'var Has To Rein Its Neck In' - How I'd Change Football For The Fans

After much than 50 years progressive successful shot - arsenic a player, coach and head successful what I see to beryllium nan top squad athletics successful nan world - I've witnessed galore changes connected and disconnected nan field.

There's a logic legendary erstwhile Liverpool head Bill Shankly erstwhile proclaimed shot was 'the people's game' - and that's because it belongs to nan fans.

Today's supporters walk tremendous amounts of their hard-earned money buying play tickets, and shirts for their children, and connected travelling up and down nan state to support their team.

That's why, erstwhile I was asked to springiness my views connected what I would alteration to amended shot today, I person not tried to reinvent anything. Instead, I wanted to attraction connected things that would use nan fans.

My biggest rumor is that referees and nan VAR are becoming much important than nan crippled itself.

So, for a start, VAR has to rein its cervix in. Video adjunct referees are present to stay, but we person to alteration nan measurement they are being used.

Television has transformed our nationalist crippled successful nan past fewer decades, markedly for nan better.

It has pumped tremendous amounts of money into accommodation and enabled clubs to pull immoderate of nan astir talented players successful world football, but it is nan intensive TV sum and its forensic study and wall-to-wall punditry debates that led to nan commencement of VAR.

VAR was brought successful to rectify clear and evident refereeing mistakes for illustration Diego Maradona's infamous 'Hand of God' goal against England - aliases Thierry Henry's handball that led to France's decisive extremity against nan Republic of Ireland successful a play-off for nan 2010 World Cup.

If it was utilized successful nan correct measurement - for incidents for illustration those wherever location is perfectly nary statement - VAR would beryllium a awesome invention.

But unluckily we are witnessing a worrying inclination that has to beryllium challenged and, I believe, corrected.

In my day, referees were judged connected whether you noticed them aliases not. Now it is intolerable not to announcement them - mic-ed up, pinch video recorders connected their chest, and moreover making announcements to nan crowd.

On apical of that, nan crippled is continuously stopped while phases of play are checked by VAR for moreover nan minutest of incidents.

Everything is examined for infringements, meaning nary extremity tin beryllium celebrated unanimously immoderate much until it has been cleared, pinch nan dreaded checks by Stockley Park hanging complete stadiums for illustration a acheronian cloud.

The clip it takes to make these calls 1 measurement aliases different is outrageous, to nan grade I would opportunity it is an affront to nan crippled of shot successful this country.

How galore times do we witnesser a referral, and instantly travel to a conclusion ourselves aft 1 viewing, only to person to hold an other 2 aliases 3 minutes - aliases much - earlier nan aforesaid determination is reached by VAR?

The first point I would alteration is that immoderate referrals to Stockley Park tin past nary longer than 2 minutes to look astatine immoderate transition of play.

If it takes immoderate longer to make a call, past it cannot beryllium clear and obvious, which is meant to beryllium nan period successful nan first place.

Also, if nan group successful nan booth cannot judge a determination successful that time, past successful my sentiment they should not beryllium there.

On that note, I would guarantee that each booth besides includes an ex-professional - a erstwhile manager, coach aliases subordinate - arsenic good arsenic nan replay operator, nan VAR and adjunct VAR. The master mightiness not beryllium up to velocity pinch nan laws of nan crippled but they would understand nan crippled and really it's played.

As head of nan Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOL), Howard Webb is nan referees' chief. He useful alongside Michael Owen connected his ain TV show, and erstwhile refs for illustration Mike Dean and Dermot Gallagher do nan aforesaid pinch ex-professional players connected their ain shows too.

They each look to get connected beautiful well, truthful let's moreover it up and get a fewer ex-players and different professionals helping retired pinch decisions during nan game.

Time-keeping is different point I'd change. I want each crippled to person a timepiece that tin beryllium stopped for injuries, VAR and excessive time-wasting - astatine nan discretion of nan referee.

Everyone successful nan stadium could past cipher really agelong location is to spell successful a game, pinch nary much guessing astir really galore minutes will beryllium added connected astatine nan end.

I utilized to laughter astir this erstwhile I was pinch each nan clubs I managed successful nan Premier League, because if we were beating nan large teams location would ever beryllium much than 5 minutes - but if we were losing to them, it was ever little than three.

Referees are controlled and guided by governing bodies truthful they person to beryllium held accountable for a batch of nan supra misgivings, but we person to get distant from nan business we are in, wherever they person go excessively prevalent.

We request to find a measurement of making referees invisible again because, astatine nan moment, we person a strategy that has turned officiating into thing little than empire building, meaning you often perceive much group talking astir VAR and refereeing decisions than you do astir goals scored aliases conceded.

I really sometimes consciousness sorry for referees, because a batch of this has thing to do pinch them. It is nan amendments to nan laws successful caller seasons that person made decisions acold much analyzable than they should be.

For example, erstwhile Manchester City hit Liverpool connected Sunday, nan large talking constituent afterwards was Virgil van Dijk's disallowed goal.

With nan old-school measurement that offside was decided, Andy Robertson was decidedly offside because he was beyond City's backline. There is nary uncertainty astir that.

But nan measurement nan rule sounds now, pinch references to impacting connected play, nan statement of show aliases interfering pinch nan goalkeeper, you tin beryllium deeper than nan past defender and ruled onside.

Everything is excessively subjective to each individual incident, which intends nan referee's mentation takes centre stage.

The aforesaid point has happened pinch nan rule for handball. I don't deliberation anyone really knows what handball is immoderate much - location are truthful galore variations to each decision, it makes it almost intolerable for on-field referees aliases VAR to get it right.

Over-complicating things has taken nan joyousness retired of football, which I find ridiculous.

Let's make things elemental again, truthful we tin get our crippled backmost and commencement talking astir goals again, not refereeing decisions.

Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.