DYCHE SAYS FUTURE’S DWIGHT
VAR mistakes altered this game and could end up altering the final Premier League table
IT says much about the state of football, when the key phrase from a game is “clear and obvious error”.
VAR was set up to remove that concept in the Premier League. Yet somehow, the sport has eaten itself to the extent that an apparent system of infallible justice is now creating more problems than it solves.
Bournemouth left Turf Moor with a 3-0 defeat their dominant performance, especially in the first half, never suggested nor deserved. Without VAR, they would surely have taken valuable points with them instead.
Just think about that for a second. VAR altered this game negatively, and justice would have been better served without it. Referee Mike Dean got both his decisions right, awarding a goal to Bournemouth, which was subsequently incorrectly ruled out, and then turning down a penalty to Burnley, which was subsequently incorrectly awarded.
Incorrectly? Well on both occasions, the ball struck a shoulder. On both occasions there was enough doubt in the mind of the referee on whether it also touched the arm. The video assistant referee – inexplicably – suggested there was no doubt and overturned.
Watching several times later on TV
BURNLEY have always suffered from the inevitable ‘long-ball football’ insult.
Yet as the identity of the Clarets’ third scorer here proved, there is an evolution going on at Turf Moor. When Dwight Mcneil deliciously curled in late replays from many different angles, experts of all persuasions could not say either touched the arm, never mind that it was a clear and obvious error.
Burnley benefited, with second-half goals from Matej Vydra, Jay Rodriguez from the spot and Dwight Mcneil giving them a win they didn’t deserve until their opponents’ final forlorn few minutes.
As for Bournemouth, they are closer to the relegation zone because VAR is working so badly, there are now serious questions that it should be scrapped completely.
When Josh King scored only for it to be ruled out for handball by Philip Billing as it appeared to touch his shoulder, it was bad enough.
When Harry Wilson scored, only for play to be called back for a Burnley penalty when the ball appeared to hit Adam Smith’s shoulder, it was a farce.
And that is what makes visiting boss Eddie Howe fear for the future of VAR. “It makes a mockery of a high-quality game and two teams giving everything.
“My players were really angry afterwards and there is that feeling of injustice against us. We can’t do anything about it now, but we can use it to train well and prepare for our next match. The mentality has to be right from us.”
As for VAR, it’s not good enough simply to stand down the incompetent official Chris Kavanagh after this.
Perhaps the man with ultimately responsibility, refs’ boss Mike Riley, should go, and with him, perhaps the whole system itself. on, it was perhaps a glimpse of the future.
Many observers suggest Mcneil (right) has more promise than England contender Jack
Grealish, and his boss Sean Dyche thinks so. “When I was playing at Millwall, they had a group of young players like Timmy Cahill who were outstanding – and he is up there at that level. “He’s knocked out a lot of Premier League games at just 20. The same assists as Raheem Sterling this season shows the company Dwight is in.”