Michael Salisbury should have been on VAR duty this afternoon for the Liverpool v Arsenal game but he's been removed following his big error in the Chelsea v Fulham game when he sent the prancing Rob, look at me, Jones to the screen.

It is a case of out of the frying pan into the fire today though - John Brooks is his replacement.

There can't be many jobs where you get a paid day off in return for making a big error. With that said though, surely the responsibility for the bad decision is Jones' unless there's an implicit assumption that the ref watching the replay is just a facade and the real decision is made by the VAR?

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 1:50 pm

Michael Salisbury should have been on VAR duty this afternoon for the Liverpool v Arsenal game but he's been removed following his big error in the Chelsea v Fulham game when he sent the prancing Rob, look at me, Jones to the screen.

It is a case of out of the frying pan into the fire today though - John Brooks is his replacement.

3 weeks into the season and they are already having to stand and officer down and admit there has been a significant mistake made

Don’t get why Jones isn’t removed too. It’s ultimately his choice. He didn’t have to go with the VAR. But he sure enjoyed doing it and making his big announcement.

Seems to be even more unrest online about VAR this season, hopefully the rising number of dissenting voices will finally start to have an effect.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:04 pm

Don’t get why Jones isn’t removed too. It’s ultimately his choice. He didn’t have to go with the VAR. But he sure enjoyed doing it and making his big announcement.

Jones wasn’t on duty today or may well have been stood down.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:16 pm

Jones wasn’t on duty today or may well have been stood down.

Shame it won’t be permanently.

Going off Rate the Ref, Salisbury is a very competent referee. That said, it doesn’t guarantee that he’s good on VAR. the whole system is a complete and utter biased mess.

RVclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:04 pm

Don’t get why Jones isn’t removed too. It’s ultimately his choice. He didn’t have to go with the VAR. But he sure enjoyed doing it and making his big announcement.

Exactly this. He is an absolute moron!!! I know Mike Oliver has some supporters but watch these two every time there is a contentious incident / decision, they are looking up at the screens to see if the camera is on them. See for yourself.

The problem is Jones was worried if he didn’t go with var he’d be frowned on by the “boys club”.

Steve-Harpers-perm wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 2:20 pm

Shame it won’t be permanently.

Pompous Get and full of his own importance.

daveisaclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 1:52 pm

There can't be many jobs where you get a paid day off in return for making a big error. With that said though, surely the responsibility for the bad decision is Jones' unless there's an implicit assumption that the ref watching the replay is just a facade and the real decision is made by the VAR?

Yes, this is quite telling!

It appears to be very difficult to get someone as referee or on VAR who are both competent and neutral. There aren't many about in the Premier League.

And on Monday Dermot Gallagher makes a liar of himself, every week, defending the indefensible.

there's no excuse to not have ex players involved in VAR, even less of an excuse to not turn the ******* thing off.

VAR is a case of - too many cooks spoil the broth.
Makes A complete mess.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:07 pm

there's no excuse to not have ex players involved in VAR, even less of an excuse to not turn the ******* thing off.

I wouldn’t want ex players anywhere near it either, they are as bias as they come, you see ex players referring to their former clubs as ‘we’ all the time.

Darren bent for example on talksport is as bias as they come regarding Arsenal. Carragher another, he wouldn’t be able to do any game involving any of the so called big 6 because of his Liverpool bias

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:07 pm

there's no excuse to not have ex players involved in VAR, even less of an excuse to not turn the ******* thing off.

Ex-players aren’t qualified officials though. They don’t know the laws of the game. There may be some ex-players willing to train and complete the required qualifications, but there is nothing stopping them from doing that now. I can’t imagine that job is particularly appealing to ex-professionals either.

Yeah, it’s a much easier gig for former players to smugly comment on decisions after being able to see it numerous times without time constraints.

VAR needs reviewing.

It needs the referee to have access to the monitor, where there is no on-field communication until the referee chooses to go to the monitor. Then, the referee can communicate with the VAR official, asking him/her to provide certain angles, but not to offer any professional opinion.

Take the Fulham goal yesterday….

Perfectly good goal scored.
Jones sees a Chelsea player writhing around in pain and a few Chelsea players protest, so he decides to go over to the monitor just to double check the tackle on the Chelsea player. I VERY much doubt that he changes his opinion.

The sooner they have a separate VAR pool of refs the better.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:07 pm

there's no excuse to not have ex players involved in VAR, even less of an excuse to not turn the ******* thing off.

Most of the ex players we listen to are are thick as mince and have little to no knowledge of the laws of the game, a game that most have played at a professional level for more than a decade.

We should bin VAR but if it continues then the VAR operators should be dedicated to this job, not an on field referee today and a VAR official tomorrow.

Goody1975 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:01 pm

Most of the ex players we listen to are are thick as mince and have little to no knowledge of the laws of the game, a game that most have played at a professional level for more than a decade.

We should bin VAR but if it continues then the VAR operators should be dedicated to this job, not an on field referee today and a VAR official tomorrow.

it doesn't need someone to know the laws of the game to see a "coming together" isn't often a foul. Use it for serious foul play if you must but let the refs ref the game, we've managed for over 100 years without it, there are 3 leagues here that don't have it and they get on fine. This hiding behind "the laws of the game" is exactly why Parker is spot on with his non contact sterile comment. It's ****

jdrobbo wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:22 pm

VAR needs reviewing.

I have said from the start, if you use technology then it has to be a black and white decision.

A incident occurs, in scenario one the on field referee gives a foul, in scenario two the on field referee waves play on.

VAR gets involved and sticks with the on field decision, therefore giving two different outcomes for the same incident. If this is the road we are continuing to go down, then just let the man in black referee the game as was the case a few years ago.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:06 pm

it doesn't need someone to know the laws of the game to see a "coming together" isn't often a foul. Use it for serious foul play if you must but let the refs ref the game, we've managed for over 100 years without it, there are 3 leagues here that don't have it and they get on fine. This hiding behind "the laws of the game" is exactly why Parker is spot on with his non contact sterile comment. It's ****

The ex players would still need to have a grasp of what the laws of the game are, most don't have a scooby do.

Goody1975 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:09 pm

The ex players would still need to have a grasp of what the laws of the game are, most don't have a scooby do.

Mate, you can take any football fan and they'll tell you there is zero chance the Fulham goal should be ruled out yesterday. The "refs who know the law" decided it was a foul

Today Fulham received an apology

It's farcical

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:11 pm

Mate, you can take any football fan and they'll tell you there is zero chance the Fulham goal should be ruled out yesterday. The "refs who know the law" decided it was a foul

Today Fulham received an apology

It's farcical

You are talking about one incident, having an ex player involved won't improve anything, in fact it's likely to muddy the waters and make it worse.

Improve the officials, don't make it worse by adding another layer of incompetence.

Goody1975 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:17 pm

You are talking about one incident

as it's the most recent, let's not pretend there aren't loads because there are.

The refs have become robots with zero personality, it must be rubbish for them.

Our ref and Var officials from yesterday should never be anywhere near a PL game again. Be interesting to see if if he refs any of our home games this season ? I very much doubt it

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:28 pm

Our ref and Var officials from yesterday should never be anywhere near a PL game again. Be interesting to see if if he refs any of our home games this season ? I very much doubt it

They (or the system in place) makes mistakes every week, the PGMOL stand them down for a game and their incompetence level is reset (I mean forgotten about).

They return the following match day to ruin everyone's weekend again.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:24 pm

as it's the most recent, let's not pretend there aren't loads because there are.

The refs have become robots with zero personality, it must be rubbish for them.

VAR 1: "There appears to be contact between the two players there"
VAR 2: "Do you think we should refer this to the ex professional player?"
VAR 1: "Who is it today?"
VAR 2: "Daniel Sturridge"

The question for me is, are there fewer mistakes and controversial decisions made now by referees than pre VAR? Forget the clear and obvious error rhetoric, we were all sold a pup there.

The answer is no. There only difference is, as Scott said, football is now becoming sterile. It is being referred by VAR, something they said would never happen. It is sucking the lifeblood out of the game.

Goody1975 wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:45 pm

VAR 1: "There appears to be contact between the two players there"
VAR 2: "Do you think we should refer this to the ex professional player?"
VAR 1: "Who is it today?"
VAR 2: "Daniel Sturridge"

you do now you can choose those most suitable and not just those that have "played at the top level"

I think that VAR today was being handled by the "Fenway Sports group."

How about removing VAR there are still dodgy penalties awarded .

FCBurnley wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 4:28 pm

Our ref and Var officials from yesterday should never be anywhere near a PL game again. Be interesting to see if if he refs any of our home games this season ? I very much doubt it

Interesting you say that because Stuart atwell was VAR for our game yesterday and he hasn’t reffed one of our games since Villa away when he missed a clear handball and gave a farcical penalty against Ramsey.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 3:07 pm

there's no excuse to not have ex players involved in VAR, even less of an excuse to not turn the ******* thing off.

Not an excuse, it’s not permitted to have anyone on VAR anywhere in the world who is not a top level qualified referee.

daveisaclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 1:52 pm

There can't be many jobs where you get a paid day off in return for making a big error. With that said though, surely the responsibility for the bad decision is Jones' unless there's an implicit assumption that the ref watching the replay is just a facade and the real decision is made by the VAR?

The problem is that once a ref is directed to the screen for another look he automatically assumes he's seen it wrong and so yes, it's just a vacuus exercise and everyone knows he'll change his original decision when sometimes he should just have the balls (which Jones clearly hasn't!) to say "I'm happy I got that right".

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:17 pm

Not an excuse, it’s not permitted to have anyone on VAR anywhere in the world who is not a top level qualified referee.

So that's the excuse - change the requirements so they can offer an opinion

The way it's all going it'll be AI refereeing games within the next decade and it'll be a non contact sport

Refs and liners getting things right and sometimes wrong has always been part of the game and it can be extremely frustrating and has always been thus. VAR also gets some things right and other things wrong which means it's completely pointless and just wasting everyone's time, especially because some of the things it gets wrong, the ref on the field has actually got right!! Goal line technology has been great and it works because it's basically irrefutable and has taken away the human element involved in that sometimes tricky decision, but almost all other decisions still involve human scrutiny and that's where it all goes wrong. Scrap VAR and let the refs get on with it for better or worse!

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:44 pm

So that's the excuse - change the requirements so they can offer an opinion

The way it's all going it'll be AI refereeing games within the next decade and it'll be a non contact sport

It's not an excuse, it's a ruling laid down by FIFA.

Vegas Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 8:44 pm

So that's the excuse - change the requirements so they can offer an opinion

The way it's all going it'll be AI refereeing games within the next decade and it'll be a non contact sport

Happy for AI to do jobs that people can't do. Currently, that seems to be operating VAR.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 31, 2025 9:31 pm

It's not an excuse, it's a ruling laid down by FIFA.

well aware, it needs changing and from the interviews I've heard with Howard Webb he wants it to change.

If a ref is sent to the screen of dodgyness there is a good chance that a dodgy decision is to be made where one person feels the need for the back up of an accomplice
It is amazing that If the decision takes a while then it isn’t any more likely to be the correct decision

The last time Salisbury was” stood down” he actually went abroad and got paid for doing a European fixture.