If VAR was in use this season.....

Jon Moss up to his tricks again. I think Arsenal get as many bad decisions as us.

He gives Forest two penalties, the first one was correct, but the second one was not. To compound that, the Forest guy clearly double touches the ball as he slips when he kicks it. Brain dead Robbie Savage couldn't tell it was a double touch even after about 6 replays!! I hope he's not a VAR official.

The ball went very high into the net after it hit his other foot. Had VAR been used, the goal would have had two chances to have been disallowed.

It made a difference. It was the fourth goal making it 4-2 to kill off Arsenal. Before that it was all Arsenal pressing.

One last thing. How bad is Mertesacker? Is he some sort of comedy player? I can't remember seeing a player as bad as him at a top 6 club before.

 

The Forest v Arsenal game shows good examples of VAR not necessarily helping: With the second penalty (I thought it was one, fractionally, by the way) it was just not possible to see whether or not he double-kicked it. This in no way invalidates the introduction of VAR. All that VAR does is increase the likelihood of getting a decision right and so it would be crazy to not bring it in. I don't think anyone is claiming it is infallible.
Arsenal, btw, were well beaten, they weren't unlucky with the officials.

 

Clearly? It wasn’t clear at all. I totally agree with Savage.

 

Pen for me. Player first ball second. Can't tell with the double touch.

 

I saw the last half hour of that game and thought Moss was right give the Forest penalty. Debuchy only gets the ball on the stretch after going through the back of their player first. It certainly wouldn't have been overturned by a VAR.

The double touch thing was hard to tell. The way the ball went in makes it seem more likely than not but the replays weren't clear. You could see the ref had suspicions but the lino couldn't help so it's right to award the goal. The presumption should always favour the attacking team.

 

Not sure, but let's see how VAR pans out with incidents of this type. I think VAR can only sort out clear and obvious events. In this particular case the penalty looked to me like the defender got the ball first, but it's not clear and obvious. The penalty would probably have been allowed to stand.

However, the player double touched the ball when scoring so VAR would have certainly cleared up that issue and the goal would have disallowed at that point.

 

Well, the double touch was not clear from that TV angle so it would be dependent on differing angles being available (as in cricket).

 

Ermmmmm.. it was the FA Cup.. Quarter Final.

 

What sort of "power" will the VAR have. Will he/she be able to change decsions "on the fly"/ in real time as the ref missed two high tackles* by Sarries yesterday - but he was able to pick up on them thanks to the VAR?

*One of which was a "seatbelt" tackle - I think the RFU/IRB has to issue clear guidance on these.

 

Not really to do with VAR but this 'touched the ball first' thing is a bit of a red herring. If the defender touches the ball but does no more than push it a couple of feet still in the path of the running attacker but then brings him down in the resulting tangle of legs, then imo it's still a foul. See McClean on Richarlison at WBA this season.

 

I agree with this, however, special rules apply to fouls committed in the penalty area. These are unwritten but understood by officials.

That example you mentioned would be a foul anywhere else on the park but it does not deserve a goal being awarded because a successful tackle was made, ie touching the ball first, before the foul occurs. It’s one of those grey areas.

 

Who the ******* hell is “Cotton”?

 

How? All of the angles at differing speeds couldn't give a definitive answer. Nobody can say for sure if he double touched or not. How long do you think the fans should stand about waiting for a decision to be made because that one would have taken an absolute age?

I personally think VAR is an absolute disaster for football.

 

I thought it was an obvious double touch and I think the VAR official would have advised to disallow it.

However, no system is 100% definitive all the time, as it relies on the quality of the person recording the footage in the first place.

It will be a great help to officials, and once it's used properly and everyone gets used to it, you'll wonder how you ever got by without it. Anything that takes away "human error" from match officials has to be embraced.

Just like the goal line technology it will help massively.

I'm really looking forward to it being introduce and it can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned.

The biggest comment I hear from people opposing using the system is the time delay. I actually think it would add to the entertainment. A delay whether it's a goal, penalty or red card will actually build tension. At the end of the day you know the decision will be as true as it could possibly be.......so that has to be good for the game.

 

Isn' the Brighton vs Palace FA cup actively using VAR tonight?

 

Yes. And one of the League Cup semis later in the week.

I read that the FA hope to do about 20 trial games by the season end so wouldn't be shocked to see a whole round of PL fixtures using it before May.

 

Yes, it was used to review all goals, as a matter of course.

The Brighton 2nd goal was interesting as the Palace players were claiming handball by Murray, but it brushed his knee not arm as it went in, so VAR worked, although the ref gave it in real time anyway, so nothing overruled.....just confirmed.

 

So are we saying the VAR was used to review all goals? Therefore when a goal is scored will anything missed be automatically flagged up and the goal disallowed? I didn’t think it was going to be used in that way.

 

Var is used to review every goal even if ref is in no doubt? Really? That would be terrible imo.

Edit. Reasons being

A) mathematically certain to be less goals
B) how far do you go back? 10 secs. 30 secs? Last break in play? This isn’t the NFL when last play is defined.
C) what is criteria for hauling it back? Var ref noticing a close call 50 seconds ago on a throw in?

Are you sure this was done? Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

 

Hold on. Was VAR used? Reports as at midnight stating “VAR unused on debut”. I didn’t see game but this is what media are reporting.

 

Replying to myself, seems although ref has to review pitch side the VAR ref can recommend a review at any time so I think VAR is always in play. Think media have misinterpreted how it is used.

 

At no point did the ref go across and consult the bizarre looking screen on the touchline. But it was clear watching the game that each goal was being checked for offside and any other obvious infringement. The latter was happening while the scorers were celebrating normally, and while the ref was ambling back to half way, so no interference with atmosphere or pause waiting for the ref to confirm the goal or the like.

 

I wouldn’t be wholly against VAR if used like it seemed to be for the winning goal last night. Fourth or fifth official watching the game pitchside and can relay back to the referee what he sees. If said pitchside official can’t tell if it’s handball by Murray after watching a couple of replays, then the original referee’s decision stands rather than a break in play where the referee goes and watches it on a screen.

 

Would have lost yesterday!!!

 

Let's not that get in the way of the great Watford conspiracy.

 

Maybe, maybe not. In the Chelsea arsenal game the referee waved away two penalty appeals but checked his decision was correct with VAR. If the same thing happened in our game we might have got a penalty for the shirt tugging on Okaka. It depends if it has to be referee by the ref or not and if he would’ve or not.

 

Eh?

 

Sorry, referred by the referee or not, and if he would’ve, or not.
As in would our ref yesterday have referred it to the VAR person, or would it have been done automatically? And if the ref has to refer it, would ours have even bothered yesterday?

 

I don’t think that’s how it works. I thought that if it was a “clear and obvious error”, a penalty would be awarded. As I understand it, the referee can’t choose to refer because he is unsure - he has to make a decision one way or another. But the VAR can then overturn that.

So it’s automatic, but only overturns where there is a clear error.

 

VAR was used for the first time in the Leicester cup replay tonight. Iheanacho goal deemed offside by the linesman but overturned by the VAR on review. It was actually a tough call for the linesman too by the look of it so not a blooper corrected, but still a good decision.