[penguinz]

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

I mean, kind of, but not really. A player can be in an offside position, but not be actively involved in the play.

A player not involved in the play has nothing to do with offside or not offside.

Originally Posted by WoodDraw

There's plenty of interpretation that can go into it on less than clear plays.

No there isn't. The law is really simple.

• “nearer to his opponents’ goal line” means that any part of a player’s head,
body or feet is nearer to his opponents’ goal line than both the ball and the
second-last opponent. The arms are not included in this defi nition
• “interfering with play” means playing or touching the ball passed or
touched by a team-mate
• “interfering with an opponent” means preventing an opponent from
playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent’s
line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in
the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent
• “gaining an advantage by being in that position” means playing a ball that
rebounds to him off a goalpost or the crossbar having been in an offside
position or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having
been in an offside position

The issue is that there are humans involved making the call at real speed. the other issue is that most coaches, players, and many inexperienced referees do not understand Law 11.