The Death of Football, R.I.P.

[lets all have a disco]

Yes, that 20:25 train home was something like you see on Indian railways

Yes it was ridiculous....we jumped on at Stoke as we left the game early and managed to get as far as stoke....

The one we got up there wasn't much better...full of Bristol City going to Stoke....they was a happy bunch to be fair....cider bottles everywhere....never thought the championship made ya that happy....

Been a nightmare the last couple of seasons travelling by train..... cancellation...got right downhill since the days of virgin......

 

[Golden Arrow]

So to rid us of VAR we need to take out all the seats and go back to all standing stadia? Seems a bit drastic under the circumstances!

It needs to be binned, full stop!
It's not pleasurable watching Association Football anymore, but no doubt I'll renew my ST and continue travelling the country in the vain hope that there's a better solution to this crazy charade.

 

[TF2Wolf]

When all is said and done, VAR is going to stay.
For whatever reason, the powers that be want to keep it. They obviously see some advantage in keeping it regardless how the fans feel about it.

It’s self serving so of course they want to keep it.

Clubs now have to pay for not only the match officials in attendance at the ground but also for the lackeys on VAR the number of which seems to have grown exponentially. They’re empire building and seemingly thrive with power they now wield with a level of arrogance and no accountability it’s bonkers.

The Premier League and Sky like it because it suits the armchair fan who probably enjoy the jeopardy that a VAR review brings. It’s bought a whole new talking point and there’s now even ****** tv shows dedicated to try and explain/justify VAR decisions.

I spend a lot of money for season tickets for me and my two lads. We try and get to as many away fixtures as we can and spent a fair bit going to City yesterday. The best part of the day was the atmosphere in the concourse although I think in part as well as the random referee decisions the ground is soulless even with being right next to the plastic city fans.

VAR is ruining the game as a match going spectacle. The blatant bias and the bull**** about the big 6 when in reality the Premier League has two or three teams and the league is in danger of becoming the English equivalent of the Rangers/Celtic monopoly. Matches are just going to end up with tourist fans taking selfies when a goal is scored.

Some form of protest is needed the trouble is us brits have a tendency to have a moan and then just try and get on with things.

I fear the way things are heading it will be too late to save the game we love for the re match going fan and it’ll end up matches with no soul.

Tbh it’s almost come to the point where I wish we are relegated purely so we can watch a match with no VAR and enjoy those moments of instant joy.

 

[Leigh72]

So to rid us of VAR we need to take out all the seats and go back to all standing stadia? Seems a bit drastic under the circumstances!

No. But you asked why fans are still going, the reason is people are reluctant to give up seats.
VAR is going nowhere as the tv people love it, and they are the paymasters I am afraid

 

[VancouverWolf]

It’s self serving so of course they want to keep it.

Clubs now have to pay for not only the match officials in attendance at the ground but also for the lackeys on VAR the number of which seems to have grown exponentially. They’re empire building and seemingly thrive with power they now wield with a level of arrogance and no accountability it’s bonkers.

The Premier League and Sky like it because it suits the armchair fan who probably enjoy the jeopardy that a VAR review brings. It’s bought a whole new talking point and there’s now even ****** tv shows dedicated to try and explain/justify VAR decisions.

I spend a lot of money for season tickets for me and my two lads. We try and get to as many away fixtures as we can and spent a fair bit going to City yesterday. The best part of the day was the atmosphere in the concourse although I think in part as well as the random referee decisions the ground is soulless even with being right next to the plastic city fans.

VAR is ruining the game as a match going spectacle. The blatant bias and the bull**** about the big 6 when in reality the Premier League has two or three teams and the league is in danger of becoming the English equivalent of the Rangers/Celtic monopoly. Matches are just going to end up with tourist fans taking selfies when a goal is scored.

Some form of protest is needed the trouble is us brits have a tendency to have a moan and then just try and get on with things.

I fear the way things are heading it will be too late to save the game we love for the re match going fan and it’ll end up matches with no soul.

Tbh it’s almost come to the point where I wish we are relegated purely so we can watch a match with no VAR and enjoy those moments of instant joy.

My former neighbour, a Leicester fan, said that last season was great without VAR.
I must admit that watching Wolves play badly, ( bad stupid passes or a sieve for a defence at times), bothers me more than most, but not all VAR calls.

 

[TF2Wolf]

I must admit that watching Wolves play badly, ( bad stupid passes or a sieve for a defence at times), bothers me more than most, but not all VAR calls.

With the greatest of respect this comment just proves what I’m saying.

VAR suits the TV watching fan more than the matchday fan.

Football for me is about that collective emotional bond to the club we all love. It’s about those instantaneous moments of joy shared by kindred spirits and in particular for me those shared memories with my two sons. Don’t get me wrong I love seeing Wolves win but it’s not the be all and end all.

For me I thought VAR was meant to remove the obvious errors the type where the everyday fan would say “how the hell has the ref missed that” not about a sanitised clinical analysis of whether someone’s **** is a millimetre offside whilst facing the wrong way. As we are seeing more frequently VAR is getting more and more involved in subjective decisions so we are now left with the situation of those instant moments in the game having been lost AND still bemusing decisions being made by match/VAR officials.

It’s ruining the essence of the game for me and I wish it were gone.

 

[Scallywolf]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

 

[TF2Wolf]

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Maybe people will be able to watch the match using the T.w@.t cam view ?

 

[Scallywolf]

Maybe people will be able to watch the match using the T.w@.t cam view ?

They only have that view at Stokley Park!

 

[Frank Lincoln]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

Why is he wearing a head camera? It seems to me that the PGMOL keep on coming up with new gimmicks instead of addressing the real problem. VAR is not fit for purpose, so either improve the standards or get rid of it. I know which I would choose.

 

[Contrarian]

Why is he wearing a head camera?

To be extra sure that Man Utd don't fail to qualify for Europe due to "incorrect" decisions?

 

[berwickwolf]

Put up a few anti var comments on various fbook sites. Interesting that Sky always take anti var posts off their site. Maybe we could all add anti var comments and try building a momentum? It's not about the decisions, it's the fact that live football is being ruined yet var still doesn't get it right. Great that a group of man city fans sang **** var together with us on Saturday

 

[Jefe]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here. Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight. Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think. Thoughts, Mixers.

Great, along with the ubiquitous malfunctioning battery pack on the shoulder, another gizmo that will break down and take 5 minutes to sort out.

 

[JadeWolf]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

Interesting but doesn’t solve any issues?

 

[Scallywolf]

Why is he wearing a head camera? It seems to me that the PGMOL keep on coming up with new gimmicks instead of addressing the real problem. VAR is not fit for purpose, so either improve the standards or get rid of it. I know which I would choose.

According to the Premier League, footage from the camera will not be broadcast live, but that it was set to form part of a programme to be screened later in the year which it is hoped will ‘offer further insight and education into the demands of officiating’.

Seems like yet another load of b******’s to me, Frank!

As Jefe says, yet another piece of kit to malfunction and take an eternity to fix.

‘

 

[Watfordfc]

According to the Premier League, footage from the camera will not be broadcast live, but that it was set to form part of a programme to be screened later in the year which it is hoped will ‘offer further insight and education into the demands of officiating’.

Seems like yet another load of b******’s to me, Frank!

As Jefe says, yet another piece of kit to malfunction and take an eternity to fix.

‘

And have to be edited out so much due to the bad language from everyone.

Tried this in the 80s..

 

[Frank Lincoln]

According to the Premier League, footage from the camera will not be broadcast live, but that it was set to form part of a programme to be screened later in the year which it is hoped will ‘offer further insight and education into the demands of officiating’.

Seems like yet another load of b******’s to me, Frank!

As Jefe says, yet another piece of kit to malfunction and take an eternity to fix.

‘

What are they worried about that prevents them from broadcasting it live. Another gimmick that ensures the fans are kept in the dark. Does Webb and his mates at the PGMOL realise that fans at the ground are using mobile phones to find out what is happening in a VAR review. They are so out of touch that it is almost laughable,

 

[Sirstancullis]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

Seems like the jokers are trying to show how difficult it is officiating at the highest level, to justify the abhorrent level of officiating this (most) season(s).

 

[Edmund Dantes]

Maybe I'm just a fool, but is adding a couple more referees not an option? It seems to me, that a lot of the controversial VAR calls are related to offsides. Could they not just have someone always watching for offsides? Maybe adjust the rule so that it has to be a clear offside and not an elbow that can make you offsides?

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

I still can't get my head around how VAR gets the stick after what happened to us and Bournemouth on Saturday.

Like, am I missing something? You all want VAR scrapped, but now you're moaning that VAR didn't get involved?

 

[Rhoswolf]

I still can't get my head around how VAR gets the stick after what happened to us and Bournemouth on Saturday.

Like, am I missing something? You all want VAR scrapped, but now you're moaning that VAR didn't get involved?

But it didn't, so in this case a double negative certainly didn't make a positive, but guess you knew that.

 

[Spitfire]

I still can't get my head around how VAR gets the stick after what happened to us and Bournemouth on Saturday.

Like, am I missing something? You all want VAR scrapped, but now you're moaning that VAR didn't get involved?

I’d happily see it scrapped just to get the spontaneity of celebrating a goal back and avoid the ridiculous delays to the game and go with the on field decisions, good or bad.
However, if they insist on using it the least we can expect is it works properly rather than them making it up as they go along and currently changing what decisions they give week by week.

 

[WolvesAndCows]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

Can get a close up of rat face, effing and blinding

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

I’d happily see it scrapped just to get the spontaneity of celebrating a goal back and avoid the ridiculous delays to the game and go with the on field decisions, good or bad.
However, if they insist on using it the least we can expect is it works properly rather than them making it up as they go along and currently changing what decisions they give week by week.

I get that and agree. It was a truly terrible decision by the referee on Saturday for the first penalty and they should've intervened.

However I don't get how the biggest animosity from Saturday appears to be directed towards VAR.

We got the same outcome as we would in a non-VAR world because Pawson is a disgrace, and that's what we should be highlighting as the bigger issue this weekend - and for most of the terrible calls that have gone against us.

 

[Darvo]

I get that and agree. It was a truly terrible decision by the referee on Saturday for the first penalty and they should've intervened.

However I don't get how the biggest animosity from Saturday appears to be directed towards VAR.

We got the same outcome as we would in a non-VAR world because Pawson is a disgrace, and that's what we should be highlighting as the bigger issue this weekend - and for most of the terrible calls that have gone against us.

The awful decision making actually doesn’t worry me that much (despite Wolves getting the rough end of the stick more than we deserve).

I just want the joy and free flowing spontaneity of the game back (warts and all).

 

[northnorfolkwolf]

The awful decision making actually doesn’t worry me that much (despite Wolves getting the rough end of the stick more than we deserve).

I just want the joy and free flowing spontaneity of the game back (warts and all).

Tbh the Prem football this season has been fantastic, free flowing, fast and loads of goal mouth action. VAR really becomes an issue with goal incidents and for me this is what is killing the game. No joy whatsoever now when we score.

 

[BridgnorthWolf Inc]

I turned the game off after the first penalty. I’m not renewing my season ticket despite having followed Wolves home and away regardless of what division we’ve been in.

Never felt more apathetic towards the sport. It’s sad because the only way I feel I could properly enjoy football again is with a lower league team, but I support Wolves. Even lower league games are expensive these days and it’s too much money for me when I don’t have that lifelong emotional connection to the team.

I fully believe there is corruption in Premier League football officiating. I think anyone who is adamant there isn’t must be ridiculously naive. History has proven so many times that wherever there are large sums of money, there is often corruption. Add that to the big club bias and football has become unbearable for me to watch these days. It’s not that I necessarily think there is a vendetta against Wolves as such (though you do have to wonder, considering things have not remotely begun to ‘even out’ over the course of the season - or since 2019) but when you can bet on every single statistic and football is watched by millions across the world then it’s not too much of a stretch to think there could be bets placed where refs or VAR try and influence the result.

I’m really surprised that anyone would continue to want to watch Premier League football in its current state and that’s coming from someone who could never have imagined not renewing their season ticket.

Post of the season right here.....agree with every word.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I turned the game off after the first penalty. I’m not renewing my season ticket despite having followed Wolves home and away regardless of what division we’ve been in.

Never felt more apathetic towards the sport. It’s sad because the only way I feel I could properly enjoy football again is with a lower league team, but I support Wolves. Even lower league games are expensive these days and it’s too much money for me when I don’t have that lifelong emotional connection to the team.

I fully believe there is corruption in Premier League football officiating. I think anyone who is adamant there isn’t must be ridiculously naive. History has proven so many times that wherever there are large sums of money, there is often corruption. Add that to the big club bias and football has become unbearable for me to watch these days. It’s not that I necessarily think there is a vendetta against Wolves as such (though you do have to wonder, considering things have not remotely begun to ‘even out’ over the course of the season - or since 2019) but when you can bet on every single statistic and football is watched by millions across the world then it’s not too much of a stretch to think there could be bets placed where refs or VAR try and influence the result.

I’m really surprised that anyone would continue to want to watch Premier League football in its current state and that’s coming from someone who could never have imagined not renewing their season ticket.

So true. My son and I feel the same. We will always be Wolves fans, but until hell freezes over and this league is fixed, it’s no longer enjoyable to watch our games knowing that some games are being manipulated and fixed to achieve certain outcomes.

 

[Golden Arrow]

The awful decision making actually doesn’t worry me that much (despite Wolves getting the rough end of the stick more than we deserve).

I just want the joy and free flowing spontaneity of the game back (warts and all).

I'm sure many of us do.
I'll put up with the odd officiating balls up here and there, but VAR has made the game almost impossible to express real emotion anymore whilst we wait around and have time for a game of Scrabble whilst someone miles away tinkers with the outcome.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

I'm sure many of us do.
I'll put up with the odd officiating balls up here and there, but VAR has made the game almost impossible to express real emotion anymore, as we wait around and have time for a game of Scrabble whilst someone miles away tinkers with the outcome.

The occasional mess up by the officials would be acceptable. But the overt one sided way decisions go depending on the shirt colour stinks. It’s a joke league and as time goes on, they get less and less worried about it appearing impartial.

Oh for a proper investigative journalist to dig into this **** show and expose those responsible.

 

[YouGottaRaulWithIt]

Why is he wearing a head camera? It seems to me that the PGMOL keep on coming up with new gimmicks instead of addressing the real problem. VAR is not fit for purpose, so either improve the standards or get rid of it. I know which I would choose.

Exactly that. Same as asking refs to explain a decision to the crowd after VAR had made us wait 5 minutes. There is no point to it. It doesn't help.

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Don’t know if this is relevant VAR or not, but I thought I would post here.

Jarred Gillet is wearing a head camera for the match between Palace and Yanited tonight.

Just a one match trial, but I honestly don’t know what to think.

Thoughts, Mixers.

Another bs gimmick designed to please the armchair audience and the pundits. Just get rid of all the tech apart from goal line technology . It’s all a distraction and adds nothing positive to the game. For those watching on tv, give us the option of watching the game on tv with or without the commentary, dump the expensive and pointless VAR crap in the bin. I’m not even convinced the ref mics are worth the hassle, as they seem to fail regularly, delaying the game.

It’s crazy. I’m a technophile at heart. I was in favour of VAR because I thought it would be just that, a referees assistant allowing them to watch a video replay of a contentious decision, or one where they didn’t get a good view in real time. But they’ve instead turned the game on its head, effectively putting a faceless ref hundreds of miles away in charge, and giving those who wish to “manage” results, a whole new set of tools to manipulate games. As for the poor sods in the stadiums, they’re left clueless, unable to celebrate goals or saves until the officials have decided in private whether that play fits the predetermined narrative for the match or not.

Howard Webb and his merry (mostly) men, can **** off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

 

[wolvesjoe]

Another bs gimmick designed to please the armchair audience and the pundits. Just get rid of all the tech apart from goal line technology . It’s all a distraction and adds nothing positive to the game. For those watching on tv, give us the option of watching the game on tv with or without the commentary, dump the expensive and pointless VAR crap in the bin. I’m not even convinced the ref mics are worth the hassle, as they seem to fail regularly, delaying the game.

It’s crazy. I’m a technophile at heart. I was in favour of VAR because I thought it would be just that, a referees assistant allowing them to watch a video replay of a contentious decision, or one where they didn’t get a good view in real time. But they’ve instead turned the game on its head, effectively putting a faceless ref hundreds of miles away in charge, and giving those who wish to “manage” results, a whole new set of tools to manipulate games. As for the poor sods in the stadiums, they’re left clueless, unable to celebrate goals or saves until the officials have decided in private whether that play fits the predetermined narrative for the match or not.

Howard Webb and his merry (mostly) men, can **** off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

The refs have had their role massively increased, with 7 refs now to every premier game. The nerds have the power!! The old adage the best refs are the ones you don't notice has been eliminated!!

We have to clean the stables completely and reclaim the game.

 

[Scallywolf]

The refs have had their role massively increased, with 7 refs now to every premier game. The nerds have the power!! The old adage the best refs are the ones you don't notice has been eliminated!!

We have to clean the stables completely and reclaim the game.

7 refs and the **** VAR technology + the incompetents at Stokley ******* Park and they still get it regularly wrong.

You couldn’t make it up, could you!

Just how much all this crap costs, together with Howard Webb and his incompetents at the PGMOL, defies belief. Being highly paid for incompetence without accountability, what a great job!

If this is progress, the game is dead. It’s already dying imo and absolutely nothing is being done about it. Aren’t the FA and Premier League (who say it will improve the game) aware of the apathy amongst the hard working supporters, pundits, players and managers of the great game. It has done bugger all, imo to improve it, just made it a load more puzzling, baffling, hard to understand and it’s getting bloody worse!

 

[Big Saft Kid]

7 refs and the **** VAR technology + the incompetents at Stokley ******* Park and they still get it regularly wrong.

You couldn’t make it up, could you!

Just how much all this crap costs, together with Howard Webb and his incompetents at the PGMOL, defies belief. Being highly paid for incompetence without accountability, what a great job!

If this is progress, the game is dead. It’s already dying imo and absolutely nothing is being done about it. Aren’t the FA and Premier League (who say it will improve the game) aware of the apathy amongst the hard working supporters, pundits, players and managers of the great game. It has done bugger all, imo to improve it, just made it a load more puzzling, baffling, hard to understand and it’s getting bloody worse!

Smell the coffee, mate! What we have know is exactly what the media companies and the FA have been pursuing: a global football "product" designed and packaged for the world-wide armchair consumer-fan who never goes to a game, festoons his home with expensive tat from his club shop announcing his/her undying love for Yanited, Citeh, ****, LiVARpool etc, and loves the 'drama' of the close VAR calls. They will NEVER pull the plug on VAR, in fact you can expect it to become ever more important. People like you and me don't count any longer, we are 'heritage fans' that currently provide a bit of colour and noise for TV, but, when we start to get fed up with it and disappear, can easily be replaced by AI on-screen fakes.

**** THE FA, **** THE PREMIER LEAGUE, AND (ESPECIALLY) **** THE PGMOL AND ALL WHO SAIL IN THEM

 

[wulfie88]

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

Why do people think that fans watching on TV enjoy VAR? Is there anything to suggest they do?

Did the millions of Liverpool fans enjoy getting cheated at Spurs? I doubt it.

It's another weird stick to beat VAR with.

Like when they claim that VAR favours the big clubs. Of course it does to a degree, but how can it possibly be worse than before? Look at all dodgy offside decisions that have 99% gone from the game. That's a massive reduction in decisions that favour big clubs which have disappeared.

It's also now harder to justify terrible decisions. So whilst they still do favour the big clubs with the initial decision, as us and Bournemouth saw on Saturday, just think how bad it has been in the past.

I have no problem with people saying they dislike VAR for other reasons, but I really don't get these ones.

 

[wolvesjoe]

Why do people think that fans watching on TV enjoy VAR? Is there anything to suggest they do?

Did the millions of Liverpool fans enjoy getting cheated at Spurs? I doubt it.

It's another weird stick to beat VAR with.

Like when they claim that VAR favours the big clubs. Of course it does to a degree, but how can it possibly be worse than before? Look at all dodgy offside decisions that have 99% gone from the game. That's a massive reduction in decisions that favour big clubs which have disappeared.

It's also now harder to justify terrible decisions. So whilst they still do favour the big clubs with the initial decision, as us and Bournemouth saw on Saturday, just think how bad it has been in the past.

I have no problem with people saying they dislike VAR for other reasons, but I really don't get these ones.

I think you are missing how getting rid of VAR would actually work. Yes there would be more mistakes on big calls, such as penalties, but the question of bias would tend to show up more obviously and more quickly than before, where it can semi-hide behind the technology as "objective".

Refs would still face scrutiny if post-match video analysis showed mistakes.

With regard to offside, the situation would improve greatly as the old "benefit of the doubt" maxim would rule out some/most of the ultlramarginal calls that are so infuriating.

Refs would also quickly improve in my view. Without the crutches of VAR, refs would have to learn to swim a bit better.

 

[WeAreTheWolvesII]

I think you are missing how getting rid of VAR would actually work. Yes there would be more mistakes on big calls, such as penalties, but the question of bias would tend to show up more obviously and more quickly than before, where it can semi-hide behind the technology as "objective".

Refs would still face scrutiny if post-match video analysis showed mistakes.

With regard to offside, the situation would improve greatly as the old "benefit of the doubt" maxim would rule out some/most of the ultlramarginal calls that are so infuriating.

Refs would also quickly improve in my view. Without the crutches of VAR, refs would have to learn to swim a bit better.

I don't think they would. I think the line would be 'they see it live, they make mistakes, these things happen' etc.

I get the logic that they would improve without VAR, but I disagree.

There is a feeling that refs don't make big decisions because they have VAR to fall back on. But in our experience, it's the complete opposite. Too many times they've made a ****, wrong call on the pitch that has cost us. If only they had been reluctant to make a big decision, then our season would look so much better!

 

[Sussex Wolf]

Why do people think that fans watching on TV enjoy VAR? Is there anything to suggest they do?

Did the millions of Liverpool fans enjoy getting cheated at Spurs? I doubt it.

It's another weird stick to beat VAR with.

Like when they claim that VAR favours the big clubs. Of course it does to a degree, but how can it possibly be worse than before? Look at all dodgy offside decisions that have 99% gone from the game. That's a massive reduction in decisions that favour big clubs which have disappeared.

It's also now harder to justify terrible decisions. So whilst they still do favour the big clubs with the initial decision, as us and Bournemouth saw on Saturday, just think how bad it has been in the past.

I have no problem with people saying they dislike VAR for other reasons, but I really don't get these ones.

VAR has made the game worse for all footballl fans, whether watching on tv or in the stadium. Whether it’s the obvious manipulation or the delays, it’s awful. It’s worse for those in the stadiums because they have even less information on what’s happening and don’t see the various angles being looked at.

As for improving the accuracy of decisions. No it hasn’t . They’ve introduced apparentl accuracy to justify their intervention, but football is mostly about subjective decisions by officials, and VAR has added another layer of subjectivity and dispute. It’s rubbish.