For fans of just about every other club there’s nothing more enjoyable than sitting down to watch an A-League game on a Sunday afternoon and seeing Melbourne Victory lose.
Do you want to know what I really wanted to write about today? The way many football fans no longer accept losing as being a natural consequence of the game.
You know the ones I’m talking about. They clog social media with innumerable posts of, “Sack the board!” and, “I’m done!” after every defeat irrespective of any context that might explain why the club they’re supposed to support is in the predicament it’s currently in.
It’s especially bad when it comes to European football, with the Facebook and Twitter pages of some of the continent’s biggest clubs littered with comments from followers who appear to have never set foot in the actual home city of the club they’ve chosen to support.
That’s not to imply foreign fans don’t have the right to support teams however they see fit, it’s just that it’s strange to see fans declare their undying devotion to a club with one set of keyboard strokes and then exclaim they’ll never watch them again with the next.
I wonder if fans who actually attend fixtures week in and week out are as fixated with the pursuit of winning every single game without exception as those who simply offer up their support online.
Maybe we should just ask Melbourne Victory fans. There weren’t that many in attendance during Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to the Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park, but surely those who were can’t be satisfied with what’s been going on.
How much longer has Grant Brebner got left? And is the coach solely responsible for everything going on at the club?
(Photo by – / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
For fans of rival teams it’s easy to revel in Victory’s fall from grace. After all, one of the delights of being a football fan is watching a big club flailing about in a state of distress.
But as much as the exclusionary focus on clubs from Sydney and Melbourne from certain elements within the A-League is starting to grate, there’s an obvious argument to be made that when Victory are doing well, the competition is doing well too.
Can Brebner pull them out of their tailspin? You tell me.
However, as logical as it would seem to be to offer a blow-by-blow analysis of everything that’s gone wrong for Victory this season, I simply couldn’t bring myself to write it.
Why not? Because I can’t stand VAR!
And I dislike it in a way that was entirely predictable the second the A-League first introduced it back in 2017.
I’ve said in the past that I can understand why video replays were introduced in football, even if I personally wasn’t a fan. But after four years of watching game after game marred by questionable VAR decisions, it’s time to accept the experiment hasn’t worked.
Greg O’Rourke hit the nail on the head when he told The World Game’s Philip Micallef, “The problem with VAR is not the technology itself but its subjectivity” in the wake of Adelaide’s 3-2 win over the Central Coast Mariners on Friday night.
The award of three spot kicks to the Reds may have stretched the bounds of credibility – hats off to Tomi Juric for dispatching all three with aplomb – but the problem wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for games being forensically refereed and re-refereed through video analysis.
And the annihilation of the idea that you win some and you lose some when it comes to refereeing decisions – as much as the length of time it takes to make decisions, as much as fans are now robbed of the joy of celebrating goals – is arguably the worst thing about VAR.
Video technology has turned an imperfect game into a quixotic quest for perfection.
Put simply, VAR sucks. Just don’t expect the powers that be to admit that.
Griffo
Roar Guru
I do like how local school kids go to Lambton Park to learn of local history, and one of the landmarks to find on their list is the placard commemorating the first football game played there...
Punter
Roar Rookie
I present you with Scott McDonald with 5 minutes left in the game, playing for time.
Nick Symonds
Guest
This scene from Futurama perfectly captures where VAR is going and why it's so stupid - futurama: quantum finish https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5MohK5FHEY
Brian
Guest
Its not like refereeing was not controversial before VAR. The 2002 World Cup, Graham Poll, Lampard's goal against Germany, Henry goal against Ireland. We just had man made howlers. The main problem I have with VAR is the ruining of the goal celebration but I don't know how you get rid of it without returning to the shocking howlers of pre-VAR
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
My initial comment was cynical, but I have a sincere question. Why only once?
Rodger King
Roar Rookie
I just may do that.
Marcel
Guest
Yep...as much as I hate it...if we are not going to police shirt pulling and arm wrestling from defenders we just have to accept attackers will go down if invited to. That still shouldn't stop the refs identifying cases were the strikers initiate the contact themselves and then flop over.
AndyAdelaide
Roar Rookie
Macarthurs cowbells have entered the conversation
Marcel
Guest
I can see a place for GLT...but outside of that I'd be happy to take all other technology out of the game. And let's ditch the passive offside nonsense as well....man that rule sh1ts me !!! As to the other part of Mike's article.... having been born into a Spurs family I've assumed that you're not a real supporter of your team actually wins.
Waz
Roar Rookie
Any students reading your comment might want to look up the word “pompous” too :thumbup:
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I'm not so sure about thinking Friday night was brilliant as an AU supporter. Thankful for the points maybe and the likely building of confidence, but there's also a degree of uncertainty and you don't feel that the situation is real when you are "gifted" three points. I'm not arguing that the decisions were right or wrong here, nor arguing that Adelaide didn't have to work really hard and TJ had to put the ball away three times as well; just that it doesn't necessarily make everyone feel good about the win!
Buddy
Roar Rookie
I replied but it has been swept up no doubt by VAR ! Mid - It was a cheap throwaway line that's all. I agree CCM seem to cop the rough end of decisions as do Wellington and The Jets...at least that is the way things appear but c'mon, if you have Mattie Simon playing you are going to cop a lot of decisions - good and bad!
Nick Symonds
Guest
TITLE: VAR technology is the worst thing to ever happen to football Vuvuzela: Hold my beer
Buddy
Roar Rookie
hey - I was being flippant in relation to decisions going against Mariners that's all. Fergie and Arse Whinger - what battles they produced!
The bald guy
Roar Rookie
If your team is on the receiving end, a la the Reds on Friday night, it is brilliant., If you are n the other side, e.g. the Mariners, it sucks. Being neutral it is hard to se how it has made the game better. The three on Friday night were appalling, well at least the first two, the last one was technically correct but given the flow of the body hard to justify. It was not brought in to scrutinise everything just the really bad offside calls or when a ball went across the stripe o that blatant non penalty like the infamous Italian flop against Australia at the world cup. This weekend showed the flaws, the checks were not consistent with the law and decisions should have been overturned but either way someone would have knots in their knickers.
NoMates
Roar Rookie
After watching the Adelaide vs CCM game where AUFC were handed the win due to VAR amongst other errors i think its time just to use goal line tech and dump VAR for good.
Kevin
Roar Rookie
The VAR itself is fine. We do need some sort of technological review so that invalid goals and penalties not seen by the refs could be picked up. I mean look at the 2018 grand final, where the VAR was switched off. In that instant, we needed a VAR to disallow the goal from Victory. The issue is with the people that run the VAR. We need people which are better and more capable of giving out the right decision in charge of the VAR.
Tigertown
Guest
The eyes of the sporting world is on the A-League & W-League. We are the next country to host the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. Do you reckon our referees & use of VAR will now be questioned? Clearly we are incompetent.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Your last paragraph would make for an exciting article by itself. Perhaps write one? I'd certainly give me 2-cents on the topic.
Doc Disnick
Roar Guru
Your last comment is critical to the evolution of the VAR system. It some instances, the technology may be lacking. Therefore, the threshold will be a lot higher for a clear & obvious error. If the camera angles and or resolution are better, allowing for a more accurate depiction of the events, the tolerance level would be lower. This is where most sports around the world have it wrong. Tennis is a classic example of a sport that has it right. The Hawk-Eye tech is state-of-the-art and works for the sport. It's very accurate, allowing ultimate confidence from the players & fans. AFL is a classic example of a sport that has it wrong. It uses dodgy tech to try and find the absolute truth. Why? Because some high-profile commentators, such as Gerard Whateley, believe that if we are going to use a VAR system (it's not called that in the AFL), we should strive to get the right answer. Wrong! Dead wrong, and it's why their system fails miserably year on year on year. As technology advances, we'll get better outcomes, but the fundamental principle of a 'clear & obvious error' should always be a core tenant of the referee's final decision. At present, this is not the case, which is where the problem lies.