Rangers fans are finally set to see justice after years of appallingly poor decisions after VAR was rubber-stamped for an October 29th introduction, much earlier than initially planned.
The technology had been mooted for a post-world cup release, but it’s been pushed forward, and incidents like Antonio Colak’s wrongly-disallowed goal v Livi should become a non-problem in time.
True, Ian Maxwell’s point about a teething period is probably accurate, given the endemic incompetence of our officials at the best of times, but overall the tech should be working by next year with issues reducing. We hope.
Also true, England’s implementation of it still gets whined at furiously, so for those thinking every bad decision will be overturned, think again.
End of the day, it’s still down to subjective perception, even a multi-angle replay.
We remember two decades ago, Alan Hansen well in the day before video replays were even an idea, explained on Match of the Day how the three of them (himself, Lineker and Shearer) were struggling to agree on something despite seeing the replays together, so he wasn’t sure how video evidence could actually help that much:
“The referee has it hard enough, but how will replays help when we’re sitting here still nonethewiser despite seeing the evidence ourselves?”
Of course, this was in the days before multi-angle, digital technology et al, with just a grotty single-angle replay instead, so the evidence they had wasn’t as extensive as now, but the ultimately problem still remains thus:
‘We were clearly watching a different game’.
And that’s what it boils down to – subjective opinion when two (or more) people see the same thing but interpret it differently.
Of course, an offside call surely would see more right than wrong, and Colak would have a ridiculous 14 in 16 if it was the case, but end of the day, Rangers will benefit as much as anyone from this tech.
October 29th is when the real arguments begin.
VAR is a 2way street. It’s great if decisions go your way. But don’t bump your gums when it goes against you!!
One of your hero’s (Ally) recently said after the European penalty fiasco The referee by the law got it right but it was the the wrong decision. If decisions go your way- great. If they go against you they are wrong. Nothing changes!!
It can be the case of being careful what you wish for. Yeah, colaks goal would have stood, but on Sunday, we would have been down to 10 with a red card for young Leon King.
As long as it helps the ineptitude of the official’s up here, then all is good.
I’m kind of on the fence about VAR. In principle it is a great idea but the time spent checking it can suck the flow out of a game or knock a team when they are in their stride. Why can’t the 4th official just be given the task of checking the ref’s decisions and overturning them when necessary? You could call it undermining but the officials are also a team and should just work the system together. I think we won’t have a great advantage with VAR in place. Look at Saturday for example, we were absolute mince to watch and barely keeping ourselves in the game when Leon King picked up a yellow for a pretty poorly timed tackle. If the ref had been called to look at that it could have been very different. Refs get things right and wrong, even the ones who have been using VAR the last few seasons. They have professional refs in the EPL and most of them still can’t get a penalty or handball decision right. We will praise it when things go our way but at the end of the day it is still down the interpretation of one man to call the right decision and we will still get plenty controversy.
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