Peter Anderson ⚽ There was finally some good news this week regarding VAR.

Howard Webb, the ex-English referee and current head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), sacked Lee Mason, also an ex-EPL referee and now VAR official, after failing to call the offside for Arsenal against Brentford.

PGMOL is the governing body for English referees and if ever they needed a strong guiding hand it is now. Recent weeks have seen two massive VAR howlers in the title race: the failure to give offside against Rashford for interfering with play in the Manchester derby and the failure to give an offside against Christian Norsgaard in the Brentford/Arsenal game. It is getting increasingly annoying the amount of fouls missed. If TV can see them and the pundits agree on them, why can't VAR?

Webb and Mason are two interesting characters, both had long careers officiating in the EPL. Webb was brilliant and went on to ref the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa, while Mason was shit. I always groaned when he was reffing any game I was watching. He was unsmiling and accident prone and had a list of complaints against him for poor decisions. Webb on the other hand was sure-footed and was promoted to UEFA and then FIFA status.

In 2022 Webb was installed as Chief Refereeing Officer for the governing body in England. When interviewed about his plans, he stated that he wanted to make VAR more professional and transparent, but highlighted that good refereeing started on the pitch, and that good decision making, good player and game management were still the number one priority. In my humble opinion, the EPL's current number one ref, Anthony Taylor, is a fantastic example of this. If only there were more Anthony Taylors! He is also a FIFA ref and attracted high praise of his actions when Christian Erikkson had his onfield heart attack while playing for Denmark.

With the exception of Michael Oliver, the rest of the EPL refs are not good enough. I digress. I had high hopes for Webb's appointment to the top job and so far he hasn't disappointed. Firstly, he appeared live on Sky's Monday Night Football show to lay down his plans and thoughts on refereeing. When asked about the Rashford incident he was categorical in calling it as a clear mistake. Rashford had clearly interfered with play and Webb said that the ref on the pitch should have called it and that VAR should at least have called him to the monitor. Secondly, last week he sacked Lee Mason from his position at VAR for not calling the offside at Brentford. He hadn't even laid the lines on the screen. Mason was as shit a VAR as he was a ref.

So far, Webb is as sure-footed as head of PGMOL as he was as a ref on the pitch. Let's hope it continues. I don't envy him. I firmly believe that VAR can be a great tool like it is in Rugby, but the governing body needs to find the right way to use it and do it quickly. Points have been dropped in the title race this season on glaringly obvious mistakes and that just isn't acceptable.
 
Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports

Webb Of Delight

Peter Anderson ⚽ There was finally some good news this week regarding VAR.

Howard Webb, the ex-English referee and current head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), sacked Lee Mason, also an ex-EPL referee and now VAR official, after failing to call the offside for Arsenal against Brentford.

PGMOL is the governing body for English referees and if ever they needed a strong guiding hand it is now. Recent weeks have seen two massive VAR howlers in the title race: the failure to give offside against Rashford for interfering with play in the Manchester derby and the failure to give an offside against Christian Norsgaard in the Brentford/Arsenal game. It is getting increasingly annoying the amount of fouls missed. If TV can see them and the pundits agree on them, why can't VAR?

Webb and Mason are two interesting characters, both had long careers officiating in the EPL. Webb was brilliant and went on to ref the 2010 World Cup Final in South Africa, while Mason was shit. I always groaned when he was reffing any game I was watching. He was unsmiling and accident prone and had a list of complaints against him for poor decisions. Webb on the other hand was sure-footed and was promoted to UEFA and then FIFA status.

In 2022 Webb was installed as Chief Refereeing Officer for the governing body in England. When interviewed about his plans, he stated that he wanted to make VAR more professional and transparent, but highlighted that good refereeing started on the pitch, and that good decision making, good player and game management were still the number one priority. In my humble opinion, the EPL's current number one ref, Anthony Taylor, is a fantastic example of this. If only there were more Anthony Taylors! He is also a FIFA ref and attracted high praise of his actions when Christian Erikkson had his onfield heart attack while playing for Denmark.

With the exception of Michael Oliver, the rest of the EPL refs are not good enough. I digress. I had high hopes for Webb's appointment to the top job and so far he hasn't disappointed. Firstly, he appeared live on Sky's Monday Night Football show to lay down his plans and thoughts on refereeing. When asked about the Rashford incident he was categorical in calling it as a clear mistake. Rashford had clearly interfered with play and Webb said that the ref on the pitch should have called it and that VAR should at least have called him to the monitor. Secondly, last week he sacked Lee Mason from his position at VAR for not calling the offside at Brentford. He hadn't even laid the lines on the screen. Mason was as shit a VAR as he was a ref.

So far, Webb is as sure-footed as head of PGMOL as he was as a ref on the pitch. Let's hope it continues. I don't envy him. I firmly believe that VAR can be a great tool like it is in Rugby, but the governing body needs to find the right way to use it and do it quickly. Points have been dropped in the title race this season on glaringly obvious mistakes and that just isn't acceptable.
 
Peter Anderson is a Unionist with a keen interest in sports

4 comments:

  1. Excellent win for the Reds @ the comedic Barcodes . Can't see them getting much change from Ancelotti's charges ( over 2 legs ) . Still , a top four / six finish is doable . City have eyes on the biggest prize , hence their stuttering form . M U , will win the Prem ( 20 % chance ) or the Europa .

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  2. Very appropriate comparison between VAR and its equivalent in rugby. The transparency in rugby is enviable, at least in what I've seen in this year's Six Nations. Audible conversations between refs and VAR officials, with reasons for decisions clearly stated. Puts football's contempt for supporters to shame.

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  3. Ron
    Liverpool were shite against the Whites. No midfield at all, embarrassing!
    Ramon
    To be fair, rugby is a more stop/start game so VAR interventions are not a problem. Footy fans wouldn't stand for that many long iterventions. But the fact remains that rugby quickly found a system that works, football hasn't.

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  4. Thats because Rashford was not interfering with play, Peter. That was why a perfectly legitimate goal against the blue shit was allowed.

    Generally speaking I'm bitterley oppossed to referreeing by any means but humans on the field of play. VAR to us one time week in week out fans, proper supporters, is an antithesis and should be scrapped. Hopefully, though not optimistcally, it will be dumped in the not too distant future.

    Caoimhin O'Muraile

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