pile of nonsense it is currently"
Of all the suggestions for rule changes I've read this one makes the most sense. The only downside I see is that the game may need a second referee to keep up with play and enforce it but then that could be said for all suggestions.