We have Graham Scott for the FA Cup

[stringer]

He's extremely strong and has good balance so could have easily stayed on his feet. He tried to con the ref and win a penalty because they were getting desperate, that's why he went down.

Strange why he didn’t stay on his feet and shoot at goal, then!

To be fair if you had played the game you would know that was not a natural penalty. He invited contact. Not saying it’s jot a penalty in this day and age but doesn’t mean it’s right

A ‘natural penalty’? Is that out of the same rulebook as ‘intent to foul’?

 

[Fulwood Blade]

Once VAR is properly up and running and the teething problems sorted out it will be OK.

What we shouldn't have is ex players, ex managers, ex anything on the panel.

You just need unbiased, sensible people making the decisions.

FIFA once had the chance to stamp out cheats when that cheating tosser, Rivaldo (???) went down like a sack of spuds in the corner area (was it the WC in Japan/Korea) - what the authorities should not do is waste the opportunity to use VAR effectively and BAN the cheats. Shearer's rant after the Chelsea game was pathetic - think he needs putting out to pasture. A certain Danny Murphy is 1000's time better.

It won't take long - initial ban 5 games, then 10 and so on.

The war on out of control, 2 footed tackles has just about been eliminated (except at Leeds) as players learn lessons. They will learn lessons about diving too once VAR gets more use.

UTB

 

[stringer]

Shearer's rant after the Chelsea game was pathetic - think he needs putting out to pasture.

He played the game though?

 

[Snowman]

He played the game though?

Touche Exception proves the rule sort of thing!

 

[Foxy]

Strange why he didn’t stay on his feet and shoot at goal, then!

I would imagine the desperation they had at that stage and that he was heading for the goal line with no decent angle at goal had a major bearing.

That and the complete lack of confidence he currently has, coinciding with my signing for fantasy football. He's back out of my team now by the way, so lump on a return to form.

 

[DazBlade88]

Strange why he didn’t stay on his feet and shoot at goal, then!

It's the new way, sadly. So many players go down when they have an opportunity to shoot/create a chance.

This is why we see players like Grealish and Maddison spend what feels like 75% of the game falling over.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Once VAR is properly up and running and the teething problems sorted out it will be OK.

What we shouldn't have is ex players, ex managers, ex anything on the panel.

You just need unbiased, sensible people making the decisions.

FIFA once had the chance to stamp out cheats when that cheating tosser, Rivaldo (???) went down like a sack of spuds in the corner area (was it the WC in Japan/Korea) - what the authorities should not do is waste the opportunity to use VAR effectively and BAN the cheats. Shearer's rant after the Chelsea game was pathetic - think he needs putting out to pasture. A certain Danny Murphy is 1000's time better.

It won't take long - initial ban 5 games, then 10 and so on.

The war on out of control, 2 footed tackles has just about been eliminated (except at Leeds) as players learn lessons. They will learn lessons about diving too once VAR gets more use.

UTB

About 8 years too late but better late than never.

Not sure about no 'ex's', what about ex-referees?

Listening to Poll, Dermott Reeve? (is his name?), Webb et al, they are as confused in retirement as they were on the field. No serious allegiance to preservation of the rules of the game, more a 'game management' approach and frequent 'understandings' why refs bottled decisions according to the rule book. One step up that route all those years ago led to big favours to big clubs and big players.

The referees as a group have been neutered by the big clubs and the satellite TV bods who have a vested interest in big clubs and big brands being successful and essential for the TV companies to profit. The referees association has been poorly led for years with wishy-washy blokes like Reilly. They should stand up and be counted and make the game a sport once again and less of a business. Isn't the refs main office in the same building as Sky Sports?

 

[Woodwardfan]

Yep. Perhaps we just disagree eh?

But if you saw the incident and are still saying that I really do not understand.

I understand all views on the Willian incident but not the Morata one or the Pedro one, blatant as they were. Did you see the Morata incident?

 

[Caveblade]

You are spot on with this - started and carried on by ex players - what a surprise.

UTB

Is it not inherently a dive if it adheres to the "he is entitled to go down" philosophy?

I agree with you completely this phrase should be banned. You go down if the challenge is physical enough to knock you over, and even then it is not necessarily a penalty.

It makes me laugh out loud when you see 6footers who are built like a brick outhouse falling over at the merest of contacts. It is cheating simple as.

 

[stringer]

But if you saw the incident and are still saying that I really do not understand.

I understand all views on the Willian incident but not the Morata one or the Pedro one, blatant as they were. Did you see the Morata incident?

Yes

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Yes

Care to use your expertise then to explain how, when someone is 'pulled back with both hands', that they fall forwards? Is this a natural reaction, or a false reaction?

I presume you failed miserably at physics.

 

[stringer]

Care to use your expertise then to explain how, when someone is 'pulled back with both hands', that they fall forwards? Is this a natural reaction, or a false reaction?

I presume you failed miserably at physics.

Expertise? I don’t have any, I don’t play Sunday League (or have a physics degree). Luckily, I have eyes and there’s also a shove forwards at the end from Klose after he knocks Morata off balance.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Expertise? I don’t have any, I don’t play Sunday League (or have a physics degree). Luckily, I have eyes and there’s also a shove forwards at the end from Klose after he knocks Morata off balance.

So now he's pulled him back with both hands and shoved him.

I think he's merely placed a hand on his shoulder, Morata has felt contact and like the majority of players do these days, used this as an excuse to swan dive.

 

[stringer]

So now he's pulled him back with both hands and shoved him.

I think he's merely placed a hand on his shoulder, Morata has felt contact and like the majority of players do these days, used this as an excuse to swan dive.

Where did I say he pulled him back with both hands?

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Where did I say he pulled him back with both hands?

I stand corrected, you was quoting someone else who said it.

 

[Silent Blade]

Listening to Poll, Dermott Reeve? (is his name?), Webb et al,

Dermot Gallagher.

Dermot Reeve was a cricketer

 

[Sharrow Snuff Mill]

So now he's pulled him back with both hands and shoved him.

I think he's merely placed a hand on his shoulder, Morata has felt contact and like the majority of players do these days, used this as an excuse to swan dive.

Fair comment. I`ll make two comments. Firstly, it doesn`t take much to unbalance a player moving at speed. Secondly, why has the defender placed a hand on his shoulder if not to try and unfairly obstruct his progress, against the laws of the game ?

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Fair comment. I`ll make two comments. Firstly, it doesn`t take much to unbalance a player moving at speed. Secondly, why has the defender placed a hand on his shoulder if not to try and unfairly obstruct his progress, against the laws of the game ?

Unbalance is one thing, his 'fall' was completely unnatural to the contact he endured.

 

[Sharrow Snuff Mill]

Unbalance is one thing, his 'fall' was completely unnatural to the contact he endured.

Not arguing about that. The problem is that refs (and linos) too often fail to pick up on these sneaky fouls, and so players feel they have to do dying swan impressions to draw officials` attention to them.

 

[Scooter_mcgavin]

Not arguing about that. The problem is that refs (and linos) too often fail to pick up on these sneaky fouls, and so players feel they have to do dying swan impressions to draw officials` attention to them.

Exaggeration is also cheating though. I get your point mind.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Dermot Gallagher.

Dermot Reeve was a cricketer

That's him - Laurel or was it Hardy!

Reeve did a bit of commentating too - bit too smooth, smarmy in fact!

 

[Fulwood Blade]

He played the game though?

true, he did play the game, and I don't think (from memory) Shearer acted like some of the prima donnas who play now.

but - It is all very well Shearer and others pontificating in a studio with endless views of incidents, when up until now, referres have had 1 view in real time with quite possibly bodies in the way - they need help.

VAR needs time to work and to sort out the teething troubles, but for Shearer to call it all " a shambles" is just pathetic.

UTB

 

[Woodwardfan]

true, he did play the game, and I don't think (from memory) Shearer acted like some of the prima donnas who play now.

but - It is all very well Shearer and others pontificating in a studio with endless views of incidents, when up until now, referres have had 1 view in real time with quite possibly bodies in the way - they need help.

VAR needs time to work and to sort out the teething troubles, but for Shearer to call it all " a shambles" is just pathetic.

UTB

There are still cricket folk who don't like their technology. Some don't like to admit they were wrong and some just hark back to the old days even though there were more mistakes.

In cricket the umpires realise it is wild guesswork to rule on many potential run-outs and indeed use the technology to check around 96% of them. For other decisions we now know that umpires were guessing some of the time and wrong much of the time. Cricket is oh so much better now.

Football is about 8 years behind and in another 5 or 6 years we will wonder how on earth we coped without it.

IMO the biggest opportunity is to stamp out cheating. Getting 80% of the other difficult decisions right will be a massive improvement on the guesswork that has to prevail at present. I seriously believe it will question the refs so much more and thereby make them much more bold in the first instance. Some will defer to the technology as routine but most will have their own stats on correct and overturned decisions.

Shearer has dissed technology throughout and is willing it to fail. Irresponsible in the extreme the other night but he's only a journalist and there is free speech. More fool the BBC for highly paying a man of limited eloquence, dull personality and limited intellect. Yes he has experience as a player and a good one player but that means nothing when he is floundering in the hot seat even now after all this time. Yes he has improved but how bad he was when he started. Insecurity makes him make any statements dramatic with full facial poses each and every time; the set pursed lips and the jutted chin.

 

[Addison]

Shearer perfected the art of diving remember him getting Bradshaw sent off at the Lane. Having said that the point being made about the Willian non penalty was that there was someone sat in a studio, think it was Mike Jones referee, who didn't even ask Scott to look at it again when clearly there was some doubt about the incident. If two qualified referees aren't going to query contentious issues then whats the point of VAR? If its there it should be used. The problem is the reluctance of referees themselves to use it.

Don't agree it will be part of the furniture in future and can only see a limited use for it. It won't determine whether someone is cheating or not as its still someones opinion. We'd have only won the World Cup 3-2 if there had been VAR.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Shearer perfected the art of diving remember him getting Bradshaw sent off at the Lane. Having said that the point being made about the Willian non penalty was that there was someone sat in a studio, think it was Mike Jones referee, who didn't even ask Scott to look at it again when clearly there was some doubt about the incident. If two qualified referees aren't going to query contentious issues then whats the point of VAR? If its there it should be used. The problem is the reluctance of referees themselves to use it.

Don't agree it will be part of the furniture in future and can only see a limited use for it. It won't determine whether someone is cheating or not as its still someones opinion. We'd have only won the World Cup 3-2 if there had been VAR.

If it was Jones he probably thought like many on here- the ref got it right first time. Thetefore no action needed. Any system applies human judgement to interpret the technology. What a shame tje two/ three? officials involved can't give us their version of events. We hear Conte at all stages, diverting from a lucky result v Norwich.

 

[Balham]

Having said that the point being made about the Willian non penalty was that there was someone sat in a studio, think it was Mike Jones referee, who didn't even ask Scott to look at it again when clearly there was some doubt about the incident. If two qualified referees aren't going to query contentious issues then whats the point of VAR? If its there it should be used. The problem is the reluctance of referees themselves to use it.

If the referee doesn't ask for a review of the incident then VAR can only be used to correct a "clear and obvious" error. The Willian incident didn't satisfy that criterion.

 

[Addison]

If the referee doesn't ask for a review of the incident then VAR can only be used to correct a "clear and obvious" error. The Willian incident didn't satisfy that criterion.

In the mind of Scott it wasn't a clear and obvious error so who tells him it could be? Presumably the VAR isn't an assistant referee who in a normal game could speak with the ref and advise him about an incident. So it leaves the referee completely in control in deciding whether to use VAR or not. How does that take us forward if VAR is supposed to aid a referee in making the correct decision if they are reluctant to use it thinking they've got the decision right.

Thats the problem I've got with it and why I don't think it will take off.

 

[Balham]

In the mind of Scott it wasn't a clear and obvious error so who tells him it could be? Presumably the VAR isn't an assistant referee who in a normal game could speak with the ref and advise him about an incident. So it leaves the referee completely in control in deciding whether to use VAR or not. How does that take us forward if VAR is supposed to aid a referee in making the correct decision if they are reluctant to use it thinking they've got the decision right.

Thats the problem I've got with it and why I don't think it will take off.

The VAR is a referee and he can ask the on-pitch referee to look at an incident if he (the VAR) feels there's been an obvious error. It's a bit like the video referee in rugby - it's a two-way street

 

[stringer]

Great ref!

 

[oaklandrdblade]

The one I didn't understand today was how their deadlocked lad (11?) stayed on. Warned in first half for refusing to retreat, let off with one awful challenge, booked, then warned again for refusing to retreat.