Andy

There isn't a stat that can predict results, at least not very well, football is unpredictable. This is proven every time someone posts a table like that to show a team has underperformed or overperformed their xG/xPts or whatever else. It's not that the team has under or over performed, it's that the data is flawed apart from at the extreme ends of the scale. A team's results over a full season is their correct level.

See this a lot, but over the last half a season they've had 4th best form in the league, ours is 7th during the same period.

The first one is ridiculous How good is the punditry there compared to what we see nowadays btw? No hyperbole or attempts at banter, just a calm, honest analysis of what's happened.

Challenges fuck offfff man Let's just go all-in on making VAR centre stage - scrap new football altogether and replace it with 90 minutes of VARing old football games to make them more accurate instead, with points being reallocated accordingly, we can even re-VAR the VAR when that gets old. Literally a better spectacle than a challenge system will end up being.

I don't see it personally. He rarely ever tries to make a brave play and instead almost always looks for the safe option it's very rare that he makes a run in behind, tries a cutting pass, or even takes a pop from distance. Even Longstaff tries these things fairly regularly despite having less technical ability, he just fails in the execution usually.

I think Challenges would just turn it even more pantomime than it already is tbh. It would end up almost making the VAR checks an "event" within the match (I can already see the OTT Sky graphics when a challenge is called now), whereas the objective should be to minimise its fanfare and interruption.

He has ability and is physically capable, but he isn't brave enough in the attacking third, rarely makes a burst into the box, almost exclusively plays safe passes, and never looks like scoring a goal. There is a player in there but he doesn't seem to have the confidence or belief to take risks and impose himself on games.

I think you could definitely argue significantly increased accuracy on offside decisions (which I'm all for keeping, just make it faster). I'm not so sure about the subjective stuff, particularly fouls leading to goals being disallowed, fouls leading to penalties (or not), and handball decisions. I'm sure there is an increase in accuracy, but it feels like VAR over-scrutinise these incidents and still get it wrong (at least in the opinion of many) on a fairly regular basis, so the trade off isn't worth it to me as a fan. It also feels like they're often desperate to disallow goals, looking at every aspect of the play from every angle, which is miles away from the "clear and obvious error" element and outright spoils the game. I'm aware most of this is down to the human using the tool, but the same humans will always be using the tool, and that's where the problem lies. Removing the human/subjective element from VAR is the best way forward for me.

It's a good return aye, but on the flip side, he's nearly 27 and has 10 premier league career goals. Suggests that this season has been an anomaly to me. There's an argument that shooting is the strongest technical aspect to his game too (better than his passing, control and dribbling for me), which is pretty damning with that stat in mind.

Not sure why people turn their nose up at conference. It's a winnable trophy where you don't even need to play a strong team until later on. Would be ideal for the likes of Miley if he doesn't go on loan.

Partially true, although I suspect he is second choice right-sided CM based on selection at the start of the season. We're inundated with midfielders that Howe doesn't seem to want to play on that side for whatever reason. It's obvious he isn't good enough though, aye. You'd be going quite far down the table to find another team he'd play regularly for.

Will probably feel he should have done a little bit better for the third goal (not just him), but in general a really good performance both ways. He has to be our starting left back next season for me.

Tonight summed the season up really, played well in spells but just not good enough consistently, and way too sloppy at the back. When you look at the team we've started with for most of the season, and particularly the bench, it would be hard to argue it as being better than the 7th or 8th best lineup in the league. We are where we belong. Pretty much a "par" season from Eddie, all things considered.

You're arguing against an argument I'm not making. I've already said in several posts that automated offside should be maintained, and VAR eliminated for subjective calls.

I don't get this argument at all. "Wait and see what it's like without VAR". I've been an admin on this forum for two decades I've seen more football without VAR than with it, and certainly more than enough of both to make an informed decision on which I prefer

Really annoying how flat we've been considering how fragile these are. Get Joelinton and Barnes on asap. Get Trippier off set pieces too. Can't understand that at all considering how much better they've been lately.

Aye, like they did for the last 100 years of football

Aye except we wouldn't have wasted 2 minutes getting to the same wrong decision

Good thing we've got VAR to overturn obvious errors that shaft us eh lads?

I dunno, I've been watching football a long time as I'm sure you have too, and it doesn't feel much different to me in terms of how often we're complaining about decisions. It just takes longer to reach those decisions and takes away the joy of scoring a goal, if there's an increase in accuracy it really isn't worth the trade off IMO.

I feel like we complain about a VAR decision in our office almost daily. Refs make mistakes too of course, but for me football was fine like that for 30+ years of my life. Aye you got shafted every now and then, but now when it happens it feels almost deliberate due to how long it takes to still reach the decision that shafts us.

It always will be though, that's the problem. The same people are still making the decisions and getting them wrong, they're just taking longer over it and being more aggressive with it than if it was a single ref.

See it feels the opposite to me, I feel like there's a dodgy decision almost every single game of football I watch. Aye it's nice when it goes in your favour, but even then I'm not sure it's worth it.

I don't believe anyone can watch a game of football and find it more enjoyable with VAR than without, and that's the crux of the issue really. There are so many issues with it that stand in the way of spectacle - not being able to celebrate goals, play being stopped for minutes on end while they go to the far end of a fart to try to find a reason to overturn something, and most importantly, blatantly incorrect decisions still being made at the end of it all anyway. The human elements will never be removed for the majority of decisions. I'd rather the human element just be "referee or linesman fuck up", at least then you can say "well they only seen it once". It's far more annoying when they still fuck up having watched an incident 99 times over, which seems to happen not just every week, but multiple times a week. Things like the pantomime of sending the ref to the screen, and the shit in-stadium communication make it even worse. If automated offside is fast and works well, then use that. Everything else, put in the bin.

Partially agree, but I think VAR is still problematic in itself. The first bullet point in Wolves' letter is the one for me. Hate that feeling of not being able to enjoy a goal once it goes in, even with worldies you still have an element of doubt. I think limiting VAR to objective decisions (semi-automated offside, basically) is probably the best way forward.