[Football] Large majority of UK fans oppose continued use of VAR......

[papachris]

I'm not against VAR. I'm against how VAR is being used in the Premier League.

If they just overruled clear and obvious mistakes, I'm sure most people wouldn't have a problem with it.

Offsides which aren't based on 2mm of your toe being in front of the defender.
Whether a foul is inside or outside the box.
Clear red cards for violent conduct.
Only the most blatent of handballs.
etc.

If there's any doubt, stick with the onfield decision.

Agree with this. In my opinion one of the worst aspects of VAR is that it's taken the spontaneous celebrating of goals impossible 'just in case'.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Let’s stop changing the rules every 5 minutes so as to give us football lovers a chance of knowing what VAR is trying to assess.

Then only use VAR for “very clear and obvious errors” that includes serious off the ball incidents that the referee has missed, such as violent conduct.

Offsides and handballs seem to be the biggest areas of contention, and the areas with most rule changes in recent years.

The rule changes driven by referees remind me of the NHS initiatives implemented by the tories. The referees never wanted VAR for ideological reasons (risk of reducing the referee 'role' - self interest in other words) so they have sabotaged it (much of it subconscious, just as the tories f*** about with the NHS, many of them telling themselves they want the NHS to work better but deep down they'd rather not have it).

The way VAR was used in a couple of our games last season was bordering on the criminal.

But as a thing, it beats guesswork any day.

I watched a lot of Championship football on TV last season and much of it was embarrassing. Yes, it was spontaneous. When Boris Becker f***ed a waitress in a restaurant toilet and get her up the duff it was spontaneous. Doubtless it was exciting, too. However...

Anyway, anti VAR people, bleat away all you like. VAR is going nowhere so we should be lobbying for it to be better. Like the use of speed cameras. We will get there eventually.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Agree with this. In my opinion one of the worst aspects of VAR is that it's taken the spontaneous celebrating of goals impossible 'just in case'.

I find that adds to my enjoyment. The suspense! But I am possibly a bit odd....

 

[drew]

The problem isn't the system, it's the calibre of those watching the screen and making or advising decisions.

If it was up to me, I'd remove the reference to 'clear and obvious' because there is no consensus as to what exactly that means! I agree about offside decisions need to be quicker and I would suggest that if on viewing the replay (without lines) it doesn't appear offside then it isn't.

 

[Weststander]

Would rather see some other but linked changes.

Handball … stop the nonsense of every time the ball touches any part of the arm, requiring a micro analysis of whether it’s a pen.
Offside … linesman to start calling all clear offsides in real time. VAR not having the power to give offside when it’s matter of tiny potentially goal scoring parts of the body being 2 or 3 cm ahead of the last defender. It’s a sport, not a geometry exercise.

 

[papachris]

I find that adds to my enjoyment. The suspense! But I am possibly a bit odd....

Looks like we are just different in this way. We can't all be the same, what a boring world that would be

 

[GingerBeerMan]

Mic up the refs and let us hear their conversations. I think this would go a long way to appeasing the fans.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

VAR is essentially for people who know that lemons are 30p each at Tesco and so go to their local one and measure them all, complaining that the smaller ones should only by 28p and then life would be much better, as opposed to people who just buy the lemon so they have something nice to put into their gin and tonic.

What are you going on about, you nutter?

VAR is surely for people who know that lemons should be fresh and zesty, and expect the supermarket to sell them fresh and zesty lemons, visibly fresh and zesty in the little string bag or tray of fruit from which the customer can select what they fancy, and not for people content to leave a man in a brown shop coat to surreptitiously shove three good ones and one rotten one in a brown paper bag and charge two and six, a man who will shrug his shoulders and say 'not my problem, mate' when you bring the rotten one back later.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Looks like we are just different in this way. We can't all be the same, what a boring world that would be

Indeed

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Mic up the refs and let us hear their conversations. I think this would go a long way to appeasing the fans.

Yep. And that would swiftly bring an end to all the f***ing swearing and petulant abuse.

 

[Happy Exile]

Mic up the refs and let us hear their conversations. I think this would go a long way to appeasing the fans.

Heard a thing on the radio the other day saying that Howard Webb is looking to follow the example of refereeing in Germany where referees come out after the game and explain how they came to the decisions they did if something is contentious and if an error was made they admit it. This would be an incredible step forward but will require a considerable culture change in refereeing, and also how we as fans respond to errors.

For e.g. https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20230429-german-referee-boss-admits-error-in-dortmund-draw

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

The problem isn't the system, it's the calibre of those watching the screen and making or advising decisions.

If it was up to me, I'd remove the reference to 'clear and obvious' because there is no consensus as to what exactly that means! I agree about offside decisions need to be quicker and I would suggest that if on viewing the replay (without lines) it doesn't appear offside then it isn't.

Yep. Discussed a million times. We can have a 'clear blue daylight rule' if you like, and a '20 second rule' where if VAR can't decide in 20 seconds they let the on field decision stand.

And if I hear another ex-pro claim on the telly that 'there was no intent' especially with the foot stamping that has become a thing these days, I will personally go round to the studio and kick him, without intent, hard in his soppy bollocks.

 

[A1X]

It’s weird how VAR works perfectly fine at international tournaments but not in the Premier League, almost like they messed about with it in a drive to be “different”

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

What are you going on about, you nutter?

VAR is surely for people who know that lemons should be fresh and zesty, and expect the supermarket to sell them fresh and zesty lemons, visibly fresh and zesty in the little string bag or tray of fruit from which the customer can select what they fancy, and not for people content to leave a man in a brown shop coat to surreptitiously shove three good ones and one rotten one in a brown paper bag and charge two and six, a man who will shrug his shoulders and say 'not my problem, mate' when you bring the rotten one back later.

Exactly you old fruit (not rotten)

 

[Silverhatch]

When VAR incorporates real technology then ok. A couple of blokes reviewing what another bloke thinks using a few camera angles and drawn lines is NOT technology.

 

[Weststander]

It’s weird how VAR works perfectly fine at international tournaments but not in the Premier League, almost like they messed about with it in a drive to be “different”

Quality of the VAR officials.

Look at the fools sitting in the VAR studio when we were robbed at Palace and Spurs. They were given time in a sterile environment to make simple decisions ….. yet royally screwed up.

CL referees are far better than today’s PL refs,

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Quality of the VAR officials.

Look at the fools sitting in the VAR studio when we were robbed at Palace and Spurs. They were given time in a sterile environment to make simple decisions ….. yet royally screwed up.

CL referees are far better than today’s PL refs,

It is unusual for me to disagree with you but.....I disagree with you. There, I said it.

 

[Weststander]

It is unusual for me to disagree with you but.....I disagree with you. There, I said it.

Look pal, watch some fkn CL games where you’ll see ref/VAR effortless near perfection. Rarely controversies.

#furiuouswithyou

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Quality of the VAR officials.

Look at the fools sitting in the VAR studio when we were robbed at Palace and Spurs. They were given time in a sterile environment to make simple decisions ….. yet royally screwed up.

CL referees are far better than today’s PL refs,

Agree, streets ahead.

We have a Rolls Royce product, with Skoda extras

 

[Greg Bobkin]

My mate knows the two-thirds and what they actually said was that it was SHITEHOUSE.