Standard of Refereeing

[Monty]

I know we've had at least two (if not three) instances where the refs have come out after the game to admit someone should've been sent off against us, Wolves and Everton if I'm not mistaken? Is that normal? Do most clubs average two or three 'soz that was shite' statements per season?

[paul_e]

The worst part is that you know that if we actually make a complaint the internet will just be full of "but you'd have been relegated if that Sheffield Utd goal had stood" as if 1 big controversy in our favour since we got back in the league outweighs the repeated mistakes that have gone against us for the last few years.

After the last month I'm now firmly at the point of wanting the club to make a huge fucking deal of it all, full on package of all the mistakes against us in the last couple of years and what they've cost us in terms of points, alongside an estimation of the financial implications. Just fucking hammer home how fucking shit it's been and how many things have been given against us in a short space of time.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Refereeing and var in the PL, is (and has been for some time) not fit for purpose.
It's the means through which, teams like Villa can be disadvantaged in plain sight, whilst simultaneously benefitting the sky branded teams.
Unless something fundamentally changes in the officiating of our PL games, we'll be chatting about the same incompetencies time and time again.

[TheToffnar]

VAR has saved us more then enough times for me to be overly pissed off about it's implementation.

Our high line only works/worked if VAR is there to protect it. That first season with Emery in particular was one where we where often catching teams offside after a goal, with linesman regularly not sharp enough.

Not saying it's perfect, nor entirely for for purpose, but people regularly forget the favors it's done us the past 3 years.

[aj2k77]

VAR has done us favours?

[simon ward 50]

As I see it the ball was out, it seemed pretty conclusive from the TV pictures.
However was it a clear and obvious error by the officials on the pitch? NO
Was it in the attacking half of the pitch for Villa? NO
Did we gain and advantage from it? YES but did the opposition have enough time to re-set for the next phase of play? YES.
Is VAR going to referee the whole match now? It looks like YES
Is this the purpose VAR was introduced? NO

[aj2k77]

The rule will be altered and have a time limit put on it or something and we end up losing out again to the VAR farce.

[Brend'Watkins]

VAR has saved us more then enough times for me to be overly pissed off about it's implementation.

Our high line only works/worked if VAR is there to protect it. That first season with Emery in particular was one where we where often catching teams offside after a goal, with linesman regularly not sharp enough.

Not saying it's perfect, nor entirely for for purpose, but people regularly forget the favors it's done us the past 3 years.

How is showing an attacking player correctly offside doing us a favour?  We have technology that shows it as such. We don’t yet have technology that shows if a ball has cleared the touch line and as such those on VAR duty are guessing.

[paul_e]

For offsides most of the ones where the flag hasn't gone up and we've been 'saved' by VAR were actually pretty obvious and would've bene ruled out by the linesman in most cases if they didn't have the safety net. Of the actual tight calls I'd say we've had as many of ours ruled out as we've had in favour over the last few years. Ollie alone is probably 5-6 goals less than he could've been but for very tight offside calls.

I don't have many issues with VAR for offside. Some of the really tight calls seem unnecessary and the 5cm thing was utter bullshit but generally these do balance out.

My problem with officiating in general is that it's inconsistent. Take yesterday for example, not one of their players got booked for timewasting despite a few 45-50 seconds breaks to take free kicks/goal kicks. On the other hand we seem to have someone booked as standard if we're leading with a few minutes left and we don't get the ball back in play immediately. It's only a tiny thing but it's frustrating watching Kelleher take forever to trudge across to take a free kick knowing that Emi would 100% have been booked for taking the piss that much.

Also yesterday it seemed to be  another game where a 2handed push in the back was a foul by a Villa player but not by a Brentford player, just like it was against Everton. I don't like moaning about how unfair it is and how bad refs are but when you have them admitting that Garner should've been a foul and a yellow card it does reinforce the thinking that we've been fucked over a few too many times in the last 12 months or so.

[kippaxvilla2]

The difference between cricket third umpires and VAR officials is that one is a highly intelligent former player who can make a decision rationally.  The others are overgrown egotistical schoolboys wanting to get in on the act just because they can.