General Premier League Thread 2023-24 Mod Note in op 27/6/23 And 21/05/24

The Champions League places look fairly set now. I reckon that it might only take 4 points from Villa's final 4 games for it to be secure. it would mean that Spurs would need 4 wins from their last 6 games to pass them out, and their fixtures are tricky playing the 3 teams going for the title.

Going deep into cups has a big affect on scheduling.

Crap player and an idiot too. Can't wait until we boot him out the door.

VAR overall is a good thing.

The problem with it is refs have become eunuchs with VAR in place. There's been a good few decisions made by refs this season that were probably the right call in the circumstances (such as ball to hand situations) where their natural instincts probably had made the right call, but once VAR got involved over-ruled themselves and gave penalties for next to nothing.

If refs stuck to their guns more often, it mightn't be as bad.

And surely at this stage the ref could have an on arm monitor, or use the big screen, rather than having to go to the half way line each time. Takes up too much time.

100% disagree with VAR being a good thing. I think it's been awful for the sport and I'd bin it tomorrow if possible.

If you can automate anything objective, e.g. goal line technology, offsides etc then I'm for it. If you tell me you can extend goalline technology to everywhere on the pitch and can then accurately tell instantaneously where the ball has gone out of play (and even show where throw ins etc should be taken from as a result), or that they can tell which player touched the ball last to be sure of whether it's a corner or not, who's throw it is etc, then I'd be for that - not because I think it's particularly needed, but because if technology can do it accurately and instantly there's no need for officials to do it because it's an objective fact.

For anything that is subjective and down to opinion, this should be decided by the referee, that's it. They're not perfect but they're not assessing facts either it's judgement. Adding more referees into the decision making process doesnt make sense to me. The idea that the powers that be looked at the state of referees and said: "Hey do you know what would be good, if we got even more referees to weigh in on the same incidents" makes no sense to me and it hasn't worked. It wastes time, is inconsistently applied, and is terrible for fans. By knowing there's VAR in place, referees are more reluctant to make marginal calls on the pitch. Why? Because they have the safety blanket of knowing it's reviewed. But then what do the reviewers do? Defer to the on field decision because it's marginal. It's madness and should be stopped.

Go back to what we had before. No VAR. Automate offsides. Get on with it.

And you can actually celebrate goals again!

Will be a sad day when this man retires. Or the Tories get to him.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/picture/2024/apr/23/david-squires-on-fa-cup-meddling-replays-premier-league-clubs-var-nottingham-forest

I would assume that it was given on day 2 because it was not given on day 1, and the reaction to that decision. Which I could accept if that then became the new standard, but that is not what happens. We get stuck in a constant cycle instead of not given-given-not given-given.

Exactly. If the one rule was just applied consistently throughout, it would be a lot easier to accept the decisions.

People have short memories refs were ****/dumb/incompetent/ before VAR and VAR would fix it. Now refs are ****/incompetent/ corrupt with VAR. Fans will always find a way to feel they've been robbed. There's a regular poster here talking about a criminal case against refs if his team don't win the league due to refs. It's paranoid fans sucking the life out of it not conspiracy.

What you are looking for here is to go back to a situation where Thierry Henry gets away with his handball against Ireland. Because it's not one of the 'absolutes' that the poster you are replying to suggested. The ref has missed Henry's action on the pitch, it's a subjective matter etc, so therefore can't be looked at.

I'd humbly suggest if we went the way poster 8-10 suggested, then the first such Henry incident that happened would see us back to 'surely they could look at that, we have the technology, it would only take 10 seconds, no-one would complain about the correct decision being reached'. And eventually we'd be back we were are now arguing about why yesterdays marginal decision went different to todays marginal decision.

Big game shortly for Arsenal - though perhaps less of a potential banana skin with Cole Palmer out, hard to see Chelsea mustering an upset without him. In general hard to see where Chelsea goals might come from - all that money spent, to end up starting three goal-shy lads in Madueke, Mudryk, and Jackson. Gallagher arriving late looks about the best/only bet.

Didn't take long. Chelsea parting like the red sea - or rather, just dropping off forever and refusing to engage in any way. Awful defending, and poor goalkeeping too, right through Petrović at the near post.

Soft goal , keeper has to block on his near post.

Christ, Jackson could've easily been off there too. Awful challenge. Looked worse than the Curtis Jones red earlier in the season, didn't get near the ball, planted right down into the players ankle.

orange card there by jackson, surprised VAR didnt call over the ref to review it.

Chelsea starting to at least show a bit of spirit the last wee while… still not at much, but at least trying to put some things together. Not sure the quality is there in the final third though.

Jackson pulling out of that header in the front of goal was beyond embarrassing.

Huge chance alright, have to just go for them.

Just watched the replay…how does VAR not flag that up?

2-0 arsenal