Get rid of VAR NOW! We want our game back! (...or not, some are happy)

[DixieDean]

The sport has been made worse by this shit.

 

[rollingstoned1]

i know people will refer to letter of the law and all that but can't we at least have some semblance of consensus grounded in subjective common sense when awarding penalties in the box for handballs or borderline negligible contact which is justified as a penalty after the fact just because it is given? the game isn't played this way and maybe it's just me but it does my head in. Also eventually i feel they should use it to get every decision right especially if they have technology assisting them e.g throw ins, fouls, goal kicks/corners, rescinding yellow cards, etc.

While it's frustrating as a fan, after taking a step back i can appreciate the rationale behind var but it's a tricky thing to get right for a game that doesn't really stop much like football when you need time to review decisions and even then there are a lot of grey areas. But the game against bournemouth was proof of the gratuitous use to check what were very obvious goals on multiple occasions which is exactly the kind of thing i'm talking about and against the spirit of the game.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

Palace goal should have stood. And how they not book Grealish after that theatrical dive is weird.

VAR is a joke right now

Just seen this


That so obviously hits his shoulder... Genuinely don't know what these idiots are up to.

 

[Gio]

Just seen this


That so obviously hits his shoulder... Genuinely don't know what these idiots are up to.

Yeah it’s a goal, think majority of footballers give it, whereas some refs are crumbling under the pressure of getting it right amid the wider criticisms of the system.

 

[MikeKing]

The standard of refereeing is simply terrible. The same useless fecks sitting behind a screen doesn't change the fact they don't seem to have a clue and just make shit up as they go along.

We've seen this all season. They receive criticism from the media, they have a few meetings regarding the topic, they'll pretend to set precedence and it'll keep for a few weeks and you'll see a few ridiculous decisions based the new way a certain rule is applied, there'll be some discussions about it, then everyone forgets about it and the refs goes back to standard refereeing with the usual inconsistencies in interpretations of rules, as well as regular mistakes.

The sport has been made worse by this shit.

I agree. The refs should not be anyones focus. "The refs suck" one might argue is apart of football, but I beg to differ. Refereeing mistakes has always taken away from the game. The PL had referee's ruining games on a weekly basis before VAR. Everyone had to suck it up, berate the refs for a couple of days, then move on, and managers couldn't even complain without getting their club in trouble. They fecked up quickly and efficiently, and everyone had to just move on, next week rinse and repeat.

Now, with VAR, we give the refs the help they need. They can afford to take a very long time out from the game to get decisions right and yet, they still get it wrong. This is simply not good enough. We can't say that the system is the main flaw, because all it literally is made to do is to help refs be less of a diversion to the game itself. What VAR has highlighted is that the English refs and those in charge are so bad that even with technology at their disposal, they fail to learn and improve, and yes. If the focus is on the ref, the sport is worse. If the ref takes a long time to make a decision, it's not good. If the producer focus on the VAR team, it takes away from the game. Their utter incompetence has been exposed time and time again this season by the introduction of VAR, and hopefully we wont just 'move on' from it this time.

A lot of work and a real update on systemic issues is needed or it'll continue to effect the league for years. The answer isn't to just put a bunch of refs who has been trained to be diversions (ask Clattenburg) in front of a screen and let them take forever to do the same shit they did before. It's pretending to solve something, when it seems, they aren't really that bothered about it.

 

[Le Red]

The standard of refereeing is simply terrible. The same useless fecks sitting behind a screen doesn't change the fact they don't seem to have a clue and just make shit up as they go along.

We've seen this all season. They receive criticism from the media, they have a few meetings regarding the topic, they'll pretend to set precedence and it'll keep for a few weeks and you'll see a few ridiculous decisions based the new way a certain rule is applied, there'll be some discussions about it, then everyone forgets about it and the refs goes back to standard refereeing with the usual inconsistencies in interpretations of rules, as well as regular mistakes.


I agree. The refs should not be anyones focus. "The refs suck" one might argue is apart of football, but I beg to differ. Refereeing mistakes has always taken away from the game. The PL had referee's ruining games on a weekly basis before VAR. Everyone had to suck it up, berate the refs for a couple of days, then move on, and managers couldn't even complain without getting their club in trouble. They fecked up quickly and efficiently, and everyone had to just move on, next week rinse and repeat.

Now, with VAR, we give the refs the help they need. They can afford to take a very long time out from the game to get decisions right and yet, they still get it wrong. This is simply not good enough. We can't say that the system is the main flaw, because all it literally is made to do is to help refs be less of a diversion to the game itself. What VAR has highlighted is that the English refs and those in charge are so bad that even with technology at their disposal, they fail to learn and improve, and yes. If the focus is on the ref, the sport is worse. If the ref takes a long time to make a decision, it's not good. If the producer focus on the VAR team, it takes away from the game. Their utter incompetence has been exposed time and time again this season by the introduction of VAR, and hopefully we wont just 'move on' from it this time.

A lot of work and a real update on systemic issues is needed or it'll continue to effect the league for years. The answer isn't to just put a bunch of refs who has been trained to be diversions (ask Clattenburg) in front of a screen and let them take forever to do the same shit they did before. It's pretending to solve something, when it seems, they aren't really that bothered about it.

There's a clear anti VAR agenda among referees. They feck it up and then people bite the bait and say "VAR bad".
The real issue is not being addressed: the referee board is just incompetent and corrupt and the ref association is a corporativist circle jerk. Somehow people blame VAR for not fixing this.

 

[MikeKing]

There's a clear anti VAR agenda among referees. They feck it up and then people bite the bait and say "VAR bad".
The real issue is not being addressed: the referee board is just incompetent and corrupt and the ref association is a corporativist circle jerk. Somehow people blame VAR for not fixing this.

Yes. I'm not entirely sure that speculating about corruption is the way to go, but the way things work right now sure do keep things open to interpretation and feelings. It all seems very protective, self-serving and unclear. VAR right now is indeed almost as much of a distraction from football as it is a distraction from the standard of refereeing in front of us. Like it's possible to somehow separate the two.

VAR is like those racism campaigns, it highlights things that are wrong but the actual change has to come from within. Imagine people going like 'oh these campaigns aren't doing anything, they've tried it and it doesn't work why even bother anymore, there'll always be racist's, leave it alone and let's move on now'. It's a seriously flawed way of thinking in terms of progress.

 

[Anustart89]

Now, obviously the solution to much of the nonsense is just to defer the main ref to the pitchside screen. Then it's not a matter of "clearly and obviously" overturning, the main ref only needs to change his mind on the balance of probabilities, ie overturning is more right than the decision I made with the view I had on the pitch. That would see a lot of the calls having different outcomes as it's much easier for a ref to say "ah, I got that slightly wrong" than for another ref to say "you got it very, very wrong and that's more than very wrong so I'm going to recommend to overturn it!".

Just look at how quickly Nketiah was sent off once the ref had been sent to the monitor the other day. 2-3 minutes of VAR replays where everyone could see that it was a red by the letter of the law, but the VAR obviously hesitated due to the "clear and obvious" clause when everyone's in agreement that red is more correct than yellow for that challenge. Sends the ref to the screen, one replay and five seconds later he's sent off.

That being said, if we're going to keep the system as it is I don't understand why we have to have VARs that are from the same pool of refs as the ones on the pitch. Just bring in talented referees who have a good grasp of the laws of the game but who may not pass the fitness tests, or train a separate set of referees who go straight into a VAR path with no chance to become on-field referees. Have them sit at Stockley Park and train them separately from the on-field refs. That way they don't develop personal relationships and there's not a matter of "Well I can't overturn Jon Moss since he sent me a load of vintage vinyls three weeks ago and it'd embarrass him". That would also reduce referee fatigue and have them concentrate on their fitness and recovery on weeks that they're not doing on-field officiating.

I definitely think there's room for improvement if the PGMOL can swallow their pride and admit they got it wrong with this season's application of VAR. I doubt that though so I hope that FIFA step in and tell them what's what.

 

[Le Red]

Yes. I'm not entirely sure that speculating about corruption is the way to go, but the way things work right now sure do keep things open to interpretation and feelings. It all seems very protective, self-serving and unclear. VAR right now is indeed almost as much of a distraction from football as it is a distraction from the standard of refereeing in front of us. Like it's possible to somehow separate the two.

VAR is like those racism campaigns, it highlights things that are wrong but the actual change has to come from within. Imagine people going like 'oh these campaigns aren't doing anything, they've tried it and it doesn't work why even bother anymore, there'll always be racist's, leave it alone and let's move on now'. It's a seriously flawed way of thinking in terms of progress.

I don't know about the analogy but I think you got the spirit right. If you just let VAR take the blame for the referee's mistakes, they get away with murder everytime.

 

[Bojan11]

Let’s see the lack of moans from media about Romelu not getting sent off.

 

[NinjaFletch]

That's a fecking joke.

 

[Erics_Collar]

Can Romeu get a retrospective punishment for that?

 

[FlawlessThaw]

How the hell did it ignore that Romeu tackle, he just tried to do Greenwood in.

 

[El Zoido]

The problem is that VAR seems to exist to validate the decisions of these shitty refs rather than to arrive at the correct decision.

 

[Skills]

VAR was always going to be shit because the refs are shit. They've always been shit and they're in charge of it. If they weren't fecking shit in the first place, this thing wouldn't even need to exist.

 

[Pexbo]

Zero protection for a prodigious 18 year old.

 

[Woodzy]

Just don't see the point it. That was a perfect moment for VAR to show why it's there, and it couldn't have been more obvious a decision.

 

[ha_rooney]

I’d like to know the justification for not sending off Romeu. That was not mistimed, he tried to break him long after the ball had gone. Disgraceful tackle.

 

[Heinzesight]

Terrible. Getting offside wrong or whatever is frustrating but that was a fecking safety issue. Prick tried to break Greenwood’s leg the shithouse.

 

[King Andow]

Who's the cnut(s) today? That's a red all day.

 

[VorZakone]

The problem is that VAR seems to exist to validate the decisions of these shitty refs rather than to arrive at the correct decision.

God forbid some of these refs have their egos hurt.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Zero protection for a prodigious 18 year old.

Disgraceful really. If Mason got a serious injury from that challenge do they then give a card? Oh well he didn't get injured so it's not a bad challenge. Feck me what is the point in VAR sometimes?

 

[Top]

Why not just ask the ref to have a look at it himself? Mind boggling

 

[Pexbo]

I’d like to know the justification for not sending off Romeu. That was not mistimed, he tried to break him long after the ball had gone. Disgraceful tackle.

Yep, he lifted his studs and went in above his ankle well after the ball was gone. Guarantee Romeu will be involved in their equaliser now.

 

[sewey89]

It seems they’re more worried about interrupting the flow of the game than getting correct decisions. Ref missed that one, understandably, so help him out. Let him know what’s happened and send him to the screen

 

[Rado_N]

I’d like to know the justification for not sending off Romeu. That was not mistimed, he tried to break him long after the ball had gone. Disgraceful tackle.

No benefit to Liverpool there.

 

[PoTMS]

Ok, this is my limit. Time to get rid of it in its current format if this is how they're gonna use it.

 

[Ainu]

There needs to be a serious, in depth review of VAR after this season and lessons need to be learned. It's beyond abysmal as it is right now. Like, it couldn't have been applied worse if you tried. A clear 0/10. We need transparency about what's going on in that VAR room during games, at the very least.

 

[Shane88]

Who is the cockwart in the truck?

Solskjaer needs to scream bloody murder about this.

 

[cyberman]

How are we meant to trust referees without VAR when they are this shocking with perfect camera angles to look at?

 

[The Man Himself]

Too many inconsistencies with VAR right now. What's the point if you can't correct a decision like that which is a big moment being missed by ref.

 

[PoTMS]

The problem is that VAR seems to exist to validate the decisions of these shitty refs rather than to arrive at the correct decision.

The VAR should not be PGMOL.

 

[pablo__p]

Would love to see SAF post match interview tearing VAR people a new one.

It's embarassing what this premier league version of var has become.

 

[Amarsdd]

would love to hear what nonsense excuses VAR officials make for not giving a red there.

 

[Ivor Ballokov]

It's a waste if time, if they aren't going to use it then it's pointless.

 

[Revan]

Probably the only thing I hate with VAR. When they check for red cards, and come to the conclusions that the tackle was bad but not necessarily a red card (though I think this was a red), why not at least give a yellow? I think they should change this rule instead of a binary choice: red/no-read, to be read/yellow/none.

I am not advocating to start checking for yellows, but if it is already checked for red, then it won't cost anything to give a yellow.

 

[YAMS49]

What the actual feck?

If it can't do the job properly get shot of the useless heap of shite. Fecking useless.

 

[Anybody's Guess]

So because the ref plays advantage and thereby 'acknowledges' the foul, the monkeys in charge of VAR decide to ignore the incident completely? The implementation of VAR in the PL is beyond ridiculous. Amateur hour stuff.

 

[Zlatan 7]

The clear foul play that it could be potentially great for is being ignored

just don’t be within a mm of offside or let the ball touch your shoulder, then VAR will show who’s boss and what it’s made of.

its absolute crap

 

[pascell]

What happened to protecting players? If that broke his leg, that could've changed his career, these feckers need to wake up.