This is where VAR could play a positive part IMHO.
VAR should ONLY be used upon the specific request of the referee to underline a major decision, like a penalty or a red card.
The CAPTAINs of both sides should be allowed to request it too in order to challenge a decision, but under the threat of a yellow card for timewasting if the original decision is upheld - effectively limiting them to 2 requests per game.
However, the Boro incident that you mention above is, like you say, 'swings and roundabouts' because we've all have poor decisions work both for us and against us - look at all those perfectly good goals that Weimann had scratched off for 'offside' a couple of seasons back (at least 5 IN ONE SEASON!), the ridiculous penalty awarded to Villa - and 2 examples in the last game we played against Fulham where Fulham should have had a player sent off and Palmer's goal was offside.
The officials are human and they get it wrong sometimes, but I admit myself they get decisions right a lot more than they get wrong.
There have been many a time when I've been watching a game in 'real time' and been convinced that a player was offside (or not) - or that a trip was inside the box - or wondered why a penalty was awarded because I hadn't seen any incident and disagreed with the decisions - only to see on the replay that the ref was spot-on.
The referees (and Lino's) have probably the most difficult job on the pitch and its a thankless task most of the time.
My mate is a referee in the Conference and before a game he goes into each dressing room and tells them 'over this 90 minutes YOU will make some mistakes and so will I. I won't get it right EVERY time, so if I'm unsure of a decision (a 50-50) then I'll award it to the attacking/defending side (I can't remember which he said). I promise not to rip into you if you screw up if you promise to do the same' - he rarely gets any stick. He also talks to them throughout the game, 'good tackle' or 'unlucky, that was close', 'good save' etc. It seems to work.
