As ever, VAR continues to be a hotly debated topic.
Newcastle United were denied a third goal away at Brentford on Saturday after previously falling behind after the technology had awarded the home side a soft penalty, scored by Ivan Toney.
While it had also ruled a goal out for Brentford, there is little doubt VAR played a big role in Saturday’s game at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Eddie Howe’s side might have come away with a win but the decision to punish Alexander Isak in the first-half allowing Toney to score was certainly controversial. So much so that Alan Shearer was vocal on Twitter.
Clearly, it’s not as if Newcastle are always on the receiving end of bad decisions, albeit Elliot Anderson’s goal at Nottingham Forest should arguably have stood. Indeed, Nick Pope was perhaps lucky to get away with one against Wolves last month.
Still, the merits – or lack thereof – of VAR continue to be criticised.
Jamie Reuben hits out at VAR
Taking to Twitter, co-owner Jamie Reuben hit out at the technology.
While he said he was not talking about Saturday’s game in isolation and did speak of it as a largely positive introduction to the game, he criticised the length it takes to get to a decision, as well as its inconsistency.
Fine-tuning is the problem
For many, VAR debates are slightly tiresome.
Still, it plays such a major role in the game today that calling for improvements is hardly out of the question. There will always be controversial decisions but the lack of consistency is hugely frustrating.
Fabian Schar, after all, was brought down by a similar challenge to the one Isak was penalised for against Brentford during the win over Manchester United.
That kind of inconsistency, coupled with how long it can take to make a call, leaves a lot to be desired.
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