The VAR Thread

[Danners9]

even the MOTD commentator was shocked the Arsenal goal was given. Shearer doesn't agree, but I think he's wrong. Not deliberate handball but a deliberate move towards the ball and advantage via the arm, so that's handball - isn't it?

IF they are going to use VAR then it needs to be much, much better. If it is going to remain as it is, there's very little point having it because the refs have become even less capable of giving a decision on the field.

 

[easley91]

Don't scrap VAR. Scrap the refs and officials.

 

[cul-de-sac]

asdfs

even the MOTD commentator was shocked the Arsenal goal was given. Shearer doesn't agree, but I think he's wrong. Not deliberate handball but a deliberate move towards the ball and advantage via the arm, so that's handball - isn't it?

IF they are going to use VAR then it needs to be much, much better. If it is going to remain as it is, there's very little point having it because the refs have become even less capable of giving a decision on the field.

Don't think VAR is that much of an issue really, as long as it is used solely for situations that are clear-cut and that can be resolved quickly.

As I see it, the main problem is that nobody seems to want to touch the laws of the game which leave too much open to interpretation and thus make consistency impossible. The separate instructions that Premier League referees are given every August, "this year, we will stamp down on..." don't help either. And then there is the individual referee´s strict or lenient line, or reluctance to brandish cards in the first half - when the laws of the game should be the only line.

If words like "deliberate" were erased from the rulebook, we would get more consistent decisions. Jesus against Everton, handball. Curtis Jones, bad tackle. Don't think either of them meant it, but so what? Should Hojbjerg´s own goal against Arsenal be disallowed because he didn't mean it? Of course not. Sometimes you just have bad luck.

By logic, any offense should be penalized the same whether it happens in the penalty area or centre circle. Because of the extreme significance of penalty decisions in football, that obviously isn't the case and we get inconsistency. This is not unsolvable, for example the lawmakers could decrease the penalty area and/or move the penalty spot further away from the goal. I may be wrong, but my assumption is that it would reduce the number of penalty decisions, increase the likelihood of a save and as such make it easier for refs to apply the rules consistently.

I get that there is probably zero chance that the pitch measures someone decided in the 19th century will be altered. And some situations will always be a matter of interpretation. But if the objective is consistency and correct decisions, I think the attention should be placed on the actual rules, not the supporting technology.

 

[Misfit]

Scrap it. Goal line tech and automatic offside, otherwise bin it entirely. No more gaggle of morons in the ear of another moron delaying the game ludicrously and still getting it wrong as often as they get it right.

How the 2023/24 Premier League table would have finished if all 31 VAR errors were erased

Aston Villa would NOT have finished in the top 4 if every VAR mistake was removed 😮

www.givemesport.com

 

[dovahkiin]

 

[muppetman]

 

[Marty]

View attachment 141517

That's a shame. It makes it look like there hasn't been any sort of adult debate about it at all, which is what we really need.

 

[Roberts84]

It’s killing the game in opinion. Disappointed that they are keeping it

 

[bubble07]

So clubs should stop complaining about it if they love it so much

 

[muppetman]

That's a shame. It makes it look like there hasn't been any sort of adult debate about it at all, which is what we really need.

I think that it was always unlikely to be scrapped, but yeah, there could have been a proper conversation about how to make it work better.

Maybe it being something to blame for managers, players, pundits and fans is just too good to lose!

 

[luRRka]

More focusing on the second line. At least they've acknowledged it should be better

 

[Oscar22]

I still don’t think VAR is the problem it’s the application of it and the poor officiating that accompanies it.

I still have flashbacks to Arsenal at home, and seeing an Arsenal player punt one of our clear in the nuts three yards from Michael Olivers completely unobstructed view and him waving his hands and saying no, not at all.

VAR is ok, we need competent officials to work with it.

 

[easley91]

I've seen VAR when it is supposed to work and that's why I will always be in favour of keeping it with changes. I will always go to Crawley v Crewe as the biggest example. Player dives, but ref initially gives a penalty. The score was 1-0 so the penalty would have swung the momentum had it been scored. Replays showed the keeper gets a clear touch on the ball and the Crewe player jumping over the keeper's leg. Thankfully the ref was instructed to view it on the monitor and the correct decision was ultimately given.

Keep VAR, just change who is controlling it and the laws/guidelines. Semi-automated offsides is a good start as well.

 

[cwy21]

Surprised it was only Wolves. Expected it to be something like 16-4 or 15-5 to keep.

 

[yankspurs]

Surprised it was only Wolves. Expected it to be something like 16-4 or 15-5 to keep.

Come outside, Evangelos Maranakis. Explain yourself.

 

[TheBlueRooster]

My bug bear is "clear and obvious." Half a millimetre isn't clear and obvious. Clear daylight and then it's offside anything else on field decision.

 

[mr ashley]

My bug bear is "clear and obvious." Half a millimetre isn't clear and obvious. Clear daylight and then it's offside anything else on field decision.

This is why I’m not in favour of the automated offside. It still judges the millimetre infraction. Which is not what offside is all about.

 

[jackson]

This is why I’m not in favour of the automated offside. It still judges the millimetre infraction. Which is not what offside is all about.

Surely it could be programed to allow a leeway of whatever they wanted? At least at that point it would be quick and in theory consistent, which for me negates a lot of the problems around VAR

 

[cwy21]

Surely it could be programed to allow a leeway of whatever they wanted? At least at that point it would be quick and in theory consistent, which for me negates a lot of the problems around VAR

Even if you pick a random distance (say 10 cm), you still have situations where a player is 9.9cm or 10.0cm offside and you'll still have complaints about over precision.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

This is why I’m not in favour of the automated offside. It still judges the millimetre infraction. Which is not what offside is all about.

that requires a change to the law - not VAR.