Looking at the games over the Christmas period has highlighted how bad the match officials really are, not only in our games but for all teams, their refusal to even look at var at times when 30 - 60 thousand other people in the ground can see they have made the wrong decision, sending offs that should have happened that var decide are not fouls, dissalowed goals where no offence has been committed, off sides where a players armpit is where they decide he is offside, the most frustrating part is the inconsistentcy during the same game, their desision to look at one and not the other of two very similar incedents leaves us fans bewildered and frustrated. One answer I think could help would be to have them miked up as in rugby, they could explain their decision at the time also an after game press conference for a more in depth q & a explain some of the strange decisions us mere fans think they make
posted on 2/1/22
comment by Son Of Gunnersaurus a.k.a SoG (U1310)
posted 1 hour, 27 minutes ago
Imagine Mike Dean being miked upHe’d be in his element.
In regards to VAR, wouldn’t it be best to let ex professionals analyse the incidents?
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I’m not sure about that… Michael Owen thought Lloris got the ball yesterday.
It looked like a pen to me and I’m a spurs fan.
The OP is right though, the inconsistencies are absurd.
posted on 2/1/22
comment by sandy, golden boot winner fa cup 1901 (U20567)
posted 38 minutes ago
garrybuild, the referees are of an appalling standard for a multi million pound industry, but I think VAR are worse, they have every angle, every monitor, can slow things down or quicken them up, or basically do whatever they like, and they still get so many decisions wrong. Personally I would do away with VAR, and just live with our incompetent refs and linesmen as football has for the best part of 150 years.
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Nah it was absolutely horrendous before VAR came in. I know it's still bad, absolutely shocking considering they get replays but it's better than pre VAR (although I understand if the delays wind people up)
posted on 2/1/22
I think part of the problem comes in trying to leave the referees with some sense of control in which case they are eager to leave decisions up to them if they can help it. It should all simply come down to arriving at the right decisions regardless of if it takes control out of the ref's hands or makes him look a fool.
posted on 2/1/22
Agree spurtle but let's make them look fools maybe it would lead to them improving themselfs and the ones who can't take the criticism to leave
posted on 2/1/22
comment by garrybuild (U1148)
posted 2 minutes ago
Agree spurtle but let's make them look fools maybe it would lead to them improving themselfs and the ones who can't take the criticism to leave
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It's people in a VAR room sticking up for the person on the pitch in most cases. They don't want to undermine him if they can help it. They are trying to avoid having to rely on technology as much as possible, and naturally, because it's their own profession, want to allow refs to have as much control over decisions as they can. These people need to have a change of mind set. Reach the correct decision at all costs.
Maybe we should just get ex-footballers in the VAR room. and then they won't have any loyalty to the ref on the pitch.
posted on 2/1/22
Yep, the only thing VAR has improved is glaringly obvious offsides, everything else is still the same incompetent fools making the same incompetent decisions, and the same bias being shown to the same clubs.
The technology is also not fit for purpose, (see toenail offside decisions and the way they draw shoddy lines on a computer screen with no margin of error built into it).
It is pot luck which incidents they review or dependant on which club it is, and the officials are still weak minded and afraid to give decisions against certain clubs.
We see clear red card tackles being overlooked, clear dives being rewarded with penalties, goalkeepers allowed to pick the ball up from outside their area with no review, handballs not given in the lead up to goals etc etc.
All these decisions are basic common sense and yet they are still coming to the wrong conclusion. All the fans want is the correct decisions given, not dodgy decisions given because official A is afraid to undermine official B and make him look a fool, or because they are afraid to upset certain clubs.
Every single time the referee is called over to a monitor, the decision is changed, I have never seen a referee go over and have a look, then stick with his original decision. They may as well do away with the monitor and just let the VAR clown radio the on field referee with whatever decision needs to be made.
In summary, VAR is a waste of time and effort, with a small handful of clubs who benefit from it.
Getting in referees from abroad may eliminate some of the bias, which may improve things, but it would remain to be seen whether they would be competent (or brave) enough to make the correct decisions.
posted on 2/1/22
Just go back to the old system without VAR. Less numbers of incompetent people, less chance of corruption.
posted on 2/1/22
Personally I think the best thing we can really do is write more articles about the refereeing decisions, and complain more and more loudly about the state of the game/VAR etc until we become so engulfed in the officiating that the football takes a backseat.
Because one thing I will say for certain is the constant complaining about people's interpretations on debateable decisions & corruption conspiracy theories is definitely a LOT of fun and not completely pathetic at all.
posted on 2/1/22
While the refs and var are both of low quality the real problem is the interpretation of the rules.
So often I look at a replay of a penalty given and say there's no way a player having a finger hooked into an opponent's shirt can cause him to fall forward. Obviously said player dove but there was contact.
The league wants to take such decisions away from the refs so we have to live with players abusing the rule. Legal cheating. Soft cants.
posted on 2/1/22
I'm actually quite pro VAR but, currently, they are wasting an awful lot of money to continually arrive at the wrong decisions every week.
Even with VAR there is always going to be some wrong decisions here and there but we literally get multiple awful decisions every week.
You then have Dermot Gallagher on Sky every Mon backing his mates telling us they got every decision correct, when the Sky presenter and 2 ex pros are telling him he's wrong. The refs all backing each other is the big problem when they are clueless to start with.
I agree that the person reviewing the VAR should be an unbiased ex pro and not a ref. The offsides should be a single line to the defender and is the striker clearly beyond that line, if it's difficult to tell, then he's onside.