Match Day Thread Spurs v Saints Sunday 19/3 at 02.15 pm

VARs are going to be involved in all game changing decisions, which includes penalty decisions, if contentious, and offsides, where a goal has been scored. And a couple of other situations that I can't remember. I've posted links before. All the stuff is there.

 

In the current political climate football could go either way. Complete computer control or complete political control (like in Serbia)

 

Drones. That's what we need.

 

Exactly, football is great because of the debate it causes. 50:50 decisions should not be open to debate, it is the blatant ones, such as the Frank Lampard goal against Germany, the Roy Carroll 'save' or perhaps the Southampton offside goal in the League Cup Final that should be overruled not the ambiguous ones. I reckon a couple of reviews per game per team maximum would stop the game becoming too fragmented, like they have in cricket.

 

Like Mark Lawrenson you mean?

 

OROW, in my opinion, football is not great simply because of the debate it causes. Football is great because it is a contest between two teams, showing skill, pace and passion. It would be even greater if it once again held the values of sportsmanship, rather than gamesmanship, but one thing at a time. If every decision could be relied upon to the 100% maximum then football would be even greater, because the only thing holding it back would be the weaknesses in the two teams, not those who make the decisions. There's plenty to talk about in football besides who did what to whom unfairly and got away with it.

Why do I have to read of people continually opposing the progress towards a fairer game all the time.? Maybe I'm too much of a purist, but to me football is demeaned by incorrect decisions and the consequences of them.

 

I think that all fans would love every decision to be correct, but football is different to many other sports that use technology, as the disputed decisions are still based on opinion not fact. In tennis disputed calls on whether the ball was in or out are factual like the goal line technology that football finally introduced. Offsides could possibly also done in this way, but even they are open to interpretation.

However if we take the penalty decisions on Sunday, it seems to me that if for arguments sake we say that Sundays video ref had been Dermot Gallagher then both decisions would have remained as given by the ref and the debate would remain the same.

 

I understand your point, but you are looking at the situation as of now. In the near future, providing football doesn't drag its feet, referee aided decisions, using computer technology, will get extremely close to 100% correctness, and eventually 100%. Provided the financial bubble doesn't burst on football, there will be a demand, by clubs, for better and better decision making.
I've read several of the comments on this forum and elsewhere about technology being involved in refereeing decisions, and the views are generally behind the times. The Video Assisted Refereeing [VARs] system is out there, already being tested. It's a done deal. It will come into competitive use as early as this summer. But it is just first generation referee video aided decision making. It's been available for years, but its limitation has always been the speed of the decision. With multiple cameras and computers tying them together, decisions will be a lot easier and a lot quicker. Eventually, the referee in the technology booth will make the decisions and just relay them to the person on the pitch. But that's probably a decade or so away. Personally, as of this moment, I'd rather the correct decision be arrived at after a further 10-20 seconds, than the incorrect one and rampaging argumentative players, which might cost a yellow/red card, a point or three, or even a major trophy.

EDIT: I'll put up a link to the system again. Anyone with an opinion, please read: http://quality.fifa.com/en/var/
People may be interested to know that such is the advance with this first system, Germany's Bundesliga has approved the use of it from next season: http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/germanys-bundesliga-approves-use-of-video-assistant-referees-394359

 

There will be some decisions reversed or confirmed by video as matters of fact, but other decisions are still just matters of opinion as the video evidence will be watched by human refs. And let us not forget slow motion video makes things look worse than at full speed. In cricket for instance, it is acknowledged that clean catches close to the ground are wrongly given as having touched the ground because of distortion. And in tennis, everyone know there is a % error on Hawkeye with line calls....they are not accurate on close calls, but the players have all agreed to accept it.

The FA spokesman said they don't want it to be like American sports by introducing stop-starts into the game....so will be used mainly in situations where the ball is dead. And I certainly don't support players or managers being given official appeals....managers can behave badly enough now, don't want strategic time outs introduced....which is what will happen.

 

Fran. Just read the link. It tells you exactly where and when Vars will be used.

 

There will never be 100% accuracy because a lot of decisions in football are not 100% anything. Some penalties are blatantly wrong or right, but some are purely opinion and I would rather trust the man on the spot looking at normal speed. I hope the FA get this right and don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.....I was heartened by their spokesman who said they intend to keep the spirit of the game.

The next question is how far down the leagues does this go as (at the moment) it will be too expensive for some clubs....though it is being tested in the FA Cup so presumably will be at some pretty small clubs.

 

Yes, as I just said I was heartened by the limitations of its use. And of course behaviour should improve if you can't get away with dangerous play within a game....though I am surprised with blanket TV coverage that players still think they can get away with an elbow to the face.

 

Well they won't when they find themselves off the pitch with a red card. That's the apparent stupidity with the present rules. Even though a video screen at the stadium might show that an offside is incorrect, or a goal has been scored after a missed foul, or an elbow has been put to the face in an off-the-ball incident, the referee can only look at the screen and even agree with the rest of the crowd, but can't reverse his decision. The VAR system gives an officially approved escape route.!

 

It's natural to raise your arms and put them out when you jump. That probably accounts for at least 50% of the supposed 'elbow in face' incidents.

 

Obviously have to wait a few years before technology is available that can read intent.

 

Unless you're Ibrahimovic getting even with an opponent.

 

Or Herrera, who is more than happy to commit fouls, but any contact on him and bang, that sniper takes him down.

 

Will Austin ever be back? Or is he going on holiday again?

 

??

 

Anyone going to do the Bournemouth thread?