Bristol City Manager Comments

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

The referee checks the monitor because last season everyone complained that they didn't and reckoned it would somehow be an improvement. It appears to have made no difference other than to make the process even longer. Why people thought it would be different is still a mystery to me.
Think it is basically to confirm that the referee in the middle is making the decision to award a penalty not the one at Stockley Park. A bit like when a linesman flags the referee is the one who takes on board what the linesman is awarding and decides whether to give it or not.
 

The thing is, players in the Premier League will play a different way to players in the football league because of VAR. It becomes automatic. I guarantee Mawson would have got his hand out the way if that was a PL game because he knows he wouldn't get away with it. It gives PL players an advantage. It might be a small advantage, but it's an advantage, and it's surely not in the spirit of the FA Cup?

Surely the same would be true for PL players when VAR isn't used? At the moment, it's as unbiased as possible:

Non-PL v Non-PL: No VAR (everyone's happy)
PL v PL: VAR (everyone's happy)
PL v Non-PL: VAR (non-PL might be slightly disadvantaged)
Non-PL v PL: No VAR (PL might be slightly disadvantaged)
 
Reckons that the goal was unfair as it wouldn't be given at their place due to VAR not being present;

Holden told BBC Sport: "To lose that way to a VAR penalty is disappointing. If it would have been played at Ashton Gate it wouldn't have been given.

"I don't know how you can have it at one and not the other. I'm not a VAR fan - I think it's killing the game. It's not the game of football I grew up loving.

"It's a hugely debatable decision. The boys defended for their lives and once the referee goes to the screen he will never change his mind, so it's disappointing."


^ I'm afraid that is nonsense, regardless of whether VAR intervened that handball was deliberate and cost us a certain goal. Incidents like this are why VAR was brought in. His comments about it being played at Ashton Gate, while correct it wouldn't have been awarded, it would have been totally unjust and essentially they would have gotten away with cheating.

What a moronic thing to say "Had it been played at our place we'd have got away with deliberate hand ball on the goal line"
 
Is this a bit like a car thief lamenting that he shouldnt be prosecuted because had he nicked next doors car, who doesnt have CCTV on their drive, he would be a free man?
Maybe Holden should ask his defender why hes doing a harlem globetrotter in the box. And why he is 'happy' with scoring zero goals against the bottom of the league
 
Surely the same would be true for PL players when VAR isn't used? At the moment, it's as unbiased as possible:

Non-PL v Non-PL: No VAR (everyone's happy)
PL v PL: VAR (everyone's happy)
PL v Non-PL: VAR (non-PL might be slightly disadvantaged)
Non-PL v PL: No VAR (PL might be slightly disadvantaged)
Why would the non-PL team be disadvantaged by VAR? Bristol City may have had a decision go against them last night but it was 100% the correct call - Mawson pulled off a great save. The issue isn't the technology, it's in its implementation. Referees watching endless slow motion replays of "contact" are too frequently making the wrong decision (cf Mike Dean). Why not remove those?
 
Why would the non-PL team be disadvantaged by VAR? Bristol City may have had a decision go against them last night but it was 100% the correct call - Mawson pulled off a great save. The issue isn't the technology, it's in its implementation. Referees watching endless slow motion replays of "contact" are too frequently making the wrong decision (cf Mike Dean). Why not remove those?

This was in response to robbiez666 's point in post #57. The argument was that the presence of VAR might mean the a PL plays in a certain way (i.e. has learned not to stray even an inch offside), whereas a non-PL team haven't had that same practice. It's a fair point, albeit unlikely to make much difference in reality.
 
Exactly. It'd be like complaining if you'd been caught on CCTV stabbing someone, by saying that if you'd done it around the corner where there wasn't any cameras, you'd have gotten away with it.
Exactly, I understand the gripe that it should be used universally or not at all within the FA cup though, but the fact remains it was a foul and a red card.
 
I don't understand this idea that you can only use VAR if all clubs have it throughout the competition. These aren't different rules, the principle of VAR (whether you like it or not) is to reduce mistakes in refereeing. How can that disadvantage any team over another? How can any team argue that they have a better chance of winning if the referee is more likely to make mistakes? The idea that he wouldn't have stuck his hand out had he known VAR would almost certainly catch him is a terrible argument. He should be cheating, full stop.
 
Think it is basically to confirm that the referee in the middle is making the decision to award a penalty not the one at Stockley Park. A bit like when a linesman flags the referee is the one who takes on board what the linesman is awarding and decides whether to give it or not.
Which is pointless. The VAR team are qualified Premier League refs so it's not like we expect the decision to be any more or less accurate. One of the other arguments made was that the officials could be more objective without pressure from the players/managers/fans going on around them, but that's another argument already forgotten in favour of tinkering with a system that's yet to be anything like an improvement to the game.
 
The issue for me is that refs and liners are just not giving decisions in real time because they have VAR to rely on. It’s pathetic and an easy way out for them. Offsides are the worst, but pretty much any decision in the box is now ignored and revisited.

Next season we won’t have this so are the Championship refs a bit more competent than the PL ones?! I hope so.
Sorry to disappoint but they are not
 
Which is pointless. The VAR team are qualified Premier League refs so it's not like we expect the decision to be any more or less accurate. One of the other arguments made was that the officials could be more objective without pressure from the players/managers/fans going on around them, but that's another argument already forgotten in favour of tinkering with a system that's yet to be anything like an improvement to the game.
I agree whilst we are all sat on the settee watching the telly but when in the ground it is difficult to get to grips with how a decision is made a hundred miles away when the referee has not even seen it.
 

I agree whilst we are all sat on the settee watching the telly but when in the ground it is difficult to get to grips with how a decision is made a hundred miles away when the referee has not even seen it.
I just care about the speed and accuracy of decisions.
 
VAR doesn't favour the home side, so while I believe 1) VAR should be scrapped and 2) all fa cup games should either have it or none have it, I also believe that if a penalty/goal or sending off that benefited Bristol, would their manager have such a dim view. I think not
 
Let’s remember he manages in a league which doesn’t have VAR week in week out. When we got promoted we hated VAR, the vast majority of us didn’t want it. Over time that’s settled down because the Laura Averages suggests it balances the bad with the good.
 
VAR doesn't favour the home side, so while I believe 1) VAR should be scrapped and 2) all fa cup games should either have it or none have it, I also believe that if a penalty/goal or sending off that benefited Bristol, would their manager have such a dim view. I think not

If you go for option 2, then you have to apply that to goal line technology also. And so from the very first qualifying game there is in July/August those are the conditions every game in the competition has to adhere to. Can you imagine the uproar and embarrassment if the cup final had a ghost goal that officials couldnt see and someone lost the cup! I think for that reason alone, there will always be this situation where all / some technology is used at grounds and none at others
 
It was a perfect advert for VAR really. Blatant cheating preventing a goal that would otherwise have gone unnoticed.

If I was him I’d be saying how amazing it was and how they should have it in every ground in the country. What an honour for him to play a Premier League team and have such luxury.
 
Let’s remember he manages in a league which doesn’t have VAR week in week out. When we got promoted we hated VAR, the vast majority of us didn’t want it. Over time that’s settled down because the Laura Averages suggests it balances the bad with the good.

I would suggest that the vast majority still hate it. It is a total and utter mess.
 
So next season which looks like being in The Championship, we will still be set up for VAR but it wont be used. I don't get why the rules differ for the FA Cup.
 
So next season which looks like being in The Championship, we will still be set up for VAR but it wont be used. I don't get why the rules differ for the FA Cup.
No rules differ.
People keep going on about there being no VAR in the Championship, but surely that's going to change. I'm surprised it hasn't already.
Does anyone know anything about plans for VAR?
 
A typical politician's answer by Holen.

An opportunity to explain his team's insipid, toothless performance in a 2 -3 minute interview.

Cleverly deflects the answer to focus on another area of the game and remove any blame on his management performance.

Do Bournemouth still have VAR installed for their quarter final game?
 
So next season which looks like being in The Championship, we will still be set up for VAR but it wont be used. I don't get why the rules differ for the FA Cup.
This season Bournemouth and Watford utilitiesed var in their home games, so the rules are, if you've got it you use it
 
Reckons that the goal was unfair as it wouldn't be given at their place due to VAR not being present;

Holden told BBC Sport: "To lose that way to a VAR penalty is disappointing. If it would have been played at Ashton Gate it wouldn't have been given.

"I don't know how you can have it at one and not the other. I'm not a VAR fan - I think it's killing the game. It's not the game of football I grew up loving.

"It's a hugely debatable decision. The boys defended for their lives and once the referee goes to the screen he will never change his mind, so it's disappointing."


^ I'm afraid that is nonsense, regardless of whether VAR intervened that handball was deliberate and cost us a certain goal. Incidents like this are why VAR was brought in. His comments about it being played at Ashton Gate, while correct it wouldn't have been awarded, it would have been totally unjust and essentially they would have gotten away with cheating.
I agree with him. Completely accidental, arm wasn’t in an unnatural position and if anything was harsh and unlucky

Even the initial BBC replays didn’t pick it up.

Super slow mo, one angle - gotcha. I do think VAR has been very good at picking up the less obvious stuff and somewhat bizarre decisions, almost like it needs to fuel the controversy. Whereas obvious stuff it then becomes the refs decision to view the screen and they still make wrong decision.

Previous round - arm above head, unnatural position, no pen
This round, close contact, caught by surprise, natural position, pen

I was anti VAR this season, this season I’ve lost desire to even care or get angry. It’s so poorly implemented
 
If you watch the pitch side highlights video you get a sense of... let's say disbelief at the VAR intervention from both Bristol C and United players. A few things we didn't get to see on the TV was the geniune pats on the back from Blades players to Mawson as you could see (and hear) even they didn't really agree with the decision. There was a shout for handball from a Blades player... but thats instinctive in football even if it wern't a handball there would usually be a call.

Even as a avid Blades fan, I must say I was shocked and kinda disgusted with the red card. I was just sat there thinking "what on Earth has happened to football". The rules are just barmy. Fair enough if you could see it was blatantly on purpose or tries catching the ball, but when its split second like that with a powerful shot, mehhh. Football is in danger of losing a generation of fans because it is just TOO SOFT now. Constant stoppage of play... time-wasting that is hardly ever added on (like the refs are in a hurry to get home for their tea). Red cards for "intent" even if they win the ball... (like refs are mind readers). I mean a lot of this has been around for decades but it seems to be a more regular occurrence now and its getting booooring.

Just to be a bit silly about it:
Why even have refs? Most football in the world that is played is played without a ref and goes on just fine. These are so called "Professionals" so why can't they just sort it out themselves or the captains and have the VAR as an arbitrator just in case and show their professionalism, or maybe have the managers have so many challenges against decisions in a match. Let's face it with the introduction of VAR, if it was implemented properly then the referee is obsolete. I've been finding that non-league and hell even kids Sunday league football is actually more entertaining sometimes because it is less beurocratic.

More silliness:
Also fuck the offside law... we'd see a lot more goals, which is why we watch football. People say the rule is there to add a tactical element to the game. But I ask now... has anyone ever got excited because the other team has been caught offside or excited that players can stand in a line, cos I haven't.

I counter that argument and say it would be MORE tactical to get rid of it. Players would have to be a lot more switched on and the game more exciting and open I recon, and not these stalemates you see of teams constantly passing of the ball in midfield getting nowhere. Who decided you can't be offside from a throwing too? But you can be from a free kick which would result in another free kick to the other team. A game where you primarily use your feet and punished for it... but its alright to throw a ball into an offside position. Really just think about that.
 

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

All advertisments are hidden for logged in members, why not log in/register?

Back
Top Bottom