Premier League 2020/21

[Moses Julep]

French press are saying Poch has asked to leave PSG, why must my emotions be played with?

[Jimmy]

6 hours ago, Lineker said:

 

it's all a bit much isn't it 😭

[Lineker]

Quote

Only 26% of fans support the use of VAR in football, according to damning research that will form part of a Premier League study into the refereeing technology.

The English top flight is currently running a consultation across the game in the hope of improving VAR next season. But with little room to manoeuvre, the results of a study conducted by the Football Supporters’ Association will make for challenging reading.

Of match-going fans who replied to a survey conducted by the FSA, 95% said VAR made the experience of watching a game less enjoyable with 44% saying they would be less likely to attend a match in future as a result.

The distaste was barely less striking among fans who watched on TV, with 94% saying it had a negative impact. Both sets of fans agreed that VAR’s impact on the ability to celebrate a goal, and the time it took to resolve decisions were the most frustrating aspects of its use. The FSA consulted more than 33,000 fans in what it described as the largest survey of its kind.

“There is a clear feeling among fans that VAR has ruined the spontaneity of goal celebrations, and taken away a big part of our most enjoyable matchday moments,” said the FSA’s vice-chair Tom Greatrex. “We hope that the Premier League and referees’ body PGMOL will hear the fans’ voice and take urgent steps to improve a system that isn’t delivering clear and understandable decisions in stadiums.”

What the Premier League will actually be able to do about the complaints raised by fans remains a moot point, however. PGMOL points to reduced decision times this season, while new rules complicated by VAR, such as handball, have been interpreted.

Bigger changes such as the implementation of automated offside technology and an interpretation of the offside law that gives more benefit to the attacker – ruling out controversial ‘offside by an armpit’ decisions – are only at the trial stage, however.

The key issue for fans – that of a loss of spontaneity – will to some extent always be a part of VAR. Earlier this year, the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, even said it was good for the game. “Now if there is a doubt you check, you wait, you see and that’s the adrenaline that makes football how it is: the waiting for a result”, he said.

 

[The Lusophone]

We'll get rid of var and they'll never complain about refs getting decisions wrong ever again right?

[Gazz]

VAR is absolutely fine, it's the rules and the referees that are the issue.

[gunnar hendershow]

Yeah the biggest problem with VAR isn't its use it's the way rules are forced to be enforced/interpreted. 

[Colly]

1 hour ago, MadJack said:

We'll get rid of var and they'll never complain about refs getting decisions wrong ever again right?

We've got VAR and everyones still complaining about refs getting decisions wrong.

I think people would be a lot happier if it was there for the reasons it was brought in, to stop the absolute howlers like the Henry handball against Ireland. Ask a fan what they think of VAR though and they aren't thinking of that, they're thinking of the countless goals ruled out because of "offside". Sort that and views will change. There'll still be issues around clear and obvious fouls and handballs which will never be consistent, but that's no worse than how it was previously other than the wasted time.

All that being said thanks to Covid I think I've only been at one game officiated by VAR, so my views might change when I've sat twiddling my thumbs for 3 minutes during a check, or when my car gets a ticket thanks to the 15 minutes of extra game time...

[Szumi]

They just need to get in contact with MLS referees. They may be awful when the ball is in play, but when it comes time for VAR, they know what their doing. Sensibly apply the rules AND understand the concept of "was it an obvious error". MLS referees had no prior experience of VAR despite replays & challenges being in American sports for a while, they just use common sense.

[Szumi]

Spurs are apparently in advance talks with Conte about being their new manager, and are trying to bring in Paratici as their new Director of Football. I'll just believe it when I see it. Conte has shown that he's only happy if he's getting his every single wish when it comes to transfers and having money to spend so he'd be wanting out of Spurs by... September.

[DavidMarrio]

Problem I have with VAR is it just doesn't get used for clear and obvious. It's used for so many decisions and as I've said a number of times a lot of football isn't a simple yes or no decision. It's very contextual. 

That and the refs are arrogant cocks a lot of the time. 

[Lineker]

6 minutes ago, Szumi - A Polack said:

Spurs are apparently in advance talks with Conte about being their new manager, and are trying to bring in Paratici as their new Director of Football. I'll just believe it when I see it. Conte has shown that he's only happy if he's getting his every single wish when it comes to transfers and having money to spend so he'd be wanting out of Spurs by... September.

Blah.

[Colly]

39 minutes ago, Szumi - A Polack said:

They just need to get in contact with MLS referees. They may be awful when the ball is in play, but when it comes time for VAR, they know what their doing. Sensibly apply the rules AND understand the concept of "was it an obvious error". MLS referees had no prior experience of VAR despite replays & challenges being in American sports for a while, they just use common sense.

Yep, I can't remember if this got posted but this is a great read. 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/4376693/howard-webb-on-how-mls-is-getting-var-right-and-what-other-leagues-can-learn

[gunnar hendershow]

Conte at Spurs will be absolutely hilarious they should have a camera follow him around for the 6 weeks he's there before he gets infuriated and quits.

Also, yes, MLS by and large gets VAR right. A sport with as many layers upon layers of rules and so many judgment calls as American football can also get video review mostly right too. There's no excuse for Premier League officials to constantly bungle their VAR decisions.

Edited June 2, 2021 by damshow

[Lineker]

This could well be your classic Levy powerplay of trying to smoke Poch out of Paris. Who the hell knows, really.

[Moses Julep]

Conte’s system might work with the current squad, if we cannot get Poch then I would gladly take him provided Levy actually backs him in the transfer market. 

[Adam]

Sky Sports report that Wolves are set to appoint Bruno Lage as their new manager.

He came through coaching at Benfica, left to be assistant to Carlos Carvalhal at Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday, then took over as manager of Benfica where he won the league, before being sacked the following year.

Looks quite a risky hire on the face of it.

[The Lusophone]

14 minutes ago, Adam said:

Sky Sports report that Wolves are set to appoint Bruno Lage as their new manager.

He came through coaching at Benfica, left to be assistant to Carlos Carvalhal at Swansea and Sheffield Wednesday, then took over as manager of Benfica where he won the league, before being sacked the following year.

Looks quite a risky hire on the face of it.

Guess who his agent is.

[Malenko]

I thought I had posted that a couple weeks ago. Someone found it out and went berserk on Wolves social media (can't remember which) insulting them for letting a great manager like Nuno go and getting someone who had never won anything in return. 

Regardless of who's better I think it's funny he'd use lack of titles as a reason for outrage, considering Lage has actually won something with Benfica and Nuno had a grand total of 0 titles as a manager when he went to Wolves.

[GoGo Yubari]

 

[Lineker]

It's going to be a beautiful disaster.