Var

Get you. Yes you're right, I'll take up following a League 2 club.

Not happy with it so far. I get the need to correct the absolute stinker (Thierry Henry handball etc). An objective clear decision. I don't have a problem with that. But talk about a pandoras box. It could fundamentally ruin the most popular game in the world. It doesn't need a massive wholesale change. It's a great game.

How far back do you go? How many replays do you watch? A subjective decision is still subjective no matter how many times you look at it? Football is odd because most of the time the ball is out of play but it doesn't lend itself to breaks in play. I can't watch American Football because it stops every 5 seconds.

Has anyone thought to ask players to stop cheating? Managers stop supporting their players diving? If a player appeals for a penalty, free kick, throw-in or corner then book them. They aren't the ref. Let referees ref.

The key is around correcting the "absolute stinker" as described here. As yet, VAR has not been used to correct these, rather observe on extremely marginal decisions that in some cases rest on whether the camera freezes on the correct frame.

And far from discouraging cheating, in the last case it seemed to encourage it, Salah throwing himself theatrically to the ground when the defender's arm deigned to brush up against him.

To clear up matters of indisputable fact, yes, I can see a rationale for it. Where it is down to interpretation then leave well alone.

Meanwhile sod the continuity that provides the enjoyment to the watching public. Instead let's wait 20 minutes while the ref decides if the defender's arm brushing up against the prostrate forward is enough to justify awarding a penalty (to the home side).

Billy The Fish said:

http://www.manchestercity.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=589522

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Pardew's an idiot. Blaming VAR for injuries because they're stood around and need to stay warmed up - what do they do at half time then, or when there's an injury, or any other hold up that takes more than a couple of minutes? as for not knowing what was happening and being in the dark - about what? Genuinely what did he think was happening? It was blatantly obvious VAR was being consulted so what else did he need to know? They came to a decision in the end but all he really needed to know was that VAR was being consulted and wait for the decision.

Jason H said:

The key is around correcting the "absolute stinker" as described here. As yet, VAR has not been used to correct these, rather observe on extremely marginal decisions that in some cases rest on whether the camera freezes on the correct frame.

And far from discouraging cheating, in the last case it seemed to encourage it, Salah throwing himself theatrically to the ground when the defender's arm deigned to brush up against him.

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It's similar to cricket where it was designed to eliminate the 'howler'. The clear inside edge on an LBW or the caught behind that came off the thigh bad. But now it's used to determine in grey areas and is not always satisfactory (e.g Umpire's Call).

Yes I thought Salah dived too but all the pundits said clear pen because there was contact. I thought if anything he was tugged back but he fell forward so surely that's simulation? That's where it's going to get messy. Same with every Zaha/Sterling/Vardy penalty. They look for contact and dive. The replay will show contact so they will give a penalty.

Slows the game down - and takes away the opinion or chat.....

Get rid

CREDYGRECIAN said:

Slows the game down - and takes away the opinion or chat.....

Get rid

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"Takes away the opinion or chat" - yes, because nobody at all is talking about VAR... :S

England vs Wales at Twickenham yesterday. Wales "scored" a try and the referee correctly "went upstairs" to give the TMO the chance to adjudicate. Looks to many people including the entire Welsh nation that it was the TMO who made the howler, so what of it ? All the TV angles could not conclusively prove that the Welsh touched the ball down so No Try, the ref could have called that but the technology was there so they used it.

Rugby has been using TV to make decisions for years and it's not perfect and never will be. It will be the same in football.

The next instalment of the saga of the Wales "try" has played out with World Rugby saying that the TMO got it wrong.

The Welsh are aggrieved. The TMO is undermined. But the referee is blameless and gets off scot free. What a mess.