VAR

It’s all part of top level football slowly eating itself as far as I can see. Was brought in mainly at the behest of pundits with their endless replays and discussions on Sky, MOTD, talk radio etc. So it’s brought in, and guess what ? There’s as much, if not more, controversy as before. Bottom line is these guys have to fill air time and column inches. I’m glad we don’t have it at local level. Pats were almost certainly denied 2 points against Drogheda recently with a horrendous decision not to give Chris Forrestor a penalty, but to book him for diving instead. But I’d rather live with that I think than have VAR.

Does anyone know if the fact that VAR "apparently" looked at the Bruno Guimares assault on Jorginho means that he cannot be given a retrospective red card? I'm taking the "apparently" from what Gary Neville said during the match.

When I look at that forearm smash, plus the later shoulder charge into the back of the same player also going unpunished, I can see a kind of logic as to why Joelinton was allowed put his two hands on Gabriel's neck, without censure. Its not a good logic, but I can kind of see it.

It seems a but strange that VAR wasn't able to draw a line from when the ball was played by Joelinton, seeing as how they had images from behind the goal as well. Thought they'd be able to join the dots there as I presume they can time each frame and then match them up.

Did it make the game better?

That’s the bit I’m surprised they don’t borrow from rugby.

If it’s taking a long time then it’s not obviously an error and the on-field decision should stand.

Check what’s needed to be checked but if there’s nothing conclusive then just move on.

And I’m beating a dead horse but they need to get to a point where the audience can hear what they’re checking and when. 4 minutes seems like an age when you’re just sitting around waiting for the result, but listening to the referees discuss the check can add to the drama.

The thing is we already have the commentators telling us what VAR is saying, so its hardly a state secret. Just make it available.

The term Clear and Obvious error seems to have disappeared. As someone said above, it its not immediately obvious, let the on field decision stand.

The biggest issue VAR has is the human element.

I have serious doubts about the people using it.

We have an automated offside system that is in use in the CL and seems to be quicker and more clear. So why are the PL getting lads to draw lines on a screen!

There needs to be a time limit on VAR reviews as well. We want it to cut out the clear and obvious errors but if it is taking 3/4 minutes to get to a decision then it is not clear so default back to the onfield decision and move on.

"Yes they'll get some things wrong".

So, just like the referees then, the ones who got 99% of things right before VAR.

VAR, ruining goals for everybody and all so that they can end up right where they started.

Would still maintain that they could have made a version of it that wasn’t this horrific.

4 minutes spent dissecting tonnes of goals, literally looking for a reason to disallow a goal (Bowen against Brentford last weekend a particularly galling one), and so many VAR checks that you can never celebrate anything.

Rather than having it to just correct the most galling injustices.

I think the way around it was to put a time limit on the check. If you can safely overrule within 45 seconds, grand, if you can’t do it within that time, it’s really not that obvious or galling.

Sure, you don’t get utter perfection in terms of the lines, and whether the ball skimmed someone’s arm, but was that ever what people wanted in the first place?

The things that are really big gains tend to not take very long. You don’t need long to know if someone punched someone or 2 footed them, or if something is a foul. If you need 2 minutes of slow mos and multiple angles, it’s usually gonna end up being micro management of the rules.

Personally, I'd like a return to the excitement people used to feel after a goal was scored, which has now been completely neutered because some people thought VAR was a good idea.

Listening to Gary O'Neil, WolVARhampton Wanderers manager, he raised points around his reputation, people's livelihoods, etc. and that is why I think VAR will remain, but will have to be improved. He clearly thinks, correctly, that his side could be potentially 7 or 8 points better off, which would improve his standing in the game, and maybe even feed into players contracts, the desirability of Wolves as a proposition for players looking to come to the PL.

There hasn't been any mention of litigation, but you can be sure someone, somewhere, is thinking about it.

He said he wasn't a fan of VAR, but then ironically, called out the situations where he thought VAR should have stepped in.

1. The headbutt
2. Inconsistency about the penalty reviews - referee only sent to view one of the 2 incidents.

If VAR had been used correctly, at worst Wolves would have got a point. Playing against 10 men, they may well have won. I suppose, for him, he is saying that if there was no VAR, there would have only been one penalty awarded.

I thought VAR would improve the game, and I am still hopeful, but I can see how its rightly p***ing people off in its current state.

I've only seen a little of the dcl red.

His tackle was towards the player, studs first and shin height.

Should it matter if he doesn't make contact? How do you stop these tackles if your only punished when you potentially injure someone?

It’s a really harsh red. While going in studs up looks bad on a replay, he didn’t go into that challenge at speed and looked controlled the whole way through. Everton should win that appeal.

I suppose VAR saw the studs up and decided the referee didn’t make a clear error.

There's an obvious way to make VAR work perfectly for soccer. it needs a few moves, but bear with me.

1. VAR should be left to the team managers as review calls. That means each manager should be given four review calls per game, no more than three per half (an additional one for extra time).
2. Change the offside rule so that the whole of the attacker has to be ahead of the defender to be offside. And offside is measured on all parts of the body except the arms from the elbow down, they aren't a part of the game so should have no bearing on offside (the shoulder is used occasionally). And if an offside is indicated by the linesman, allow the attack to continue for 15 seconds until either the ball goes dead, or the attack is turned backwards, and then give the offside. That should clear that up the offside side of things for any review.
3. Once a review is called, the clock is stopped and the review begins. The review goes as far back as 15 seconds before the incident (goal, red card), and no more than that. When the ref goes to the monitor and the review starts, a timer starts when the footage is rolling, and the ref has 45 seconds to come to a decision. Once the 45 seconds are up, the ref has to make a decision.

And that's it. That's the limit of VAR. Used only if the manager feel it needs to be used.

Take what ambiguity you can out of the rules so they're more black and white to make it easier for refs to make a decision, put the review of decisions in the hands of the managers rather than stopping the game every ten minutes for two minutes, make sure the reviews are done in a prompt manner, and leave the ref to referee the game via their instinct and keep the game flowing naturally.

It's hardly rocket science.

You'll still get moments of controversy and referee mistakes, but then the question becomes why didn't the manager use a review to challenge a referee's mistake?

PS - One thing VAR has been brilliant for is tackling diving for penalties, it's pretty much eliminated it (for the most part). Giving managers a review instead of every decision being reviewed might see players chancing their arms at diving for penalties again, so I'd also bring in a rule whereby you can be cited after a match for diving and given a tow match ban, with a warning of a 5 match ban for a second offence within 12 months.

Yep that is only way to sort the offside rule, the whole attacking player has to be ahead of the defender to be offside. This its offside because the defender bent his body back is ridiculous.