VAR - the death of football (as I know it)

[kenada_blue]

I'm on the fence about it tbh. I would previously have been a full-on advocate for using technology, but I can sort of see what people mean when they say it removes some of the natural emotion from the game. Likewise, we do have to wait for the whole process to be refined to judge it, bad decisions are just as damaging

But how many major bad decisions are made every game when there's a full fixture list kicking off at 3pm?

You can count 1 or 2 maybe even zero many weekends.

Most of the time it's debates over dubious penalties or bad challenges.

VAR won't stop dubious penalties because it's still the ref that'll make a decision which could still be a different opinion. The other will pull up more bad challenges...but again, how many leg breakers are there per week?

 

[Prevenger17]

You can count 1 or 2 maybe even zero many weekends.

Mate, it's a lot more than that, and they're of varying scales. It's a multi billion pound industry, where many clubs' very existences are on the line every year, we can't keep treating it like it's still a kickabout from a century ago

 

[kenada_blue]

Mate, it's a lot more than that, and they're of varying scales. It's a multi billion pound industry, where many clubs' very existences are on the line every year, we can't keep treating it like it's still a kickabout from a century ago

Are there?

Genuinely do you see teams at the top and bottom of the league being "cheated" out of or given decisions every week? You think Swansea are at the foot of the league for bad decisions, or City at the top for being favoured?

I can name two decisions so far this season off the top of my head that would've effected us as a club. Harry Kane's offside goal against Spurs. And DCL penalty against the RS.

Kane's would've made is 1.0 rather than 2.0. And the DLC penalty would be still debating now.

To me it's too extreme in one direction.

 

[TheFinnFan]

Some idiots are suggesting that players involved the ncidents could demand VAR

FFS that would truly be the end of it

 

[hallamblue]

The trouble is, football is played by a load of whinging cheats. They will all start falling over when a defender brushes against them and then make a TV sign with their hands. Rugby doesn't have a problem because the referees are in charge and the players don't cheat.

 

[paulbefc]

Let me put it to you from my perspective as an American who has gone through the process with American football. While the stop/start nature of the game immediately says it would have to be different with footy, by no means does it change the fan experience...except make it even more dramatic.

The team scores and you erupt in full on celebration. Then from time to time you then fret to see the replay on the big screen...everyone waiting on pins and needles to see. When you see it is good you erupt again. If it's close and they rule against you, you boo like crazy.

It will have to be tweaked...but as it goes now in the NFL every play under 2 minutes is subject to review...plus all goal scoring events.

It's not perfect yet and what can be reviewed and what cannot will be key for VAR to work in football.

That sounds terrible to me.

I love that in football it takes a second to score a goal and unless the ref blows up within 2 or 3 seconds, it's counting.

 

[mccole]

If they had VAR at Goodison, I think it would be fine because we have 2 screens so the fans would be able to view or at least alert the fans that the ref as asked for VAR or VAR has been called for.

Personally I think VAR could only work to check if a penalty has been corrected awarded and nothing else because it directs effects the outcome of a game but ONLY if the ref awards it.

Them are moaning but they had a West Brom goal disallowed and got a penalty which the ref doesn’t see/didn’t think it was.

 

[hallamblue]

If they had VAR at Goodison, I think it would be fine because we have 2 screens so the fans would be able to view or at least alert the fans that the ref as asked for VAR or VAR has been called for.

Personally I think VAR could only work to check if a penalty has been corrected awarded and nothing else because it directs effects the outcome of a game but ONLY if the ref awards it.

Them are moaning but they had a West Brom goal disallowed and got a penalty which the ref doesn’t see/didn’t think it was.

That penalty summed up why VAR shouldn't be used. The guy hardly touched Salah who then dived. If he hadn't dived they wouldn't have looked at it. So it's either the wrong decision as there are 50 shirt pulls a game, or it's wrong because it was a penalty but if you don't dive it won't be reviewed.

 

[newton-stewart-blues]

Shearer is a massive beaut and that's a dive to me. Looks down, drags his leg and 'feels the contact'.

Another beaut...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/42848863

It's creating controversies that it was supposed to eliminate. It is no better than a referee's decision.

 

[dannyboy]

If they had VAR at Goodison, I think it would be fine because we have 2 screens so the fans would be able to view or at least alert the fans that the ref as asked for VAR or VAR has been called for.

Personally I think VAR could only work to check if a penalty has been corrected awarded and nothing else because it directs effects the outcome of a game but ONLY if the ref awards it.

Them are moaning but they had a West Brom goal disallowed and got a penalty which the ref doesn’t see/didn’t think it was.

But I doubt that would happen because they aren't allowed to show anything controversial on the screens. So much of it is subjective. What one person thinks is a penalty another thinks is a dive.

 

[TraffordBlue]

It needs some tweaking but think it's a positive overall.

I don't see an issue with the slowing down of celebrations. It won't happen with every incident and if VAR wasn't used last night, the decisions would have been made more by guesswork in my opinion which over the season would give the 'bigger' teams more chance of being favoured.. Last night, Pawson would have most likely hesitated and then decided it was a penalty for the Salah one, instead of actually checking what happened and taking more time. I agree the subjective ones are a potential problem though as the pull was open to interpretation.

But the offside ones were rightly used.

Would people rather a goal was ruled out straight away for a wrong offside decision, or you celebrate for 5 seconds, then realise it's gone to a VAR decision and then the goal is given after 1 minute. I'd rather get the goal at the end of it.

 

[dannyboy]

Yeah but won't you cheer your tits off when the result of the review is a good one?

It's just not the same. It'd be more like a celebration of relief than a complete eruption of joy.

 

[davek]

The most sinister element of this system is that the incidents chosen look arbitrary and selective. That opens the door for elite financial clubs who the PL need to keep winning things to get more incidents reviewed that favour them.

It's potential for corruption is there to see in Germany where Bayern in particular have been receiving a lot of this type of favouritism....not that they need it, but the talk in the Bundesliga is of VAR's system that's open to corruption.

Needs ditching.

 

[roydo]

The most sinister element of this system is that the incidents chosen look arbitrary and selective. That opens the door for elite financial clubs who the PL need to keep winning things to get more incidents reviewed that favour them.

It's potential for corruption is there to see in Germany where Bayern in particular have been receiving a lot of this type of favouritism....not that they need it, but the talk in the Bundesliga is of VAR's system that's open to corruption.

Needs ditching.

I tend to agree mate. In my view, it should be or linnear issues only, ie, not up for debate. Offside, over the line, in or out of the box for pens. Correct ID of players, but that is rare.

The decision to award Liverpool a pen last night was an example of opinion, not fact.

 

[the golden visionary]

They've took the wrong thing from rugby.
They should have adapted the rule that the players can't speak to the ref unless it's the captain and of they do its a ten yard gain and a free kick.

That in my opinion would reduce the pressure on refs as they could focus solely on the job and not being nanny to 24 toddlers, and these bad decisions would possibly reduce. It might even get a better standard of ref as people would be put off by the prospect of a millionaire teenager telling you to 'koff.