VAR

What a shambles.

I have experience of VAR in the flesh in the MLS over here - I consistently said all last season, if it was applied the same way in the UK it would eventually cause a riot. What I will say is, the FA have taken the MLS variety of VAR and made it worse.

Over here "major decisions" would be automatically reviewed - red cards, goals, penalties. The VAR would view the game remotely - if the referee was deemed to have possibly made "a clear and obvious error" they are called over to the pitchside monitor to review their original decision. The responsibility for the decision remains with the referee inside the stadium.

Even with the MLS use of VAR there have been dubious red cards dished out, stonewall penalties overturned - soft penalties awarded, goals bizarrely chalked off - you get the picture. In North America, in complete honesty, the majority of people (including officials) don't really understand the rules of the game and how to apply them - so bizarre refereeing goes with the territory. However, if you put this sh1t show in the context of the English game and these kind of decisions directly impact promotion / relegation / Champions League qualification etc - sooner or later we'll have meltdown.

By their very nature, the application of the laws of the game is subjective - and people make mistakes. By introducing a referee sitting hundreds of miles away in a studio all you're doing is adding another opinion to the mix - increasing the uncertainty - and letting a remote faceless voice call the shots. They don't see the incident up close and personal on the pitch and in real time - when you slow an incident down to a millionth of the speed and use your computer to paint dubious lines on pitches - you can demonstrate just about anything you like.

If the referee is deemed to made a howler - then by all means get them over to the TV screen to take a minute (no longer) to review the call - but the decision itself needs to ultimately sit with the referee on the pitch.

While I'm on about it - what exactly is a "natural position" for your hand?

Or just live with it like we have since football was invented. Oh and we still live with it in league 2. The whole thing is pandering to whinging premier league managers who cry when a decision goes against them. They should sack the whole thing off

They have been making a point over the last few years of going on about goals being offside, even though it was very tight and they were saying it was ridiculous in this day and age that they can’t use replays.
It has also been generally accepted that diving is OK. It used to be that you had to get scythed down to get a penalty.
The handball thing seems to be that they have changed the law because of incidents of blatant cheating being made to look like an ‘accidental handball’ so they decided to lower the bar about what counts as a penalty.
If fans hate VAR they need to change their mindset and just want players to get on with the game, not try to con the ref all the time. Time to press CTRL ALT Delete , scrap VAR and have a rethink about acceptable player and manager conduct, so fans can just watch a game of football and Robbie Savage and do can get their P45s.

Sucking the life out of all the moments that make football the exciting game it is.
Im no technophobe but it certainly doesn't seem to be a benefit to the game.
I like the idea that each team can use it twice in a game - a bit like cricket. That puts the emphasis on the team and they would have to be selective of when it is used.
The game needs its talking points, occasional controversial moments and decisions and above all, the pure adrenalin rush the big incidents deserve.

For many of the decisions, we are talking millimetres or debatable points. It may get a lot of decisions right but to me it is more of a hindrance than a help to the game in its current state.

It ruined the Everton and Norwich games today. Great games with great moments spoiled by stop start deliberations from some guys in an office a hundred mile from the game.

It’s taking the enjoyment out of football the sooner it’s binned the better the game will be.

Other sports have a video referee and manage. However when you have a % that are blatant cheating divers, Ali/Young/Sterling etc who also play ball to hand in the area, you need technology to review the incident.

One thing that must be stamped out is the cheating and fake injuries that are now part of the game plan.

Goal-line technology should stay and that's it, dump the rest.

Wukkie wrote: Goal-line technology should stay and that's it, dump the rest.

Get rid of the lot of it and get some refs in who have half a clue about what they're doing

An then let them go on tv and say well if Mr Klopp doesn't like my decision tell him i.m in my room waiting for him.

NORTHERNSOUL wrote: An then let them go on tv and say well if Mr Klopp doesn't like my decision tell him i.m in my room waiting for him.

Don't they already have a process where clubs can raise concerns about decisions made by the referee?

I do agree with you in a way NS but there that much cash on the line these days especially at the top-level.

Anyhow for me the same rules should apply at all levels of football rather than for those who can afford it.

Wukkie wrote: I do agree with you in a way NS but there that much cash on the line these days especially at the top-level.

Anyhow for me the same rules should apply at all levels of football rather than for those who can afford it.

The same rules have never been applied at all levels of football.
I give you linesmen and fourth officials, as well as retrospective looks at games, and follow on punishments, also the number of substitutes allowed..
What about trials of various amendments of rules at lower levels to see how they go.
The latest one being the use of sin bins.

I have always thought technology should be introduced gradually, no problem with goal line technology.

VAR is a step too far when there are other things could be addressed quicker and simpler.

1) Take time keeping away from the referee.

2) Have the same team of officials for all games so they get to know and work with each other.

3) Have a linesman on both sides of the pitch, so if there is a corner on the left the corner taker can't place the ball two feet outside the quadrant.