CRYSTAL Palace skipper Joel Ward believes co-operation between players and officials will lead to more realistic amounts of added time being applied in Premier League games.
This season has seen the implementation of the same rules applied at last year’s World Cup in domestic games, with every substitution, goal celebration and pause for injuries added at the end of 90 minutes.
It has already led to several Premier League fixtures going over 100 minutes in total, with many fans questioning why matches are suddenly lasting so long.
Ward, though, is confident everyone’s understanding of the new rules will become clearer soon so that additional time can be kept to a more realistic level.
He told the club’s official programme for Sunday’s 3-2 win over Wolves: “It’s difficult to see at times because when you are in a game, you are in the heat of the moment.
“People can get carried away with celebrations and a bit more time can go.
“We are going to see some teething issues like we did with VAR.
“I guess for the top teams with the fixture schedule already very condensed, adding on another 15 or 20 minutes to every game could be an issue.
“Hopefully it’s not going to get to that.”
Ward added: “I think there are clear guidelines with which we can work with officials to minimise any sort of time wasting. I don’t think there is any advantage to playing 15 or 16 minutes of added.
“I don’t think anyone wants to see that. I don’t think rule makers want to see that.
“Certainly as players and clubs we don’t want to see that.
“It’s about working together to make sure we can minimise time wasting but still keep the game we know and love.”
Ward has been a consistent fixture at Crystal Palace since they won promotion a decade ago and is now working for a second spell under Roy Hodgson.
The Eagles skipper is a big fan of the veteran boss and loves the way Hodgson gets the maximum from everyone in the squad.
Ward said: “The manager will keep on pushing us.
“He wants to bring out the best in us, which is a key attribute in everything that he does.
“His experience within the game enables him to have a different outlook at times in dealing with certain things.
“He knows characters inside and out, and he knows how to bring out the best in people. He did that with so many of us in his first period and now again in his second period in charge.
“We’re looking forward to it and we can’t wait for this season.”
