Your verdict on VAR

[Rob_the_Ram]

Has anyone ever seen the keeper jumping for the ball, getting nowhere near it and yet colliding with attacking players?

I've seen loads of examples and very very few fouls given against the keeper. Why not??

To me, Van Dyke was jumping honestly and fairly for the ball and made contact with the keeper in so doing. Or did the keeper make contact with him??
Van Dyke's arms weren't flailing. His elbows were down.
Why does that have to be a foul?
The keeper can do exactly the same - contact an opponent during his attempt at reaching the ball when he's left the ground and "not in control"- and yet fouls by keepers are rarely, if ever given.

A keeper has to assault an attacker before a penalty is given.

Days of smashing the ball into the net still attached to the keepers hands are thankfully a thing of the past with the potential for serious injury.
But come on... two guys should be able to jump against each other without automatic foul if the keeper drops the ball.

After all, we've seen with our own eyes relatively recently that you don't need to be challenged at all to sometimes drop the ball.

[ramAnag]

Completely agree with that, Rob. Don’t even know why it went to VAR other than because of de Gea and McGuire’s angry outrage.

[MadAmster]

Completely agree with that, Rob. Don’t even know why it went to VAR other than because of de Gea and McGuire’s angry outrage.

As a matter of course VAR looks at the build up to every goal......... just in case. Whether they should unless there is doubt in the ref's mind is another issue.....

[ramAnag]

As a matter of course VAR looks at the build up to every goal......... just in case. Whether they should unless there is doubt in the ref's mind is another issue.....

I’m sure Leeds’ fans were outraged by the fact that VAR wasn’t available to - rightly - disallow QPR’s double handball goal against them this weekend.
Equally I’m sure Liverpool supporters were just as angered by VAR becoming unnecessarily involved and disallowing a perfectly good ‘goal’ - imo - against MUFC on Sunday.
So I suppose we come full circle...in theory it’s a good thing but only as good as the human beings who operate it.
It’s certainly provided a talking point, which is odd because its aim was to remove some of them, and brought the need for rule changes, particularly where handball and offside are concerned, into sharper focus...but the delays seem to be driving most people mad.

[AdiSalisbury]

Are we any better with it now, than we were before we had it? Matchday experience? Better decisions? Clarity? Satisfaction with decisions? Obviously we can't answer the 1st as we don't live with it, but I don't see any improvement on the rest.

[swaledale]

Are we any better with it now, than we were before we had it? Matchday experience? Better decisions? Clarity? Satisfaction with decisions? Obviously we can't answer the 1st as we don't live with it, but I don't see any improvement on the rest.

I'd agree with your sentiment, and its because of the cack handed way its been introduced and operated - if it was reserved for when the referee wanted clarification on an incident then I believe it would have reduced the howls of anguish over "wrong" decisions, but as ever the FA have to make it more complicated and it be demoralising for refs because they know their every decision could potentially be challenged.

It does not seem to cause as much controversy elsewhere, presumably because the refs in other leagues use the pitch side monitor and have the final say?

But isn't it typical of the english to overcomplicate something?

As it stands its spoiing the game big time.

[MadAmster]

I'd agree with your sentiment, and its because of the cack handed way its been introduced and operated - if it was reserved for when the referee wanted clarification on an incident then I believe it would have reduced the howls of anguish over "wrong" decisions, but as ever the FA have to make it more complicated and it be demoralising for refs because they know their every decision could potentially be challenged.

It does not seem to cause as much controversy elsewhere, presumably because the refs in other leagues use the pitch side monitor and have the final say?

But isn't it typical of the english to overcomplicate something?

As it stands its spoiing the game big time.

I refer my learned friend to my previous posts on the FA/EPL implementing VAR totally differently to any other country and also using far more technology so they can tell that a player's nose was 1mm offside. That isn't clear and it isn't obvious.

[AdiSalisbury]

MA - what's the fan experience like, where VAR has been implemented better?

[swaledale]

I refer my learned friend to my previous posts on the FA/EPL implementing VAR totally differently to any other country and also using far more technology so they can tell that a player's nose was 1mm offside. That isn't clear and it isn't obvious.

Totally agree.

[MadAmster]

MA - what's the fan experience like, where VAR has been implemented better?

I only have experience of the Dutch implementation. They don't have the technology to draw lines to check whether someone's nose is 1mm offside. In the majority of cases the VAR gets back to the ref inside well 30 seconds with a RECOMMENDATION ) no more than that and why he thinks the ref should look at the video. The ref then evaluates what he has heard and then goes to view the video if he thinks the VAR might have a case. It's only the few viewings that cause a 2 or 3 minute delay, not every damned issue. Dutch refs apply the "clear and obvious" bit of the FIFA Laws on VAR.