Press-ed off mightily

[dave.woodhall]

Better late than something else.

https://thebirminghampress.com/2025/02/aston-villa-and-at-this-time-of-night/

[Drummond]

Fair that Dave.

That Watkins' goal should stand I think we'd all agree; whether that's because we don't agree with where the lines were drawn, where the ball was kicked, or VAR, or because they were level and strikers were to be given the benefit of the doubt.

[FatSam]

I have always been against the use of VAR for the reason that it just replaces one layer of subjectivity with another. Whilst incidents can be interrogated more closely, the judgement of a human being is still being relied upon. In the case of offsides, where we would have previously complained about the assistant referee's judgement, we now complain about the VAR operator's.

It is a good point that the 'level is on' rule gave some tolerance, or margin of error. VAR has removed this entirely, because the technology is supposed to be infallible. Except it isn't. There are still some human beings drawings lines on a pixelated screen, and trying to determine the moment when the ball was last touched. Considerations such as the fact that a ball deforms on contact, making it difficult to ascertain exactly when the touch has ended, or the fact that the t-shirt line is a three dimensional shape in space, are conveniently ignored. I can accept incorrect decisions made in good faith by referees and assistants on the pitch in real time. There was always an appeals process. Fundamentally, I don't think that VAR has changed football for the better.

[darren woolley]

Spot on Dave.

[dave.woodhall]

Spot on Dave.

Thanks Daz.

[Nev]

I was reeling off a list of lowlights in my time at Selhurst to the Enemy last night, starting with Easter 87

The one and only time I recall humming the Funeral March at a game.

She looked utterly bemused.

[Legion]

Done.