gersnet article (image) Old Firm media embarrassment and VAR control

[ranger_syntax 3,765]

5 hours ago, pete said:

I am all for VAR but I think the VAR officials should make the final decision and not the referee. Having a referee trudge over to watch something the VAR officials have looked at from every angle possible is a waste of time. It is having teething problems and some decisions will still remain debated as it is an opinion and they differ from person to person. That is why I think a 3 man VAR team will at least give a majority decision.

No thanks.  That would make a bad idea even worse.

 

Even if we allowed VAR the referee should remain in charge.

 

If VAR is implemented then whoever controls the cameras will have influence over matches.  They will be able to, for example, assign a camera to follow around a particular player.  You don't need much imagination to think of ways that this will make football worse in Scotland.

 

Lets focus on simpler ways to improve refereeing.  A handful of professional referees would be a much better idea.

[pete 2,499]

4 hours ago, ranger_syntax said:

No thanks.  That would make a bad idea even worse.

 

Even if we allowed VAR the referee should remain in charge.

 

If VAR is implemented then whoever controls the cameras will have influence over matches.  They will be able to, for example, assign a camera to follow around a particular player.  You don't need much imagination to think of ways that this will make football worse in Scotland.

 

Lets focus on simpler ways to improve refereeing.  A handful of professional referees would be a much better idea.

Professional referee's make a difference yeh that is why they have VAR in England. Whoever controls the Camera's? The VAR people choose what they want to watch. That is a bit like saying not to put your money in a bank as there may be a robber lurking about. Let the tims be paranoid as VAR will come eventually.

[Gonzo79 13,589]

22 minutes ago, pete said:

VAR will come eventually.

Hopefully not.  Just another layer of officialdom that can be seen differently by various sources.

 

Is it just the top league that'll get it?  Why should a Hamilton vs St Johnstone match get it when a Morton vs Dundee Utd match doesn't?  Or will it just be televised matches? Or just matches involving us and the yahoos?

[compo 6,126]

Just watched the Chelsea  being robbed by VAR when the referee ignored a blatant offside to award a penalty .

 

[buster. 4,808]

Whatever the system, there will always be mistakes, omissions and paranoia.

 

To simply throw money that Scottish football hasn't got at technology and professional referees won't take away the darker side of this issue, ie. how the media narrative is shaped and designed to influence opinion.

 

Journalists and pundits shouting about wanting a solution is hypocritical because a large part of it is down to them (increased scrutiney and often incesent coverage).

[ranger_syntax 3,765]

7 hours ago, pete said:

Professional referee's make a difference yeh that is why they have VAR in England. Whoever controls the Camera's[sic]? The VAR people choose what they want to watch. That is a bit like saying not to put your money in a bank as there may be a robber lurking about. Let the tims be paranoid as VAR will come eventually.

I thought you would, at least, attempt to argue in favour of VAR.

[buster. 4,808]

Just now, ranger_syntax said:

I thought you would, at least, attempt to argue in favour of VAR.

VAR doesn't deal with our media.

 

Do you have a system that could stop Michael Stewart going-on about the Morelos rescinded red card in August of last year ?

[ranger_syntax 3,765]

2 minutes ago, buster. said:

VAR doesn't deal with our media.

 

Do you have a system that could stop Michael Stewart going-on about the Morelos rescinded red card in August of last year ?

No.

 

The problem that concerns me is the numbers of blatant errors by referees.

 

If you really want to do something about media coverage the best you can hope for is to discourage media partners from implying corruption or bias. It brings the game into disrepute.

[buster. 4,808]

12 minutes ago, ranger_syntax said:

No.

 

The problem that concerns me is the numbers of blatant errors by referees.

 

If you really want to do something about media coverage the best you can hope for is to discourage media partners from implying corruption or bias. It brings the game into disrepute.

The level of scrutiny today puts a lot of unreasonable pressure on referees and other officials.

VAR would help spread the pressure but wouldn't eliminate it.

 

VAR would help reduce errors but has to be paid for in a league that has little spare cash.

 

A little further down the line, you'd have a narrative about VAR not being worth it because it was restricting clubs from competing in the EL2 and there was still controversy over decisions.

 

[Frankie 8,148]

The point of the article isn't that VAR is some sort of silver bullet but that because English is now championing it and directly linking Celtic to paying for it, like the CO position, it will be a controlled role decided by Lawwell and his SFA lackies.

 

Don't be surprised to see him and Celtic ride to the rescue of Scottish football by offering to pay for VAR, applying pressure on other clubs at the same time.  Then we'll have a Lunny, McLennan and Whyte type run of Celtic-friendly former officials deciding how to implement it and backed by a media already sympathetic to Celtic's plight.

 

Remember BT Sport offered to provide the infrastructure the other month and we know already they pick and choose what kind of things they highlight with a panel that's hardly Rangers friendly.  In fact one of their employees likes to refer to our young striker as Buffao Brains without censure.  OK, BT might not have the rights going forward but most of the people working on these channels are freelance so will quickly jump ship to Sky or the BBC as soon as the deal changes.

 

Rick's article is a timely reminder of the politics involved.  One I'd hope Rangers are a step ahead of all of us...