Var

[The_Don_ORiordan]

The problem with using technology at all is that it’s needs to be 100% or very close to it.

Whilst ever there is still interpretation it’s going to be inconsistent.

With offsides it really should be made simple enough for technology to deal with it without human interaction.

For the other decisions, there needs to be more clarity for VAR to be consistent. We are a long way from that at this moment. Will we get there? Probably, but not without significant changes in the game.

[DelroyFacey22]

Anyone else feel like the English FA/Premier League just don't want VAR and are putting it into action so badly to convince everyone it's a bad idea so they can say they at least tried it?

VAR isn't the problem, it works fine elsewhere (although it does usually have a lot of teething problems in it's first season) but for some reason we've decided to implement it in a different way to everyone else.

The offside rule needs to change IF VAR is a thing as nobody is gaining an advantage by their toe being a few CM closer to the goalkeeper than a defender's knee (especailly when the defender is 30 yards away), as other have said, it should be if you're level (ie overlapping) then you're onside. That change is probably too drastic to change now as this isn't the NFL and we don't seem to like making big changes to the game. It also couldn't just be the Premiership that had a different offside law either so it will never change.

They could at least make it so that the line is from the players torso and if that isn't ahead of the defender they're on. Someone's shoulder or toe being slightly offside (after 3 minutes of thinking about it) is flat out ridiculous.

[LaxtonLad]

I know this is about VAR but offside never used to be a problem back when the rule was you had to be behind the last defender rather than level. Also, the assistant referee flagging for offside the moment the ball is kicked rather than waiting to see if the attacking player becomes active or not would ensure that many of todays contentious goals would not even happen.

The old rule had many problems, ncfcog. Not the least of which was an attacking player could still be deemed offside if he was standing near the corner flag, but between the last defender and the goal (if a parallel line were drawn), when the ball was kicked home during a goalmouth scramble 20 yards away. Again, a player taking a corner kick could be offside if he wasn't quick enough to move away from the touchline after taking his kick. A linesman's judgement was needed then, but now we have VAR.

VAR is infallible, it tells the truth, but it cannot help how it is being used.

[ncfcog]

The old rule had many problems, ncfcog. Not the least of which was an attacking player could still be deemed offside if he was standing near the corner flag, but between the last defender and the goal (if a parallel line were drawn), when the ball was kicked home during a goalmouth scramble 20 yards away. Again, a player taking a corner kick could be offside if he wasn't quick enough to move away from the touchline after taking his kick. A linesman's judgement was needed then, but now we have VAR.

VAR is infallible, it tells the truth, but it cannot help how it is being used.

Understand all of that but at least both the players and officials knew exactly where they stood in the matter.

[jackal2]

VAR is infallible, it tells the truth, but it cannot help how it is being used.

Spot on.

There's nothing wrong with a system that helps officials get more decisions right, in what is now a highly professionalised game. However, if the rules that are being adjudicated are not clear, then there will be confusion regardless of whether we're using VAR or not. It's not the technology that threatens the future of the game, it is (as ever) the incompetent buffoons who run it.