Some weeks ago I posted a link to a VAR survey I was involved with that was being run by the FSA and a number of you asked if the results would be published.

Firstly, a big thanks from me to all those of you who took a few minutes to complete the survey.

The results have been published today at:
https://bit.ly/3fHm28Q

Very interesting just how many people said that they would attend less games because of it.

Leisure wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:53 pm

Very interesting just how many people said that they would attend less games because of it.

Sadly the match attending supporter is bottom of the pile when it comes to anything to do with VAR.

Leisure wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 1:53 pm

Very interesting just how many people said that they would attend less games because of it.

I was surprised at that but it’s evident from those results that fans don’t like VAR.

It will only get worse with Lee Mason giving up dodgy refereeing to work just for VAR

I don't like VAR.. But it wouldn't put me off going to games. Its any excuse for some, if it wasn't VAR, its season ticket sales, price, Covid, style of football etc etc.

There's little doubt that it diminishes the live experience - holding back on goal celebrations; long delays with little information in the ground - but it wouldn't stop me going to the game.

I'd rather be left with my own thoughts in the stadium than having to listen to a pundit speculate as to whether a particular foul merits a red card or hear again how it's not right for someone to be offside because they've got big feet or whatever.

Wonder how many Leicester city supporters would rather have potentially lost the F.A.Cup final (If the Chelsea goal had been allowed to stand) if VAR wasn't used at Wembley?

Making technically correct decisions is not the be all and end all of football. I can live with referees making errors but it’s hard to accept all the bollocking about that VAR introduces. And still you get wrong decisions

Spijed wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:12 pm

Wonder how many Leicester city supporters would rather have potentially lost the F.A.Cup final (If the Chelsea goal had been allowed to stand) if VAR wasn't used at Wembley?

It's not about one decision though - relating to one incident in one match is missing the point totally

VAR won't be going anywhere... It caters for the all-important TV audience...



Its potential effect on smaller clubs like Burnley will be deemed irrelevant...the clubs that matter will have a near infinite supply of Japanese tourists and computer programmers from Guildford to replace any disillusioned fans.

Me personally think it just needs tweaking and would prefer it to stay ..I don't mind getting beat fairly and var makes it more fairer in my opinion

It’s only fairer if the correct outcomes are achieved. On too many occasions, that just hasn’t been the case.

Two of us who make a 300 mile round trip to the Turf have decided not to renew our season tickets mainly because of VAR involvement but also because of the attitude of many players who fall over at the slightest contact and are expecting the officials to award fouls.
Sadly, this is happening more and more and we are seeing players cautioned or dismissed for great tackles because they are deemed to have used excessive force, they have endangered an opponent, they have been reckless etc., etc.
This is no longer the game that I have been involved in for just under 60 years of my adult life so it is Northern League for me next season.

I like the idea of VAR. It takes away a fair amount of enjoyment though - especially the goal celebrations.

I am not convinced it has done much to improve officiating/fairness.

Could there be a cap on time taken to make a decision ? If it is not possible to call within x seconds, then it is not clear and we play on.

Just get rid of it.
The tv pundits can then talk about what would have happened had VAR been used and the rest of us can just get on with it

mill hill claret wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:46 pm

Me personally think it just needs tweaking and would prefer it to stay ..I don't mind getting beat fairly and var makes it more fairer in my opinion

What do you mean by 'tweaking'? It's a term used frequently in sport but it surely needs quantifying. What 'tweaks' could be made to presumably improve VAR?

I don’t like the bit where it says with a view to improving the technology - just get ******* rid of it.

Silkyskills1 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:36 pm

What do you mean by 'tweaking'? It's a term used frequently in sport but it surely needs quantifying. What 'tweaks' could be made to presumably improve VAR?

Tweaking the rules so they are clearer to refs ...var operators and supporter's

Just out of interest, how many of Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal away games, would we have been allowed to win if the Refs could have got away with their usual bias, as they would have done without VAR?

Referees policing themselves and preventing acute embarrassment where obvious howlers have been made by the on field referees. Linesmen and 4th officials rarely consulted now. Monitors hardly used.
Interesting how the deliberate stamp/treading foul on the instep appears to be very prevalent now. Hardly seen in recent years. Boots look very lightweight and offer little protection in that area and the foul tends to have the full bodyweight applied. Only being picked up by slomo footage and the perpetrator gets away with it more often than not despite the shrieks of the poor soul on the receiving end.

And there we go again.
Nico Williams red card and France get a penalty when the ball is whacked at his hand from near point blank range......

Ashingtonclaret46 wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:15 pm

Two of us who make a 300 mile round trip to the Turf have decided not to renew our season tickets mainly because of VAR involvement but also because of the attitude of many players who fall over at the slightest contact and are expecting the officials to award fouls.
Sadly, this is happening more and more and we are seeing players cautioned or dismissed for great tackles because they are deemed to have used excessive force, they have endangered an opponent, they have been reckless etc., etc.
This is no longer the game that I have been involved in for just under 60 years of my adult life so it is Northern League for me next season.

Totally agree with you. I’ve stopped watching on tv. Only watch Burnley games now, and only when at a reasonable time. VAR as killed any enjoyment you get from the game. You can see spectacular goals only for VAR to overturn it because somewhere in the buildup a players size 11 boots were a millimetre offside or his cuff on his short sleeve was just in front. Then you get to fouls. Just taking our game at Leeds. The keeper clatters Mee, that knob ref gives the keeper a free kick. I think we were told VAR couldn’t overturn it because the ref saw it, so wasn’t an obvious error. The ever touch of ball to hand is handball is a fault of the law, not VAR. For me, it’s certainly not the game I fell in love with. “He felt contact, so had a right to go down”
To be honest, if it wasn’t because we have a great set of Clarets here, I wouldn’t bother with football at all. I’m more into Rugby League now, and yes that as VAR. but the game is more suited to it with natural stops in play.

VAR is the straw that broke this donkeys back.

Watching a game without VAR seems ridiculously exciting now. For me personally, it has made a North East Counties League match a way more appealing spectacle than a top class Premier League game.

As for “it’s not VAR, it’s the people using it”.. what did you think the ‘R’ stood for? It’s not AI technology, it’s just another opinion, three minutes after the first opinion.

To me it’s simple. Offside by mm is ludicrous - the game is played in ‘real time’. Bad tackles are obvious - they can be seen and, importantly, heard.
Rule changes are more important;
Anyone offside is offside - any player on the pitch is affecting the game.
Shirt pulling and manhandling (especially at corners and free kicks) is a foul.
Sort those out, and VAR is redundant.

Btw - screaming when throwing yourself to the ground should be highlighted and shown at least ten times in the stadium and on tv

jackmiggins wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 7:01 am

Btw - screaming when throwing yourself to the ground should be highlighted and shown at least ten times in the stadium and on tv

How mad has the world gone when I find myself agreeing with jack

yorkyclaret wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:12 pm

Just out of interest, how many of Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal away games, would we have been allowed to win if the Refs could have got away with their usual bias, as they would have done without VAR?

Not many, and it's surprising to hear so many Burnley fans against it considering.
I understand their concerns of course, but I personally feel that VAR being scrapped would be a step backwards. Refs backed by refs is the main issue. They need ex players to defend the players in lots of decisions and to break the old boys club.

superdimitri wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:29 am

Not many, and it's surprising to hear so many Burnley fans against it considering.
I understand their concerns of course, but I personally feel that VAR being scrapped would be a step backwards. Refs backed by refs is the main issue. They need ex players to defend the players in lots of decisions and to break the old boys club.

I decided to leave the commentary turned on the other day instead of listening to vinly while watching a game.
Lee Hendrie, an ex-player, was the co-commentator and what a load of tosh he spouted. The thought of people like him adding to the total ******** of VAR confirmed to me why I had made my decision to walk away and let them get on with it.

VAR is the lesser of two evils. I’d take VAR over referee bias for the big 6 teams or a homer referee everyday of the week.

Foshiznik wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:22 am

VAR is the lesser of two evils. I’d take VAR over referee bias for the big 6 teams or a homer referee everyday of the week.

But we still have bias.

Ashingtonclaret46 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 8:53 am

Lee Hendrie, an ex-player, was the co-commentator and what a load of tosh he spouted.

I've got to say that I have to say that Lee Hendrie is creating new depths for co-commentating. I've got to say that.

He might not know his onions but if the job helps him stay clean & honest it can't be a bad thing.

Grumps wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 7:39 am

How mad has the world gone when I find myself agreeing with jack

You’d be surprised - I actually agree with 99% of what you post. Was just extremely frustrated last year, when we didn’t shut our borders.
All the best kakokefos

VAR should be used only for:

1. Goal line technology
2. Cases of mistaken identity
3. Serious off the ball incidents like a headbutt or punch
4. Clear incidents of cheating such as diving without contact

Everything else, just get on with it. It's clear that some subjective calls are still open to bias by the video ref, and the offside situation is just killing the game.

I think that we've opened Pandora's box so I think there's no going back and while I'm not a big fan of VAR, I think that if it were implemented better then it would improve the game in general.

It was never brought in to tell if someone's toenail was onside or offside but those decisions are the ones which are the most common and most frustrating. They're also not as factual as they would have you think - depending on when the person freezing the shot decides that the ball has left the boot of the player (of the 25 frames/second that they have to choose from...). I'm not sure what the solution to this issue is though.

It's good that they gave the option for the referee to come and view a monitor - it was ridiculous that in a game where so many rules are "in the opinion of the referee" that so many decisions were made by a different ref. However, I get the sense that there's massive pressure on a ref when they are summoned to the monitor that they must change their decision. They get the call to say, "we want you to check that you are happy with this" which gives them the impression that another professional thinks that they are wrong. I'm more than happy for a ref to check the monitor and stick with their original decision if that's the correct thing to do but 98% of the time when called to the monitor they seem to be under pressure to change it.

There is bound to be some evolution on it, hopefully quick enough for me to be able to see unbiased refereeing. Even this last season I can only remember Leeds away that was clearly corrupt, most seasons pre VAR there were 6 or 7.

Ric_C wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 1:39 pm

VAR should be used only for:

1. Goal line technology

VAR isn't used for goal line technology - that's something totally different, has been with us for a few years now and works perfectly while also being instant.

Not always, https://www.eurosport.com/football/prem ... tory.shtml VAR can still overrule it. So both were at fault for this one.

jackmiggins wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 12:41 pm

You’d be surprised - I actually agree with 99% of what you post. Was just extremely frustrated last year, when we didn’t shut our borders.
All the best kakokefos

You'll be a happy chap this afternoon then

yorkyclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:27 pm

Not always, https://www.eurosport.com/football/prem ... tory.shtml VAR can still overrule it. So both were at fault for this one.

I still believe it hadn't been switched on that night

Grumps wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 2:36 pm

You'll be a happy chap this afternoon then

Why?

jackmiggins wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 3:18 pm

Why?

Red, Amber and no green

I enjoyed watching league 1 and 2 playoffs a lot more than I do premier league games. After tackles majority of the time the players got up and carried on with the game, they stayed down when genuinely hurt. Some decent football played as well with all teams attacking and not passing sideways and back between defenders and keeper for 10 mins at a time.
Not saying I want Burnley back in the lower divisions, just that the lower divisions seem to play the game like it should be played.

RammyClaret61 wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 9:39 am

But we still have bias.

We don’t get decisions like those against us those times we played arsenal though. I’d take VAR Over that shambles every week

vancouverclaret wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 03, 2021 3:49 pm

I enjoyed watching league 1 and 2 playoffs a lot more than I do premier league games. After tackles majority of the time the players got up and carried on with the game, they stayed down when genuinely hurt. Some decent football played as well with all teams attacking and not passing sideways and back between defenders and keeper for 10 mins at a time.
Not saying I want Burnley back in the lower divisions, just that the lower divisions seem to play the game like it should be played.

Get a season ticket for Rochdale then

VAR survey results. You all are offisde.

...And there is no noise outside of yourself, just sound vibrations everywhere else and yourself.