After Arteta nonsense, Spurs boss shows Premier League the way forward with VAR
It is a bit of a stab in the dark but here is a prediction of what we will find at the end of the football season.
The best team wins the Premier League and the worst team finishes bottom.
Forget VAR, forget its injustices, forget poor Mikel Arteta feeling sick, forget pompous statements from clubs that really should know better, forget Anthony Taylor, forget games that seem to go on longer than a week in prison, forget radio pundits frothing at the microphone, forget dodgy lines, forget the handball rule, forget Stockley Park.
The best team will win the Premier League, the worst will finish bottom. End of. So do not give any of this nonsense about VAR threatening the integrity of the game any credibility whatsoever.
The only things that continue to threaten the credibility of the Premier League game are players trying to cheat officials, managers sanctioning the con-artists and then clubs, such as Arsenal, endorsing the self-righteous nonsense spouted by their manager.
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Here is what clubs should be doing:
When the 20 chief executives, or owners, or whoever, next get together in a swanky London hotel to discuss how many billions they want for their next TV deal, they should have a think about how their managers and players are behaving.
And make a collective agreement to tell those managers and players to at least meet the people trying to ensure the sport is fair - because, in whatever manner, that is what officials try to do - halfway.
Make them listen to the words of Ange Postecoglou, who said he has, over a quarter of a century, had a lot of decisions go for him and a lot go against him. Because the oldest sporting cliche that these types of things balance themselves out is actually true. Good on Ange.
But the chances of getting players and his fellow managers to accept the inevitable vagaries of officialdom are probably slim and none. And what Postecoglou said about the ‘constant erosion of the referee’s authority’ was the most pertinent part of his post-match press conference on Monday.
Forgive the VAR pun, but the lines have to be redrawn.
The game simply cannot allow every decision, every incident of any note, be analysed by VAR. And that is what happened in the Spurs-Chelsea match. Football has to remain as continuous as possible because that is the fundamental reason it is the most popular sport in the world.
So, tell managers that red-card decisions for foul play will go back to being the sole responsibility of the on-field referee.
Tell managers that VAR will not be used for marginal offside decisions until semi-automated technology is in place.
Tell managers that VAR will not adjudicate on possible fouls in the build-ups to goals.
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Tell managers that the original concept of it being there only for GLARINGLY obvious on-pitch oversights now applies.
Oh, and tell managers to behave with the class shown by Ange Postecoglou.
That would be a good start.
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