18 Aug 2022 21:15:21
Not Liverpool related, but it was discussed last week on here, and I am so baffled now, I just wanted to add something.

Mike Dean has come out and said that he made a mistake in not asking Ref. Taylor to have a look at the pitch side monitor in regards to Romero pulling Cucurella's hair.

Seriously? Like it was not immediately obvious that it's foul play? No idea if hair pulling is mentioned in the rules or not, but do you even have to go that deep into it? As if it is actually allowed in some other sport somewhere, even? Let's start there. (I know some Einstein is going to mention WWE, but that's not a sport ?) .

No wonder these guys get so much abuse and derision. They were fouling up decisions in real time action in the past. Now they can't get the slow motion replays right, either.

{Ed014's Note - there should never be refs in VAR

1.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 21:59:28
Are you suggesting VAR officials from outside of football, Ed014? Would that work? I have this fear that people not used to all the various "dark arts" (diving, play acting, pulling shirts etc etc) would get regularly fooled by all the pros on the pitch.

{Ed014's Note - I don’t really know mate but they just seem to back up each other’s errors to stop them all looking bad.

I don’t think ex players would work either as links obvs to their previous clubs.

It’s just ridiculous that they miss so much when everything is on a plate for them with views from every angle plus technology yet they still regularly balls it up!

2.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 22:42:25
But hair pulling isn’t a foul. It was clearly stated on here Aray the other day by Oli who indeed invented football.

3.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 22:59:22
I think it should be previous footballers that are trained on the software.

Referees are thin on the ground so why spread them thinner by needing them to watch the screens. Yes not hard work but they aren't exactly getting it right.

If it is ex footballers then they are only advising, the final decision would still be the ref. The ref might also have more confidence to stick by their decision.

Right now it just feels the ref in the VAR room dares go against the on field ref even if its blatantly obvious and vice versa if sent to the screen.

4.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 23:48:33
But they'd need to know the rules and possibly the way refs work. Get them speaking LIVE (so we can all hear them) to each other and not a possibly doctored one later on! It works in cricket and rugby, why not football?

5.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 23:52:40
I've just read that too and couldn't believe how care free he was about admitting such and obvious mistake. These officials demand respect yet do nothing to earn it.

Plus I'm pretty sure even in the WWE hair pulling if frowned upon, maybe someone could ask the Palace centre half on pro wrestling rules after his Ric Flair level selling of a 'headbutt' haha.

6.) 18 Aug 2022
18 Aug 2022 23:54:19
I've got some interest in this as I thought if something wasn't given for a foul and noticed by a referee then retrospective action can be taken? Isn't hair pulling likely to be under serious foul play? Otherwise I don't fancy Darwins position when Liverpool play Tottenham and Romero is allowed to mark him by holding his ponytail.

7.) 19 Aug 2022
19 Aug 2022 04:56:35
Former players on VAR? Get real. Imagine Ferdinand doing a Utd game?

8.) 19 Aug 2022
19 Aug 2022 09:06:39
Imagine that hair pull going for review to Claudio Gentile? “Nothing wrong there lads, yellow card to Cucurella for simulation”. Seriously though, I think I’d rather an ex pro on there than an imbecile like Tierney. There’s plenty out there to avoid there being any conflict of interest or perception of bias.

9.) 19 Aug 2022
19 Aug 2022 14:08:59
I'm a big fan of the NRL in Australia. There's not many harder competitions than that and I remember a player getting banned retrospectively for hair pulling. It wasn't as bad as the Cucurella one either.
It was Sam Burgess on Billy Smith.