I'm going to age myself, but I remember when the NFL had replay the first time in the 80's, but then got rid of it because it was interrupting the game too much and wasn't consistent (sound familiar?). Then they brought it back in the late 90's because, frankly, when you have a televised product where people can see replays and see the screw ups, the viewers get frustrated if you don't fix the screw ups. They first just brought it back with the challenge system, which helped decrease interruptions, but more importantly they got a lot better at making replay calls more consistent (not perfect, but it was much better than before).

I really think the main problem is inconsistency.

I get it. And that was my main argument when I would defend VAR: that the ship has sailed and we'd be even more pissed off if we got rid of it.

But having watched a ton of Wrexham this year, I just don't feel that way anymore. I don't miss VAR at all. Even when it doesn't go my way. And I almost don't have time to bother to care. Certainly during the game there's maybe time for one replay and a quick comment from the commentator, but it's not like US sports where the clock stops and the production crew can dwell on a mistake. More often than not I hear commentators simply say that the ref is having none of it (appeals for a call) and everyone moves on because the game ain't stopping.

I'm sure I'll upset some folks by saying this (including some of our refs) but I feel like soccer is far more of an art than a science, and referees have to manage the grey areas of the game in ways that they don't have to in other sports. VAR impedes that by forcing them to make calls that they might not ordinarily make based on their own personal style and the flow of a particular game.

Furlock Bones said:

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there were multiple fouls that could/should have been pens on Arsenal players. it took 5 minutes for the ref to find a way to disallow the goal.

it was the wrong decision.

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If you want to get into a much larger discussion about the things that are allowed in a penalty box every single corner, and if they want to generally start calling those fouls more often, then I am all for it, let's have that discussion.

But the holding on corners is never called, it just isn't, ever. When have you seen a pk given off a foul on a corner kick? Never, and if you take a picture, like the ones in the West Ham-Arsenal game, of the action when the ball is in the air for any corner, you are going to see the same thing.

But putting your arm across a goal keeper, preventing him from jumping and catching the ball, actually holding him down, is a foul. Would West Ham have scored if not for the foul? No, he catches the ball.

I can't believe I am being an Arsenal defender, but here we are. It was a foul which led to a goal. It had to be called. Fouls that don't lead to goals (ala the ones the Arsenal players were committing) are just not reviewed. Do I like it? No, but within the context of the current laws of the game the right call was made.

Maybe. I think the difference between Championship games and Premier League is, even though there is televised coverage of Championship games, it is still primarily a live audience product. I think PL is different because it is primarily a televised product that has a live audience (I don't know what the relative proportions are, but my wild guess is Premier League tv revenue for a club is probably 10x that of a Championship club, maybe more, I don't know. Live matchday revenue will be more, too, but probably not 10x, especially if you exclude the largest PL clubs with large stadiums at the top of the table… and Spurs lol).

Yeah those are good points. The money involved definitely makes a difference.

And I will add that all VARs are not created equal… I've always noted that the Bundesliga does a much better job with its centralized model (all VAR refs are in the same building in Koln for all matches). It leads to a culture of similar standards. When I watch Bundesliga, I'm not nearly as bothered by calls as I am in EPL or UEFA competitions.

All that being said, I'm no longer a supporter of VAR. Again - I'm not dead set against it either, but I think the game is probably better off without it. And if it stays, the game needs some major rules changes to accommodate that level of scrutiny and make it appropriate (such as van Basten's idea to scrap offside entirely).

if the "hold" on Raya was as clear cut as you and others are saying, then it would not have taken 5 minutes to come to that conclusion. but, Pablo was himself getting fouled at the same time Raya is jumping into him. Even Peter Schmeichel said the whole thing was ridiculous and wrong.

Schmeichel said it was wrong, but Rooney and Alan f'n Shearer say clear foul.

I think, by letter of the law, it's an infraction. Based on what they call (or don't) each week, I'd say no.

But pick a direction and go. Staring at it for 5 minutes only causes more confusion and, imo, emboldens the argument that he was really trying to find something.

If it was clear cut, it shouldn't have taken that long. If it takes 5 minutes to decide if there was something there, let it go.

Yeah, I'd love to see a timer. If you can't tell in 30 seconds that the ref got it wrong, then you're no longer correcting a clear and obvious error. Shoot even 30 seconds might be too generous.

There are times when a ref simply has a bad view of an incident and the replays are clear - all the announcers are unanimously in favor of an overturn, and it happens. But it seems like most times it's still a judgment call. Folks are split on the issue (like this one). So just quickly say "it's not an obvious error" and move on.

this is what they need. the ref needs to be on a VAR clock. the whole idea is to fix egregious errors like a player standing 3 feet offside and scoring the winning goal. 30-45 seconds. if the ref can't figure it out in that time frame, then the on the field calls stand.

Yep. And do offside like MLS.

I think that kind of VAR would be a net gain… correcting the most egregious mistakes.

Or like I said earlier - make it a coach/captain challenge system. If you're sure you got screwed by a call, wager a yellow card for time-wasting on it… otherwise - stop whining and play on.

Furlock Bones said:

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if the "hold" on Raya was as clear cut as you and others are saying, then it would not have taken 5 minutes to come to that conclusion. but, Pablo was himself getting fouled at the same time Raya is jumping into him. Even Peter Schmeichel said the whole thing was ridiculous and wrong.

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The fact it took 5 minutes is ridiculous, no matter the foul or the occasion. I am certainly not defending in any way, shape, matter or form the VAR system in the EPL, it is a joke.

With that said, in my opinion they got this one right. They have to give keepers the opportunity to make plays. Period, end of discussion.

The other fouls and interpretations around it are, to me, simply talking points. And I like Schmeichel, but if he feels that wasnt a foul on the keeper then he's wrong.

The VAR Gods giveth, the VAR Gods taketh away.

Hull City up 2-0 at Millwall in the playoff… they've been fun to watch.

Mathys Tel scores a goal and then gives away the penalty that ties the game. Also known as a Spurs Double.

Don't worry, West Ham, you can always depend on Spurs to drop points.

Weekend Results:
Palace 2-2 Everton
Forest 1-1 Newcastle
West Ham 0-1 Arsenal
Leeds 1-1 Tottenham

Current Standings
Team. Matches Played. Points.
14. Leeds United 36 44
15. Crystal Palace 34 44
16. Nottingham Forest 36 43
17. Spurs 36 38
18. West Ham 36 36
19. Burnley 36 21
20. Wolves 36 18

And then there were two....Leeds, Palace and Forest are all safe following the point each gained and the points West Ham dropped. West Ham are 2 points behind Spurs with two matches remaining for each club.

Remaining matches:

Tottenham--At Chelsea, Home v. Everton
West Ham--At Newcastle, Home v. Leeds

Will be a wild ride for the next two weekends.

Little update on playoffs at each level:

Championship
Promoted to EPL:
1. Coventry
2. Ipswich

Playoffs:
Millwall (3) v. Hull (6)--Hull and Millwall tied the first leg 0-0 and Hull won the second leg 2-0, advancing to the playoff finals

Southampton (4) v. Middlesbrough (5)--Clubs tied 0-0 in first leg, second leg will be at Southampton tomorrow (May 12)

Final--Friday, May 22

Relegated to League One:
Oxford United
Leicester City
Sheffield Wednesday

League One
Promoted to Championship:
1. Lincoln City
2. Cardiff City

Playoffs:
Stockport County (3) v. Stevenage (6)--Stockport won the first leg 1-0, second leg will be at Stockport County on Wednesday
Bolton Wanderers (5) v. Bradford City (4)--Bolton won the first leg 1-0, second leg will be at Bradford on Thursday

Final--Sunday, May 24 at 7:00am

Relegated to League 2:
Exeter City
Port Vale
Rotherham United
Northampton Town


League 2
Promoted to League One:
1. Bromley
2. MK Dons
3. Cambridge United

Playoffs:
Salford City (4) v. Grimsby Town (7)--Salford City lead 2-1 after leg one, with the second leg on Friday at Salford City
Notts County (5) v. Chesterfield (6)--Notts County lead 1-0 after leg one, with the second leg on Friday at Notts County.

Final--Monday, May 25 at 9:00am

Relegated to Non-league football:
Harrogate Town
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