A NEW way of taking throw-ins has gone viral on social media, with football fans hailing the innovative technique.
In Norway, a clip of a player crouching down to throw the ball captured the imagination of punters across the globe.
The fact that he releases the ball closer to the height of his team-mate’s foot appears to make it easier to control.
And it blew the minds of many online as its simplicity utterly baffled people.
Reacting on Twitter, one person said: “Why has this never been thought of before?!”
Another added: “Lower ball, still overhead throw. Easier to control and quicker to the feet.”
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A third simply described it as “genius”, but one person took umbrage to the idea.
They responded: “If you cannot properly control a normal throw in then you shouldn’t be playing professional football.”
It is hard to understand why such a straightforward notion has not become a more accepted idea.
And it is not as if the laws of the game make it an offence.
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The FA‘s laws state that the person taking the throw-in must:
In addition to this, all opponents must stand at least two metres from the point on the touchline where the throw-in is to be taken.
However, there is nothing which dictates how upright the thrower must be when they release the ball back onto the pitch.
Perhaps the most famous English throw-in taker of recent years was Stoke City’s Rory Delap.
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The midfielder, whose son Liam now plays for Manchester City, was renowned for his huge, long launch into the box which used to cause mayhem for opposition sides’ defences.
Famously, opposition keeper Boaz Myhill once kicked the ball out for a corner rather than a throw-in in order to avoid the threat of Delap.
