S12M24: Inconceivable

 As soon as the news broke of the VAR farce last weekend, I basically lost it. I consume a huge amount of footballing content during the week and expend far too much energy on a past-time to be healthy.

But, for about 4 days, I just disengaged. The problem with writing a week after the events is that the world moves on, and people have had their say. The other problem is that the world moves on - but the issue remains, unresolved.

So where do we go? How did it get to this?

Let's start with a simple premise: Football has evolved from the days of yore. The game is faster, players are athletic monsters in a way that they were not even 20 years ago. The financial consequences are higher and the scrutiny, both in terms of eyeballs, but also the wider context of media - traditional and social is much, much greater and, frankly, impossible to manage than ever before.

So, there's a decision to be made: Is football a game in which. human error is part of the spectacle, as it has been for the 140 odd years of its codified existence, or, is it now an industry in which near-perfection must be reached.

The latter point was decided and for all the harking back to another time - that realistically was the only outcome given the money at stake.

So then, why has the paradigm shift not occurred at an organisational level? Clubs extract every benefit they can. Leagues attempt to be run in professional capacities. Only the regulators (and the officials, as regulators of the matches are in this boat too) seem to think themselves immune from the marching long arc of history.

This - this is how you end up with nonsense like last weekend with 2 catastrophic errors in the supposed failsafe. Forgetting to draw lines. Looking at the wrong player to draw a line. This is stuff that a 10 year old fanatical fan could have got right. 

As Mikel Arteta said, "I don't want an apology. I want my 2 points" - but we know that's not how it works.

I was pro-VAR. I frankly still am. I was pro-goal line technology, and semi-automated AI, and miking up the officials, and I am pro-timing being removed from their purview and any other adjustments to the job that allow for a better outcome.

Arsene Wenger ultimately declined for many reasons but one of which, I am convinced was bandwidth. He too, was from another era and refused to relinquish his grip on areas he really should not have been focused on as First Team Manager. He was a stakeholder in the academy, in the club communications strategy etc but his focus should not have been diverted. Ferguson I have no doubt would have gone the same way had he gone on for another decade.

This is now what needs to happen with officiating. Not a "meeting" one morning where they agree to get it right. A proper root & branch review of officiating. 

What is the purpose of the officiating team? Who are the stakeholders in the game and how do they interact with officials? How can technology assist - not take over - but ensure outrageous errors are the exception once a decade, not the rule - 6 confirmed errors in half a season from a full-time professional VAR is unacceptable and he should lose his job.

What are the processes in place? If time is a consideration, then make that known. If the correct decision is the priority, then ignore time pressures. Is the philosophy accurate? 

I can't accept this as human error. Nor as conspiracy for those that way inclined. Nor as incompetence. This weekend was a consequence of arrogance. Of hubris. Of men steeped in a particular footballing culture without the insight and self-reflection to acknowledge that they are as outdated as Richard Keys and Ron Atkinson. They belong to a different era of football, and the only way out is with fresh vision, taking inspiration and best practice from other sports and fields who have managed to innovate effectively.

Otherwise, you can guarantee, I'll be writing yet another piece on VAR before the end of the season.

Let's get statty:
This week, 18 people played
Most popular predicted results: Arsenal & Man City WINS (18/18)
Most disputed prediction: West Ham vs Chelsea (6-6-6 split)

Highest odds: Steven Daniels (1061/1)
Lowest odds: Josh Daniels (786/1)
Average odds: 924/1

Best predictor: Josh Daniels (7/10)
Worst predictors: WhoScored.Com & Zoe Daniels (2/10)
Average score: 4.61/10

Best predicted result: Man City WIN (18/18)
Worst predicted result: Arsenal vs Brentford DRAW (0/18)

Everyone's results:

Leaderboard (>2/3; 16/23)

This week's predos:

Good luck all!