VAR

[Snowflake Royal]

Fundamentally the problem with VAR is the problem with onfield decisions here. The refs are shockingly poor.

[URZZZZ]

No need for VAR IMO. Referees should be able to use the years of training and experience they’ve accrued to make better decisions. It’s a tough gig but they’re supposed to be the elite referees

We don’t let strikers re-take one on ones if they miss or goalkeepers have another chance if they let an easy one in so why do referees get the benefit of having their errors “corrected”

Will add in conjunction to what I’ve said though that there needs to be a clamp down on the way managers and players are with referees. Some of the vitriol thrown their way is bang out of order. Seemed to be a tougher approach at the start of the season to dissent but it didn’t last the duration

[From Despair To Where?]

Give each team 2 flags, but have it like cricket, win the challenge, keep the flag. Impose a time limit on challenges. No decision after 90 seconds, go with the on field call. Have a live feed of the VAR analysis.

Get rid of VAR intervention but allow the referee to refer to VAR when not sure.

[South Coast Royal]

No need for VAR IMO. Referees should be able to use the years of training and experience they’ve accrued to make better decisions. It’s a tough gig but they’re supposed to be the elite referees

We don’t let strikers re-take one on ones if they miss or goalkeepers have another chance if they let an easy one in so why do referees get the benefit of having their errors “corrected”

Will add in conjunction to what I’ve said though that there needs to be a clamp down on the way managers and players are with referees. Some of the vitriol thrown their way is bang out of order. Seemed to be a tougher approach at the start of the season to dissent but it didn’t last the duration

Yeah, this happens every season and then whatever the new emphasis it just fades away.

IIRC it was Adie Williams that was penalised for shirt pulling in the area one season-now shirt pulling is so often not penalised unless the shirt is nearly ripped off the player's back.

[Dirk Gently]

No need for VAR IMO. Referees should be able to use the years of training and experience they’ve accrued to make better decisions. It’s a tough gig but they’re supposed to be the elite referees

We don’t let strikers re-take one on ones if they miss or goalkeepers have another chance if they let an easy one in so why do referees get the benefit of having their errors “corrected”

Will add in conjunction to what I’ve said though that there needs to be a clamp down on the way managers and players are with referees. Some of the vitriol thrown their way is bang out of order. Seemed to be a tougher approach at the start of the season to dissent but it didn’t last the duration

I think part of the reason dissent has got worse is that it's clear that the referee's decision is no longer final and immutable. Now referee's change their decisions all the time on the advice of the bods at Stockley Park, so it's only natural for players and managers to subconsciously see referees as being more prone to mistakes and more inclined to admit they were wrong and change a decision.

[6ft Kerplunk]

IIRC it was Adie Williams that was penalised for shirt pulling in the area one season-now shirt pulling is so often not penalised unless the shirt is nearly ripped off the player's back.

These things just need consistency. If there's a shirt pull in the middle of the pitch its normally given as a freekick and a yellow card if its stopping a break. Shirt pulling at a corner, bit of a telling off before the corner is taken then just ignored unless it a full on rugby tackle which sometimes might get called.

[South Coast Royal]

No need for VAR IMO. Referees should be able to use the years of training and experience they’ve accrued to make better decisions. It’s a tough gig but they’re supposed to be the elite referees

We don’t let strikers re-take one on ones if they miss or goalkeepers have another chance if they let an easy one in so why do referees get the benefit of having their errors “corrected”

Will add in conjunction to what I’ve said though that there needs to be a clamp down on the way managers and players are with referees. Some of the vitriol thrown their way is bang out of order. Seemed to be a tougher approach at the start of the season to dissent but it didn’t last the duration

I think part of the reason dissent has got worse is that it's clear that the referee's decision is no longer final and immutable. Now referee's change their decisions all the time on the advice of the bods at Stockley Park, so it's only natural for players and managers to subconsciously see referees as being more prone to mistakes and more inclined to admit they were wrong and change a decision.

And yet some refs are more likely to book a player for giving a bit of lip than for making a bad tackle.
As ever, we come back to the frustration of the lack of consistency.

[Dirk Gently]

Yep, but the thing about short-pulling/holding etc and dissent is the realisation that these things are so endemic that if a ref was consistent and penalised every instance, the match wouldn't finish. And all the publicity and all the managers' and pundits' comments would be vilifying that referee.

No ref wants to be the one to go out on a limb and be the one in the spotlight, so they only penalise the most egregious instances.

It needs a proper dictat from above before referees will handle these things they way they ought to.

[Sutekh]

Yep, but the thing about short-pulling/holding etc and dissent is the realisation that these things are so endemic that if a ref was consistent and penalised every instance, the match wouldn't finish. And all the publicity and all the managers' and pundits' comments would be vilifying that referee.

No ref wants to be the one to go out on a limb and be the one in the spotlight, so they only penalise the most egregious instances.

It needs a proper dictat from above before referees will handle these things they way they ought to.

Exactly, if an offence occurs in the 1st minute or 97th it's still an offence and should be punished exactly the same. Equally if it's offence in the centre circle then it's also an offence in the penalty area so referee organisations need to ensure referees are instructed clearly to apply consistency. Much rather that than the usual "clampdown on x" edicts which eventually peter out.

Overall the levels of refereeing incompetence shown throughout the English domestic game probably reached new heights last season, especially noticeable in the Premier League where much of the incompetence was on the behalf of those working VAR.

[Royal Rother]

All of these suggestions are all well and good but it completely ignores the biggest "cuplrit" that caused the need for VAR in the first place, and that is something that is very unlikely to go away.

TV replays.

Contrary to opinions often stated here and everywhere you can think of, the standard of refereeing is actually pretty decent. (The standard of lino decisions is astonishingly good, almost defies belief in the PL).

The trouble is the officials are undermined to a ridiculous extent by slow-mo TV replays and pundits.

Yes, VAR has been found severely wanting this season for sure, but they are under pressure to get things right, when provided multiple angles that often seem to provide conflicting evidence. Pundits are under no pressure and have time to analyse, doubtless being fed information from others, and have zero accountability for the views they express.

The only solution to back-up the removal of VAR is to remove the rights of TV broadcasters to show ANY replays that bring into question an official's decision. And to enter into any debate. (I'd support that 100%, but the chances of it happening are of course virtually 0%.)

If VAR is done away with, and TV still gets to do what they do now, there will quickly be a dawning realisation that actually VAR got a helluva lot of things right.

There is an incredible level of naivety expressed in these debates, both on here and in almost every corner of the game. If VAR is done away with, and TV still has the ability to do their own endless slow-mo reviews, referees will be crucified by all and sundry, completely undermining them, making it a job nobody wants to do. (Wait and see what happens to the standard of refereeing then.) And some of the loudest voices will be the likes of you lot, some of whom will be falsely screaming even louder that the standard of refereeing is worse than it has ever been. It really is complete nonsense.

[Sutekh]

All of these suggestions are all well and good but it completely ignores the biggest "cuplrit" that caused the need for VAR in the first place, and that is something that is very unlikely to go away.

TV replays.

Contrary to opinions often stated here and everywhere you can think of, the standard of refereeing is actually pretty decent. (The standard of lino decisions is astonishingly good, almost defies belief in the PL).

The trouble is the officials are undermined to a ridiculous extent by slow-mo TV replays and pundits.

Yes, VAR has been found severely wanting this season for sure, but they are under pressure to get things right, when provided multiple angles that often seem to provide conflicting evidence. Pundits are under no pressure and have time to analyse, doubtless being fed information from others, and have zero accountability for the views they express.

The only solution to back-up the removal of VAR is to remove the rights of TV broadcasters to show ANY replays that bring into question an official's decision. And to enter into any debate. (I'd support that 100%, but the chances of it happening are of course virtually 0%.)

If VAR is done away with, and TV still gets to do what they do now, there will quickly be a dawning realisation that actually VAR got a helluva lot of things right.

There is an incredible level of naivety expressed in these debates, both on here and in almost every corner of the game. If VAR is done away with, and TV still has the ability to do their own endless slow-mo reviews, referees will be crucified by all and sundry, completely undermining them, making it a job nobody wants to do. And some of the loudest voices will be the likes of you lot, some of whom will be falsely screaming even louder that the standard of refereeing is worse than it has ever been. It really is complete nonsense.

No issue with the match referees (the ones on the pitch) getting things wrong when there's no technology, my main gripe with it all is those in VARland, with all that expertise and technology on hand, still ******* it up and this last season the **** ups have been beyond belief.

The whole PGMOL team should spend the summer in intensive training and taking on board how the technology is used in Europe in the hope that next season we might have some semblance of top notch officialling again. And let's also hope that the other pointless irritation in all of it, IFAB, haven't got any more "fiddling" planned.

[Stranded]

PL vote on keeping VAR goes 19-1 in favour of retaining it. Only Wolves who tabled the vote, voted against.

[6ft Kerplunk]

If any club other than Wolves get a shitty VAR decision next season then I hope the whole football media refuse to air/print any of their complaints and they just get told to shut the fvck up its what they voted for.

[Franchise FC]

If any club other than Wolves get a shitty VAR decision next season then I hope the whole football media refuse to air/print any of their complaints and they just get told to shut the fvck up its what they voted for.

To be fair, they’ve voted for keeping a system that actually works as opposed to the one that they’ve had to put up with this season.

The system would work but for the incompetence of those operating it at times

[6ft Kerplunk]

You must have more faith than me that the people who've given us a deeply flawed VAR system will fix everything before mid-August.

[Franchise FC]

You must have more faith than me that the people who've given us a deeply flawed VAR system will fix everything before mid-August.

Any faith I have is irrelevant
The 19 must have some, though

[Sutekh]

If any club other than Wolves get a shitty VAR decision next season then I hope the whole football media refuse to air/print any of their complaints and they just get told to shut the fvck up its what they voted for.

To be fair, they’ve voted for keeping a system that actually works as opposed to the one that they’ve had to put up with this season.

The system would work but for the incompetence of those operating it at times

They should be voting on whether or not PGMOL should continue to be employed/sent for retraining.

[Franchise FC]

If any club other than Wolves get a shitty VAR decision next season then I hope the whole football media refuse to air/print any of their complaints and they just get told to shut the fvck up its what they voted for.

To be fair, they’ve voted for keeping a system that actually works as opposed to the one that they’ve had to put up with this season.

The system would work but for the incompetence of those operating it at times

They should be voting on whether or not PGMOL should continue to be employed/sent for retraining.

That’s a very good point
Have a completely separate VAR team who can specialise the use of the system

And why oh why aren’t there cameras that look directly along the edges of the 18 yard boxes so that in or out decisions become much easier
An extra 6 cameras would obviously cost too much

[Dirk Gently]

If any club other than Wolves get a shitty VAR decision next season then I hope the whole football media refuse to air/print any of their complaints and they just get told to shut the fvck up its what they voted for.

To be fair, they’ve voted for keeping a system that actually works as opposed to the one that they’ve had to put up with this season.

The system would work but for the incompetence of those operating it at times

They should be voting on whether or not PGMOL should continue to be employed/sent for retraining.

They're damned if they do/damned if thay don't.

A company that specialises in the use of VAR would get the "they're not referees, they don't understand what happens on the pitch" as much as the current referees get the "they can't use the technology, it needs a different set of skills."

[Franchise FC]

To be fair, they’ve voted for keeping a system that actually works as opposed to the one that they’ve had to put up with this season.

The system would work but for the incompetence of those operating it at times

They should be voting on whether or not PGMOL should continue to be employed/sent for retraining.

They're damned if they do/damned if thay don't.

A company that specialises in the use of VAR would get the "they're not referees, they don't understand what happens on the pitch" as much as the current referees get the "they can't use the technology, it needs a different set of skills."

If any overturned decisions (offside apart) are always sent back to the onfield referee that statement will be much less relevant as a PGMOL referee will still be making the final decision