The VAR Thread

[Danners9]

Additional thread from Dale Johnson at ESPN with some stats.

He had been comparing the Premier League's use of VAR with the Bundesliga because they began without pitchside monitors and introduced them after a few months.

 

['O Zio]

Jonathan Wilson made a decent point on the Football Weekly podcast the other day. Can't remember his exact words but basically said that when you think about what it is that most people (i.e. fans) wanted VAR to do, it wasn't to obsess over every last break to see if the player was 1mm offside etc. but rather to give penalties/overturn penalties when someone was blatantly fouled/blatantly dived. And yet for some reason the PL have set the whole thing up to basically do the opposite of that i.e. they almost refuse to use it at all for those penalty calls and yet go to it every time for these niggly little offside decisions that, at the end of the day, are neither here nor there.

 

[Danny1]

Yet again VAR in the papers for the wrong reasons. It is causing far more problems than its fixing. How anyone but the ref can give a penalty is beyond me! VAR should tell the ref that it believes that a penalty decision may have been missed and the ref should watch on the screen and make the final decision.

It’s really failing massively at the minute.

 

[Marty]

Yet again VAR in the papers for the wrong reasons. It is causing far more problems than its fixing. How anyone but the ref can give a penalty is beyond me! VAR should tell the ref that it believes that a penalty decision may have been missed and the ref should watch on the screen and make the final decision.

It’s really failing massively at the minute.

Oliver, probably the best ref in the country, gives a penalty. Paul Tierney, probably the worst ref in the top flight, sits in the VAR room and gives a yellow card for diving. Oliver foolishly trusts the VAR because he's under instructions to not use his screen.

The VAR is also human, and can never be better than the worst ref in charge of using it. It's only further highlighting the appalling standard of officiating in the PL right now.

It's also a bit of a shocker when the VAR doesn't see that Silva gets a touch on City's second goal, a touch which would've ruled the goal offside because of Sterling's interference, but the PL Match Centre does.

 

['O Zio]

I've always been a supporter of introducing VAR but I have to say that it's starting to get to the stage now where I think we're better off without it in some ways. I appreciate that it's still early days and all that but I think they seriously need to sit down and reassess what the protocol is and stat again because if they're going to carry on using it the way they have so far then it's just as inconsistent and frustrating as not using technology was so at that stage you may as well not bother. Like I said in an earlier post, they've just got it completely wrong where they're frustratingly pedantic about all these incredibly minor infractions but then flat out refuse to use it when there's a really big decision that most people want them to look at.

I still think VAR can be successful, but not the current way they're going about it.

 

[BehindEnemyLines]

I have always been a fan of VAR as I thought it'd bring in consistency and correct decisions. Unfortunately, if anything, it's made it less consistent........ And it's not accurate enough to make correct decisions.
I am incredibly disappointed in its implementation. Its like we've got a public sector version rather than the real thing.

 

[Thewobbler]

Why cant the referee go to the pitch side screen and at the same time as the VAR ref look at it together so they can communicate? How hard is that to do.

Only for big decisions like pens and goals like we saw at arsenal yesterday. Wouldnt that be easier.

 

[Marty]

Why cant the referee go to the pitch side screen and at the same time as the VAR ref look at it together so they can communicate? How hard is that to do.

Only for big decisions like pens and goals like we saw at arsenal yesterday. Wouldnt that be easier.

The refs are instructed by PGMOL to not use the screens because it takes too long and holds up play.

That is one thing that absolutely has to change if VAR is to be a successful tool in this country. It works (mostly) fine in other countries and the CL.

 

[yankspurs]

Additional thread from Dale Johnson at ESPN with some stats.

He had been comparing the Premier League's use of VAR with the Bundesliga because they began without pitchside monitors and introduced them after a few months.

The implementation of VAR in the PL has been such a disaster. Its even getting things so egregiously wrong that it makes a mockery of itself every week. Either get rid of it, or introduce pitchside monitors which would hopefully improve things. It shouldnt be this difficult.

 

[sausage]

The refs are instructed by PGMOL to not use the screens because it takes too long and holds up play.

That is one thing that absolutely has to change if VAR is to be a successful tool in this country. It works (mostly) fine in other countries and the CL.

In this day and age, why does the ref have to jog over to a plugged in CRT-looking monitor anyway? It's like VAR is sponsored by the 90's.


Surely the ref could easily have some sort of smartphone type thing these days that could serve all purposes including cards. It's actually mental to think that they have actual cards and little pencils.


I know some luddites would oppose, but...

 

['O Zio]

The implementation of VAR in the PL has been such a disaster. Its even getting things so egregiously wrong that it makes a mockery of itself every week. Either get rid of it, or introduce pitchside monitors which would hopefully improve things. It shouldnt be this difficult.

The stupid thing is they actually have the pitch side monitors but the refs have been specifically told to basically never use them.

In this day and age, why does the ref have to jog over to a plugged in CRT-looking monitor anyway? It's like VAR is sponsored by the 90's.


Surely the ref could easily have some sort of smartphone type thing these days that could serve all purposes including cards. It's actually mental to think that they have actual cards and little pencils.


I know some luddites would oppose, but...

Or just do what every other bloody sport does and show it on the big screen. That way you could have the ref involved in the decision, and even give him final say if you want, and it solves the issue of the crowd having no clue what's going on.

 

[WalkerboyUK]

The stupid thing is they actually have the pitch side monitors but the refs have been specifically told to basically never use them.



Or just do what every other bloody sport does and show it on the big screen. That way you could have the ref involved in the decision, and even give him final say if you want, and it solves the issue of the crowd having no clue what's going on.

As they do with Rugby, certainly in the World Cup anyway... It's blatantly obvious that, when applied correctly, it works. The problem is that the idiots at the PL etc. can't be arsed to do anything other than a half-arsed implementation.

How on earth did VAR legitimately think that Man Utd's first penalty was a foul??
The on field ref got the decision 100% right, then gets over-ruled. After that we have Dermot Gallagher saying that VAR got it completely wrong.

Meanwhile, they DID get it right with the Palace penalty against Arsenal.

 

[mightyspur]

If I was in charge, I would drop the ridiculous offside calls where they are lining up and checking mm's. Have one line. If he looks level, then benefit of doubt goes to the attacker.

I would also have replays shown on the big screen for everyone to see if something was being reviewed that was missed by the ref. Get's the crowd involved in the decisions

 

[Nerine]

It's comically bad.

Get rid.

 

[mightyspur]

It's comically bad.

Get rid.

Nah, it still sit's on the right side of the fence for me, although that may be purely on the disallowed city goal from last season in the CL QF

 

[Shadydan]

They couldn't make more of a mess of VAR if they've tried, there's always going to be some errors and I think most people would have accepted that but some of the decisions have been comical to say the least.

 

[Trotter]

They couldn't make more of a mess of VAR if they've tried, there's always going to be some errors and I think most people would have accepted that but some of the decisions have been comical to say the least.

Could not agree more.
They have gone from not getting involved when they should do for the last 2 months, to getting involved when they shouldn’t this weekend and overruling incorrectly (on the James penalty and Arsenal disallowed goal).
Riley’s position really is becoming untenable, he has caused this shambles.

 

[Shadydan]

Could not agree more.
They have gone from not getting involved when they should do for the last 2 months, to getting involved when they shouldn’t this weekend and overruling incorrectly (on the James penalty and Arsenal disallowed goal).
Riley’s position really is becoming untenable, he has caused this shambles.

I thought you were pro PGMOL?

 

[Trotter]

Could not agree more.
They have gone from not getting involved when they should do for the last 2 months, to getting involved when they shouldn’t this weekend and overruling incorrectly (on the James penalty and Arsenal disallowed goal).
Riley’s position really is becoming untenable, he has caused this shambles.

I am pro VAR, and being ex Football League Referee, pro PGMOL in general, just against the way VAR has been implemented over here

 

[al_pacino]

Whoever gave the first Man U penalty really should be given a bit of time off, they aren't to the required standard and should be far away from PL games until they are.