Said to my wife, we had to find a way of staggering sales. . But being honest, we’re lufc and we like a ruck 
The prices are “Wembley level”, but the old bugger concession rates are good. Top seats £125, but for me, being an old bugger,…. £52.
Perhaps I might buy one anyway, as a souvenir! After all I do have this:
Walking back last evening post match, there was already one entrepreneur outside SMS selling “Wembley” flags & scarves.
I didn’t say there was anything wrong per se with his tactics. I said he took a huge gamble which involved some very fine margins. Once you have put those particular tactics on display better opposition will simply rip them apart. It worked for Farke on this occasion. Had they been playing a team with centre backs who could play like centre backs and gone it at 1-0 o 0-0 then it could just as easily have been a heavy defeat.
Finding a way to win one off games is of course a brilliant skill. My point was that this specific way can’t/won’t be the way forward as, if it is, then Leeds either won’t get through the final or will come back down at great speed.
I’ve just read that for all three of the EFL playoff finals at Wembley, VAR will be used.
This, in spite of the fact that VAR was not used in any Championship matches this season, but will be used when Leeds United take on Southampton.
Woss going’ on there, then?
Somewhat ironic decision, given that The Premier League faces a vote to scrap the use of VAR from next season.
All 20 member clubs will vote at their annual general meeting on 6 June.
The dreaded VAR. I’m starting to think that defeat wasn’t so bad after all.
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Not going to happen. Wolves have tabled the motion but they need 13 other clubs to agree. The alleged best league in the world can’t make 21st technology work?
The problem is the quality of refereeing in the UK. We need to train more refs and pay comparable wages to Europe. It’s not the technology, it’s the humans. Besides, number of correct decisions has gone from 82% pre-VAR to 96% with VAR. EPL managers are going to bellow at refs with or without VAR
It does need to be sped up though. Semi-automated offside tech will help. Henry Winter suggests a 2 min limit with a countdown to amuse the fans and refs explaining decisions in real time like NFL
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You’re probably correct, in that getting rid of VAR will likely not happen, the vote being carried out simply because Wolves had tabled the motion.
Still, seems a bit odd though, that The EPL are having it imposed across the board by the authorities, when they’ve been playing without VAR all season.
I’m not quite sure how the accuracy of this particular statistic can in any way be guaranteed, given the controversy surrounding VAR.
It’s a figure that’s been bandied about recently and even Henry Winter used it but I’m not sure of the source. For all the noise about a few high profile VAR errors there are far more correct VAR decisions so 4% error rate entirely compatible with this
Seats going to corporates (and then being touted) and VAR to suck the life out of the big moments in the game. Say what you like about the authorities, they certainly know how to manage the game 
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I can’t stand VAR and hope it is done away with altogether. If we have countdowns to decisions and other ridiculous Americanisms, I will stop going. It wouldn’t be football anymore…
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I agree but with the number of US owners (either individuals or PE groups) I think it’s a losing battle. Likewise VAR - I think it’s here to stay so we need to make it better. The next fight is to stop some EPL games being played in the US
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Big pinch of salt on the figures. The biggest study was the 2018 IFaB study across 972 games. None of those games were here. That showed a move from 93% accuracy to 98.8%. The next big research was every game at the Women’s World Cup. I suspect there’s little need to highlight the many flaws in using that. As recently as February the EPL stated that further accuracy was impossible and the aim was speed. Not going well on any front then really.
I stand to be corrected here but my understanding is that the data currently being quoted is from a way smaller sample size and comes from the refs. themselves.
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Wagner has had 4 attempts to counter Farke’s approach this season and not managrd it once. Farke also took 6 points off each of Foxes and Ipswich, the promoted sides. Farke’s problem has been teams defending 11 behind the ball. He doesn’t have the type of player for that situation - someone who can shoot from range/a big lump who scores from set pieces. He’s made the most of what he’s got.
We start the final as under dogs. We’re playing a well established EPL team who’ve had one season out of the EPL in the last umpteen years. They have a better squad. They’ve beaten us twice this season. If we lose it won’t necessarily reflect on Farke, more on our unbalanced squad. Saints manager holds more of the aces and should win the game with what he’s got.
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Just had a look and you’re right - it’s the EPL’s own data. So definitely correct then
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Even if the (selective) statistics indicate that the percentage of ‘correct’ refereeing decisions have been increased by VAR, the ‘cost’ of spontaneity to the game and the negative impact on watching fans, especially those in the ground, while decisions are reviewed is far, far greater than the benefit. Of all the people I know who attend PL games where VAR is used, I don’t one who is in favour of it. Indeed, I don’t know any football fans who like VAR.
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One of the great pleasures of the National League and EFL has been the freedom to celebrate goals even when you know your player was miles offside and the liner too fat to waddle sideways at the required speed. There is also therapy for some via ranting at officials.
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I have put my vote in for Barnes as player of the season. But I expect Sara will get it.
Looking forward to another spell in the championship and, who knows, might have a good one. I don’t see Rooney’s name yet on the manager shortlist - watch this space.
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As a spectator you pay for ninety minutes entertainment but VAR just destroys that value. Whilst at the ground it’s far better to moan at the decision than sit in the cold for five minutes for the sake of a few unnoticeable millimetres.
It’s like going to a musical performance and the whole thing stops because somebody has played a wrong note.
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The problem is the analysis done in warm TV studios by pundits who have had the luxury of micro analysing this
I totally agree with you and think (as well) the handball rules are ridiculous
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Wholly agree @JohnF. Sadly there’s too much money at stake so they will almost certainly vote to keep it with tweaks which will once again be abandoned after issues are highlighted on MOTD week after week.
Must admit I quite liked the start of last season when the 90 minutes we paid for suddenly routinely became 120. Missed a few trains but it was fun seeing the crestfallen faces of players realising that delay really did have consequences. That was inevitably abandoned because refs weren’t fit enough; managers said players would start getting injured (despite there being zero evidence of that) and TV companies suddenly realised their contracts meant they would have to pay crew more because the event itself was longer.
@Ian2001 the hand ball thing for me is so simple to resolve but they seen determined to make that and offside more ludicrous with every change. The problem starts sadly, once again, with poor refereeing. Football is played with legs and head. If you allow 99% of holding and shirt pulls to go unpunished then every other issue spirals from there.
I would simply make every instance where the ball hits below the shoulder a contested drop ball regardless of intent even when in the penalty area. If an attacker then blasts the ball at a defender from zero range then there’s no stupid debate about intent. Stop the game in that position and drop the ball. Defenders lose the advantage of handling deliberately but arguing they were in a natural position. Attackers can no longer force ludicrous penalties. The only exception would be goal line hand balls and hands fully above head hand balls. I can accept hands above shoulder as natural for some jumps but never hands above head.
Offside is improved by only looking at feet or knees. Not even head. I’d want to see a full foot offside rather than a glimpse. No-one gains an advantage from dipping their head or having a toe ahead of a straight line. That’s obviously not a perfect or final position on offside but I suspect it would end 90% of the debate.
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