Most Unfair Premier League in History?

[hmchan]

1. The ever-changing application of VAR and rules. The use of VAR has always been a controversy with marginal offside and handball decisions. What makes it worse is to keep changing the rules in the middle of the season. Now we often see accidental handballs not given, which would have definitely been caught earlier in the same season. And suddenly we now have 9 substitutes on the bench and an extra substitution for head injury.

2. Occassional home advantage. As we all know fans have a certain psychological impact to the players on the pitch. While some fixtures were played behind closed doors, some allowed thousands of fans to cheer for the home team. It's all down to luck if you could have a home advantage when you have an important fixture or rival to play.

3. Postponement of games due to COVID-19. Before the season started, guideline issued by the Premier League had suggested that any team that could field a lineup of 14 players (including U23) would be forced to play despite an outbreak in the team. However in December, we saw games (Villa vs Newcastle and Everton vs City) postponed even when the affected teams had more than enough players to play.

I fully understand it's now a difficult time and health always comes first. But guidelines should be consistent and strictly adhered to as much as possible. Changing the rules in the middle of an ongoing campaign creates a huge unfairness to certain teams, especially smaller clubs. Football is an important entertainment during this pandemic, but the integrity of the competition should not be compromised.

 

[SirAnderson]

Agree.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Agreed about fans. It shouldn't be allowed until everyone is allowed. Some teams being allowed a home support and others not flies in the face of an even playing field. The 2,000 fans in some games have been able to make a fair old racket.

 

[cyberman]

Hardest league to win in my lifetime. Whoever wins it are monsters.

 

[SER19]

Yes

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

Couldn’t agree more, very good post. The league have handled this period really poorly.

 

[Zlatan 7]

All depends who wins the league

 

[Ali Dia]

One of the guys made a great point in another thread. Why not take a months break and give all the players and staff the vaccine and then let them work away?

 

[Jeppers7]

Yep totally agree. You can’t change rules part way through a season. That’s ridiculous. You shouldn’t have fans in grounds if it’s not allowed in all grounds and the same stipulation should apply to all matches being abandoned

 

[Amir]

The season is being played for financial reasons only. Because it can't afford not to play.

In sporting terms, it's a joke.

 

[Wiltord02]

The season is being played for financial reasons only. Because it can't afford not to play.

In sporting terms, it's a joke.

Agreed.

They should have cancelled the regular season and just played some tournament style edition instead.

 

[Infordin]

All depends who wins the league

Very true

 

[manc exile]

Yep totally agree. You can’t change rules part way through a season. That’s ridiculous. You shouldn’t have fans in grounds if it’s not allowed in all grounds and the same stipulation should apply to all matches being abandoned

the rules changed halfway through last season

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Agreed about fans. It shouldn't be allowed until everyone is allowed. Some teams being allowed a home support and others not flies in the face of an even playing field. The 2,000 fans in some games have been able to make a fair old racket.

Some teams have stadiums of 20K, others 70K. The complaining feels trivial. Any fans will do.

 

[Ace of Spades]

Yeah, it is pathetic.

Especially the VAR ones, those are especially unsporting. You have already given decisions, that now based on the current rules, will be wrong decisions in those starting games. Which means that the whole competition is already a farce.

 

[RedDevil@84]

I can still understand the health related stuff and fans/ no fans. But the handball rule change is ridiculous. This should not be done mid season after punishing several teams for non-deliberate actions.

 

[kouroux]

The season is being played for financial reasons only. Because it can't afford not to play.

In sporting terms, it's a joke.

Very true.

 

[el3mel]

Wait, did they actually change the handball again and make the accidental ones don't count anymore? I haven't heard about it. This, uh, is absolutely ridiculously. If you change rules do it from the start of a season not midway after already punishing teams for it!

 

[kouroux]

How many times has the handball rule changed now ? I cannot keep up anymore

 

[Needham]

OP isn't really a question just a truism. What's its competition?
You're just bleating about exogenous factors. Otherwise it's dead equal. Talented, elite athletes facing off in their highly paid professional sport.

 

[Jeppers7]

the rules changed halfway through last season

Should never happen

 

[TMDaines]

How any of these points "unfair" when the laws, directives and policies are the same for all teams?

 

[Jeppers7]

How any of these points "unfair" when the laws, directives and policies are the same for all teams?

Because not all things are equal when the changes come in.

 

[dwd]

How any of these points "unfair" when the laws, directives and policies are the same for all teams?

They aren’t though are they?

 

[Redlyn]

Having fans available for some teams/games and not others is unfair.
Apart from that the rest of the changes are equally applicable to everyone so while consistency across the season is best, I wouldn't call it unfair.

 

[TrustInJanuzaj]

How any of these points "unfair" when the laws, directives and policies are the same for all teams?

If one team plays a match on gameweek 1 and concedes a handball penalty that causes them to lose they have been affected by the first ruling.

If that team then have a similar event happen at the attacking end, later in the season but the handball rule has changed, then they are being punished for a rule change which isn’t equal across all teams and gameweeks. In competitions rules should be the same at least from season to season otherwise you make a mockery of fairness.

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Agreed about fans. It shouldn't be allowed until everyone is allowed. Some teams being allowed a home support and others not flies in the face of an even playing field. The 2,000 fans in some games have been able to make a fair old racket.

that’s complete BS.

that means if a single club can’t have fans, then no one can. Completely disagree.

we have bigger issues that complete fairness. It’s great to have been able to have some fans back in the ground, it’s meant that procedures can be tested, and we can analyse the impact - and as a result we are closer to having fans at all grounds.

the fact that it’s Liverpool fans (and obviously I dislike the club) and not United fans - I couldn’t care less. This is much bigger than a footballing rivalry.

if it created some unfairness, so what. Let’s get on with it. The alternative is just to stop.

and in terms of fairness - the league is never fair in normal times. Some clubs have more money, better players, better infrastructure and more influence. There is no such thing as a level playing field.

 

[Pexbo]

Couldn’t agree more. It’s fecking ridiculous to be honest.

Manchester United*

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Wait, did they actually change the handball again and make the accidental ones don't count anymore? I haven't heard about it. This, uh, is absolutely ridiculously. If you change rules do it from the start of a season not midway after already punishing teams for it!

they haven’t changed the rule at all. They have however changed the way it’s implemented and interpreted.

this is perfectly normal, and happens with rule changes all the time. Sometimes it take a few games and a bit of time for things to settle.

There was a great deal of backlash about how it was implemented, and feedback has meant a different interpretation.

 

[Crustanoid]

Liverpool will be in Tier 3 or above within days. I know people (morons) who have gone there because pubs are open, and it seems many others from the NW and NE have been doing the same. They are going to end up as a COVID hotspot because of that.

 

[duffer]

I'd still much rather have this than no football.

Almost everyone has been impacted by this and yes, it's not fair. Life is not fair.

 

[Jaxa]

Is anyone shocked though at how badly it's been handled ? I mean it's the FA and Premier League, i have absolutely zero hope from either of them to ever get a sensible decision correct.

 

[Brightonian]

It seems to me that the rules of football were the same for the first two thirds of my life. I don't know why they have to change every season these days.

 

[Bilbo]

With regards to the handball rule it obviously wasn't working and I'd prefer that the league realised that and changed it rather than keep it going for a season in tbe interests of 'fairness'.

We should all just be grateful that there is football happening at the moment, because my stay-at-home calendar looks a lot emptier and a shitload duller without PL to fill in the gaps

 

[Bilbo]

It seems to me that the rules of football were the same for the first two thirds of my life. I don't know why they have to change every season these days.

None of what is going on now is anywhere close to the impact that changing the back pass rule had on the game.

 

[UpWithRivers]

What happens if a team is top of the league with say 5 games to go and then gets covid and has to play youth players. that would be messed up.

 

[Fortitude]

One of the guys made a great point in another thread. Why not take a months break and give all the players and staff the vaccine and then let them work away?

And what happens to the players and staff who don't want to take the vaccine?

 

[Gopher Brown]

One of the guys made a great point in another thread. Why not take a months break and give all the players and staff the vaccine and then let them work away?

Why should they get it before the rest of us?

Is Christian Benteke more important to society than a nurse? Is Ben Mee’s safety more important than a teacher’s?

 

[adexkola]

Every league has been "unfair"

We just average the lumps out and move on.

I don't think the lumps have been more significant this season.

 

[lysglimt]

With 2000 fans it doesn't give any advantage on a huge stadium.