Premier League Round Up (Jun 17 2020)

[tlw content]

So we’re back and it’s kind of fitting that the biggest talking point from the opening game was the exact same thing we were all harping on about before everything was shut down due to Covid19. Fucking VAR.

 

We’ve had a lot of farcical incidents this season relating to technology but the decision not to award a goal to Sheffield United in this game might be the worst one yet. It might also be the reason the Blades miss out on Europe, or that Villa survive at some other poor bastard team’s expense.

 

It was so clearly a goal that everyone near the incident knew it. Players never argue with refs when hawkeye has made a decision but the Blades players were on at Michael Oliver because they saw how far over the line it was and that clearly something must have gone wrong for his watch not to have beeped.

 

Oliver himself probably suspected it was in but that’s not his call to make. All he could was signal that his watch didn’t beep to signal the ball was over the line, and without that he is unable to give anything. Perhaps it would be different if the ball was a couple of yards over (like that hilarious disallowed goal of England’s against Germany in the World Cup a few years back!), but even though this one looked in it was close enough for Oliver’s hands to be tied.

 

He’s blameless in this really as referees can’t really be over-ruling hawked as all hell would break loose. Referees need help in these type of situations. Something like, oh I don’t know, maybe another ref who has access to various camera angles who could let him know to stop the game while they check it out? A novel idea, I know.

 

This is the problem when you rely 100% on technology and believe that it’s infallible. We’ve seen this happen in movies. We trust the technology and then before you know it society is breaking down. Terminator, the Matrix, War Games…. Technology is there to help us, not to fucking call the shots.

 

So this is mostly on Paul Tierney, the VAR official who must have known that the goal-line tech had failed for whatever reason (I’ll get to the ‘explanation’ shortly). Why didn’t he stop the game and let Oliver know that something was up. They could then have tested the hawkeye to see if it was working.

 

Yeah there’d have have been a lengthy delay, but surely the important thing here is to fucking get it right and avoid the grave injustice that we saw. Honestly, it’s a fucking scandal really. Sure, if the goal had stood then Villa might have come back but we’ll never know because we were denied that by a cowardly VAR official and a failure of what we’ve been told is a foolproof piece of kit. When we didn’t see the computer generated ‘no goal’ thing with the ball and the line it was obvious that hawkeye had fucked up.

 

The question I have is was this a failure of the technology, or of the person charged with setting it up? My guess is that someone probably forgot to plug it in. The explanation given later was that the cameras couldn’t pick up the ball because players were obscuring it. Doing we believe that? I don’t. Not for a second. In all the tests they ran and in all the games that have been covered this has never happened. So why now?

 

Like I say, because someone forgot to plug it in (perhaps not literally, although I wouldn’t be shocked if it was that simple). They won’t admit to human error so instead they just blame ‘unique circumstances’ that weren’t really that ‘unique’ at all. And if the cameras really couldn’t pick that up because a few players were in the vicinity, then the system is not fit for purpose.

 

If I’m Sheffield United I’m demanding the game be replayed. This isn’t just a case of a referee getting it wrong, or even VAR fucking up. No this is completely different. For whatever reason, the goal-line technology that football has put 100% trust in, failed, and the consequences of that failure could be worth tens (hundreds?) of millions of pounds to the clubs involved.

 

If the Blades finish one point off the top four it will be because of this. If Villa survive by one point (or goal difference) then it’s because of this. I’m serious, I’d be demanding a replay if I’m Sheffield United, and if I’m one of the other sides battling with Villa at the bottom I’d be equally as furious.

 

The fact I’ve spent so long on this is because it was the only thing of any note that happened. The game was dogshit and while I think the lack of fans made it seem even worse than it was, it was a game so bad that it would have been almost unwatchable even if it were played in front of a full house.

 

I’ve spent weeks counting down the days to football returning and it didn’t even matter to me that the first game was Villa and Sheffield United. I told myself “No matter how shit it is it’ll just be great to have it back”. Didn’t take long for me to realise that was bollocks.

 

I jibbed it after an hour but in truth I was only half watching it from about 15 minutes in. I had it playing in a small window on my computer screen while I was doing some work. It certainly didn’t have my full attention, which is fairly damning given there’s been no footy since March.

 

Couple of things I noticed before I got bored. The fake crowd noise is horrendous. Thankfully Sky did provide the option of watching without it, so that shit was abandoned after a couple of minutes. Can’t be doing with that at all.

 

As bad as that was though, it wasn’t as bad as Jack Grealish’s hair. He probably should have been locked up after his antics during the lockdown, but having seen the kip of his barnet I’d be throwing away the key. Prior to the break I was thinking I’d happily see him at Anfield is the opportunity was there to sign him. Fuck. That.

 

I’ve seen the light now and gone back to my long held view of him. Lee Hendrie wannabe who has Manchester United player written all over him. In fact, if you cut him open he’d have “Yernited” stamped through him like a stick of rock. Fuck Jack Grealish, and fuck me for ever deviating away from that opinion.

 

Another individual who has suffered in the hair department during lockdown is Michael Oliver, who was looking a little rough around the edges. I’m good with that for two reasons. Firstly, this is the fella who a few years back had tramlines shaved into his head, so anything is better than that.

 

Secondly, and most importantly, anyone looking like they’re in need of a haircut has my respect because it shows they’ve stuck to the rules and not had a barber round their gaff on the sly. So Michael Oliver, fair play. Other than I don’t really have anything as like I say, I wasn’t really paying much attention. A bit like hawkeye really.

 

 

 

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[Jurgens Red Army]

Great Kyle Walker analysis Dave.

[deiseach]

Your writing is the thing I have missed most about football. It certainly hasn't been, well, football.

[DalyanPete]

Good to be back, coincided with paying my subs, worth every one of the 206 Turkish lira I pay.

Quality work my man.

 

[William_Ulsterman]

Quote

One final point. It was a bit strange seeing no names on shirts. They all had 'Black Lives Matter' on them which is good and I like the solidarity of it. I'm happy it's not a permanent thing though as honestly, I didn't have a fucking clue who some of these players were, especially the Villa ones.

 

Players all took a knee immediately after the kick off, which was another powerful statement that will have been shown around the world. Good stuff that. Mind you, it was a bit awkward for Kyle Walker as usually when  someone drops to their knees in front of him he instinctively reaches for his wallet.

....Jesus wept Dave, why have so many people bought the propaganda? BLM is not about 'black lives', why do they not kick up a riot when 20 black people (including a 5 year girl shot dead) are murdered in Chicago the same weekend St George Floyd was wrongly murdered. Maybe it was because they were murdered by other black men? Or were they too busy killing and looting other black owned businesses with those Antifaaaaa soy boys?

 

Some of you guys need to wake up and smell the BS. I could throw in some stats as well that would blow the BLM bullshit argument out the window but i guess most don't do facts these days and rely of feelings and virtu signalling. Neg away as i dont give a fuck because it really is one big fat - fucking - lie.

[dave u]

Not really the thread to go into a detailed discussion about it, but "20 black people murdered by black other men" you referenced is part of a wider issue relating to the basically the same thing.

 

BLM isn't just about police killing black people, it's about the inequality that allows it to happen. The same inequality (and therefore lack of opportunity) that leads to crime, drugs and shootings in the poorer areas, resulting in those 20 murders you referenced.

[deiseach]

2 minutes ago, dave u said:

Not really the thread to go into a detailed discussion about it, but "20 black people murdered by black other men" you referenced is part of a wider issue relating to the basically the same thing.

 

BLM isn't just about police killing black people, it's about the inequality that allows it to happen. The same inequality (and therefore lack of opportunity) that leads to crime, drugs and shootings in the poorer areas, resulting in those 20 murders you referenced.

 

[William_Ulsterman]

6 minutes ago, dave u said:

Not really the thread to go into a detailed discussion about it, but "20 black people murdered by black other men" you referenced is part of a wider issue relating to the basically the same thing.

 

BLM isn't just about police killing black people, it's about the inequality that allows it to happen. The same inequality (and therefore lack of opportunity) that leads to crime, drugs and shootings in the poorer areas, resulting in those 20 murders you referenced.

i totally disagree.... honest question... have you read the BLM manifesto? its the perfect anarcho-communist bucket list.  

 

those areas are Democrat controlled and they WANT to keep the black population to heel on govt handouts and welfare so they can keep the black vote, otherwise they are out, they are the party of the KKK after all. This it s huge game of chess being played out on the global stage with the result the left want trump out even if it means burning it all down. the Black community are just pawns.

 

As far as i can see BLM just stands for Burn Loot Murder and does not deserve to be on ANY shirt, anywhere. 

 

And those Pussys 'bending the knee'? i would die before i bend the knee to anyone... i don't expect anyone to bend the knee to me! You cant demand equality and expect everyone else to bow down and submit. its BS

[deiseach]

I'm not going to get involved in a flame war with a bigot, and the bigot can rage into the void now. But while approving of Black Lives Matter as a concept I will admit to being a little bothered by it being on the shirts. The players and officials taking a knee is fine. Any rule to prevent such a thing would require all manner of contortions so leave people at it. But once you allow one worthy cause to be universally deployed then why not other causes, some of which will be more worthy than others? As Dave says, it's not likely to be a recurring thing, but you can be sure it will be exploited by all manner of bad faith actors in the future.

[Nunavut Patrick]

OK Boomer.

[Mikecox1980]

[Kevin D]

17 hours ago, deiseach said:

I'm not going to get involved in a flame war with a bigot, and the bigot can rage into the void now. But while approving of Black Lives Matter as a concept I will admit to being a little bothered by it being on the shirts. The players and officials taking a knee is fine. Any rule to prevent such a thing would require all manner of contortions so leave people at it. But once you allow one worthy cause to be universally deployed then why not other causes, some of which will be more worthy than others? As Dave says, it's not likely to be a recurring thing, but you can be sure it will be exploited by all manner of bad faith actors in the future.

 

Absolute nonsense.

 

Yer Ma is an extraordinarily bold truth teller who shoots from the hip and says things like you and Dave are too butthurt and pussified to say out loud, but real men like me and him know is true.

[deiseach]

28 minutes ago, Kevin D said:

 

Absolute nonsense.

 

Yer Ma is an extraordinarily bold truth teller who shoots from the hip and says things like you and Dave are too butthurt and pussified to say out loud, but real men like me and him know is true.

[Kevin D]

12 minutes ago, deiseach said:

 

Life as a revolutionary truth teller is tough, believe you me.

 

But someone has to speak up for those uncomfortable truths, or Karl Marx and Chairman Mao will take over the country, as they already have the newspapers and universities.

[William_Ulsterman]

On 19/06/2020 at 18:36, deiseach said:

I'm not going to get involved in a flame war with a bigot, and the bigot can rage into the void now. But while approving of Black Lives Matter as a concept I will admit to being a little bothered by it being on the shirts. The players and officials taking a knee is fine. Any rule to prevent such a thing would require all manner of contortions so leave people at it. But once you allow one worthy cause to be universally deployed then why not other causes, some of which will be more worthy than others? As Dave says, it's not likely to be a recurring thing, but you can be sure it will be exploited by all manner of bad faith actors in the future.

Deary me, so im a bigot? i guess that how you deal with anyone with a different opinion... you can not honestly say there is systemic racism in the police... in the USA 2019... 10 unarmed black men died in police custody, 8 of those were shot by black officers, 5 of those killed had attacked the police just before they were shot, 4 of the other cases the police were charged for murder/manslaughter. lets get some perspective, you are 10 times more likely to die as a police officer and be shot by a black man than the other way round FFS. 6% of the population carryout 50% of the murders, black on white crime is 80 times higher than white on black. The same year 182 unarmed white men were murdered in police custody.... i dont hear anyone cry about that? take your Burn Loot Murder bullshit and shove it or you can jump of the bandwagon like the rest of the sheep.

...keep the fucking race and politics out of sport or you just become as bad as the cunts that throw bananas, BLM is a racist political movement, that cannot be denied. 

[Kevin D]

16 hours ago, Yer Ma! said:

Deary me, so im a bigot? i guess that how you deal with anyone with a different opinion... you can not honestly say there is systemic racism in the police... in the USA 2019... 10 unarmed black men died in police custody, 8 of those were shot by black officers, 5 of those killed had attacked the police just before they were shot, 4 of the other cases the police were charged for murder/manslaughter. lets get some perspective, you are 10 times more likely to die as a police officer and be shot by a black man than the other way round FFS. 6% of the population carryout 50% of the murders, black on white crime is 80 times higher than white on black. The same year 182 unarmed white men were murdered in police custody.... i dont hear anyone cry about that? take your Burn Loot Murder bullshit and shove it or you can jump of the bandwagon like the rest of the sheep.

...keep the fucking race and politics out of sport or you just become as bad as the cunts that throw bananas, BLM is a racist political movement, that cannot be denied. 

 

Behave, you fool.

[Mikhail]

Considering how long Sheff Utd fans hold a grudge when we had to hear about Carlos Tevez for yearsI can only imagine the fume and how long it would last if Sheff misses out on Europe by one point because of VAR.

 

Dave your That Was The Week That Was columns helped keep me sane but having you speak about actual football matches again is amazing.