Trying to get some distance from VAR

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

O.K. As it stands, and as it has been applied this season, it has been a disaster.
I'm a balanced enough individual not to have enjoyed it when a rank injustice has been done to another team on the pitch in our favour (there have been precious little of that sort, I know, but there have in fact been one or two) and every time we have suffered an injustice it's like a burn the pain of which lives on for months. That second CL game last season against Tottenham still hurts, as does the early PL game against them this season.
Above all, this conclusion is unavoidable: nothing demonstrates the yawning gulf, the extreme degree of alienation between the administrators who run the game, who get their complimentary seats without giving it a thought and have not had to pay to go to a match for years, if ever, and the match-going fan who pays his or her hard-earned bucks through the turnstiles, than the fact that they have destroyed, at one fell swoop, one of the most spontaneous joys that he or she can have in life — celebrating, with everything you've got, all your passion, nothing held back, a beautiful goal that's just been scored by your team! Last night, in the last minute, I was whooping with delight at that last goal. 5-0 just sounds really, really good. A complete, unambiguous spanking. Stupid of me, because that delight was then taken away from me. It's almost as if, when you're a child, an adult offers a present to you with one hand, and then says, “Wait a minute, I've had second thoughts”, and hides it behind his back.
It is taking away the fundamental pleasures of the game. And this has been the experience of thousands of fans up and down the country, at many clubs. Not just ours.
VAR will not be abandoned, I suppose. But it must be radically rethought in the way it's applied before next season. Above it, it must be used much more selectively, much more sparingly. It's the future of the game that is at stake. Without the spontaneous pleasure that we, the fans, are entitled to, the game is a shadow of itself.

Edit: sorry mods, should probably be merged with other thread. Although my point is a slightly different one.

 

[JRockBlues]

VAR is not to blame and shouldn't be getting so much abuse. VAR should, in theory, be good for the game. The problem is, as it's always been, the sub-standard officials who are implementing it. Whether through bias or incompetence it's certainly benefitted some teams more than others. I don't follow other countries football too much only watching games and not checking on fan forums so can only speak for this country but there was a reason that there were no English officials selected for the last World Cup. They are just not good enough.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

The officials had no discretion though.
Both the Mahrez goal and the Spurs goal had to be disallowed according the VAR rules.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

My main hate for VAR has nothing to do with getting decisions right or wrong; I hate it because it’s killing the passion of the sport.

Nothing makes you feel as good as when the ball hits the net in football. Nobody has jumped around the hospital when their kid is born or stood at the front of the church when getting married bouncing around like a fucking lunatic like when your team scores a goal in footy. Especially those big goals as last minute winners.

Now that’s gone forever!

Instead of that elation of the ball hitting the net and the crowd shouting “YYYEEESSS!!!” and going fucking mental (there have been times I’ve ended up four rows down from my seat when we’ve scored, or even on the pitch!), now, our first thought is “YYE... oh... VAR?! Hmm wonder if there was something wrong then? What could they disallow this for?”.

Could you imagine the Agüeroooooo or Kompany-rocket goals with VAR looming large in the background? Those special moments would have been ruined. And there will never be any special moments like that ever again in football!


Also these ridiculous lines to see if a player is offside and they conclude that a player is 1mm offside with lines that can easily be manipulated with absolutely no come back.

These two examples, especially, stick out in my mind: Sterling v Chelsea and Sheff Utd’s goal at Spurs...
For Sterling they used a line from Sterling’s shoulder which was the closest part of his body to Chelsea’s goal (correct), but for the Chelsea lad they didn’t do the same, they went from his hip when his shoulder was the closest thing to the goal (incorrect).
The line that VAR they used for the Sheff Utd player was on the end of his toe (correct), the line they used for the Spurs player was through his knee (incorrect) rather than from the end of his knee.

Both goals were disallowed for offside when neither were offside.

But even by the time those decisions had finally been made, even if they’d actually got them right, the moment has gone!

It’s very much a less jubilant celebration after VAR awards you a goal. A few times I’ve not even celebrated the VAR decision this season, in fact, in the Sheff Utd game at home when VAR disallowed their goal for offside, we actually boo’d the decision even though it was in our favour. The SheffUtd fans applauded us and both sets of fans chanted “Fuck VAR!”

 

[Woody135]

The officials had no discretion though.
Both the Mahrez goal and the Spurs goal had to be disallowed according the VAR rules.

It isnt VAR rules. It is refereeing rules.
If the ref sees it in real time he also disallows the goal.
The rule needs changing (again).

 

[Scaring Europe to Death]

As ever, it all comes down to a choice between consistency, or common sense, which in football terms, are often mutually exclusive.
Subsequently, they amended the handball rule, as the original law was too subjective. Now it's more consistent, but takes away the little grey area, that would have allowed certain goals to stand,
It's the same with offside, as we're now seeing goals disallowed for infringements that nobody had noticed it in the build-up.
VAR is magnifying the problem, but the root cause will always be there, because we can't have it both ways.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

VAR stopping the game, VAR stopping celebrations, VAR being used selectively (just like ref ), VAR being used to determine mm offences. They're not rule changes, not new rules. It is VAR.

Give us back the referee mistakes , give us the entertainment and celebration back. This isn't American football with all the techno wizz bollocks designed for TV.

VAR should be used for one thing goals and even then it should be objective!

It should never EVER be decided by some guy miles away from the action whom we don't know.

 

[Hart of the Matter]

VAR is not to blame and shouldn't be getting so much abuse. VAR should, in theory, be good for the game. The problem is, as it's always been, the sub-standard officials who are implementing it. Whether through bias or incompetence it's certainly benefitted some teams more than others. I don't follow other countries football too much only watching games and not checking on fan forums so can only speak for this country but there was a reason that there were no English officials selected for the last World Cup. They are just not good enough.

You don't really like football do you?

 

[MillionMilesAway]

The officials had no discretion though.
Both the Mahrez goal and the Spurs goal had to be disallowed according the VAR rules.

Surely according to the handball rules, not VAR rules?

 

[Deleted member 77198]

VAR stopping the game, VAR stopping celebrations, VAR being used selectively (just like ref ), VAR being used to determine mm offences. They're not rule changes, not new rules. It is VAR.

Give us back the referee mistakes , give us the entertainment and celebration back. This isn't American football with all the techno wizz bollocks designed for TV.

VAR should be used for one thing goals and even then it should be objective!

It should never EVER be decided by some guy miles away from the action whom we don't know.

I think VAR should only be for penalties or red card offences that need clearing up. Nothing else.

Goals should be down to human error to allow what really matters in football to remain - uninterrupted fan celebrations!

Players can misplace a pass, score an own goal or fuck up an open goal; therefore officials should be allowed the odd mistake too.

If Sheff United’s offside goal was missed by the linesman and had stood against us in December, I’d have no problems with it. It’s just a human error like all player ones.