So, after all the wait and the talking, VAR day is nearly here.
On this subject, my glass is definitely half-full.
I’ve always thought that if there’s help that can be given to our referees then it would be daft not to use it.
Now that VAR has been part of the game in a lot of countries for so long, fears about matches being too stop-start have gone, I think.
You don’t see refs going over to the pitch-side monitor that often during the 90 minutes.
And I don’t have a problem with it being introduced mid-season.
If it’s ready, the refs are ready, then what’s the point in waiting?
There will still be decisions that split opinion up and down the country, of course.
But for me, the issues that are causing the biggest problems in England aren’t the refs or the VAR officials.
It’s the rules.
One rule in particular – handball.
Arsenal v Liverpool was a contentious game when the ‘natural position’ of an arm was debatable to say the least.
We had one with Arbroath at Queen’s Park, when they went up the pitch and scored after we didn’t get a penalty.
And Liam Smith has been penalised for Dundee United at Kilmarnock the other night.
I think the time has come to make a bold rule change.
If the ball hits the hand, it’s a penalty. End of story.
Forget whether it’s a natural position, deliberate or accidental.
It will be harsh sometimes but everybody would know where they stand and you’d see defenders adapting.
As it stands, it will continue to be the most controversial divider of opinion – with or without VAR.
In the Liverpool v Man City game you saw a fascinating game within a game between a world class goalkeeper and a world class attacker in two one v ones.
Ederson won the first head to head and Salah the second.
The angled run slightly helped the goalie in the first one but, even then, Salah’s shot needed a fantastic save to keep it out.
Ederson has done everything right on both occasions.
He’s made sure he didn’t go out of his box so he could use his hands and his feet.
And he’s stayed big for as long as he could.
I would always have preferred if the striker had tried to go round me.
That way you give yourself a chance to put an arm out if he doesn’t go wide enough.
And if he goes too wide, it gives a defender a chance to get back.
But there isn’t a goalie in the world who would have done any better with the goal.
It was textbook stuff.
What a moment 💫 pic.twitter.com/2UIolnTCDB
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 17, 2022
The last time I spoke to Neil Lennon he was loving his life out in Cyprus so it was a bit of a surprise to see that he’s lost his job.
Omonia Nicosia gave Manchester United a really good game both home and away in Europe recently.
Neil will bounce back though.
I don’t think he viewed it as a job he’d be in for a long time and any manager who can get experience of working abroad will be a better manager.
Who knows where he’ll end up next but I’m sure he’s got plenty more to offer in the dugout.
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