Hands up if you watched Saturday’s Wear-Tyne derby and bemoaned the absence the Video Assistant Referee? Surely there is someone? Anyone?
No, perhaps not then. Perhaps it was simply refreshing to watch footballing nature take its courses in real-time, free from the joy-sapping camera-based interference.
Instead, how about this for a throwback: Craig Pawson, the man appointed to officiate this cup clash between fierce local rivals, was – wait for it – allowed to officiate this cup clash between local rivals.
What Pawson, and his more than capable in-person team decided, went. No ifs; no buts; no let’s have a gander at 100 frame-by-frame replays while hamstrings cool and supporters exchange quizzical glances.
Whatever regard you hold them in, referees and assistants have reached this level because they have excelled at what they do. They have spent thousands of hours making instant judgment calls, and largely getting them right.
So let them make those calls. Taking away the technological comfort blanket will naturally drive improvement. And anyway, those on the ground have a distinct advantage over their peers behind screens. They get the sights, the sounds and perhaps even the smell of what is unfolding before them. Context is everything.
Take one potential second-half flashpoint. With the game already decided in Newcastle’s favour, Trai Hume had a fistful of Anthony Gordon’s shirt. Gordon reacted. Dan Ballard stepped up to back-up Hume, and Alexander Isak arrived at pace to speak for Gordon.
It was something and at the same time absolutely nothing. Adrenaline. Frustration. A little peacocking. Pawson recognised that, booked Gordon and everyone cracked on.
Earlier, when Isak had raced through the middle, wrestled with Ballard and gone to ground, Pawson decided there had been no foul. It was the correct call. Yes, Isak had got the wrong side of the Sunderland defender, and yes, his arm was indeed grabbed. But Isak too was cleverly holding onto Ballard. It was a margin call, and in those situations surely good officiating means not interfering, right?
But say this fixture had been reversed. VAR would, owing to St James’ Park’s status as a Premier League ground, have been involved. It may have slowed both incidents down, watched them over and over. Doubt may have crept in. Pawson may have been directed towards the pitch-side monitor. And we all know exactly what happens then.
Sean Dyche will never tire of pointing out that you will always find something if you look at enough replays. He was proved right at Selhurst Park on Thursday, when Dominic Calvert-Lewin was dismissed following what can best be described as an excellent tackle.
True, referees will sometimes get those initial calls wrong. Enzo Fernandez, for example, was certainly grateful for VAR’s presence – Chelsea’s fourth victory over Preston on Saturday would otherwise have been ruled out. But surely it is worth the occasional error when what you retain is the joy that football can bring? When Isak doubled Newcastle’s lead less than sixty seconds after the break, scores of travelling fans poured down the stairs to celebrate with their heroes. There was nothing vicious, nothing untoward. Just a moment of pure, unfiltered, glee.
Bring VAR into equation, and those spontaneous celebrations are, if not lost, then at least diminished. Isak was set-up by Miguel Almiron, who had picked the pocket of a dallying Pierre Ekwah. There was neither a foul nor an offside involved, but it would not have prevented a slightly anxious wait for Newcastle – the game is poorer for such pauses.
The same also applies to the ridiculous delays in assistant referees signalling offside. They dare not go with their instinct just in case they are made to look foolish.
But without the all-seeing Stockley Park overlords watching, the high-visibility chequered flag either pops up, or is held at an angle to indicate all is well. At the Stadium of Light, that football go-ers neck-twitch, the rapid glance to the touchline, was back. And how enjoyable it was too.
There is a player welfare element to that point too – over Christmas, both Lucas Digne and John Stones were forced off in situations where, had there been no VAR, play would have been stopped before their injuries occurred.
Post-match on Saturday, both Eddie Howe and Michael Beale were asked about the lack of VAR.
Did Howe enjoy the game without it? “Yes, I probably did. When VAR came in, I wasn’t its biggest supporter. I would have preferred the game to continue as it was and try to improve the standard of refereeing as we go. VAR is here to stay now, but today was an enjoyable experience for that.”
Beale made the very fair point that the game is “cleaner” with VAR. Like Howe, Beale ended by saying that VAR is going nowhere.
And so then, we must get our nostalgia hits from this famous old competition, as sad as that might be.
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