[Football] How Do We Get Rid Of VAR?

[Cowfold Seagull]

Well over a season and a half into the VAR "experiment" l think the vast majority of fans disagree with it, (or at least the way that it is being interpretated).

My question is a simple one, why are the bigwigs at the Premier League so determined to persist with it? isn't football for the fans, so shouldn't we have say on whether or not to go ahead with it?

 

[drew]

The problem isn't VAR, it's the quality of the morons that make the decisions. If you have idiots making stupid decisions on the pitch, why would you expect them to make different ones when sitting watching a video!!!

 

[Da Man Clay]

Has been much, much better recently. Less ridiculous handball decisions for example. Still needs some work from an offside perspective but it’s definitely improved.

Realistically isn’t not going anywhere

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

The problem isn't VAR, it's the quality of the morons that make the decisions. If you have idiots making stupid decisions on the pitch, why would you expect them to make different ones when sitting watching a video!!!

But as the VAR concept requires human interpretation it has this fatal flaw. You can’t criticize the operatives but not the technology as they are inextricably tied together. Much of the debate around VAR assumes that it is a technological solution which it isn’t.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Has been much, much better recently. Less ridiculous handball decisions for example. Still needs some work from an offside perspective but it’s definitely improved.

Realistically isn’t not going anywhere

Improved? has it? I can't say that l had noticed.

 

[El Presidente]

You get rid of it by having a vote where at least 14 out of 20 chief execs are in favour.

 

[Bry Nylon]

The problem isn't VAR, it's the quality of the morons that make the decisions. If you have idiots making stupid decisions on the pitch, why would you expect them to make different ones when sitting watching a video!!!

I think it is broader than that. I think we were all promised that VAR would be used to correct "clear and obvious errors" but much of the frustration is that it is going way beyond it's stated remit and being used to effectively re-referee games from a bunker near Heathrow in a way that nobody ever envisaged.

Also, I think that many of the rule changes (ie the handball in the penalty box rule) are resulting in multiple penalty kicks that we as fans, and the players, know are never really penalties. Not the fault of VAR but I guess VAR is being used forensically analyse incidents that previously would have gone largely unnoticed and are considered 'part of the game' and certainly don't merit a free shot at goal from 12 yards.

In the way it's being implemented I struggle to see much positive about VAR and would far rather it was scrapped. Just because you can re-watch incidents multiple times in super slo-mo doesn't mean you should. Let the game flow and don't sweat the small stuff: it's ruining what makes football such a great sport and turning it into something akin to Rugby League for skinny blokes.

 

[AmexRuislip]

Well over a season and a half into the VAR "experiment" l think the vast majority of fans disagree with it, (or at least the way that it is being interpretated).

My question is a simple one, why are the bigwigs at the Premier League so determined to persist with it? isn't football for the fans, so shouldn't we have say on whether or not to go ahead with it?

You kindly ask [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] to alter VAR to 'a complete and utter waste of time' on NSC, so that it wouldn't bother people that much

 

[Arthritic Toe]

I don't buy this "Its not VAR - its the way its being implemented" line. If you have it, you have to use it to its full accuracy, otherwise you just introduce more subjectivity into it. The "clear and obvious" thing is rubbish. If its clear and obvious, you don't need VAR at all.

The pro-VAR lobby just didn't think these things through. It can never do anything positive for the game - lets just admit it was a failure, get rid of it and give the decisions back to the refs.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

You kindly ask [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] to alter VAR to 'a complete and utter waste of time' on NSC, so that it wouldn't bother people that much

Good plan!

Bozza, are you there?

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I don't buy this "Its not VAR - its the way its being implemented" line. If you have it, you have to use it to its full accuracy, otherwise you just introduce more subjectivity into it. The "clear and obvious" thing is rubbish. If its clear and obvious, you don't need VAR at all.

The pro-VAR lobby just didn't think these things through. It can never do anything positive for the game - lets just admit it was a failure, get rid of it and give the decisions back to the refs.

Amen.

 

[Easy 10]

There are many, many aspects of VAR that ruin the game, but the biggest one for me is the removal of full-on goal celebrations - that knowledge that as the ball hits the back of the net, there is a bloke pouring over it to a forensic, pixel-sized level from all angles to try and find a way to chalk it off.

When Veltman equalised on Monday, all I could muster was an initial YESS clenched fist celebration, before settling back down in anticipation of a review. Whereas in days gone by, pre-VAR, I'd have gone batshit MENTAL at the goal in that moment with no more than a quick glance at the lino.

Can't do that any more. The games gone.

 

[Whitechapel]

The only way to get rid of it is for people of all 20 Prem clubs to make a stand when fans are allowed back in to games and boycott games. People won’t do it, it’s easier to moan about it and do nothing.

 

[m@goo]

I don't buy this "Its not VAR - its the way its being implemented" line.

I've always said it's not VAR it's the people using it. The reason I say it is based on the evidence of the last World Cup. It was used brilliantly and arguably was the reason we did so well as it rewarded fair play and awarded us penalties the ref missed.

 

[Easy 10]

The only way to get rid of it is for people of all 20 Prem clubs to make a stand when fans are allowed back in to games and boycott games. People won’t do it, it’s easier to moan about it and do nothing.

Completely unrealistic, as the majority of fans have already paid for their tickets. And VAR doesn't materially affect clubs revenues, so why would they bother ?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

I do believe this season has seen a huge change in the decisions from the beginning to now and that's not right. Penalties given for very debatable reasons are now not. That may ok but there's been some that were so questionable. Also there's just no consistency at all and you end up with idiots like Walton on tv dreaming up new laws of the game as we go along. There's laws being applied in situations where they were never intended and were written when there wasn't the forensic analysis we have now.

The offside needs changes there needs to be a clear cut position for the offside to be given. Use feet only or head, not arm, knee, cock or whatever and a a degree of allowance within the lines drawn and this given to the attacker. A computer can be set up, if the lines drawn are within a set measurement ie equates to 100mm then the lines merge which effectively means level and not offside.

Not one close decision has shown that defender and attacker are level, this is just wrong you can not decide a decision by such small margins.

 

[A1X]

I still firmly believe VAR could be massively improved by introducing an "Umpire's Call" element, if a decision cannot be reached conclusively within 30 / 60 seconds of an incident then it goes with the on-field call. Takes out all the really obvious errors while leaving the marginal calls in the scope of the on-field officials.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

VAR is a work in progress shirley? Maybe if it's scope was reined-in then that would help. This relentless scope-creep isn't exactly helpful IMHO. Undermines the real-time passion of the game. You have to ask even now why are the linos even there? They can now be over-ruled by both the referee and by VAR

 

[blue-shifted]

There are many, many aspects of VAR that ruin the game, but the biggest one for me is the removal of full-on goal celebrations - that knowledge that as the ball hits the back of the net, there is a bloke pouring over it to a forensic, pixel-sized level from all angles to try and find a way to chalk it off.

When Veltman equalised on Monday, all I could muster was an initial YESS clenched fist celebration, before settling back down in anticipation of a review. Whereas in days gone by, pre-VAR, I'd have gone batshit MENTAL at the goal in that moment with no more than a quick glance at the lino.

Can't do that any more. The games gone.

This is the fundamental problem with the system which no amount of tweaking or improvement will ever overcome

 

[blue-shifted]

You get rid of it by having a vote where at least 14 out of 20 chief execs are in favour.

That number can only be achieved if the supporters of those clubs are vocally telling they don't want it