“It’s a shambles at the moment, but I think it’s here to stay.”
Former England international Peter Reid is discussing the topic of Video Assistant Referee (VAR) – a debate that rages up and down the country on a weekly basis.
Since its introduction back in 2019, the system has come in for plenty of flak with new tweaks doing little, seemingly, to appease players, managers, supporters and everyone else involved.
Speaking to the Gazette, former Everton midfielder Reid believes VAR has gone too far. He said: “I’ve been at games where, as a supporter or as an onlooker, you lose that euphoria of a goal because they look around at the lines and then you have to wait and look around to see if something comes on the big screen. So, I think that spontaneous joy at scoring a goal has been taken away.”
Reid, who also enjoyed a lengthy managerial career with his biggest success coming at Sunderland, is glad that he never had to contend with the technology that is in operation nowadays.
He lets out a big puff of the cheeks before going on to highlight the inconsistency of some of the decisions he sees in the Premier League now.
He says: “Some of the penalties we’ve seen given…. . As a coach, I’m telling my players to be touch-tight but just mark them – don’t pull anyone’s shirt.
“It’s dead easy.”
From one touchy subject to another: politics. The Gazette breaches this because Reid made national news recently, when he was pictured among the crowd during Andy Burnham’s unveiling as Prime Minister back in July.
“I met him when he was in the Blair government” Reid says. “I think it was at Wembley Stadium one time, and he came up to me and obviously he’s a mad Evertonian. We had a picture taken and we’ve been friends ever since. He’s more of a pal than he is the PM, to me.”
They say politics and sport shouldn’t mix but Reid disagrees. Now 70, he remains as passionate about the topic as ever.
“I think football and life is all about politics. For me, it’s all about people. Treating people right. I know we can’t fix it all and it’s not a utopia this world, but we can help underprivileged, homeless people who are suffering from diseases and obviously cancer. I think it’s important.”
Reid won 13 England caps during his playing days and was part of the famous 1986 squad that had their hearts broken by a Diego Maradona-inspired Argentina. Forty years on the same happened to Thomas Tuchel’s men, with Lionel Messi inspiring a comeback from 1-0 down as the Three Lions missed out on a World Cup final on foriegn soil for the first time in their history.
Looking back at the summer in North America, Reid admits that the spectacle as a whole – including the politicisation of the tournament – put him off slightly.
“I was disappointed. Not just in England, because I don’t think we played well,” Reid says.
“I thought the half-time event in the final was a disgrace. I know football is a brand and you’ve got to make money, but it’s not the game which I grew up with, which was enjoyable. And when people high up get involved and try to change the rules, trying to con people – that’s not for me.
“So, did I enjoy it? If I’m honest, no.”
Going back to England, and putting his managerial head on, Reid believes Tuchel should have gone man-to-man in an attempt to stem the flow of Messi – easier said than done, admittedly.
“England, as I say, found a way. I don’t think we played well. I think one game we played well in, was against Croatia. But overall, I don’t think we were fluent. But I think we found a way, which was great.
“In the Argentina game, I thought, without trying to make excuses for the English lads, the referee was pathetic early on when they (Argentina) got away with so much. And after going 1-0 up I don’t think players sit back consciously, but I think I might have got a more attacking player on.
“And certainly, when Messi went into that sort of hole on the right-hand side, I’d have got somebody man-for-man. So, there’s a couple of things that I might have done.
“But it’s easy sitting here watching it on the telly isn’t it?”
