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Didn't see this last night, but worth a watch. Reading the comments on it just proves how officials are damned if they do and damned if they don't. The amount of negativity in there is ridiculous.
Anthony Taylor on MNF
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That absolutely isn't what he said. "We really work hard to try and make the decision on the field rather than use VAR as a safety net".
Runner Ref
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I agree with you that's not what he was getting at; but that could very easily be construed as to what he is saying. Probably could have picked a better choice of words, but I can't imagine he's had all that much media training.
He clearly implies that VAR is there as a safety net, IF wanted.
This is down to interpretation but this, for me, implies what i felt.
I hate var as much as anyone but can't agree with you here, it's not what he says or implies.
He comes across really well though as usual I'm left to wonder if the north of England has elite refereeing by the short and curlies as they all seem to be from up (sorry, oop) there!*
I think AT comes across well and whilst I don't think he's meaning to say that referees have been using VAR as a safety net, I accept that @Kent Ref 's interpretation is valid, as why would you have to work hard not to use it as a safety net if it's not being used as one previously?! Suspect it's more an unfortunate choice of words.
*Said tongue in cheek, not out of any personal animus (I only started at 48 so haven't missed out on anything!)
I think AT comes across well and whilst I don't think he's meaning to say that referees have been using VAR as a safety net, I accept that @Kent Ref 's interpretation is valid, as why would you have to work hard not to use it as a safety net if it's not being used as one previously?! Suspect it's more an unfortunate choice of words.
*Said tongue in cheek, not out of any personal animus (I only started at 48 so haven't missed out on anything!)
It may play a part, you never know. A significant number of the older referees on my local Step 7 league (West Mids Regional) all made it to the very top in either the men's or (more recently) the women's game. No coincidence that at the time the guy in charge of the FL refs was also on the WMRL. Anyway, back to the topic of OP (sorry!), AT came across very well I thought. He clearly hasn't had much media training but he was very clear about a lot. I do think he just made an unfortunate choice of words with the VAR comment.
Darren Cann:
Not everybody likes VAR and I accept that view," Cann told BBC Sport. "But from a match official's point of view, it is a really valuable tool. "I would like to dispel a myth. People think we referee differently because there is VAR but nothing could be further from the truth”.
That depends how you interpret the "rather than" separator. If I was to say I try to do my self assessment tax return on time rather than get a fine that doesn't mean that my default or prior behaviour was to not do it on time, it just means I am aware of what will happen if I don't. I take his words, albeit a bit clumsy, to mean that they work hard to get it right as they that if they don't VAR will have to correct them. And of course they work hard to get it right as none of them want to be getting incorrect KMD decisions. Take Craig Pawson at the weekend, he's been rescued twice by VAR meaning he is getting a mark of 7.5, no referee wants that.
I don't understand the issue. VAR IS designed to be a safety net. Saying we want to get it right first time rather than use it as a safety net he's saying exactly that, we don't want to need VAR, but it's a matter of fact that it's there as a safety net.
For me that means something entirely different to what Kent Ref is suggesting, whereby the refs aren't making decisions because we've got VAR as a safety net. I'd imagine if Anthony Taylor meant that, he'd have said something along the lines of 'we know that if we don't get it right, we've always got VAR as a safety net'. Notice the (not so) suttle difference?
Oh and on the subject of comments I saw a tiktoker losing his mind about this saying 'refs are again trying to make it all about them. When I was a kid we didn't know who most refs are, but now we know all of them, even in the championship'...
I have no words for the sheer idiocy it takes to say something so stupid, it made my brain melt.
For me that means something entirely different to what Kent Ref is suggesting, whereby the refs aren't making decisions because we've got VAR as a safety net. I'd imagine if Anthony Taylor meant that, he'd have said something along the lines of 'we know that if we don't get it right, we've always got VAR as a safety net'. Notice the (not so) suttle difference?
Oh and on the subject of comments I saw a tiktoker losing his mind about this saying 'refs are again trying to make it all about them. When I was a kid we didn't know who most refs are, but now we know all of them, even in the championship'...
I have no words for the sheer idiocy it takes to say something so stupid, it made my brain melt.
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I think this is the first time Anthony Taylor has been on live TV and he did look a little nervous so maybe that explains something was lost in translation?
I've always said it but I do believe most referees in terms of SFP may have VAR in the back of their minds when making a decision, I mean we hardly ever see a referee downgrade a red card to a yellow via VAR and if your a referee that makes that type of error then it probably feels worse than the other way round. Of course part of the reason for that is because it seems to be getting rarer a referee produces a red card right away for SFP anymore and they know with VAR in the background then going for a yellow would feel a safer option.
I've always said it but I do believe most referees in terms of SFP may have VAR in the back of their minds when making a decision, I mean we hardly ever see a referee downgrade a red card to a yellow via VAR and if your a referee that makes that type of error then it probably feels worse than the other way round. Of course part of the reason for that is because it seems to be getting rarer a referee produces a red card right away for SFP anymore and they know with VAR in the background then going for a yellow would feel a safer option.
If you are the ref you will want to get it right. If VAR intervenes and you get it wrong. You'll have to change your decision regardless.
In the case of Serious foul play, players hang around after the red to ensure that VAR agrees with the ref. So it makes minimum difference in giant calls like that.
So I don't get this whole safety net argument.
In the case of Serious foul play, players hang around after the red to ensure that VAR agrees with the ref. So it makes minimum difference in giant calls like that.
So I don't get this whole safety net argument.
I agree with some of this but i think some refs know the safety net will help them if they quickly show yellow and then VAR intervenes.
This is slowly creeping in as "part of the game" and no "face" is being lost.
I saw a stat on this recently but now annoying can't find it, but the number of red cards for SFP missed on field and highlighted by VAR is only slightly higher than the number of SPF red cards given by the referee but then overturned on a VAR recommendation. Which kind of pours cold water on any view that the referees go safe and wait for VAR, if that was the case there would never be any red cards overturned by a VAR review.
I genuinely don't see it. The amount of times I see referees overturning penalties. E.g. Bodo Glimt V Tottenham, 90+5 penalty.