Jimmy Conrad taught us all one valuable lesson with his performance last Saturday night: the rules should bend a bit when it comes to friendlies. What's the point of having a friendly with a man down? It isn't good for either team. Neither coach can really evaluate players or strategy because both teams have to adjust to the rare situation of being a man up (or down). Going a man down - particularly in the first half - gives the 11-man side a 86% chance of winning (I completely made that up. Seems about right, no? Will someone fact-check please?)
Now I understand that there still has to be the threat of ejection. Some sort of rule-of-law in order to prevent anarchy. It'd be like modifying drug laws to exclude prison time for marijuana possession or rolling back the seat-belt law and letting evolution take it's course. COMPLETE ANARCHY!!! But playing 11 v. 10 does nobody no good (not, never???).
So here's what I propose in order to make the friendly useful for both sides if a red card occurs, while at the same time sufficiently punishing the team that pulls a Conrad (God I hope that catches on):
- Red card = ejection of said player
- Team with man advantage (we'll refer to them as Green Card team for ease) will get penalty kick despite infraction or location of infraction on the field, and play the next 15 minutes with a man advantage
- After penalty kick and 15 minute "power play" for Green Card team, Red Card team can replace ejected player.
- Player replacing ejected player from Red Card team will count against whatever number of subs was previously agreed upon.
Thoughts?
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