Soccer: away with "offside"!

... a suggestion which has come up in recent soccer-related threads, which needs a thread of its own IMO.

An essential change to soccer rules, I should say.

Offside slows down the game; discounts some of most brilliant goals; is inconsistent in its application, (e.g. re not offside if ball last played by member of defending team not applying in case of rebound from goalkeeper, though "played" in any other context [e.g throw-ins, corners] simply means "touched").

There have been many recent extremely basic changes to the rules, e.g. the no handling in case of back-pass to goalkeeper, which have improved the game although there was opposition to them when introduced; and I think abolition of 'offside' would definitely be another such.

The rule originated in the game's infancy, to prevent 'goal-hanging' in the early 'boot it hopefully upfield' days when the game was young. It has long outlived its usefulness, and become increasingly hedged about with complications and exceptions to the extent of rendering it pretty well incomprehensible. The modern game could surely, faced with the challenge of 'goal-hanging' which abolition of the rule would bring, develop techniques for obviating this particular threat ~ which seems to me the sole reason ever adduced by its supporters for for retaining this obsolete, obstructive and game-spoiling rule.

What do others think?