[Football] Falling out of love...

[Swansman]

VAR is imposed by FIFA, it’s mandatory for national top divisions.

I want it gone, but we’re now stuck with it for good.

Its not. A lot of leagues are not able to afford the technology. Others, like the Swedish, is still evaluating it and the decisions will be taken by the clubs (meaning its unlikely to happen as the fans own all the clubs).

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

It looks like they’ve pleaded the cost case, in a potless league.

A consequence is that their officials cannot participate on CL, WC or European Championships.

No loss to Scottish football really.

 

[Jam The Man]

Perfectly normal to feel a bit low every so often with the Albion. Football is always guaranteed to let you down etc.

For me though, I missed out getting a ticket for the Saints game being in Priority 3, so I resigned myself to hoping for another chance in the other games.

But then out of the blue, my lad came downstairs on Saturday night to surprise me with the fact that he’d got us both a ticket through the exchange. “Happy days - well done !” I said “How much do I owe you?”

So he says “it was £90 for 2 tickets and parking... but I want to treat you to it as you’ve bought all my season tickets for nearly 15 years, and snacks, and bovril, and coke obvs(!) and I just want to say Thankyou”

I nearly cried.

That’s what keeps the love going for me, the effort made to get my lad into something that he now loves so much and wants to spend time doing with me, even if it means blowing all his part time wages this week.

Don’t worry about the lows. Enjoy the highs, in whatever way they transpire.

 

[southstandandy]

I agree entirely re scrapping VAR, but can you imagine the outcry if it were to be scrapped during the season, so many clubs would whinge about points lost through it ?

I'm not suggesting it's removal mid-season but at the end of the season. It is NOT used in all top divisions around the FIFA football world with only 21 countries currently using it.

I see we also did have the option of ditching it upon it's resumption after the lockdown :

"The English Premier League (EPL) and other major football leagues have been given the option to scrap the use of VAR (Video Assistant Referee) when their competitions resume after being halted by the coronavirus pandemic.
The EPL adopted VAR for the 2019-20 season and its use has come under fire from players, managers and fans after a host of controversial decisions.
With matches being played behind closed doors and with other heavy restrictions in place, football's lawmakers have made a series temporary amendments to their rules, giving leagues the discretion to discontinue VAR."

 

[Sheebo]

I’m feeling it - but I just won’t ever give it up, give up my season ticket, stop loving the Albion - it just won’t happen. But the VAR thing is really really really shit and annoying. I celebrated a great win at villa because a man in black made a rectangle sign - ffs

 

[redoubtable seagull]

Not read the entire thread but have similar feelings. Went last night and am in group 2 for Sheffield Utd but can’t drum up the enthusiasm to go. Last night just felt too much of a chore and not enjoyable. Wearing a mask throughout the match and no alcohol don’t help.

And var is killing the game.

But... I’ll probably still try to get tickets. It’s my only sin!

 

[Bodian]

My wife went off to bed at half-time. This morning she asked me 'Who did the computer decide had won?'.

About sums it up.....

 

[dazzer6666]

VAR is the biggest issue for me. It’s totally sucked the spontaneity out of watching a game, especially live.....after every goal or incident now the first thought isn’t ‘yessssss’ or ‘noooooooo’ it’s........wait.......look at the ref......then have a sense of dread that it won’t go our way.......wait 3 mins.....groan......

I think we’re stuck with it but it’s got to be used better (I’d introduce margins for offside like the Dutch have for example), and much faster (if it’s not obvious after a couple of replays, stick with the original decision), and they need to have the ref’s comms with Stockley Park relayed into the ground and onto TV commentary so we know what’s being said.

 

[Pint of Ale and a Burger]

I think we are just going through a shit era of covid restrictions and VAR.
We need to stay strong and committed,get through this ,and then I think there is enough hatred of VAR amongst,clubs,players,ex players etc for us to mount a campaign to get it kicked out of our game.

 

[GT49er]

Could we do another sort of Fans United, once crowds are allowed back? STHs not taking their seats, and nobody buying the other tickets - but have fans gathering outside the grounds with banners basically saying 'We're not coming in, Your product is shit'.

....... and hope Sky gives it as much air-time and publicity as it does to any other good cause.

 

[Whitechapel]

I went to West Ham last season, the first home game with VAR. At the time I was in a tug-of-war with the club over my season ticket, they hadn't automatically taken my DD for the new season and I was trying to thrash out a payment plan to catch up with the missing months. After the game (and quite a few pints) I cut my season ticket in half, threw it in the bin and emailed the club and told them not to worry about sorting it.

My vow to never step inside a Premier League stadium again didn't last too long. I ended up going to Spurs away on Boxing Day, the allure of a new stadium, a day on the piss and a free lift there and back from a Spurs supporting mate proved too good to turn down. However hearing our fans chant for VAR when Spurs have a close offside call go against them was the final straw for me, and again I vowed that I wouldn't spend a penny on the Premier League all the time VAR was in place. The 19/20 season was the season where I attended the least games of my life, and I wasn't born until March in one of those seasons!

I can't justify pumping money in to a product that is so clearly broken. Going to watch Worthing play will never be the same as going to Brighton with all my mates, but f*ck me I'm looking forward to Woodside Road reopening! In contrast, I couldn't give a toss about when I'll be allowed back to The Amex, because frankly unless we go down then my match going days are pretty much over for the foreseeable future, apart from potentially the odd away game/weekend away combo.

Actually fairly relieved I made this choice earlier to avoid the headaches and heartaches people are going through now.

 

[atfc village]

Fell out of love with it a few years back ,only go for the day out with my mates . 2nd Aldershot game back tonight and i'm not there . Saturday was the first game home game i've missed bar holidays in 21 years . Did i miss it? No not at all.

 

[Recidivist]

Have a lot of sympathy with the issues surrounding VAR in the thread and think it vital that the laws and the application of VAR are looked at again to stop some of its more ridiculous consequences.

I suspect a lot of this angst (certainly mine), however, is more to do with playing in the Premier league.

We’ve suffered some pretty terrible football under Hughton and won very few games, particularly away.

We’ve now got much more attractive football but we’re still winning very few games, even at home, and, when push comes to shove, we all need that boost that comes from winning.

My concern is whether that is ever likely to change much in the Premier League when you can pretty much write off getting more than an occasional result against the top teams and we struggle against even the poorer teams.

I really enjoyed seeing us in the Championship with Knocky tearing up the opposition and Glenn scoring every other game.

Maybe the solution is for the top teams to do their own thing in a super league and let us get back to a more even competition?

Am ambivalent about playing in the Premier League at present but I don’t think fixing/scrapping VAR is suddenly going to rekindle my enthusiasm....


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[Tokyohands]

VAR has done it for me, I have completely fallen out of love with PL football. It's lost my interest and I've stopped watching live TV games as I find myself reading or doing something else and that rarely use to happen pre-VAR.

 

[Knocky's Nose]

really enjoyed seeing us in the Championship with Knocky tearing up the opposition and Glenn scoring every other game.

The same here. You support your team no matter what, but it does get tiring saying "oh for f*cks sake [insert player name]" a hundred times per game.

As for VAR... Everyone seems to question it as much as the referees initial decision in the old days - but now it just removes the absolute unbridled joy of seeing the ball in the back of the net as you just expect it to go to VAR anyway. No point in the player going bonkers celebrating and the crowd going wild as some twunt could wrongly cancel it out anyway.

I'm afraid my love of the game has dwindled. The Premier League seems like five or six fat blokes at a banqueting table and the rest of the little fellas grab the bones they throw away.

 

[Tokyohands]

I really couldn't give a toss if the 'Big 6' clubs bugger off to a different 'super' league, in fact I think it would make things better because they've completely disappeared up their own backsides and are trying to suck the whole league up with them.

 

[CAPTAIN GREALISH]

Please do excuse the slightly self indulgent thread.

Firstly I understand that once we all get back in the ground it may all change, but this morning I have felt something new... I feel I may be starting to fall out of love with football a bit.

I've been at it now for 35 years but VAR, and the months long wait to win games, is killing it for me. I got to the end of the match last night and barely registered any irritation at all... this is very unusual! Just switched the tele over and watched something else.

I think the main reason is that we go to football (or watch it on TV for now) for that moment we score a goal. That impossible to describe ten second buzz you get that non football fans can't possibly understand. Well, thanks to VAR, that's gone now... and with it, a fair chunk of my enthusiasm.

I hope it returns.

God I sound like a miserable git!

Would be interested to know if I'm alone.

You are not alone feel the same hope it returns but have my doubts

 

[Worried Man Blues]

Still love it, get depressed at times after a loose, but recover for next game, although not caring which Div we are in probably helps!

 

[Change at Barnham]

Unsurprisingly it seems that VAR is a massive part of our dissatisfaction.
Could a solution be to only have VAR used on non-subjective decisions such as offside or goalkeeper off line when penalty taken?
And remove handballs and fouls leaving the decision with the on field referee.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

I have the same feelings for many reasons. I miss the camaraderie of the Goldstone where you turned up, met up with your mates at the same old spot, no need for tickets or place numbers. Football was up and down - but that was part of the enjoyment, good times and bad times, but overall enjoyable times. If you wanted to watch the big boys, there was match of the day, without the overkill of live matches every five minutes.
I also hate the way TV hypes football up as if it was the greatest spectacle in the world and you shouldn’t miss a minute. Hmmm.
If Covid has reminded me of anything, it is that football really isn’t as important as it’s made out to be, and less important than I have made it in the past. Life seems to have taken a new perspective.