The manner of Dundee United’s defeat at Motherwell surprised me.
All season their defence has been excellent.
They have defended the box really well so the type of goals conceded in the 4-3 loss at Fir Park will frustrate Jim Goodwin.
What didn’t surprise me is the impact VAR had on the game.
Let’s be clear, United lost this game because of how they defended, not because of decisions made by the officials.
But VAR is really starting to infuriate me.
United games have seen VAR intervene on penalty decisions in each of the last three games.
Each decision has been argued over plenty.
My main gripe with it is how the new technology affects the way defenders defend inside the area.
I noticed this quite clearly in Saturday’s game.
Incidents where a few years ago a defender would have no hesitation in sticking a foot in to win the ball now see defenders sit off.
It does impact the way teams defend because players aren’t thinking so much about how to defend but more about not giving away a spot-kick.
I dread to think if I was playing how I’d be treated these days!
It doesn’t take much for a penalty to be given.
And I do feel sorry for defenders, sometimes there really isn’t much they can do.
That goes for the penalty United won on Saturday.
It can be difficult to say in the moment but I’m not convinced Liam Gordon did enough to send Louis Moult to the ground.
Moult is clever in these situations and has shown that in recent weeks.
Then there’s the one Motherwell didn’t get from a Luca Stephenson challenge on the edge of the area.
And United were adamant there was a handball by Apostolos Stamatelopoulos before Motherwell’s fourth goal.
Add that to the decisions against Kilmarnock and St Mirren and it feels like Dundee United are becoming a magnet for debatable VAR calls.
I was a supporter of the technology coming in to begin with but I’d now much rather we went back to the old ways of referees making honest mistakes, players making honest mistakes and getting on with the game.
Half the time that was the entertainment!
If we have to have it, I’d just like it to fade a bit further into the background.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see a fourth week in a row with VAR decisions.
It will be a real test for Jim Goodwin and his side.
This season they have been good at responding to setbacks.
Celtic as the next opposition makes that tricky, however.
The Hoops will be buoyed by their cup success at the weekend. It’s not a good time to face them.
United will need to defend far better than they did against Motherwell.
That goes for the flurry of fixtures coming up, too.
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