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2023-24 Premier League Thread

“I think the only outcome should be a replay.”


literal, verbatim quote…..not sure why everyone is so desperate to claim he didn’t mean it, his intention was this not that. It’s what he said, and followed it up immediately with “probably will not happen.” So any reading of it that tries to imply it isn’t referring to this specific game, is nonsense.

He had days to reflect on it, and he said what he said….it’s goofy as hell, and is likely done to influence refs in their favor, in future matches as much as anything. But to claim everyone is saying he’s “demanding” a rematch, or pretend he didn’t say precisely what he said, gimme a break. Those tweets are all nonsense.
 
Just that part you quoted and understand you're reading it out of context.

I’ve listened to the whole presser a couple times & the extended clip numerous times…..he says what he says, and his intent behind it is awfully straight forward.

it’s the likes of those tweets that are trying to twist them into a pretzel to pretend it meant anything else.
 
Well, he certainly knows the systems. Still not convinced that Jota has the physical makeup for the Prem though.

yeah I think it’s tied to us losing lots of our wing depth….so if he could be brought in just to help cover the losses of Perisic, Solomon, Brennen, and Sonny being a bit dinged up, that alone would be great.
 
Bryan Gil is also due back soon I think, and while I *love* his technical ability….like you with Jota, I question his physical makeup for the Prem. Which is a shame, cause he just oozes talent.
 
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola says that Tyler Adams’ hamstring injury is severe and “surgery is not out of the question”. He played the last 20 minutes of the Cherries 2-0 win over Stoke in the League Cup on September 27, it was his first action of the season.
 
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola says that Tyler Adams’ hamstring injury is severe and “surgery is not out of the question”. He played the last 20 minutes of the Cherries 2-0 win over Stoke in the League Cup on September 27, it was his first action of the season.
UGH
 
Arsenal take down Man City 1-0. It’s the first time in 5 years that City has lost 2 consecutive league games. They’ve also lost 3 of their last 4, also losing to Newcastle in the League Cup.

North London ruling the table at the international break. Spurs on top of Arsenal, tied on 20 points, tied on goal difference, Spurs ahead on goals scored, 18-16.
 
The officiating in the Prem at an all time low in terms of credibility. How neither challenge by Kovacic didn't result in his sending off is beyond me. Then I learn Michael Oliver was in the UAE officiating a match a few days earlier. And another sovereign fund side has him as their match official? Not a good look.
To say nothing of how Pascal Gross wasn't sent off today for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity to Liverpool. A penalty for such but not a red? Or even a yellow? This makes the Howard Webb stuff from back in the day look tame by comparison
 
The officiating in the Prem at an all time low in terms of credibility. How neither challenge by Kovacic didn't result in his sending off is beyond me. Then I learn Michael Oliver was in the UAE officiating a match a few days earlier. And another sovereign fund side has him as their match official? Not a good look.
To say nothing of how Pascal Gross wasn't sent off today for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity to Liverpool. A penalty for such but not a red? Or even a yellow? This makes the Howard Webb stuff from back in the day look tame by comparison
Kovacic’s first challenge was borderline. But his 2nd was a clear yellow and should have seen him sent off. And it’s not just the Prem; in the WSL today, a player from Man City got her 2nd yellow for time wasting. In the 38th minute.

As for where he worked, that’s some high level Liverpool conspiracy stuff. The Community Notes on a tweet kind of blow that up. And that ship sailed long ago.

Man City is part-owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group. ADUG has no connection to the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) that operates the UAE Pro League, responsible for appointing referees. The AFC president is FIFA Vice President Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa.
 
Officiating in general is on a downward trajectory, and not just in soccer.


With all of that said….and we do blow up over the big moments, and I agree it’s on a downward trajectory overall…..it’s still mind blowing to me just how much they get right, given the speeds it’s all occurring at.

There’s so so much that in real time I’ll miss, maybe even miss on the first replay that’s at a distance, or even need a second close up slo-mo to catch where the foul even was….and they get such a high % of it right.

….and obviously VAR has resulted in call going the correct way at a vastly higher rate than the old days. Although I still disagree with how offsides are called…..too many beautiful valid goals are called off for a level of offside that’s largely meaningless…..while fouls in the box that were never going to result in a goal, are awarded penalties & a free goal 75%+ of the time. (It really is absurd how much we all accept that penalties are the “fair” outcome when 60-70% of the time it’s a vastly over the top punishment for the crime.)


/6 cents.
 
The various referee support systems (review, VAR, Hawkeye, whatever) have been around long enough to pass judgement IMO, and across the board they've made the overall level of officiating worse, not better. We all assumed that if the refs could just get some help in crucial situations, that would make outcomes more fair and their jobs easier ... wrong, wrong, wrong. It made refs more timid to make calls in real time and there's not a single sport that has enough competent people working the reviews to support the process. MAYBE tennis has gotten a bit better with automation, otherwise it's all been either no better or worse.
 
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The various referee support systems (review, VAR, Hawkeye, whatever) have been around long enough to pass judgement IMO, and across the board they've made the overall level of officiating worse, not better.

I don’t believe this to be true….I think a significant enough number of offsides, and penalties given/taken away have been corrected that otherwise wouldn’t have been to make it much more accurately called overall.

now has that accuracy taken away from the thrill & excitement of the game? (waiting to see if a VAR call takes back a goal, sucks some of the life out of the moment, unquestionably).

We all assumed that if the refs could just get some help in crucial situations, that would make outcomes more fair and their jobs easier ... wrong, wrong, wrong. It made refs more timid to make calls in real time and there's not a single sport that has enough competent people working the reviews to support the process.

I definitely haven’t come away from the VAR era thinking too few plays are called…..and if anything I feel like the VAR officials can too often be timid to call the ref over to the screen.

that said, I’m fine with it….I want fewer calls overall, not more. (I’d like waaaaay fewer goals taken back from close offsides plays, especially)

MAYBE tennis has gotten a bit better with automation, otherwise it's all been either no better or worse.

Every sport has gotten “better” in terms of the accuracy of their calls, from replays…..but whether it’s enough of a value to trump what it takes away from the spontaneous energy of the game, is to be determined.

MLB had handled replays remarkably well, and usually do them with a speed & accuracy to have been a great addition. (Overall I think VAR has too, especially when taking into account those done during play, to ensure an uncalled foul should actually have been called.)

Doesn’t mean they still don’t get them wrong, they all do…..but the success rate on replay usage correcting or confirming a call, is remarkably high across sport.
 
The various referee support systems (review, VAR, Hawkeye, whatever) have been around long enough to pass judgement IMO, and across the board they've made the overall level of officiating worse, not better. We all assumed that if the refs could just get some help in crucial situations, that would make outcomes more fair and their jobs easier ... wrong, wrong, wrong. It made refs more timid to make calls in real time and there's not a single sport that has enough competent people working the reviews to support the process. MAYBE tennis has gotten a bit better with automation, otherwise it's all been either no better or worse.
Don't understand, though, why VAR doesn't generate nearly the controversy in the rest of Europe that it does in England? Why does it seem to work there, and not in England?
 
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