The most important thing...

Interesting everyone on MOTD thought we were unlucky on the pen, but that the offside was just plain wrong.

 

Last season it would have been onside.

The problem last season is the opposite to your point. People were complaining about handball being given when it was hitting that high up the arm. So the powers that be said, OK fine, we won't treat that as an offence this season. Hence you can now score with the very top of the arm/shoulder. Hence that part of the body can be offside.

Can't have it both ways unfortunately.

 

Hand ball has always been from the top of the arm to the fingers, the problem seems to be the refs that were allowing a goal to stand if the player scored with the top of his arm. So we change a rule that has stood for 100 years because we have incompetent referees allowing a goal to be scored by a hand ball infraction. As I said in my post, commonsense has left the game

 

I was keen for var after that ****ing cheat of a Watford player punched in a late equaliser against us a few seasons back.

Unfortunately it's not being used at all how I envisaged, the hand ball law is cheap crap and should be rewritten and used with consistency.

As for this offside ****, if you can't tell with the naked eye that a player is offside give the benefit of doubt to the attacker and make football more exciting again.

Drawing lines with crayons should be kept in primary schools not the premier league ffs.

 

Sounds dramatic but it really is ruining the game. Ref decisions can go with or against you, that’s life. Why we need to slow the game down, add a minute or 2 uncertainty just to confirm that someone’s armpit was offside I’ll never know.

 

I really don't see how this is a referee issue. Fan after fan after fan was complaining last season about "armpit goals" being ruled out. Maybe you were indeed in the minority of people who were quite happy to see those goals ruled out (that's not a criticism by me, by the way). It's that negative reaction - from fans, players, pundits etc - which resulted in the rules being changed, such that those goals can now stand.

The rule change this season is being goals weren't being allowed before, not because they were.

 

This, 100%.

If every time an attacking player is penalised for being level with the striker then it will lead to a change in the way teams play.

A defence splitting pass, striker with extra yard of pace.... it’s what makes football exciting.

 

I've suggested a solution several times.

The broadcast rights contract must be as tight as a gnat's chuff. Write into it that any discussion of refereeing decisions must show footage from the high angle camera only at full speed only.

Then throw VAR in the bin. The pressure for it only came in because the media do over decisions incessantly. Make it impossible for them to do so.

Vin

 

This.... at the risk of being shot down, the concept of VAR isn’t the issue, sadly the antiquated and outdated laws and/or the people making up the rules haven't got the capacity to be as spontaneous as VAR is...

From the initial introduction, it was glaringly obvious that timings hadn’t been taken into consideration.
This is a relatively easy fix, they just need to mandate that all VAR decisions off firms are made within 60 seconds, otherwise it’s down to the linesman’s original decision.
VAR was bought in for clear and obvious errors; if it’s that clear and obvious, it shouldn’t take longer.

Secondly, all decisions should be made by position of the torso, not arms, legs, head, whilst this would also give rise to some grey areas, would make the decisions quicker-hopefully.

Thirdly, the penalty non decision on Saturday night again showed up the handball law being at fault. A goal bound shot was prevented from going in by a players hand; the minor deflection if any was not a factor that changed the direction of the ball or the likelihood of it being goal bound. Again, VAR should have 60 seconds and then the ref should have the balls to to make the decision using the pitch side screen.

Lastly, it’s a clear and obvious error that players still get used to diving to claim penalty/free kicks, VAR being used to inform the red and card the cheats would soon stop them...

 

It is called football and I think that offside should be determined by the position of the feet, after all it is the feet that takes a player into the position that they occupy at the time the ball is played and movement after.

 

Agreed to a certain extent and in an ideal world, but that could lead to what happens if they’re stretching, backheeling, etc.... it’s a beautifully simple yet complicated law....

 

Wise words from a wise man who thought you should just take the rough with the smooth and not allow TV pundits to overanalyse.

Vin

 

Way before that time but seeing that clip has made me decide that Michael Sheen nails him in The Damned United.