CHARLIE FROM THE STANDS: Draw the lines, lads!

This week, I want to take you on a journey from the mayhem of the Premier League, all the way to the Saudi Pro League and back to our own shores and the League of Ireland.

Unless you were living under the Ryder Cup rock this weekend, which would have meant seeing a performance similar to a drunk teenager outside a nightclub starting a fight with his shadow, you will likely have seen what happened in North London as Spurs entertained Liverpool in the Premier League.  

First of all, I acknowledge that human error is part of life, and in some ways it what makes us unique. After all, we are a product of the decisions we make on a daily, if not hourly, basis. But when you add technology to something to help eliminate human error in a high stakes environment, why or how was there so much room for it in a Premier League fixtures watched by millions of people all over the world? For full transparency, I am a Liverpool fan but will do my best to remain unbiased here.

The VAR match officials for the fixture were Darren England and Dan Cook. England has been a Premier League referee since 2020, while Cook is an Assistant Referee at the PGMOL, so it's clear that England is the more senior of the two and would make the overall decision on anything that is referred to VAR.

When you think of why VAR has been introduced, this sort of incident is exactly why the PGMOL was championing its’ introduction. We had Luis Diaz in the middle of the pitch about a half yard ahead of his Spurs opponent, with Mo Salah on the right flank, in line with Diaz but facing Cristian Romero - who is a yard ahead of Salah. An inch perfect pass from Salah, followed by a wonderful finish from Diaz sees Liverpool take the lead – but only for the linesman to raise his flag, probably not being certain if Diaz was in fact onside - correct decision.

But then, this is where the pantomime starts. Once VAR receives the referral from the on-pitch officials, Mr England and Mr Cook get to work and examine still images, exactly like they did with the Curtis Jones red card which I feel was another correct decision. After 40 seconds of apparently looking at the incident from several angles, they communicate to the officials and say ‘decision stands – no goal’. But, and this is a big but in the world of technology in football, they refrain from releasing the graphic showing the onside/offside lines. Uproar and angst ensues online and in the away end of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the VAR team have essentially approved the on-field decision after examining contrasting evidence, permitting referee Simon Hooper to proceed with play.  

Bonkers.

The following day, a statement from PGMOL said that human error and communication issues were to blame – bullshit. This wasn’t a human error, but a VAR Technology error or VAR process error that the PGMOL are hiding, and most likely doing so to protect Mr England from a P45. What I believe happened was that the VAR technology either failed to work, stalled, froze (a technology error) or Mr England made the call without drawing the lines (a process error).

The prominence of VAR in the last few years has seen it become integral and challenging in various instances, but one thing that is has always done, is displayed for transparency the image with the lines drawn. This removes human error in the standard process. So, if faced with technology struggles, Mr England makes a call based on reducing the average VAR check time, then with a glance, he has ruled out a perfectly good goal.  

To conclude, I believe the only technology that should be in the beautiful game is goal-line technology. VAR in its current form is too subjective, which means nobody feels in control. Then, you have the removal of those moments of ecstasy which makes football so special – celebrating goals, fans experiencing those highs, talking points of ‘was it or was it not?’, not this nonsense of having to wait for VAR.

The Premier League is the best league in the world – without a doubt. But the standard of players on show, needs to be matched by the standard of officiating as well. Michael Oliver – arguably the league’s best referee - is supposedly in talks over a £1m per year contract to referee in the Saudi Pro League, something which will twist the Premier league’s arm in terms of a succession plan. Because you can be sure that if Michael Oliver goes, others may get the chance to follow – if for nothing else other than a big wage packet.

Such a succession plan would have to be more strategic than the recent approach of plucking the top refs from lesser leagues - Jared Gillett from the Australian A League in 2019 is an example. Even closer to home, there may even be opportunities for the best referees in the League of Ireland (which means Rob Harvey is safe). But this really could present a problem for the League of Ireland. We have witnessed first-hand the quality of refereeing in the league this year. Outside the top two referees, the standard has dropped significantly – an awful state for a league that is striving to become as professional as possible. The Irish Soccer Referees Society (ISRS), headed up by Paul O’Brien, really do have a big job on their hands to recruit, retain and develop referees for the short, medium and long term.

Maybe it’s a pathway for more ex-players to explore…

Dreaming Again

Shamrock Rovers once again proved their title credentials and all the doubters (including yours truly) wrong again, picking up another three points against a tough opponent, overcoming Shelbourne 1-0 last week. Still, it would appear that all is not well, with manager Stephen Bradley relishing the chance to take a swipe at the Rovers board after the game. It's a part of Shamrock Rovers that seems to be less cohesive, with parts of the board pulling in different directions. It could be the main downfall of Shamrock Rovers over the next few years, having 50% of the club owned by the fans, 25% owned by Dermot Desmond Group and the final 25% owned by Australia-based fan Ray Wilson, it seems like a split board that are unable to make a collective decision right now. But at least for now, Bradley’s charges are remaining cohesive and effective on the pitch in their pursuit of four-in-a-row.

Derry City’s performance against UCD cannot be taken for granted, as winning any match 6-0 in the Premier Division is an achievement. Whilst the students were compounded to relegation the week previous, Derry's professional performance reduced the goal difference with Shamrock Rovers to just two goals. Without getting ahead of myself, should Derry win in Drogheda on Friday night and manage to bag a few goals in the process, they could be within two points of Shamrock Rovers, with a better goal difference.

Am I being too optimistic?

In terms of the run-in, this year still presents grounds for optimism and excitement for Derry City fans. Derry are firmly on Rovers’ tails going into the final few games. But just as tight is the fight for third/fourth between Dundalk (49pts) Shelburne (50pts), Bohemians (52pts) and St Pat's (56pts) - who have a very difficult run-in. Personally, I don't see them picking up many points, and they may be pipped to the post in their hunt for third – likely by Declan Devine’s Bohemians. Watch this space.  
It’s going to be a grandstand finish that will have fans glued to the league until the final whistle on the final day. Buckle up.