Originally Posted by
Niall_Quinn
If you go all the way back to early sport it was the exact opposite of what we have now. Leaving technology to one side, I'm sure just as many mistakes were made back then as are made today but, of course, there was no grubby TV producer honing in on everything in slow motion so fans can feel hard done by after the fact. And in the beginning there was sportsmanship. Mistakes were made but they were genuine mistakes, so forgiven as such. It's the irrational pursuit of perfect fairness governed by technology rather than the good will of the participants that's the problem. TV is not there to solve problems, it's there to create them as a cynical form of entertainment. Refs can't be trusted, players can't be trusted not to cheat and dive around the place and try to win advantage by every underhand method. So you bring in VAR to try to sort the mess out. It's the wrong way around and a lost cause from the start. It should be the human beings that change, not the rules.
What is it, 25, 30 years since Robbie Fowler dived in the box but recovered enough dignity to wave the penalty away? If the people directly involved in sport could just have a bit more respect for the game and themselves things would improve. It's possible, but improbable.