West Ham fans crying on Twitter has to be the sweetest bit of irony you’ll see this weekend.
Quote from: Des Little on December 05, 2020, 10:34:06 PMWest Ham fans crying on Twitter has to be the sweetest bit of irony you’ll see this weekend. "The boys are pretty relaxed about it". Shower of whoppers. Being beaten by them is going to irritate me for some time.Looking at their forum, they're not so relaxed about it. I'm glad it was VAR that drew first blood. Mind you, they were dropping off them and getting deeper, like the negative shower they are, anyway. But still, the universe delivered balance.
Let's not forget that in relation to the 'goal' at West Ham, an official sat in an office and watched the incident several times in slow motion and couldn't spot the foul on Watkins - for the precisely the reason that VAR is shit, they are looking for minute infringements and reasons to be seen to be 'right'. So the introduction of another official on the pitch doesn't address that. That means another set of eyes but will inevitably lead to uncertainty given different perspectives/opinions and endless discussions slowing the game further.The beauty of football is that it is simple to understand and play and is (should be) a fluid and continuous game.I can think of very few changes, interpretations or new rules in my lifetime that have been positive other than no tackling from behind (a license to wipe people out) and the back-pass law.Tinkering often has unintended consequences - like the nonsense of the 't-shirt line' to bring clarity to the difference between the shoulder and the arm!!Very unlikely to happen, but what I would like to see:1. We recognise that there is some interpretation and that a single official makes a final judgement, even when supported by technology. Rugby is rightly referenced for the effective use of technology, but it is a different sport and crucially everyone involved recognises there is interpretation (pretty much every breakdown sees both sides committing an offence and everyone accepts the judgement of the ref).2. All clubs and fans consider VAR in the context of what it is doing to the game as a whole - for better or worse - rather than in relation to the impact on their side as the present debate is mostly tribal and hence self-interest renders most comments meaningless as we all contradict ourselves, i.e. it's shit when we miss out and others need to 'suck it up' when it happens to them.3. As VAR is not going away anytime soon - in real-time it should only be used to correct very obvious mistakes or things not spotted. The kind of thing that happens a few times a season to each side, not several instances in every game.Critically, though I think all games should be reviewed and serious foul play identified and players cited and punished. This should include a review of what might already have been ruled by the match official on the day.It would quickly be evident to players and clubs that they will not get away with serious foul play and games will improve quickly as they will not want to risk missing games. The review panel can include players and coaches as well as referees/former referees - in part because former players have insight to offer and also because it might limit some of the moaning from lazy pundits looking for easy comments to spout.Not holding my breath and sadly I expect my enjoyment of the professional game to continue to diminish as a result.
Rugby is rightly referenced for the effective use of technology, but it is a different sport and crucially everyone involved recognises there is interpretation (pretty much every breakdown sees both sides committing an offence and everyone accepts the judgement of the ref).