VAR's f***ing brilliant, isn't it?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

VAR! VAR!

[elguapo4]

Can't blame the officials for enacting the law, but it's a terrible law.

[Third rate Leszno]

Might as well laugh while we can, later in the season it'll come back and bite us on the ball bag for sure.

[ad hoc]

I have no idea what has happened (though given the identity of the gloaters, I presume something that benefits Liverpool), but I have decided I won't watch live football (in person or on TV) that has VAR in. It fucks football.

[Satchmo Distel]

It's funny watching Man City being brought down to size but farces like this are going to kill the game.

[Arturo]

Creates even more tiresome "talking points" for shit pundits.

[Janik]

I have no idea what has happened (though given the identity of the gloaters, I presume something that benefits Liverpool), but I have decided I won't watch live football (in person or on TV) that has VAR in. It fucks football.

Same as in Leicester-Wolves last week. A ball hit a forward's arm just prior to the 'goal'. And just like at Leicester last week, the problem isn't VAR, it's the updated handball rule that says if the ball hits an attackers hand, even accidentally, either in the act of scoring or in setting that up, then the goal should be ruled out.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

[img]https://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_..._330/image.jpg[/img]

Having someone score a goal against you after handling the ball is really fucking annoying, even if it's a lot less intentional than this The rule is fine. People just have to get used to it. It's the same for everyone.

Also I think VAR is worth it alone for that touching scene between Pep and Aguero.....

[jeanmid]

Same as in Leicester-Wolves last week. A ball hit a forward's arm just prior to the 'goal'. And just like at Leicester last week, the problem isn't VAR, it's the updated handball rule that says if the ball hits an attackers hand, even accidentally, either in the act of scoring or in setting that up, then the goal should be ruled out.

Yeah but let's blame VAR instead as it's technolgy and technology is bad.

[Nesta]

^ jeanmid's post but unironically

[hobbes]

I think it's a good rule. Why should a team gain an advantage from something against the rules? And they definitely did. The ball came off his arm and dropped straight to Jesus.

[Toby Gymshorts]

All other things aside, let's not lose sight of the fact that it's the second game of the season, and crowing about Man City losing points is likely to spectacularly blow up in your face.

[hobbes]

I'm not crowing (Only speaking for myself, of course.)
And I started the season assuming we’d finish 3rd or 4th. Which seems dizzyingly optimistic, but you know.

[Toby Gymshorts]

I meant Rogin.

[Janik]

I think it's a good rule. Why should a team gain an advantage from something against the rules? And they definitely did. The ball came off his arm and dropped straight to Jesus.

They shouldn't, obviously. But Conor Coady was right at the King Power last week that the ball hitting an arm accidentally wasn't against the rules six months ago (OK, that isn't what he meant, almost the complete opposite in fact, but it remains the truth of the situation). What it poses is a different question about whether Football should have an imbalance between attacking and defending. Even with 'unnatural positions' and so on, there is still the possibility for a defender to have the ball hit his hand and it not be a foul. That has now been removed from forwards.

As I've alluded to before I also see this from a Hockey background, where the ball hitting a foot or shin is a foul regardless of intent and everyone knows and accepts this. And because it's not controversial it doesn't particularly feel unfair. It's not like it's easier to get your feet out of the way than your hands, either - in fact, it's harder as you can't just lift your lower legs up behind your back and float there indefinitely. They really have to be grounded regularly. Despite that Newtonian limitation, reducing the number of times you get hit on the feet is a key defensive technique. Football could go down the same path and do away with the ambiguity that is currently rampant in it's laws by saying all times the ball strikes the hand or arm, then it's a foul. Penalise it with an indirect free-kick. If a player intentionally (likely entirely clearly and obviously deliberately) catches the ball or swats it away with his hand, put that down as Unsporting Conduct worthy of a direct free-kick/penalty and a yellow card.

[EIM]

VAR! VAR!

It's fucking wank. And added to being fucking wank, they're not even using it like they said they would. The new handball law is also fucking wank, and has seemingly been introduced to justify their expensive new toy.

[hobbes]

They shouldn't, obviously. But Conor Coady was right at the King Power last week that the ball hitting an arm accidentally wasn't against the rules six months ago (OK, that isn't what he meant, almost the complete opposite in fact, but it remains the truth of the situation). What it poses is a different question about whether Football should have an imbalance between attacking and defending. Even with 'unnatural positions' and so on, there is still the possibility for a defender to have the ball hit his hand and it not be a foul. That has now been removed from forwards..

The back pass rule was like that though. Something legal became illegal and overnight tipped the balance towards the attacking team. It also improved the game immeasurably, although I suspect EIM railed against it too, the bloody reactionary granddad.

[Patrick Thistle]

The argument 'for' VAR was to prevent the kind of blatant injustice that occasionally happened - a player gets sent off for a 'handball' that hit his chest; a forward scores by punching it into the net; a player gets scythed down and booked for diving; someone gets a penalty with a dive etc etc

Instead VAR is capturing micro infringements that wouldn't otherwise be seen. Ellen White's disallowed goals in the world cup come to mind. There have been a lot in the Premier League already. Aguero's second chance penalty comes to mind. That was only due to VAR.

On the World Cup board someone linked to Eni Aluko's comment that VAR was enforcing perfection rather than just catching clear refereeing errors, and that is probably the best description yet of why VAR is sucking the soul out of the game.

[DCI Harry Batt]

I'm with ad hoc, I'm not going to bother with any live football that has this fucking wank in.

Not that I was bothering with it anyway, it was already pretty shit.

[Jah Womble]

It’s the revised handball rule that’s at fault - that isn’t VAR’s doing. I’ll concede that VAR really isn’t being implemented properly, however, for reasons addressed already. So best hang onto your hats, because there’ll be some absolute humdingers for and against your sides this season while it beds in. (Or simply boycott it because it’s all ‘f*cking w*nk’, up to you.)

The regularity with which VAR-incidents have occurred in games between ourselves and City is fairly amusing, however. (Bear in mind that they’ve also benefited, via another ridiculous non-handball by Rose in that CL first leg. They just didn’t take advantage of it.)

[DCI Harry Batt]

VAR is doing exactly what VAR was always going to do. It is a terrible implementation, yes. But of a terrible idea.

Hopefully the tech will remain way too expensive for most football.

[tracteurgarcon]

If goals are going to be ruled out for accidental handballs by attackers then surely EVERY handball by a defender has to be a penalty?

[EIM]

The back pass rule was like that though. Something legal became illegal and overnight tipped the balance towards the attacking team. It also improved the game immeasurably, although I suspect EIM railed against it too, the bloody reactionary granddad.

Liverpool haven't won the league since the back pass rule. I'm all for it.

[ad hoc]

The revised handball rule is, I'd argue, a result of the introduction of VAR. They felt like they needed some objectively observable rule, so they came up with this. For me the whole spectacle and indeed the whole game is ruined by VAR, and as a result I'm not going to watch any games that have it. I'm not telling anyone else they have to agree with me.

[3 Colours Red]

I do genuinely believe VAR can be made to work. All it needs are these three patented (pending) 3CR Tweaks^TM:

1) A tennis-style challenge system. Each team gets X amount (I'm thinking two - keep it low); keeps one if the decision is overturned, loses one if it stands.

2) Replays for the fans. This is vital.

3) A 30 second time limit to make a decision from the time the ref calls. If no agreement is met, original decision stands.

You can thank me later.