The experiment, which has left fans without a clue what is going on, has shown control of a game is best left to the referee and linesmenAs a pundit, Robbie Savage is not generally known for being incisive but he was bang on the money with his condemnation of the latest VAR shambles. No one in the ground had a clue what was going on, was the gist of his Wembley assessment as Tottenham’s Cup tie against Rochdale was repeatedly interrupted.That is the whole problem with VAR, and the reason a groundswell of terrace opinion is forming against its use in other leagues across Europe. While it might masquerade as progress, it is actually just another slap in the face for...
New system is having teething problems but can be refined by making it quicker and sticking more closely to its ground rulesThis is both the trickiest fix to effect and the most vital. On Wednesday night the Wembley crowd could have succumbed to hypothermia in the time it took Paul Tierney to resolve decisions. As Mauricio Pochettino pointed out, having to wait two minutes to know whether you can celebrate a goal is a bit of a buzzkill. VAR is supposed to check all “reviewable” decisions (goals, penalties, red cards, mistaken identity). Goals are particularly problematic because the game stops and cannot restart until a decision is confirmed. Quite simply, these confirmations need to be quicker. Greater experience may help...
Max Rushden and co have their say on VAR’s latest outings, dig into some transfer rumours and uncover a secret about the retiring Ronaldinho Rate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and debutant John Brewin for a morning-after-the-night-before chat on the use (or not) of VAR at Stamford Bridge, where Premier League Champions Chelsea needed penalties to beat Norwich and progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup. Continue reading...
The game is too emotional, and the experience within the stadium too important, for it to be reined in by a system that does not cater for eitherOne of the most striking aspects of the rolling-out of video assistant referees in English football over the last week is the almost daily reminder of the powerfully collegiate nature of referees. Gathered in significant numbers the refereeing community will come on like a particularly strident all-male lobbying group, flaring their neck muscles, explaining their judgments in that strangely tetchy technical language, asserting their right to be respected and supported with an air of lingering threat, like Fathers For Justice in shorts. This is their time now. And they’re going to fiddle with...
Max Rushden and co discuss the best and worst of the League Cup, Philippe Coutinho’s grand unveiling and recall Tommy Lawton’s transfer dealRate, review, share on Apple Podcasts,Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud, Acast and Stitcher, and join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and email.Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Paul Doyle and debutant Ben Fisher for a Carabao Cup special as Lee Johnson’s Bristol City almost pulled off a draw at the Etihad against Manchester City, while Chelsea and Arsenal did their best to support the argument that League Cup semis should not be played over two legs. Continue reading...