The introduction of VAR to Scottish football was never going to be straightforward, there was always going to be a settling-in period, a time of adjustment as we all got used to the brave new world of technology.
It certainly has not been pain-free, and has, over the past few weeks, thrown up more controversy, more questions, than the Scottish FA and SPFL would have been hoped for.
There were a number of incidents during the midweek programme of games, and some of the decisions arrived at by the officials at VAR HQ left me scratching my head.
Among the calls was the awarding of the Dons’ second penalty at Livingston. The ball dropped on to Jack Fitzwater’s forearm, which wasn’t in an unnatural position, and he did not deliberately attempt to play it.
For the life of me, I cannot see how anyone could have given a spot-kick for that, especially after having the opportunity to review it.
The Livi penalty was almost as questionable.
Handball has become a nightmare, a really toxic area of decision-making, and I fully understand why referees and their assistants are having such a tough time.
But, if the authorities want the public to have faith in the process, some kind of consistency is going to have to be attained.
Already, just three weeks after it begun, we have seen VAR award penalties for certain incidents, but ignore very similar claims, and some of the awards have been baffling, like the Fitzwater ‘handball’ mentioned above, and the penalising of Alexandro Bernabei against Dundee United last weekend.
I was all for the implementation of VAR, the Scottish game had to catch up with the rest of the football world, but my biggest concern, given the costs involved, was that we would end up with a ‘VAR-lite’ version, and there have been instances so far which have suggested that might be the case.
Liam Fox expressed his dissatisfaction following the sending-off of Tony Watt, claiming that referee John Beaton was only shown one angle of the incident.
That is at odds with what we were all told the process would be. Beaton had initially brandished a yellow card, then overturned his decision after being called to the VAR screen, only for the original verdict to be upheld after United appealed.
On Wednesday night, Celtic scored a superb team goal at Fir Park. Kyogo displayed mesmerising skills in his own half then fired a long inch-perfect diagonal which Jota fastened on to before cleverly chipping the ball over the advancing Liam Kelly. It was a thing of beauty, but it was ruled out.
The Portuguese might have been offside, but given the camera angle used, which was positioned midway inside the Celtic half, there was absolutely no way to tell definitively.
There have been various studies of the technology across the world, and they all point to VAR being an effective tool.
One suggests that before its introduction, 82% of ‘key match decisions’ were called correctly, that figure rising to 94% in the wake of its introduction.
That has to be welcomed, and given there is so much subjectivity still involved, we will never get to 100%.
Not that we would want to; we would miss the discussion and debate which remains the lifeblood for so many supporters.
Saturday night entertainment
Pittodrie will again be packed this evening as the Dons continue to experiment with different kick-off times.
The last Saturday 6pm start did not go too well, as Dundee United romped to a convincing 4-0 victory, so the team will be determined to gain revenge.
Given the home form, there is every chance they will do just that, but I was at Tannadice on Wednesday night and saw United blow Kilmarnock apart, much as they had done to Aberdeen, and they will be dangerous opponents.
In the last couple of months, while they have still been losing, the defeats have been much tighter, and they have looked a more solid unit.
That will be tested by the Dons’ vibrant attacking style which has produced 21 goals in six Premiership matches. It should be a lively and entertaining ninety minutes.
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