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

VAR - Love or Hate?


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awop

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The more I see VAR in action, the more I'm against it in its current form. And I was a strong advocate of it originally, and I've seen it implemented successfully in other sports that I also follow closely. And I think it can be an asset in football.

But, as it stands now, it takes too long, it robs supporters in the ground of an organic match-going experience, and it's being used in a pedantic fashion, attempting to identify microscopic errors in slow-motion, rather than eradicating clear mistakes, which is what the technology should be about.

You can't ever have completely fair officiating because VAR can't look at numerous things that happen in the game. For example, if a referee makes a bad mistake, and gives a free-kick while a team is on the break, and denies them a great counter-attacking opportunity, that is beyond the scope of VAR. As are numerous other things.

So, in my view, it makes no sense to be so ridiculously pedantic over other decisions either. What everyone wants to see, or wanted to see, was clear and obvious errors being eradicated. Not for games to be decided by poring over slow-motion footage of replays, in relation to goals that no-one on the field of play even contested.

But I appreciate that lots of people disagree with that. For me, the only reason to interrupt the game for two minutes and then change the decision is if there has been an absolute howler. Whereas if the City goal had stood, it's quite possible that no-one would even have complained. Certainly, without TV no-one would have known that it was a handball.
Unfortunately, your (our) view don't matter, the rules have been changed, irrespective of VAR. What's pedantic to you is a massive point for Tottenham.
 

Irwin99

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It's hilarious seeing City robbed of points but...I don't know, i'd be angry if that goal was taken off United. I know it hits his hand but there's no attempt to cheat or gain advantage, the ball just brushed his hand on the way through. I know there are new rules that govern handball but it's getting too pedantic and it's a big joykiller at the stadiums.
 

Jev

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It's a strange feeling to feel like it's so obviously defunct that any football lover should want rid of it, yet the majority seem to prefer it.

I'm all for getting the right calls and I'm not against VAR once we find a way to use it properly. To me, we obviously haven't found that yet. It's used for way too many marginal decisions and the delay is way too long which kills the spontaneity of the game.
 

C'est Moi Cantona

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Isn't VAR just going to end up as a more complicated version of the old adage that 'decisions will just even themselves out by the end of the season'.

We need to give it time, but it just seems like it's going to take the initial joy out of every goal scored soon enough.
 

R'hllor

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I love the " you cant celebrate a goal no more " argument, its most robotic logic against technology of VAR, you couldnt make that shit up. "I wont celebrate, will wait for VAR to confirm it, will stand there like a statue from Equilibrium and wait!". :lol:
 

RedFish

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The more I see VAR in action, the more I'm against it in its current form. And I was a strong advocate of it originally, and I've seen it implemented successfully in other sports that I also follow closely. And I think it can be an asset in football.

But, as it stands now, it takes too long, it robs supporters in the ground of an organic match-going experience, and it's being used in a pedantic fashion, attempting to identify microscopic errors in slow-motion, rather than eradicating clear mistakes, which is what the technology should be about.

You can't ever have completely fair officiating because VAR can't look at numerous things that happen in the game. For example, if a referee makes a bad mistake, and gives a free-kick while a team is on the break, and denies them a great counter-attacking opportunity, that is beyond the scope of VAR. As are numerous other things.

So, in my view, it makes no sense to be so ridiculously pedantic over other decisions either. What everyone wants to see, or wanted to see, was clear and obvious errors being eradicated. Not for games to be decided by poring over slow-motion footage of replays, in relation to goals that no-one on the field of play even contested.

But I appreciate that lots of people disagree with that. For me, the only reason to interrupt the game for two minutes and then change the decision is if there has been an absolute howler. Whereas if the City goal had stood, it's quite possible that no-one would even have complained. Certainly, without TV no-one would have known that it was a handball.
Bang on. Well said.
 

Cloud7

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Why are you plebs upset with VAR today? All it did was make sure the rule was enforced. If you’re angry with something it should be the handball rule, VAR just made it so that the rule was enforced properly.
 

DixieDean

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By far the biggest fundamental change to football since I started watching and I hate it.

Honestly, football does this shit, yet still won't stop the clock for stoppages?
 

BlueMoonOutcast

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Lamela drags down a City player in Spur's box and VAR just decides it doesn't exist for that brief moment, then it pops up and robs us of a winner because Laporte's arm was literally pulled into the ball. I didn't even celebrate the last goal, I was waiting for VAR. Cheering and shouting for VAR will overtake the cheering and shouting for goals fairly soon.
 

njred

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Lamela drags down a City player in Spur's box and VAR just decides it doesn't exist for that brief moment, then it pops up and robs us of a winner because Laporte's arm was literally pulled into the ball. I didn't even celebrate the last goal, I was waiting for VAR. Cheering and shouting for VAR will overtake the cheering and shouting for goals fairly soon.
Even though I love the result, I agree. It’s a disaster
 

JB08

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It's hilarious seeing City robbed of points but...I don't know, i'd be angry if that goal was taken off United. I know it hits his hand but there's no attempt to cheat or gain advantage, the ball just brushed his hand on the way through. I know there are new rules that govern handball but it's getting too pedantic and it's a big joykiller at the stadiums.
That has absolutely nothing to do with VAR though, does it?
 

RUCK4444

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Simple, how many AWFUL decisions can you remember from last season that cost a team a game and caused such huge discussion - compare that to the beginning of this season already where by far the most discussed issue is VAR. It detracts from what was a perfect game to begin with.

How anybody can ‘love’ VAR is beyond me. Yes of course it enforces the existing rules but it’s completely at the expense of the football experience for the fans imo. This issue far outweighs any wrong calls we had prior IMO and a lot of people I know have the exact same opinion.

Why would you want to slow the game down and alter the fan experience at any cost. This was my main concern from the outset and it’s proving to be the case unfortunately.

I don’t want to see the beautiful game sterilised and the fan emotion tempered pending a review of every feckin’ goal.

Sport is ultimately about entertainment, its not a court room where you need to provide evidence for every situation. Let the ref do his job and get on with it, this was never a problem to begin with, how many of you lost sleep last season over decisions?
 

montpelier

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Is that not a reasonably definite penalty on the front post?

And yet simultaneously, an even more definite handball, supposedly.

It's a VARCE !!!
 

montpelier

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I don't think it is a penalty, tbf. I wouldn't be giving it anyway.

And they have made the rules clear on goals involving even accidental handball, so maybe I'm wrong & neanderthal again, :D.

I should have just gone for a bit of drive-by insulting instead of trying to contribute, :(.
 

Giggsyking

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It's hilarious seeing City robbed of points but...I don't know, i'd be angry if that goal was taken off United. I know it hits his hand but there's no attempt to cheat or gain advantage, the ball just brushed his hand on the way through. I know there are new rules that govern handball but it's getting too pedantic and it's a big joykiller at the stadiums.
Its the rules, it is not the VAR. If you are not happy with the decision, you should ask to change the rule.
 

711

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It's for TV viewers isn't it? It's not for match going fans, and more importantly not for players, just the boys at home watching on their phones and laptops. feck the history, how the game started and how it's actually about playing football, it's become about wankers in their bedrooms who can't take the way the world really works.
 

deleon

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Why are you plebs upset with VAR today? All it did was make sure the rule was enforced. If you’re angry with something it should be the handball rule, VAR just made it so that the rule was enforced properly.
This. If the goal was ruled out for offside, there'd be a lot less complaint.

The only adverse effect I can imagine is that referees may be less inclined to award penalties for physical fouls, reasoning that VAR would have a better view of the incident, while VAR might go on to review it, assume the referee saw it, but did not deem it sufficiently serious. Still, this is something that can be fixed with better communication between the match officials.
 

Ole’s Wheel

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It's for TV viewers isn't it? It's not for match going fans, and more importantly not for players, just the boys at home watching on their phones and laptops. feck the history, how the game started and how it's actually about playing football, it's become about wankers in their bedrooms who can't take the way the world really works.
Nice to see you speaking for yourself. And the world really works like this in the year 2020. Sorry it’s not the same as it was a hundred years ago


Cheers mate.
 

Random Task

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It's for TV viewers isn't it? It's not for match going fans, and more importantly not for players, just the boys at home watching on their phones and laptops. feck the history, how the game started and how it's actually about playing football, it's become about wankers in their bedrooms who can't take the way the world really works.
:lol:

Love that VAR.
 

montpelier

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I just put ''City handball'' for a search on Twitter to see the video.

It brings up a variety of stuff, actually. There is a few ''handballs'' on there. And for all of them, with the rule change, it's quite easy to decide what the decision ought to be.

And for today, Oliver is looking straight at it, the ball changes direction - in that, from travelling away from the goal it starts travelling towards the goal, unless it's an optical illusion - blah blah blah.

I reckon Oliver must know but is, basically, leaving it for the VAR as the easy option.

I've not seen the ball hit his arm on a camera yet, I presume that there is one.
 

sullydnl

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If we're criticizing VAR today the two questions should be:

1) Why wasn't the handball call quicker given it was so clear cut a decision?
2) Are we happy with the high threshold the PL's version of VAR has for clear and obvious errors? Or would it be better to have a version more akin to world cup where a referee would have been more likely to look at his own decision at the side of the pitch for penalty incidents like today's?
 

montpelier

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Nice to see you speaking for yourself. And the world really works like this in the year 2020. Sorry it’s not the same as it was a hundred years ago


Cheers mate.
You started it, don't be whingeing about getting some back.
 

mancan92

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It's hilarious seeing City robbed of points but...I don't know, i'd be angry if that goal was taken off United. I know it hits his hand but there's no attempt to cheat or gain advantage, the ball just brushed his hand on the way through. I know there are new rules that govern handball but it's getting too pedantic and it's a big joykiller at the stadiums.
It didn't kill spurs fans joy
 

ForestRGoinUp

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Nice to see you speaking for yourself. And the world really works like this in the year 2020. Sorry it’s not the same as it was a hundred years ago


Cheers mate.
Actually the world has placed quite a value on organic products recently. Sport has decided to move away from organic and into the manufactured realm. Backwards. For the Neanderthals perhaps.
 

R'hllor

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It's for TV viewers isn't it? It's not for match going fans, and more importantly not for players, just the boys at home watching on their phones and laptops. feck the history, how the game started and how it's actually about playing football, it's become about wankers in their bedrooms who can't take the way the world really works.
Clearly. Specially in PL case, where match going fans are actually customers, with expectations like they went to watch a movie and not football game. Defending vacuum atmosphere with traditional motto "You have to give us (fans) something to shout about first"
 

montpelier

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If we're criticizing VAR today the two questions should be:

1) Why wasn't the handball call quicker given it was so clear cut a decision?
2) Are we happy with the high threshold the PL's version of VAR has for clear and obvious errors? Or would it be better to have a version more akin to world cup where a referee would have been more likely to look at his own decision at the side of the pitch for penalty incidents like today's?
I think you've nailed this one. These are exactly the relevant questions.

1 - I suppose they want to be sure.

2 - I'm right off the idea of the ref watching his little screen in the stadium. He isn't 'detached' & will feel under huge pressure of varying kinds. And it doubles up the time.