R.I.P

[gordoncharles]

But at least give it a chance, it’s got to be a fairest system long term for the game.

Fair? What's fair got to do with it? Football isn't fair, life isn't fair.

Referee/linesman decisions were, by and large, right before. Something like 97% of offside calls were correct. There were some bad ones often leading to goals or disallowed goals, but everyone knew where they stood.

Although I loathe and detest VAR even I accept that playing to whistle is fundamentally ingrained in the psyche, as you're told it as an infant when you first start kicking a ball. So I'm not going to complain about that.

But here's something ironic. In other cases we've celebrated goals and been left deflated because three minutes later mission fucking control has ruled it out. The joy and immediacy of football, it's entire soul, has been stripped away. Even if a goal is confirmed it's anti-climactic, just a sense of relief.

Last night though nobody actually celebrated a goal. Not the goalscorer Shelvey, any of his teammates, the bench or the Newcastle fans. No United fan thought it would be a goal. The outcome was a collective groan that deflated the crowd and the team. The goal that decided the game was nothing more than a statistic.

You want me to give these soul sucking dementors a chance?

 

[Eskimo]

Unfortunately it’s here to stay, we have to get used to it
It does make the majority of decisions correct but clearly it’s not being managed well at the moment and big room for improvement in the way it’s being communicated

Why is it here to stay? Who says?

 

[GreasyChipBeattie]

Fair? What's fair got to do with it? Football isn't fair, life isn't fair.

Referee/linesman decisions were, by and large, right before. Something like 97% of offside calls were correct. There were some bad ones often leading to goals or disallowed goals, but everyone knew where they stood.

Middle of the kop towards the back for me, but I'm sure a good/bad lino decision would cause me to think too much about that

 

[Tonshel]

The thing I don't understand is that VAR check for human errors. They are humans too who are prone to errors, they have even admitted to making at least 4 errors in the past, so who checks the VAR refs for errors. Why do the get the final say. Is it like sitting playing FIFA on your Xbox and if you dont like whats happening you hit reset?
Maybe one of the VAR crew had a couple of quid on Newcastle to win 2-0, which leads to other more serious accusations. Who watches the watchers.

 

[themaninblack]

Why is it here to stay? Who says?

I think it is here to stay because it makes for good tv...and as we all know, this is where the money is.
The real problem is the impact on actually being at the game. Last night was a cock-up by the officials and by our players. The Lino shouldn’t have flagged and neither he, nor our defence, should have stopped. I’ve no doubt CW will be handing out the bollockings because of our naivety. I guess the Lino will be getting the same from his boss. The one that really demonstrates how it destroys the experience of being at the match is McB’s equaliser the other week. We were going mental when the goal went in...and then stopped, like a bunch of mugs, while VAR decided if the goal should stand. That isn’t footy. That isn’t what being at the match is all about.

 

[BushBlade]

The thing I don't understand is that VAR check for human errors. They are humans too who are prone to errors, they have even admitted to making at least 4 errors in the past, so who checks the VAR refs for errors. Why do the get the final say. Is it like sitting playing FIFA on your Xbox and if you dont like whats happening you hit reset?
Maybe one of the VAR crew had a couple of quid on Newcastle to win 2-0, which leads to other more serious accusations. Who watches the watchers.

If a ref was caught gambling on a game, they’d be banned for life.

 

[gordoncharles]

I think it is here to stay because it makes for good tv...and as we all know, this is where the money is.

Why does this fallacy keep getting repeated? It's irrelevant to TV, television analyses these decisions in any case, it has done for decades.

It's FIFA that's driven this, and it's been introduced on the back of manager/coach influence into the leagues of other countries, before it's come to England to make everyone's life miserable.

Television pundits and team managers, having been all for it, are now seeing the considerable downsides that a lot of us had warned about all along.

If there was one defining moment when I knew for certain it couldn't ever work, it was when Manchester United were awarded a last minute penalty for an alleged hand ball in their Champions league game at PSG this March.

Everything since then has just reinforced my view of it.

As for television, they can debate the rights and wrongs of it with or without VAR. Strange though that they mostly now agree there are grey areas, something they didn't seem to consider before this clusterfuck got foisted on us.

 

[steve26272]

Wilder now needs to tell them to only stop on a clear whistle from the ref.. and if it’s offside the var will confirm it later and cancel the play..

Wilder now needs to tell them to only stop on a clear whistle from the ref..

is this not one of the first things you get taught as a kid at under 9’s?

when has anyone told them to stop when they want, not onlyafter the ref blows the whistle?

I suspect we shouted for offside, looked over and saw the flag up and stopped chasing. FFS get chasing, take out ball and man then argue whether it’s offside or not. Shelvey is hardly usain bolt.

Sadly I can only see 2 facts in the harsh light of day

1) we didn’t play to the whistle
2) Shelvey was onside

Egan was slow out, and our lads made a school boy error they won’t make again, harsh lesson

 

[XM657]

When the flag was raised last night why didn’t the referee blow his whistle? He did so very quickly on any contentious offsides against us. There were numerous ridiculous VAR checks at Wolves including a possible red for Fleck after a great tackle. A penalty check when not one Wolves player appealed and of course the one after the whistle had blown.
Referee tonight; Stuart Atwell
VAR ref Sunday; Stuart Atwell
I’m not blaming him for losing but the inconsistencies in his game are bordering on ridiculous. The only consistency he has is that he was piss poor both last night and Sunday

Even if within the rules/laws surely it isn't right, morally, an official officiate in consecutive games of a team. The FA really are on a road to destroying this simple, delightful, vigorous, and educational game we all love. As one of our posters remarks, SHITWASPS.

 

[HolmesfieldBlade]

I must admit I feel ridiculously down today. Never felt so deflated because of Football.

Not because we lost, but because I don't know if I can properly enjoy Football again.

 

[bramptonblade]

I wish people would just stop crying and throwing the toys out of the pram over VAR. No one is saying it’s perfect and doesn’t need improving.

If after a few years and the introduction of some improvements it’s still not good enough, then look at scraping it. But at least give it a chance, it’s got to be a fairest system long term for the game.

Utter tosh!

 

[YES Blade]

Having an opinion that differs from yours is not throwing the toys out of the pram, I should be enjoying this moment, sitting comfortable in the top half of the Prem, but I'm not, I'm not enjoying it at all

There are moments I have been ecstatic, moments I have loved, but I've been going for 40 years now, and what should be the most enjoyable season I've probably ever witnessed, is being tainted with a product that is currently not fit for purpose

You can have an opinion without going to ridiculous extremes such as "Death of the game" and "That's me done with football", that to me is throwing the toys out the pram.

No one is saying VAR is perfect and some may never accept it even after say 10 years with a system a million times better than it currently is, but it will not kill football and no one is going to stop going purely because of VAR. I guarantee Premier League attendances will not suffer because of VAR, football continues to go from strength to strength and VAR will not stop that.

 

[Tezza1889]

Wilder now needs to tell them to only stop on a clear whistle from the ref..

is this not one of the first things you get taught as a kid at under 9’s?

when has anyone told them to stop when they want, not onlyafter the ref blows the whistle?

I suspect we shouted for offside, looked over and saw the flag up and stopped chasing. FFS get chasing, take out ball and man then argue whether it’s offside or not. Shelvey is hardly usain bolt.

Sadly I can only see 2 facts in the harsh light of day

1) we didn’t play to the whistle
2) Shelvey was onside

Egan was slow out, and our lads made a school boy error they won’t make again, harsh lesson

The points you make are correct and you’ve put them well, but the new mandate with VAR is that a linesman will not flag for offside unless 100% certain that it’s a clear offside, then the flag is raised and the ref will blow as the Assistant Ref has called offside.. the ref didn’t blow and the AR made a mistake.. we paid for the assistant referees mistake.

The players are guilty of knowing the rules too well, that’s why they stopped, they were expecting (not hoping) the ref would blow up, and he didnt..

 

[Grey Blade]

I must admit I feel ridiculously down today. Never felt so deflated because of Football.

Not because we lost, but because I don't know if I can properly enjoy Football again.

I have felt exactly the same today. I've been watching football for over 50 years, and during those years there have been many disappointing results, but for as long as I remember, at the final whistle, I've walked out of the ground, had a bit of a moan, not given it another thought and then got on with life.

Yesterday was different. I didn't arrive home until after midnight, slept badly, mulling over what has happened to the game which was once simple to understand but since the introduction of VAR the overturning of marginal decisions has ruined enjoyment of the game. I almost feel I can hardly be bothered driving all the way to Norwich on Sunday.

I've never been so incandescent with rage at a football match before - not because we lost but because a beautiful game has been ruined

 

[YouFUMS]

Sky, BT sport, Amazon Prime, are all paying a hell of a lot of money to broadcast football games. They want their subscribers to be able to watch the perfect game of football, where errors from officials are 'editted' out of the game. The money that clubs get from supporters attending games is just a drop in the TV money ocean. We are no longer important to financing our clubs.
VAR has been introduced to benefit the TV viewers, but completely spoils the match experience for those of us at the games. It makes me think that maybe it's a ploy to get us out of the stadiums, and spend our hard-earned on TV subscriptions instead.
I am another fan that after 50 years attending Bramall lane will seriously consider 'throwing my toys out of the pram' if football persists with this emotion stifling monstrosity called VAR

 

[BushBlade]

Sky, BT sport, Amazon Prime, are all paying a hell of a lot of money to broadcast football games. They want their subscribers to be able to watch the perfect game of football, where errors from officials are 'editted' out of the game. The money that clubs get from supporters attending games is just a drop in the TV money ocean. We are no longer important to financing our clubs.
VAR has been introduced to benefit the TV viewers, but completely spoils the match experience for those of us at the games. It makes me think that maybe it's a ploy to get us out of the stadiums, and spend our hard-earned on TV subscriptions instead.
I am another fan that after 50 years attending Bramall lane will seriously consider 'throwing my toys out of the pram' if football persists with this emotion stifling monstrosity called VAR

It spoils the TV experience too. It’s just as shit sat on a sofa listening to the pundits saying they don’t know what’s happening while there’s a three minute delay.

 

[crucialkneeligaman]

Utter tosh!

This.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

The game I have loved since I could walk is dead.Apologists for V.A.R and there are many,well .....you lot can eff off with your mealy mouthed defence of a technology that has
no place in a football stadium.
Wilder on radio Sheffield last night sounded bereft,bereft of a game that he has played and managed all his life.
Games are now reffed by a faceless organisation it’s like a giant mock up of big brother with 30,000 mugs all waiting for a reward that was once the right of every football fan
and player,the right to celebrate,the right to unbridled joy,the very reason for being there is being slowly and painfully extracted from football.
In what should be one of the best moments in a players life e.g scoring against Spurs in one of the best grounds in the country Baldock looked to the screen and waited for Big brothers verdict....wtf!.
This obsession with perfection regarding decision making is a slow motion train crash and was always a completely unattainable goal.
I want my football back,the one where a linesmen has a flag for good reason,where the ref is,well....the ref,where me,my son and my mates can go proper ape shit in celebration.

Excellent post mate!

I don’t want perfection. I want excitement and drama. I accept it will go for me and against me, but that’s what I want.

I posted (pre VAR) about my concerns with VAR. That it would slow the game down and was an attempt at perfection, which it can never be whilst it still depends on human judgement.

We now have the worst of both worlds. Dodgy technology and dodgy human judgement.

Spontaneity is dead!

 

[DaleHillBlade]

Can those who defend VAR confirm whether or not they were at the game last night?

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Can those who defend VAR confirm whether or not they were at the game last night?

 

[CornwallBlade]

One thing that would help would be an open and transparent process that everyone can listen in to as per rugby and cricket. Football seems to enjoy perpetuating the idea that it is fundamentally a bent game by keeping at all hushed up. Put the replay up on screens in the ground - what’s to hide?

 

[gordoncharles]

Sky, BT sport, Amazon Prime, are all paying a hell of a lot of money to broadcast football games...
VAR has been introduced to benefit the TV viewers

Why does this myth persist?

It has nothing to do with television, they've been analysing and moaning about refereeing decisions for years. The only by-product of that was that the sort of twats who they get to comment on games then believed the hype that "technology" would eliminate mistakes. Naturally, they didn't think it through, which is why most of them now seem to have changed their minds.

If VAR was TV company policy they wouldn't be permitted to express that contrary opinion.

VAR is a Dutch invention which they managed to persuade FIFA to adopt. It was used in the World Cup and in Italy, Germany and Spain before it surfaced here spoiling football for the rest of us.

It's got fuck all to do with television pressure. There's a big world out there and it doesn't revolve around England.