VAR and Refs | General Discussion | May 15: Premier League clubs to vote on proposal to scrap VAR from next season

Pogue Mahone

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Even the current implementation of VAR is infinitely better than no VAR. You will never ban human error from refereeing. That has nothing to do with VAR, but more to do with many football rules being too open to interpretation.

I watch our 2nd division quite often and the ridiculously unjust stuff that happens without VAR is just silly at times.

I agree it isnt perfect and perhaps the implementation of it is worse in England, but abolishing VAR? Nah, sounds like a silly plan.
Jesus wept…
 

Fr. Todd Unctious

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Still amazing to see people that still don't see that it's the officials are the main problem. :lol:

It's been obvious from day one that they're either so poor that they're too incompetent to use it (possible) or they're deliberately sabotaging the use of it. To the best of my knowledge there's nowhere near the levels of issues with the use of VAR in other top leagues
 

TrustInOle

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I honestly don't know where I stand these days with VAR, because either way we will still have these incompetant Refs affecting the game. I feel the standard of officiating needs to be addressed first and foremost. Thats before even discussing the objectivness of Oliver and his gang,
 

justboy68

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I’d be curious for them to trial a challenge system. Maybe do it in the Mickey Mouse cup next season and see how it goes. 2 challenges per game. Refunded if challenge deemed correct. Ref on the pitch goes to have a look on the monitor.
 

Pexbo

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Go to a challenge system. Give the team captains one challenge in each half (or one per match). Ref and fourth official look at the pitchside monitor.

Don't pretend it's capable of fixing every error or removing all controversy. All it's shown us is that the handball and the interfering with play rules in particular are highly subjective. To the point where the attempts to clarify them have made them worse.

Just give the officials the chance for another look if a decision is that important and it's that disputed.
This is 100% what we need to move to, although I think offsides being objective should be reviewed for goals still, ideally automated and processed in the blink of an eye eventually.
 

Pexbo

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I’d be curious for them to trial a challenge system. Maybe do it in the Mickey Mouse cup next season and see how it goes. 2 challenges per game. Refunded if challenge deemed correct. Ref on the pitch goes to have a look on the monitor.
Referee goes to the monitor, then the decision is explained by the referee to the captains, with the stadium and TV audience able to hear the explanation.
 

Bowlcut11

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I’d be curious for them to trial a challenge system. Maybe do it in the Mickey Mouse cup next season and see how it goes. 2 challenges per game. Refunded if challenge deemed correct. Ref on the pitch goes to have a look on the monitor.
Said this from the very start of VAR being an option and still think it's the right thing to do

Reduces the need for play to be stopped unnecessarily and reduces the need for players to hound the ref as well since they can ask the captain/manager for a review if they're that convinced.
 

adexkola

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Disagree with the challenge system; it is used in other sports alongside video review. Proposals to only allow VAR to intervene upon challenge from a captain or coach are silly, the refs make more than 1 mistake per game; coaches and players have enough to think about without getting into game theory of whether this is the right opportunity to invoke a challenge.

Another case of ye learning the wrong lessons from across the pond

I don't think it should be scrapped; but it's better that it's scrapped than used half-arsedly
 

Northstand

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Dunno why he brings this up as some sort of reason not to scrap VAR. It’s another good example of why it should be binned. Because it’s another reason for pointless arguments about onfield decisions and how you define clear and obvious.

With no VAR that’s a minor error from an unsighted referee, that nobody is too fussed about. With VAR it’s a controversy and an overwhelming sense of injustice from one set of fans, followed by conspiracy theories about corruption. Which erodes confidence in referees more and more each week.

If VAR is binned that will be the best thing about this season by miles.
Great post…second paragraph nails it.
 

duffer

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Make all VAR communication available live. There's no reason to keep it secret.

Get rid of the monitor pitch side. The VAR ref tells the pitch ref what the decision should be. It's a collosal waste of time and serves no benefit. The rules are the rules and the refs are equally qualified.

Get rid of the "clear and obvious" standard for overruling.

I'm torn on the challenge system, I feel it could lead to time wasting.
 

AdamColeBebe

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Just suspend it for next season. Use that time to improve it, using the offsides etc that take place in games next season. When it's all calibrated and decisions can be made in good time instead of these ridiculous lengthy stoppages, THEN bring it back. It wasn't ready, so bring it back when it is.
 

Drainy

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Make all VAR communication available live. There's no reason to keep it secret.

Get rid of the monitor pitch side. The VAR ref tells the pitch ref what the decision should be. It's a collosal waste of time and serves no benefit. The rules are the rules and the refs are equally qualified.

Get rid of the "clear and obvious" standard for overruling.

I'm torn on the challenge system, I feel it could lead to time wasting.
The current iteration of VAR is designed for the little feelings of the referees in their inadequate need to feel like the big men in charge.

Get rid of the screen, correct all bad decisions involving potential red cards, goals and penalties by the book, make each of them accountable and feck how they feel about it.
 

Grylte

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There is nothing that says the only way you can concede a penalty is when making a challenge.

If you trip someone who is inside the box and attempting to score, it’s a penalty regardless of whether or not you intended it.

There isn’t an accidental handball rule for clipping ankles.
I didn't even see that Amrabat stepped on him, and still thought it was a penalty, or atleast freekick just outside the box, because of his holding.
Amrabat is pulling his arm behind his back.

just checked it on youtube again, i'd say a freekick outside the box for the holding would be fair, but with him steppeing on his foot, it's a clear cut penalty.
 

Scottynaldinho

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Even the current implementation of VAR is infinitely better than no VAR. You will never ban human error from refereeing. That has nothing to do with VAR, but more to do with many football rules being too open to interpretation.

I watch our 2nd division quite often and the ridiculously unjust stuff that happens without VAR is just silly at times.

I agree it isnt perfect and perhaps the implementation of it is worse in England, but abolishing VAR? Nah, sounds like a silly plan.
100% agree with your view. There were far more controversial refereeing decisions without it than with it.
 

Pogue Mahone

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Do you ever watch football without VAR? I do.

Didn't mean to make our Lord cry though.
All the time. Literally every Sunday morning, watching my son play U15 football. And these are really bad referees too. On the rare occasion we get a decent referee I have absolutely no issue with them getting a few calls wrong, as it's a tough job and I'm mainly impressed that they get so many more calls correct.
 

KirkDuyt

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All the time. Literally every Sunday morning, watching my son play U15 football. And these are really bad referees too. On the rare occasion we get a decent referee I have absolutely no issue with them getting a few calls wrong, as it's a tough job and I'm mainly impressed that they get so many more calls correct.
Sure, with U15 football it's fine. But conceding a blatantly offside goal or penalty from an extremely clear dive is just unacceptable to me.

Perhaps the people behind the screen need more training and some of the rules (handball for instance) need to be way more clear, but the fact technology gives officials the option to review a call in itself is in no way the problem in my opinion. It's 100% human error that gets stuff wrong. It's like blaming the whistle for a wrongly awarded free kick.
 

Pogue Mahone

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Sure, with U15 football it's fine. But conceding a blatantly offside goal or penalty from an extremely clear dive is just unacceptable to me.

Perhaps the people behind the screen need more training and some of the rules (handball for instance) need to be way more clear, but the fact technology gives officials the option to review a call in itself is in no way the problem in my opinion. It's 100% human error that gets stuff wrong. It's like blaming the whistle for a wrongly awarded free kick.
We’re still seeing goals awarded or not awarded incorrectly. So nothing has changed there. But when it happens without VAR it’s not even a tiny fraction as annoying. I honestly never feel all that bothered about officials getting stuff wrong in real time, without VAR. But when my team gets screwed over in matches that feature VAR it makes me want to stop watching football.
 

KirkDuyt

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We’re still seeing goals awarded or not awarded incorrectly. So nothing has changed there. But when it happens without VAR it’s not even a tiny fraction as annoying. I honestly never feel all that bothered about officials getting stuff wrong in real time, without VAR. But when my team gets screwed over in matches that feature VAR it makes me want to stop watching football.
Meh, I do understand the sentiment in that sense.

The thing I hate most about VAR is never being able to "really" celebrate a goal while it's scored. You never know if there's been a handball or tiny foul somewhere in the 2 minutes before the goal.
 

The Purley King

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I know its been mentioned many times on here already, but rugby has this nailed. Why not just copy that approach? Refs are micd up, we hear the entire conversation, we see what the VAR is looking at and even if you disagree with the end result as some things will be subjective, the process is 100% transparent.
This whole "clear and obvious" thing, was always going to be a shitshow as it introduces subjectivity into whether something is even reviewed or not.
We just need to be clear when VAR will be used (I suggest goals, penalties/possible penalties not given on field, sendings off/potential sendings off not given on field) VAR checks 100% of these situations. feck all this "it should not re-referee the game" - its literally the whole point of it to make the best possible decision, regardless of who does it.

Edit - the implementation just shows the ego and arrogance of the referee. Yes he makes most of the decisions but it should be a refereeing TEAM that collectively get to the right result. Also, if a possible penalty is reviewed for a tackle on the 18 yard line that the referee didn't give a foul for and VAR sees a clear foul but it was outside the box, then give the free kick, don't just ignore it.
 
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Sandikan

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Would be a huge backwards step to scrap it. We'd then be hearing whinging about wrong decisions every single game, rather than just every couple of weeks.

Simple solution - use it better.

None of this "var wouldn't have changed the decision if the ref had or hadn't given a pen".
That's an absolute nonsense.
 

Pogue Mahone

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Would be a huge backwards step to scrap it. We'd then be hearing whinging about wrong decisions every single game, rather than just every couple of weeks.

Simple solution - use it better.

None of this "var wouldn't have changed the decision if the ref had or hadn't given a pen".
That's an absolute nonsense.
:lol: Are you new to this thread?
 

The Boy

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We’re still seeing goals awarded or not awarded incorrectly. So nothing has changed there. But when it happens without VAR it’s not even a tiny fraction as annoying. I honestly never feel all that bothered about officials getting stuff wrong in real time, without VAR. But when my team gets screwed over in matches that feature VAR it makes me want to stop watching football.
I'm torn. I watch a lot of Bristol Rovers in league one and the quality of the refereeing is incredibly varied, but there have been alot of dreadful decisions and some appalling officiating that makes many in the crowd cry out for VAR, the most common chant this season I think has been "we've got a shit ref, it's happened again."

The way it works in the prem at the moment is dreadful, PGMOL apologised twice last season to us at Brighton, but that didn't give us the 4 points VAR wrongly took from us. But, I really think it can get alot better and as the technology, transparency and implementation evolve removing more subjective decision making away from humans and possible human error, I can only see it improving the game like the "has the ball crossed the line" technology.

If you get rid of it now we'll never get it back and in the long run I think that's the wrong decision, but I have to agree right now it can be incredibly painful and it needs to change.
 

Hammondo

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Well done Wolves. I REALLY hope VAR gets binned. I have no idea how many clubs will vote to get rid, but I expect the PL will do whatever they can to pressure clubs to keep it, including promising changes which wil probably amount to little more than yet more tinkering.

There are many reasons it's shit, but the main reason for me is that it's being run by people who look at the shirt and worry about the narrative more than they judge the situation in isolation on its merits.

Have an automatic system for offside, goal line and out of play notices to the ref. Scrap the rest. It takes away far more than it adds to the game. The rest, as many others have said, is too subjective.
"There are many reasons it's shit, but the main reason for me is that it's being run by people who look at the shirt and worry about the narrative more than they judge the situation in isolation on its merits."

Sorry but how does car affect this? With or without var this will remain the same.
 

11101

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We’re still seeing goals awarded or not awarded incorrectly. So nothing has changed there. But when it happens without VAR it’s not even a tiny fraction as annoying. I honestly never feel all that bothered about officials getting stuff wrong in real time, without VAR. But when my team gets screwed over in matches that feature VAR it makes me want to stop watching football.
The very simple fix would be to give broadcasters access to the referees microphone so we can hear the decision making process behind a call. They won't do that because they don't want to be accountable. VAR is supposed to help the referee make a decision but we've managed to set it up where its always disagreeing with them.
 

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If only there was an actual good referees in the league would have been nice. The technology is great to have and use but the people using it are clueless. Best league in the world with the worst referees.
 

hobbers

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All of the arguments in Wolves' submission are spot on.

VAR in its current guise has to change drastically regardless of any vote.
 

NICanRed

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When the Premier League teams vote on this will the three demoted teams be voting or will the three promoted teams (with no recent VAR experience) be eligible?
 

Pughnichi

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Go to a challenge system. Give the team captains one challenge in each half (or one per match). Ref and fourth official look at the pitchside monitor.

Don't pretend it's capable of fixing every error or removing all controversy. All it's shown us is that the handball and the interfering with play rules in particular are highly subjective. To the point where the attempts to clarify them have made them worse.

Just give the officials the chance for another look if a decision is that important and it's that disputed.
Been saying the same. Limit the opportunity for var involvement and only the more questionable decisions would be raised by the captain…but even then I imagine we would see captains show unsporting behaviour and challenge a goal conceded in the 45th minute (if available) just for the sake of it.
 

maniak

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I don't understand why some people dislike the var that much when the problem is really the quality of the referees.
 

Pughnichi

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I’m not an advocate for getting rid

I certainly don’t like it in its current state. Constantly seeing different decisions made week to week for similar offences. (Namely the Fa cup semi final hand balls)

but can you imagine a world next season on the opening day and were denied a stone wall penalty and were crying out to bring back var

it just needs to be managed by competent people…with a standard set for handballs, interfering with the gk etc…and I don’t have the answers for how to go about that