VAR thread

[dom9]

For what purpose?

Um...

To signal to them that the assistant thinks there has been an offside. Or foul. Or to signal which way a throw in might be awarded. Or goal kick / corner.

I'm beginning to wonder if you've ever watched or taken part in a game of football before?

[Fosterbloke]

Um...

To signal to them that the assistant thinks there has been an offside. Or foul. Or to signal which way a throw in might be awarded. Or goal kick / corner.

I'm beginning to wonder if you've ever watched or taken part in a game of football before?

I think it's a valid question in the PL because they communicate via radio rather than semaphore!

[dom9]

I think it's a valid question in the PL because they communicate via radio rather than semaphore!

Radio is supplemental to the flag.

[Norbs]

Defenders have been playing to the flag since they were 6 years old. An offside flag has equalled a whistle for 100 years. The idea that this change is no big deal, just play to the whistle, is clearly nonsense. Sure, everybody is equally affected by the rule change, and they require players to ignore the flag, but if everyone is supposed to ignore the flag, why wave the bloody flag? Who is it a signal for?

If the linesman is sure, wave the flag and stop the game. If not, don't and let VAR sort it out. This approach makes no sense.

That's clearly not true as loads of goals are scored and celebrated before the players even realise it was offside. I've literally never seen a player stop on the linesman's flag.

Hang on...VAR check...yep...never seen that

[Red_Polo]

Defenders have been playing to the flag since they were 6 years old. An offside flag has equalled a whistle for 100 years.

Yes, as a ploy. Acting as if it's so obvious the ref couldn't possibly do anything but blow the whistle. Occasionally they then get caught out, that's the risk they take and they know it.

[Kenneth]

Doesn't happen. Or didn't.

[Red_Polo]

Doesn't happen. Or didn't.

That arms up Arsenal back four did it all the time.

More than once it did for them, but it was otherwise enormously effective. Not just because they were such a good unit at playing the trap, but because officials and referees knew they would look 50x more of an idiot if they got it wrong. So flag up, whistle to mouth.

[Kenneth]

Um...

To signal to them that the assistant thinks there has been an offside. Or foul. Or to signal which way a throw in might be awarded. Or goal kick / corner.

I'm beginning to wonder if you've ever watched or taken part in a game of football before?

Hilarious. So, sticking to the context that we are actually talking about, why does the referee need to know that the linesman thinks a marginal offside has occurred? What would the referee do with that information?

[Exiled_red]

I'm a big critic of VAR but it got that one right, as was mentioned above these are the type of decisions that it was supposed to be brought in for. Yes the linesman has got it wrong, but the players need to play to the whistle not the flag. Although to be honest Shelvey is in that much space, whether the Sheffield United players had stopped or not they were never going to catch him.

[Kenneth]

That arms up Arsenal back four did it all the time.

More than once it did for them, but it was otherwise enormously effective. Not just because they were such a good unit at playing the trap, but because officials and referees knew they would look 50x more of an idiot if they got it wrong. So flag up, whistle to mouth.

I'm so confused by you two. This is nothing to do with defenders claiming offside and stopping . For almost forever, the linesman waving for offside meant the game was stopped for offside.

[dom9]

Hilarious. So, sticking to the context that we are actually talking about, why does the referee need to know that the linesman thinks a marginal offside has occurred? What would the referee do with that information?

Ffs, you're becoming a parody of yourself now.

[Kenneth]

I'm a big critic of VAR but it got that one right, as was mentioned above these are the type of decisions that it was supposed to be brought in for. Yes the linesman has got it wrong, but the players need to play to the whistle not the flag. Although to be honest Shelvey is in that much space, whether the Sheffield United players had stopped or not they were never going to catch him.

The point is, there is zero need or point in the linesman waving his flag to signal that he thought it was offside. None at all. It is, however, distracting to players and fans. So it makes no sense to do it.

[dom9]

I'm so confused by you two. This is nothing to do with defenders claiming offside and stopping . For almost forever, the linesman waving for offside meant the game was stopped for offside.

It hasn't.

Play to the whistle is the only maxim here that counts. No one plays to the flag unless the whistle blows.

Flags have been overridden before. It's been rare, but it's totally happened.

[Kenneth]

Ffs, you're becoming a parody of yourself now.

What the **** are you talking about? Whether or not the linesman flags for offside, the game carries on and VAR will review it. So what is the point of the linesman waving the flag. It is a signal to nobody.

[Kenneth]

It hasn't.

Play to the whistle is the only maxim here that counts. No one plays to the flag unless the whistle blows.

Flags have been overridden before. It's been rare, but it's totally happened.

When? In the two occasions this season, there have been seconds between flag and goal. If you can recall that happening in previous season, I would be interested in finding such incidents.