Sorry why is this is bad thing? I'd rather get more decisions right than not. The system needs perfecting and streamlining and that will take time much like it did in Cricket, but it'll eventually mean that more correct decisions are made and that referees don't cost teams games which is better for everyone IMO.
Genuine question: do you regularly go to games or do you watch more on TV? I fully expect those who watch the game more on TV to be in favour of this. But most season ticket holders I talk to are fully against it. Most fundamentally, it will ruin the spontaneity of losing your shit celebrating a goal.
From what I've seen on VAR. refs give loads of soft pens and certain incidents aren't revieved. That's causes an imbalance to games and still costs teams.
Also my other biggest issue with it is that (as we saw in the World Cup and other trials), you still get wrong decisions If they're going to introduce something that will mess up so many aspects of the game, it needs to be absolutely perfect at the one thing it's going to improve - decision making.
A little from column A and a little from column B. Personally from experience of going to test matches, them showing it on the big screen adds to the fun of being a spectator at the ground. Personally I'd got the other way, it clamps down on the crap that defenders have been getting away with for years that they should have been penalised for, like we saw in the World Cup with all the pulling/holding incidents at corners. The rest is just about perfecting the system which will take time, you can only do that by using it and there will obviously still be some issues whilst that happens.
I don't like the fact that a "small" decision won't be given that could lead to a sequence of events causing a goal, but a "major" incident is instantally reviewed. That's technology imposing an imbalance. I think that makes the game unfair.
Cricket and football are incredibly different sports so almost incomparable. Firstly the reviewed decisions in cricket are (in theory) all totally objective. He edged it or he didn't, he's out LBW or he isn't etc. And even then we've still seen plenty of controversy. With football the decisions are so subjective that technology doesn't remove the margin for error. Cricket is also by its nature stop-start, so the additional pauses don't really impact the flow. And also the thrill of taking a wicket isn't even close to the thrill of a goal in football, but even then in cricket we've seen the ability to properly celebrate a big wicket diminish because of DRS (see the farce of the final wicket of 1st test of 2013 Ashes!). In football we're going to lose that moment of ecstasy when the ball hits the back of the net. Will always be "oh but will VAR rule it out". I go to football for those moments. One thing I would say though. If VAR is brought in the way it is in cricket, e.g 2 reviews per team per game, to be requested by the manager, then I'd be for it. Yep another one of the long list of issues I've raised with it in the past. You can only review decisions that lead to a goal. What happens if there is a foul on the halfway line not given, and 10 seconds later the team score? Is that leading to a goal? What about 15 seconds before, 20, 25, 26..you get the point.
Football is stop start, I mean come one the ball is in play for most matches barely an hour and the amount of time players spend rolling on the floor, claiming fouls, arguing with the ref etc. VAR decisions could easily be made. And decisions are also most of the time clear cut, officials just don't see them, off side is offside, a push in the back or pull on the shirt is a foul, a dive is pretty obvious on replays etc. etc. some of the are debatable sure but this is about getting to 100% accuracy, it's about getting more decisions right.
It depends how it’s used, if it’s for the ref to go have another look at an incident then ok but if it requires decisions to go to a panel then the ref, then no.
Hopefully the officials will be trained on how to use it properly this time so it doesn't take up too much of the game and lead to confusion .
My thoughts are its a good & a bad thing, the game continues to be sanitised even more but if it stops cheats & diving then good. Should reduce the mistakes which with so much at state are bound to happen. Football is all about having a beer after the match & arguing whether certain decisions were right or wrong again this just sterilises the game even more. I suppose whilst these reviews are being looked at Sky can always cut to a commercial break or a message from their sponsors. I'm beginning to hate modern day football.
Help the officials out. Clearly they need help,we watch the premier league. The best league in the world, most watched league in the world... give them all the help they need because clearly they aren’t up to scratch at the moment.
So you're telling me in the games you've been at / watched with VAR, you haven't noticed a huge increase in the amount of time the game has stopped? That's rubbish. Most notably last year, Spurs - Rochdale in the cup. There were 7 minutes of added time in the first half without any injuries or subs ffs How often do we see pundits in a studio, or even posters here on FF who will have watched 100 super slow motion up close replays, and still have different opinions after watching it? Most recent example I can think of is Zaha penalty against Arsenal. Still now people are split on that one, and disagreements like that are quite common.
It’s a great thing provided it doesn’t go all ‘American’ or ‘Tennis’ on us and as long as they don’t overdo it on what will be reviewed. The referee’s are clueless, in the most and the last set of people involved in football to have not been corrupted (in the majority!) and that’s only a matter of time so VAR is needed imo.
It doesn't have a net benefit. All you really want is the clangers getting overturned which aren't that common. When you start having the most miniscule of offside decisions getting either overturned (or missed anyway like ours against Chelsea) then it gets daft. You can't even celebrate goals because you're waiting around to see if someone was a hair breath offside at some point in the build up, or there was deemed to be a foul. Handball and penalty shouts are a massive grey area as shown by the ruined World Cup final. Just make sure you've got a decent penalty taker in your side because you get more pens as everything is referred. The only reason it went okay at the World Cup (other than the small matter of ruining the final and ultimately deciding the tournament) was it was hardly used. The less the better.
