Time For A High Line Villa Home Thriller (A match thread.)

For offside, not only is there an attempt to quantify something that is patently not quantifiable, it’s taking minutes to do so for something thats not obvious. “Officials’ call” needs to exist if they are going to use technology. Use the automated offside system and it’s all done in seconds. It doesn't really matter what the margin of error is.

In cricket they are trying to estimate the flight of a moving/spinning/swinging ball. Ok, some parameters are fixed: where it pitched and (usually) where it hit the batter. There’s something about umpires call in cricket that gives a degree of satisfaction even if it doesn’t go your way.

Interesting in tennis, they are so confident of (or confident with) the technology that they are beginning to do away with line judges. And in football, no-one debates the goal line technology. So there appears to be comfort with absolute decisions.

This drawing a line from the shoulder thing really discriminates against people with puffy sleeves as well.

All this analysis is fascinating but it’s a waste of time because VAR is bollocks. Whatever happened to giving the attacking player the benefit of the doubt?

Wolves were right when it called for a vote to scrap it. It’s useless..

Chicago: Old school.

Could change the rule to make it simpler. Choose a part of the body that determines his or her position with regards to offside. I'd have gone with chest, but that would disadvantage big titted girls. Maybe the back of the torso could be used. Stick GPS on it and you can get real time data on who is offside at any point.

Using the back gives the attacker a slight headstart as well.

I should have said “absolute.” My point was that HawkEye in tennis (which is based on modelling and statistical probability) and GLT (loads of cameras and 3-D reconstruction) seem to satisfy the masses that they are “truth.” For situations that are perceived as more fluid/subjective (LBW, offside) then umpires call should suffice.

Apologies I can’t work out how to post the image but it gets more ridiculous the more I look at it

x.com/mariknackered/status/1868433797525696547?s=46&t=F0ZLhXIbuz-a9BzJUOvZlQ

So we should replace VAR (referee) with VAT (tech, no human involved with interpretation) with a margin for error enough to simply declare the infield decision stands.

Umpires call in cricket, though, is for decisions where they are projecting the path of the ball forward. They don't have it for line calls - pitching in line or where the ball hit the pad - those are regarded as fact.

If they really have to persist with this annoying technology, then it seems to me that they should alter the rule so that the line is drawn from the feet of all players and not from somebody's chest or arse because they happen to be fractionally leaning over a bit when they deem the ball to have been played.
All this 'length of the arm of the shirt' bollocks in completely ridiculous.

But they could have it if the lino put his flag up when he thought it was off, and left it down when he didn't (the way it was previously always done, and always will be done on the park on a sunday morning) and then allow for a margin of error in that call.

FTFY