Those guys are the real heroes in all this.
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I don't think many are saying that, but it goes back to the whole unconscious bias type discussion. I could do VAR for Birmingham v Coventry next week, no connection to them really, but they were twats when I went to a game 20 years ago and I'm still inclined to think all their players are wankers. It might creep into my decision making without me even realising it. Given Atwell's connection to Forest is much more than the example I've just given, I don't think it's unreasonable to suggest his decisions might not have, unintentionally, not been entirely without bias. What other explanation even is there for the Young third penalty??
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I don't get why we need a different VAR for every game.
Even with five games at once, the number of VAR incidents is so small, that you could manage with just a couple of people there, overseeing one or two VAR assistants per match, with those senior two making the final call. Could even get newly retired refs to do it, so they're up to speed with the rules and the players, but maybe not fit enough to actually referee a game.
One or two people making all the VAR calls would at least ensure consistency... -
Or, more simply, why we need VAR at all.
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But if it's just Atwell doesn't like us (the idea of which Derby fans would find laughable - www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jQbvtheRMw ) then how do you control for that? Maybe Nuno didn't hold a door open for Taylor when he was at Wolves and Taylor's never forgiven him. At some stage, you have to accept that referees do as good a job as they can to put aside those kinds of biases.
"Sorry, we can't look at your penalty shout right now, all our operatives are looking at other matches, please stay on the line or call back later. You are currently NUMBER 5 in the queue"
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Press 1 for Stuart Atwell
Press 2 for David Coote
Press hash if you are the Forest owner wishing to leave an abusive allegation of corruption. -
Anthony Taylor has reffed four Forest games this season...
Man City away (L2-0, s/o Rodri)
Brighton home (L2-3, gave Brighton a penalty for a pull by Chris Wood, needed VAR intervention to give Forest a penalty for an identical offence, s/o Dunk)
Newcastle home (L2-3, denied clear penalty on Taiwo)
Everton away...Stuart Attwell was, of course, the ref at Bournemouth where he denied Sam Surridge a clear penalty to deny Forest promotion, and then apologised to Steve Cooper after the game. He didn't ref us at all last season - his next game was United away earlier this season where Rashford dived for a penalty, and Worrall was also sent off (and didn't ref us again until Bristol City away).
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The Surridge / Muff penalty - it wasn't that he didn't give it, it was that the linesman erroneously flagged for offside in the build up.
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He has refereed us 9 times in his career (W0 D4 L5) and sent off 3 Forest players. The only other teams he has shown 3 straight reds to in his career have been Man City (22 games), Sheffield United (17 games) and Brighton (25 games).
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Acts like a biased cunt? Check
Looks like a biased cunt? CheckVerdict: biased cunt.
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You could argue that shit teams don't win as much and have more players sent off. On the flipside of that argument, Sheffield United.
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One way to improve VAR would be to do what the bunker does in the NRL in Australia - you can hear the bunker giving an explanation for their decision on review in live play. Beats me why the Premier League, being a richer league than the NRL, can't work out how to do that.
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People like to shout "fuck" a lot at football and broadcasting this would hit TV revenues.
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Unlike the famously polite and non-sweary Australians, you mean?
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Alternatively they know they are shit and don't want everyone to see (hear) just how shit they are.
