I try not to waste MFW ‘airtime’ with moans and groans about referees.
As frustrating as they may seem at times, I tend to agree with Mick D when, in defence of referees, he cites the fact that often our ire is directed at them because often we’re simply looking for someone to blame when our team has played badly and/or a result goes against us.
I also agree with Mick’s assertion that referees are neither corrupt nor deliberately biased and that mistakes made are always inadvertent. Referees are human though and will make mistakes, in the exact same way as players and coaches make mistakes.
You obviously know where this is going, at least you will if you were watching Manchester United v Wolves last night,
VAR was devised as a mechanism to help smooth out the obvious errors made by referees and to ensure that in today’s high-stakes game, errors are kept to an absolute minimum. It was an acknowledgement that mistakes are made and was seen as a way to help referees address them with the aid of technology.
The debate around the success, or otherwise, of VAR rumbles on, and will probably rumble on forever, and, personally, I loathe the way it quashes the spontaneity of goal celebrations, but its raison d’etre is sound.
Yet VAR isn’t magic. It doesn’t take decision-making out of the hands of human beings. It relies on those operating it to do so competently. It relies on those operating it to use the tools available to assist the referee who has a split-second to make any decision; to take away the errors caused by those split-second decisions when a referee has a tricky angle from which to view an incident or, for example, has his or her vision completely obscured by a player.
The referee gets that split-second to make a decision based on a single view. The VAR official has as long as he or she needs, based on umpteen different angles, and can view the incident in slow-mo, super slow-mo and, if they chose, frame by frame.
The referee can be forgiven for making a wrong decision for all the reasons above. The VAR official, also for the reasons above, is there to ensure any clear and obvious errors are acted upon.
So, while we all have our view on Simon Hooper based on a decision he gave at around 4:30 pm on August 8, 2015 (not that it’s etched in my mind), I offer him the benefit of the doubt for not awarding a penalty when United keeper Andre Onana virtually decapitated Wolves’ substitute Sasa Kalajdzic.
Let’s assume Hooper may have thought that, in real-time, Onana and Kalajdzic arrived at the ball at the same time or, as above, may have had an imperfect view of the clash – hence him waving play on – but always in the knowledge that had he made a howler the VAR process would be there to correct it.
What the system doesn’t allow for – and why would it? – is for the VAR official, in this case Michael Salisbury, to still conclude, after numerous replays, that one of the most obvious penalties you’ll ever see is not even worthy of a second look from Mr Hooper.
As we all know, the basis of any referral from VAR back to the official are errors that are deemed “clear and obvious”.
So quite why, when armed with some of the finest technology known to Man, Mr Salisbury didn’t conclude that Hooper had made an error that fell into that category, I have no idea.
To rub salt into the Wolverhampton wound, what most of us thought was a march pitchside to study the incident on the VAR screen was, in fact, Simon Hooper marching pitchside to book Gary O’Neil, who clearly and obviously had the temerity to question Salisbury’s decision with the fourth official.
I have not the foggiest how Salisbury reached the conclusion he did but many have suggested it’s the Manchester United/Old Trafford factor; one that could just as easily be renamed the ‘Big Six’ factor given, statistically, how many of these types of decisions favour that group of teams.
But I struggle with that. I don’t want it to be so obvious that those with wealth and power benefit from the decision-making of officialdom. That it’s become so open and obvious in public life in the last four years is bad enough, but for it to be a thing in football is stomach-churning.
So, for now, in my own naïve little way, I’ll settle for incompetence and hope that the words of Jon Moss – general manager of the PGMOL – and Howard Webb, head honcho of the PGMOL, are backed up by actions after both admitted to O’Neil that he’d been on the receiving end of a shocker.
Ultimately – and I can barely believe I’m sympathising with Wolverhampton fricking Wanderers – none of the above is of any consolation to them. They were the better side on the night and were deserving of at least a point but were stitched up.
VAR eh? Bloody hell.
Yes, United were lucky and O’Neil is right to be aggrieved.
But most of the time managers are wrong in their complaints and their analysts will tell them so behind closed doors. For example “Actually Leroy, we’ve seen it again and Idah was onside when Nunez played the ball in, then it came off our defender….”
The big difference is that whilst Moss and Webb have apparently apologised for their colleague’s error, managers never do.
Fair point, Keith.
Errr, I don’t think United were “unlucky”! Au contraire, as Dell boy might say, I think they were extremely lucky.
Err, where does it say United were “unlucky”?
It did Keith … by accident of course. I deleted the *un*.
I’m available for proofreading at a reasonable fee, Gary.
(Although my recollection of classic comedy series isn’t that great, as Martin has pointed out below!)
Hi Gary
I completely agree with yourself and Mick D that referees get stick because they are such easy targets.
You wanna vent? There’s the man in black, green, purple or even yellow [oh, the irony]. Point your finger 80 yards in his direction and give it all you’ve got.
Cos that’s how it is, how it’s always been, is right now and is nailed on to be in the predictable future.
One of my great tenets in life has always been to try my best not to mock those who are prepared to do a job that I myself am not and refereeing a football match is one of those things. I could never have done what Mick Dennis did, as in referee at grass roots level.
To the point even that I’d question his desire to even want to do it in fact, until I remember that without the many, many Micks of this world I wouldn’t have got to strut my stuff on a Sunday morning.
But then you went and ruined my self-righteous ponderings in one of the fellest of swoops.
You had the temerity to mention Simon BlOOdy Hooper 🙂
Hi Gary
I agree with your views on referees – they do not deliberately make mistakes but can have an off day. They are an easy excuse to vent anger against when not giving you a decision in the opposition box but if a player makes an error and misses an easy chance, they do not attract the same level of ongoing fury, despite the issue being the same; making an error which prevents a goal.
As far as VAR is concerned – there have been too many errors from a system put in place to ensure all major errors by the referee are picked up.
Personally, I think we should combine the rugby and cricket systems. The referee runs the game with the VAR assistant in his ear – if the referee wants to double check something, he asks for the formal check (as is done in rugby) … if the VAR spots an obvious major error then they can inform the referee … but this will rule out those issues that are not so obvious.
They take a couple of minutes to identify and then in order to balance any obvious errors in that system, we move to the cricketing system whereby each captain has 2 or 3 reviews in a match to challenge the referee.
If they challenge incorrectly too early and lose the review(s), it could mean that later in the game, they have no reviews left to make further challenges.
A lot of the goal celebrations will then return to being spontaneous, the game flows better and all sides have an opportunity to identify and potentially overturn a major error.
It was suggested that an impartial ex player be recruited to the panel of VAR to give his or her experience.
That suggestion has never been taken up reason was said players aren’t impartial due to previous allegiances to players .
I just wonder if all Ref’s put said allegiances to one side during a game subconsciously it would be difficult to cut yourself completely of from those thoughts.
As I said in Martin’s piece, it takes a lot for City fans to feel sympathy for Wolves, but in this instance, I think “they woz robbed “ is exactly right, and it didn’t need several minutes of watching replays to see it. It’s good that PGMOL are coming out and admitting these errors, but the trouble is ,it’s after the event, so the hard done by side gets no redress.
If PGMOL “relegate” these incompetents, we’re going to be stuck with them in the Championship.
Well, both of said incompetents have been relieved of their Premier League duties at the weekend, so who knows … perhaps the Championship will be graced with their presence, Jim!
Hi Jim
To prove there is still a place for pedantry in the modern world, I think it was Lord Melchett that used the *au contraire* phrase to Blackadder quite a bit 🙂
I stand corrected. Dell Boy’s French wasn’t that good!
Nonsense… Del Boy’s French was le bestest.
Mange tout Gary, mange tout.
Simon Hooper OMG ,if ever there was someone chose the wrong job! I’m sure he’s a good bloke but How he’s ever become a PL ref I’ll never understand.
As for the VAR ref as you say Gary, there can be zero excuses.
What annoys me most was Erik ten Hag’s post match comments. He had the opportunity to be truthful but decided to let himself, Manchester Utd and football down. He should be ashamed of himself. Love to see him on the other side of such a decision but we know that won’t happen.
I’d almost gotten over Cameron Jerome’s disallowed goal in the 2015 season opener so ‘thanks’ for reminding us, now I need gardening therapy.
Gary
In both Cricket and Rugby they use the aerial float on a wire camera that keeps up with play now would that be an advantage during a crowded penalty area.
But maybe someone would take umbridge and try and hit it with a football if the decision went against him
I do tend to agree with you regarding bias, conspiracies etc. but sometimes you see a decision that is so bad that there is almost no other explanation.
To a man, pundits, ex refs and supporters can see it is a penalty and to not even have a look at it again is astonishing. Actually, one person agreed, Erik Ten Hag.
And that’s another point. Wouldn’t it be nice, every now and again, for a Manager to concede that they “got away with one”. And as for their childish reactions in the technical area, is it any wonder their players complain about even the smallest things?