VAR

[ktvillan]

VAR is a good thing if used correctly i.e. where there is a glaring error that drastically affects a game and which most observers can see clearly even if the officials are dumb, blind, incompetent or "pretending not to see".  e.g. the Lampard goal against Germany, the hand of God goal, Thierry Henry's double handball against Ireland, even El Ghazi's sending off at Leeds and Gayle's penalty swan dive against Forest.  etc.  It  should never be used for marginal bloody offside decisions where someone's cock-end is slightly ahead of the last defender and to review every bloody goal that is scored in case there was a nudge on someone in the build up.  That is totally killing the spontaneity of the game and is ridiculous.
 
In the hands of FIFA/UEFA it's a disaster because they aren't using it in a sensible way.  Either apply only to the glaringly obvious, or else allow each team two appeals per game and nothing else.

[andyh]

I expect that each game will last about 3 hours for the first couple of months, until the officials work out how it is to be used properly.

I guess the companies who provide the VAR equipment and officials will be making a few quid?

[danno]

Think I'd be more in favour if it really was restricted to being used to correct "Clear and obvious" errors.

Unfortunately it seems to be used for marginal offsides, debatable tackles etc that can be given either way.

Now instead of let's talk about the penalty Alan, we get replays of referees looking at different camera angles. Or Peter Walton chiming in. It seems to me that if it really was used to correct clear and obvious errors there'd be no need to talk about it afterwards.

Carragher putting on his VR headset last season to see what the linesman saw, was probably my jumping off point.

Shrug It's here to stay, but lets hope it improves.

 

[Pete3206]

Hate it.

Most football matches will now be 100 minutes.

[Risso]

Either apply only to the glaringly obvious, or else allow each team two appeals per game and nothing else.

I completely agree.  All we're going to get is 15 minutes a match of players making a square symbol with their fingers, like they've invented a new category on Give Us A Clue.

[Steve67]

Sack it and let referees do what they get paid to do. The referee should ask the questions rather than have idiots in a studio, influence him. Only absolutely blatant issues that the referee misses should be mentioned to him, or her.

[Clampy]

No, I don't like it at all. It seems to be used for everything. I stand correct but I don't think us as Villa fans have been involved in a game using it yet so who knows, it might grow on us all as the new season wears on. I doubt it though.

[Brend'Watkins]

I get both arguments but I’m swayed in favour of it for the
Main reason that referees tend to favour the bigger teams. We’ve had many decisions go against us For games against the top 4 or 6 throughout my lifetime which have been totally unjustified. At least now we’ll have certainty regardless of how much the kop screams.  They do need to speed up the process though.

[TopDeck113]

VAR is the inevitable consequence of decades of players, managers, journalists, commentators, ex-players turned pundits and, yes, us the fans scrutinizing, analyzing and criticizing every decision made by a referee that was even marginally wrong.  If you weren't part of that either in the ground or in front of the TV, then you can have your moan about the less than perfect system than is VAR.  However, the reality is that virtually everyone of us bears some responsibility for where we now are - and the fact that the technology is here to stay.

[JUAN PABLO]

maybe each team is allowed just one review or something like cricket. If you waste it , tough shit.

[ExclDawg]

VAR is a good thing if used correctly i.e. where there is a glaring error that drastically affects a game and which most observers can see clearly even if the officials are dumb, blind, incompetent or "pretending not to see".  e.g. the Lampard goal against Germany, the hand of God goal, Thierry Henry's double handball against Ireland, even El Ghazi's sending off at Leeds and Gayle's penalty swan dive against Forest.  etc.  It  should never be used for marginal bloody offside decisions where someone's cock-end is slightly ahead of the last defender and to review every bloody goal that is scored in case there was a nudge on someone in the build up.  That is totally killing the spontaneity of the game and is ridiculous.
 
In the hands of FIFA/UEFA it's a disaster because they aren't using it in a sensible way.  Either apply only to the glaringly obvious, or else allow each team two appeals per game and nothing else.

Totally agree with this.  It should only be used in Red Card or Penalty-type decisions.  Not for every nit-picky offside or minor foul in the build-up of a goal.  If someone makes a blatant dive (which happens all too often), and they're demanding a red-card, the head official should be able to call the replay booth and get a definitive answer within 30 seconds.  Too often, these moments wind up with both teams screaming at a back-peddling ref who's try to get some order of the situation, and it usually takes 2 or 3 minutes just to get things sorted.  Instead, have him call the booth, give a card to the offender/diver and play on.  VAR would actually speed up the process in this instance, penalize the proper party, and probably help to eventually eliminate diving.

[Legion]

VAR is a good thing if used correctly i.e. where there is a glaring error that drastically affects a game and which most observers can see clearly even if the officials are dumb, blind, incompetent or "pretending not to see".  e.g. the Lampard goal against Germany, the hand of God goal, Thierry Henry's double handball against Ireland, even El Ghazi's sending off at Leeds and Gayle's penalty swan dive against Forest.  etc.  It  should never be used for marginal bloody offside decisions where someone's cock-end is slightly ahead of the last defender and to review every bloody goal that is scored in case there was a nudge on someone in the build up.  That is totally killing the spontaneity of the game and is ridiculous.

Sums it up perfectly for me.

[Ads]

I am in  favour of it, but the technology needs to work.

I would support its use by captains with 1 referral a game. If you correctly overcome turn the decision, then you keep your referral. There has to be a time limit as well.

The 15 seconds from the incident currently in the CWC to review seems right.

[MoetVillan]

Against. Purely for the fuckaboutery that happens. It’s far too long a process taking the steam out of a team. I love the pace of football, especially in the UK, this seems completely at odds

[boozey182]

I'm very against it. It just feels like it was made by, and for, people that don't go to matches. I guess it all seems very dramatic on the telly, but last night I was just imagining being in the stadium, squinting to see a figure slightly off the pitch watching telly for a few minutes... What were the fans saying to each other? It seemed the fans only actually realised what had been given after the match restarted, which is ridiculous. I guess we'll find out first hand next season how excruciating it is to watch live. (Will they take as much time over decisions no matter how important the match, or the stage in the match? Genuine question as I don't really know how it works)

While the ref should never be the centre of attention, I also don't want them to be irrelevant; they are part of the theatre. The pompous gent in the top hat, that you boo when they get things wrong, and laugh at when they fall over. But they will stop making decisions soon, knowing that anything big they miss will get corrected anyway, so why put their neck on the line. What does a linesman do these days?

As for getting decisions right, I just don't care that much. I think there is something beautiful about the fact that we, as a nation, still talk about Maradona in '86. And I cling to the bitterness I feel towards Vidic not getting sent off in the League Cup final like Linus does to his blanket. Do I wish it had gone differently? Of course I do. But isn't that all part of why we go every week? To feel that sort of passion that still builds up 10, or 30, years after the event. To witness the brilliant, the mundane and the downright wrong? It's all part of the package. It's what we signed up for, and its being chipped away.

I think it fixes a problem that was never there, and does absolutely nothing to make watching football more fun. Which is what it is all about, right?