I'm surprised that the subject has not cropped up - given its' use in the Confederation Cup -- and it being used for the World Cup next year - and eventually in league games ( somebody pass the smelling salts to brb ). I've stated that, in principle, I am in favour of technology being used to assist referees - so that any major decisions are correctly made. Some people ,(brb), may be able to accept 'wrong' decisions --- that they are just part of the game, and provide talking points and even themselves out etc etc. (( two wrongs do not make ONE 'right' - they make TWO wrongs that need to be put right ! )) I might actually be more of a dinosaur than brb - I actually do not want my team to win, lose or draw as a result of a blunder by the referee. I have been unkind as to suggest that I find it difficult to accept that a referee ( and the linesmen ), not being able to see something that was seen by thousands of others in the ground - that I thought the referee was cheating. In the semi- finals of the Confederation Cup, there have been at least two occasions when the referee 'missed' a foul - which should have been rewarded with a penalty. TV replay ( almost instant ), clearly showed the incidents for what they were - and yet - the VAR team did not tell the referee that he got it wrong ( and prompt him to ask for an 'official review.' ) Quite frankly the way that VAR has been used ( or rather, not used ), is a farce and embarrassing . Now I am left wondering if the VAR team are corrupt ( surely not - never - after all , it is FIFA !! ). brb - I can just see you - shaking your head at the dreadful non decisions. Maybe it might be better if the idea had never been considered in football. So what has VAR done so far ? - Well it's certainly provided talking points - but now, not about the poor refereeing decisions - but the 'quality'of the review team.
I've seen examples of this working and it was like all my fears come true. I have no time for any of this technology or panels, the game has survived perfectly fine for over 100 years, I really do despair at times. I watch less and less football these days for all the reasons above, when I was younger many many moons ago, I was a walking football encyclopedia, the last three decades I just can't be asked.
I know what you mean about being a football encyclopaedia, trouble is with age the ink fades and leaves all the pages blank.
Very true. Someone asked me the other day the nickname of Bolton, when I was a young lad I could have told you in seconds the nickname of every English League club, sadly on this occasion I had to get said person to remind me Now this seems a wee off topic, but the moral of the story is the VAR panel forgot what happened and think the cameras lie
I hate VAR. Players and managerment will pressure ref on every occation. Plus still down to opion of those watching. Does boxing ring a bell
Technology should only be used for matters of fact. Goal line technology is brilliant and is a genuine improvement. But there are very few other decisions in football that are so clear cut, maybe offside, with a cricket style caveat that if the decision is too close to call that the onfield officials decision is upheld. As for fouls and dives etc these are not matters of fact and as such its just someones elses opinion and I think that so far VAR is proving this point.
well it's going to happen at Brighton v Palace in the FA Cup ( the police will use it to detect any weapons - before they make any claim " in their statements ! " ). Personally - I don't care what brb thinks ---- if crap referee decisions 'even themselves out, ' - I can't wait for the two consecutive games, this season, when we will get to win 2 games by crap referee decisions.
Trouble is with technology it will not stop at goal line technology. Once something becomes the accepted norm it advances to the next stage. My stance will never change on it. The evolution of technology already monitors our every movement, to an extent that people are unaware, the last thing i want is it controlling the game i love.
VAR seems to work fairly well in Italy where they're using it in Serie A this season. I'm not exactly sure of the parameters that are laid out in that league, but it seems to be only for penalty decisions and that the referee stops the game and goes to review the footage himself before deciding. OK the game stops, but's the referee that makes the decision. What generally seems to happen is that if something is pretty clear cut he can keep or reverse his original decision, but if it's still uncertain then he'll stand by his original decision. OK, not perfect, but as AshfordGill says, it's being used to establish a matter of fact. I heard on the radio this morning a radio / TV summeriser (possibly Stuart Pearce or Ian Wright, but certainly someone who I think we would all agree knows the game quite well) say that he and a number of other commentators and presenters had studied I think it was 56 penalty decisions made by referees, and that they could only agree on 47 of them that either the correct or incorrect decision had been made, and that even after extensive study, slow motion replays etc. that they could not definitively decide on the other 9. VAR will not get every decision absolutely right, but hopefully it would ensure that fewer incorrect decisions are allowed to stand.
brb Did you watch the Chelsea v Norwich game last night ? I am sure that it gave you plenty to talk about over 20 pints - rather than stifle " pub banter"......if the referee has made a mistake - it doesn't matter how honest the mistake may be -- if we are going to have VAR, it needs to be used to correct the mistake....... ...... as Shearer said " What a shambles.*
As you know, I've always argued against technology in the game and still stand by my ever consistent views on that. First point, Shearer suggesting it is a 'shambles' - no what is a 'shambles' is this technology is in our grounds in the first place, what is a 'shambles' is him thinking that no one else has an opinion. However, it is great football debate from a positive perspective. Second point, how many times have we discussed about players going down to easily, and that's what happens when so called professionals cry wolf too many times (not suggesting that player does). I didn't see it at the time, so cannot say if i would have given a penalty or not, because my view is already awash with the debate and 'shambles' accusation. However, I'm not completely out of the ref's view point on this one, so I'm going to back the referee rather than call it a 'shambles.'
brb I know that you will always be against VAR - and WE will always disagree on this position --- BUT Wether you like it or not - VAR is here - and it WILL be universally used. I am sure that Shearer's point was that if we have the system - let's use it - especially when the incidents were controversial / game changers. I am certain that we will eventually see an appeal system - rather like Hawkeye in tennis - with each team receiving 3 challenges in a match. The VAR ref acknowledged that the match ref got it wrong (( penalty appeal )), - ( but mitigated the mistake by saying it was an honest mistake ).... a mistake is a mistake !
If i was to draw my own definition on Shearers words, it would be the whole introduction of the system is a shambles, rather than any human interpretation on the pitch. Initially the call was for goal-line technology but as i have always voiced, one rule will lead to another as it always does and then to the next stage as we currently have with VAR and last nights penalty decision. My point being we are using VAR to deal with something that has become deeply rooted in our game cheating. But rather than deal with the cheating via human intervention we use a system instead. The ref did not make a mistake, the ref interpreted a situation based on those very deep rooted cheating now embedded in the modern game to which Chelsea along with many other clubs have been guilty of for ages. Maybe we need to stop pointing the finger at the officials and more so at the players themselves. I posted a pic on the Premier board the other day, one of Ronaldo crying with words quoted as saying he touched my leg. And that's how i partly viewed what i saw from the replays of the Norwich/Chelsea game. Even with say Cody of past, come on let's be honest here, how often did we see him run into the box and wait for the stray opposition leg to bring him down, and how many times did we see a ref wave play-on or not give a penalty. And did the player in the Norwich/Chelsea game go looking for a penalty, imho yes. As i said earlier, sometimes we cry wolf too many times and in my opinion we are using the wrong type of hammer to crack the nut.
Said did not like VAR and yesterdays fa cup match proved it. Again it is about opinions. Sometimes even after looking at replays still get some say yes and some say no. Also you will get players supporters and managers try to get ref to look at all decisions . Am happy with goal line tech but not VAR. Agree that players who cheat should get punished.
brb,gioblues & others - thanks for your input - as you can tell, we agree and disagree in various portions - and enjoy healthy debate.
Tonight v Italy was a good example of why we don't need technology in the game. But at least we got to suffer as a result of it and it seemed fair justice to me.
Thanks brb - and justice has always been my point ! I don't want to have to remember any football match for the controversy caused by the mistakes of the officials. The performance of the players (good or bad ), should be enough to create discussion. And in terms of using technology - if it exists - use it - don't make life more difficult by guessing -- (( or - as with the linesman on the GRS side of the ground - by not even bothering to guess - because Mr.Magoo hasn't been watching - ask Tom Eaves what I mean. )) And please don't tell me that mistakes tend to even themselves out - I'm still waiting for 3 extra goals that we have been denied because we didn't have goal line technology at those games. alwaysright #justiceforall
As you will know, i still disagree with the technology. I can see why Italy would have been aggrieved if they had not been awarded a penalty but my argument remains that i do not want us to turn into F1, where all elements of human error are removed. I felt it was more an error by the player rather than a deliberate foul, the ref also had not seen it, we could also debate that the opposition player was losing the momentum of the ball. Personally let's leave the game alone. If we get knocked out by such a technicality in the World Cup i will be laughing my head off because i genuinely and truly feel sad for football that it has come to this. Yes im a dinosaur but to see future generations lose the ability of human error, judgement and mistakes is a sad indictment of modern society.
Yesterday was a classic VAR debate. 50per cent think it was a pen and 50 not. Only use it when an obvious decision is wrong. Do we use VAR on corners as we could have 10 pens a game.
