VAR

[Brend'Watkins]

I suppose it's too late now that the genie is out of the bottle, and perhaps the Premier League/FA wouldn't even now be permitted the change, but the biggest and quickest improvement to how VAR works would be to simply eliminate its use for offsides, and revert to reliance upon the linesmen doing their jobs, thereby making the game a whole lot simpler, and a whole lot more enjoyable.

It's the one and only thing they can and should get right every time.  Offside is offside, it's clear cut even if it's only "toe nail" accurate. If they miss an incident like at the weekend where there were a few offsides in one build up to a goal which weren't even considered that's down to VAR officials. 

[Bobby Boy]

VAR was explicitly brought in to remove human error from the game.

I absolutely abhor it for all the reasons that have been provided umpteen times and which continue to be right.

[Drummond]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

[Nev]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

The one with Harvey Barnes was particularly pedantic. He was level by the naked eye which would be good enough for me, for or against.

[lovejoy]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

I think you either go with a scientific yes/no (even if its a millimetre) or you do away all together. You cant allow close ones because all you do is shift the line to another point of tolerance. Is 5cm ok but 10cm not?

personally I'd pare VAR back to factual decisions, over line, inside/ourtside area or offsides and leave the rest to officials. Man in tv only get involve is cases of mistaken identity. In its current form it simply doesn't work.

[olaftab]

After all the VARtroversy of Saturday's games on MotD, there wasn't even a mention of Grealish's dive against us or VAR's approval of same on MotD 2.

Still, it's only Villa, eh? Best not to upset Pep's darlings when they've had such a tough week...

It's always the same. Ref's make subjective decisions in favour of better teams and media ignore it as it doesn't suit their narrative. I remember years ago at Villa Park Kompany bundled Agbonlahor into oblivion in a one one situation. Correct decision would have been red for Kompany and a free kick but Ref played on and no one in the media said a dicky bird about it, mainly because in their eyes surely Kompany is good enough to deal with a Villa forward.

[Brend'Watkins]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

The one with Harvey Barnes was particularly pedantic. He was level by the naked eye which would be good enough for me, for or against.

There is no such thing as level anymore.  It is or it isn't.  We go by the tech'.  This, "it looked level to me" isn't progress.  They just need to be far quicker with it so as to not spoil the overall viewing. The Harvey Barnes incident, what if a result hung on that decision?  We have a system that removes all reasonable doubt which isn't we know 100% accurate but is better than the judgement of the naked eye.

[Drummond]

After all the VARtroversy of Saturday's games on MotD, there wasn't even a mention of Grealish's dive against us or VAR's approval of same on MotD 2.

Still, it's only Villa, eh? Best not to upset Pep's darlings when they've had such a tough week...

It's always the same. Ref's make subjective decisions in favour of better teams and media ignore it as it doesn't suit their narrative. I remember years ago at Villa Park Kompany bundled Agbonlahor into oblivion in a one one situation. Correct decision would have been red for Kompany and a free kick but Ref played on and no one in the media said a dicky bird about it, mainly because in their eyes surely Kompany is good enough to deal with a Villa forward.

I remember Vidic at Wembley...

[Nev]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

The one with Harvey Barnes was particularly pedantic. He was level by the naked eye which would be good enough for me, for or against.

There is no such thing as level anymore.  It is or it isn't.  We go by the tech'.  This, "it looked level to me" isn't progress.  They just need to be far quicker with it so as to not spoil the overall viewing. The Harvey Barnes incident, what if a result hung on that decision?  We have a system that removes all reasonable doubt which isn't we know 100% accurate but is better than the judgement of the naked eye.

I'm happy to forgoe that accuracy, accept that mistakes are made in order to restore the unbridled joy of scoring goals and celebrating goals. Offside or otherwise, a foul or not.

[The Edge]

I suppose it's too late now that the genie is out of the bottle, and perhaps the Premier League/FA wouldn't even now be permitted the change, but the biggest and quickest improvement to how VAR works would be to simply eliminate its use for offsides, and revert to reliance upon the linesmen doing their jobs, thereby making the game a whole lot simpler, and a whole lot more enjoyable.

It's the one and only thing they can and should get right every time.  Offside is offside, it's clear cut even if it's only "toe nail" accurate. If they miss an incident like at the weekend where there were a few offsides in one build up to a goal which weren't even considered that's down to VAR officials.

This offside is offside idea just isn't right. It's fundamentally flawed because it's impossible to know the exact moment when the ball leaves the passing players boot. That's when the player is either on or off. One person in a studio gets to decide when he THINKS the ball lost contact with the boot. It's still guesswork. An absolutely undisputable version is achievable as they had the technology in the World Cup and used it brilliantly. You hardly knew it was there. Until we get that technology offsides will remain a subjective guess.

[Lastfootstamper]

The best instant change they could make to ease some offside rage would be move handball back to the point of the shoulder. It'd stop people being offside for pointing at where they want the ball.

[Sexual Ealing]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

The one with Harvey Barnes was particularly pedantic. He was level by the naked eye which would be good enough for me, for or against.

There is no such thing as level anymore.  It is or it isn't.  We go by the tech'.  This, "it looked level to me" isn't progress.  They just need to be far quicker with it so as to not spoil the overall viewing. The Harvey Barnes incident, what if a result hung on that decision?  We have a system that removes all reasonable doubt which isn't we know 100% accurate but is better than the judgement of the naked eye.

I'm happy to forgoe that accuracy, accept that mistakes are made in order to restore the unbridled joy of scoring goals and celebrating goals. Offside or otherwise, a foul or not.

100%

[pauliewalnuts]

The marginal offsides are stupid. I don't think anyone would bat an eyelid if decisions weren't given one way or the other.

The one with Harvey Barnes was particularly pedantic. He was level by the naked eye which would be good enough for me, for or against.

There is no such thing as level anymore.  It is or it isn't.  We go by the tech'.  This, "it looked level to me" isn't progress.  They just need to be far quicker with it so as to not spoil the overall viewing. The Harvey Barnes incident, what if a result hung on that decision?  We have a system that removes all reasonable doubt which isn't we know 100% accurate but is better than the judgement of the naked eye.

The problem is that the tech has become a facilitator at best, as ultimately it comes down to human judgement which remains fallible, and that it is why it is not as binary as you suggested.

I think VAR has solved one group of problems and created another.

I like it because it reduces the number of flawed decisions, but it doesn't eradicate them, not by a long shot, and the ones it does solve, it does so at the cost of insane delays whilst they pore over the footage.

If something takes 3 minutes to decide with 3 people staring over and over at the footage with lines all over it, then really whatever the referee's decision was must surely be hard to contradict, as he/she is making it in a split second decision.

It also has insane impact on the flow of the game and the supporter experience (although, obv, who gives a fuck about that any more?)

[olaftab]

Talking about this shit the lines have just ruled out a brilliant PSG equaliser.

[eamonn]

I suppose it's too late now that the genie is out of the bottle, and perhaps the Premier League/FA wouldn't even now be permitted the change, but the biggest and quickest improvement to how VAR works would be to simply eliminate its use for offsides, and revert to reliance upon the linesmen doing their jobs, thereby making the game a whole lot simpler, and a whole lot more enjoyable.

It's the one and only thing they can and should get right every time.  Offside is offside, it's clear cut even if it's only "toe nail" accurate. If they miss an incident like at the weekend where there were a few offsides in one build up to a goal which weren't even considered that's down to VAR officials.

This offside is offside idea just isn't right. It's fundamentally flawed because it's impossible to know the exact moment when the ball leaves the passing players boot. That's when the player is either on or off. One person in a studio gets to decide when he THINKS the ball lost contact with the boot. It's still guesswork. An absolutely undisputable version is achievable as they had the technology in the World Cup and used it brilliantly. You hardly knew it was there. Until we get that technology offsides will remain a subjective guess.

Agreed about the "How to judge exactly when the pass was played" but what was it about the World Cup tech that sorted this out? I just remember a fancy new animated graphic which depicted the margin of offside better than the shitty red and yellow lines across a frozen replay that we get in club games.