The way Keane talks about Lampard and Solskjaer is so weird. Lampard has spent zero pounds and is 3 points ahead of Man U in the league while man you have spent the best part of 200m play dog shit stick it up for headers football or penalties and one is “the honeymoon is over” while the other he’s sanguine about.
I was at the bridge tonight and it’s my first live experience of VAR, and it is incredible what a deflating, gutting effect it has on the support. Both times elation, both times utter confusion and anger. They have to change something, it’s awful for the atmosphere. And that’s before you realise the decisions were terrible: azpi was clearly pushed, and how Giroud gains an advantage I’ll never know.
As for game: everyone saw what Maguire did but of course England’s brave hero cannot be punished, yet again. Man U are worse in the flesh than on tv, slow ponderous utterly lacking in direction and conviction, with some properly awful players. We’ve reverted to Sarri negativity due to lack of confidence, passing safe and back too much. Giroud should’ve started (expect him to on the weekend). Pedro is terrible. Generally played ok given injuries (no Hudson-odoi, Abraham, Kante after ten, pulisic.. any team would suffer).
Martial always scores against us the useless wanker.
Change what counts as offside. The reason it’s been changed to “any amount of any part of the body with which a ball can legally be played and also interfering with play” was to accommodate poor human referees: the delay, the distance, the uncertainty somewhat reduced by simplicity “if I reckon any part was even slightly offside it’s offside”. With VAR this becomes too annoying and precise. So use “clear distance” or “gain advantage” or something: var is still subjective anyway so use the precision sensibly.
What is clear distance? What is gaining an advantage?
I'm also confused as to what you think the change in the law was. The 2005 change removed the arms from the equation, making it more complicated, not simplifying it.
Amending precision is just kicking the can down the road. Reintroduce the "seeking to gain an advantage" to allow some common sense and players returning to onside positions, then reword so as any part of the body onside then the player is onside
"I spent years thinking Yorke was legit Downs-ish disabled and could only achieve lucidity through song" - Mr B
The offisde rule was brought in to prevent goal hanging and long balls forward. It wasn't created to be used as a defensive tool. On that basis the (ridiculous advantage) seems legit, it's only the same as the old "daylight" rule, gives benefit of doubt to attackers, I see no harm in that
"I spent years thinking Yorke was legit Downs-ish disabled and could only achieve lucidity through song" - Mr B
The thing about these VAR offsides is that no one ever asked for the rule to be applied to this forensic level. No one was complaining when Giroud scored (or loads of other examples this season), they were ready to get on with the game. There's just no need for it, and it And if VAR can't even do its job on a 100% red card incident, the game's better off without it.
I'm not a fan of the precision. With the Giroud one, to me it was obviously onside in real time. Then during the first replay Neville threw up the possibility of offside, and based on that replay he still looked onside to me, so the futility of Nev's false hope had me swearing at the TV. Then VAR had a look, the line appeared...and the grey area I didn't think existed was gone in a flash - he was offside. Them's the rules, and I can't think of a better way to deal with it post VAR, but I don't like it.