VAR! WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
If the intention of VAR was to put an end to the ritual of football fans, players and managers bellyaching about incorrect decisions against their teams made by referees, then The Fiver can only applaud the overwhelming success of its not entirely successful recent trial during the FA Cup third round. Following Wednesday night’s ding-dong between Chelsea and Norwich City, any bellyaching about mistakes referee Graham Scott might have made has been comprehensively drowned out by the loud grumbling about the shortcomings of his video assistant referee, who failed to inform his man in the thick of the action that Willian should probably have got a penalty after being fouled by Timm Klose, rather than the yellow card he got for diving instead. Now that it’s become the controversial subject of the kind of vociferous pub debate it is being slowly introduced to put an end to, it is probably fair to say VAR in its current state is, depending on your point of view: a) in need of a few major tweaks; or b) an unworkable shambles for which mankind is not ready that should be buried in a garden hole and never spoken of again.
Alan Shearer is one high-profile former player and pundit who is against its introduction. He conceded VAR worked in Tuesday’s match between Leicester City and Fleetwood, but said in the wake of the massively entertaining farce in which nine-man Chelsea scrambled past the Canaries that it’s “a shambles”. As luck would have it and as mentioned in yesterday’s Fiver, Fleetwood manager Uwe Rösler was not prepared to concede VAR worked, choosing instead to ignore all available video assisted evidence to the contrary. Theirs were just two of many, many views to have been espoused by angry people on both sides of a debate about technology being introduced in a bid to make people who watch and play football slightly less angry about everything.
Unlike Shearer, The Fiver is largely in favour of VAR because, in its current unworkable state, it livens up dreary matches we otherwise wouldn’t be particularly fussed about, and over time it will probably be tweaked into a workable state that is satisfactory for even its most vocal current critics. Some sort of appeals system, like in cricket or tennis, seems the best way forward, while it would also certainly help if the official tasked with keeping tabs on the game in Big Referee House near Heathrow Airport actually kept tabs on the game in Big Referee House near Heathrow Airport. Like a Terminator, VAR is out there. It can’t be reasoned with, it can’t be bargained with, it doesn’t feel remorse or fear and it absolutely will not stop, ever. Until criticism of referees is dead. It’s what VAR does. It’s all VAR does. Except sometimes when VAR doesn’t.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“We think it is a lack of respect when you get involved with players who are playing for another team” – Dortmund’s Michael Zorc gets the hump with Arsène Wenger for mentioning Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Which reminds us …
19 December 2017: “An excellent player. He is in the sights of the very, very large clubs of Europe” – Michael Zorc is definitely not talking about Emre Can.
17 December 2017: “Julian Nagelsmann has a contract with Hoffenheim and we will always respect that. We have some ideas and thoughts for the future, obviously, but for now everything’s been said” – Michael Zorc is definitely not talking about another club’s manager.
RECOMMENDED LISTENING
Football Weekly Extra is up good and early today, with Max Rushden joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and John Brewin. And if that isn’t enough to sate your podcast desires, however unconventional, there’s this.
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FIVER LETTERS
“Like Uwe Rösler (yesterday’s Old Romantic of the Day), I too have had a change of heart over VAR. Previously, I’ve not been in favour of it, but having watching the FA Cup game at Stamford Bridge I’ve now come to the conclusion that something capable of upsetting Chelsea that much cannot possibly be all bad” – Ed Taylor.
“Why does The Fiver think that eating rainworms would make Sean Dyche’s voice gravelly (yesterday’s Quote of the Day)? Surely, with their smooth unctuous slipperiness sliding down his throat, they would be more likely to render his vocal tones velvety and sweet. I suggest it’s the lack of worms since he moved to Burnley that has now rendered his voice so harsh” – John Myles.
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. And if you’ve nothing better to do you can also tweet The Fiver. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’the day is … John Myles.
THE RECAP
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NEWS, BITS AND BOBS
Plymouth Argyle defender Ryan Edwards has been diagnosed with testicular cancer and will undergo immediate surgery.
Leeds have raised £200,000 for five-year old fan Toby Nye’s cancer treatment, after players and staff gave up a day’s salary and midfielder Samuel Sáiz chucked in a further £25,000.
Gerard Piqué has increased the chances of a move to PSG by signing a new four-year deal with Barcelona, which includes a £441.6m buyout clause.
Alexis Sánchez, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, swap happening, Wenger sayzzzzzzz.
Having spotted Pep Guardiola’s interest in Nice’s Jean Michaël Seri, José Mourinho has decided he wants him too.
Stoke City have borrowed left-back Kostas Stafylidis from Augsburg for the season. “I watched him myself and thought he looked very good, so let’s see,” endorsed Ambitious Paul Lambert.
Wigan’s Samy Morsy is pumped for the Latics’ FA Cup fourth-round date with West Ham after gubbing Bournemouth 3-0. “I’m not sure how [Marko] Arnautovic will feel about coming to the DW Stadium,” he tooted. “But the top players, you want to test yourselves against them.”
And a major British family investor, the first to be named by Amanda Staveley as a financial backer of her £250m bid to buy Newcastle United, says they are not now planning to invest in the club.
STILL WANT MORE?
An eloquent and moving letter to the late Cyrille Regis, by Liam Rosenior.
The Forgotten Story of … when Diego Maradona ‘signed’ for Dundee.
Amy Lawrence on the fondness and frustration of those Theo Walcott years at Arsenal.
Simon Burnton didn’t think much of Alan Shearer’s VAR comments.
If you like tight title races, these are the European leagues to watch, instructs Barry Glendenning.
Classic YouTube gets its Ronaldinho on, among other things.
Oh, and if it’s your thing … you can follow Big Website on Big Social FaceSpace. And INSTACHAT, TOO!
