11 Feb 2026 11:41:02
Morning from a long way away
I managed to watch the game with no sound due to the poor coverage here. The WiFi stinks.
Slow cumbersome with little idea on how to deal with the low block. Disappointed in that and also same team selection. No freshening up. Surely they knew West Ham would sit deep so Sesko should have been more prominent in selection, either starting or coming on earlier. No real speed or fizz in our passing, didn’t move them out of position. Mainoo lost his man for their goal, Lammens and Yoro did well to give us the chance of a point. Why didn’t Amad shoot right at the end?
Right here is a thing, from memory we have had 5 extremely marginal offside decisions go against us in the last 5 games. The third goal against City was in my opinion almost criminal, there was a discrepancy in the photo and the VAR image, the body shape didn’t look the same. Last night the call against Cas looked ridiculously minute. There was an excuse given weeks ago for a Liverpool goal of a built in 5cm allowance, where has that gone? No mention of it since. Why are United not questioning the PGMOL on the consistency and accuracy of VAR? Are the images exactly matching at the exact correct moment of impact on the pass? Does the photo exactly match the body shape? VAR looks unreliable and frankly biased to me on that basis. Is there any independent technical checking of VAR? What detail is there of the 5cm allowance or did they just make that up?
11 Feb 2026 13:43:37
The VAR problem is refs abdicating accountability. It’s easier for them to let the technology make the decision than take responsibility for it. Last night was a prime example.
The offside rule is in place to ensure fair competition between attackers and defenders. If the attacker is way in front of the defensive line, they have an unfair advantage. Casemiro was inline with the defender in every practical sense. His knee or toe being in front of the defensive line gives him no material advantage. He just got on the end of the cross ahead of the defender.
Implemented as a tool to help refs make better decisions, the VAR official would explain the specifics of the situation, and the ref could use this to determine if the attacker had a material advantage - i. e. make a decision guided by the spirit of the game. Instead, the ref is told if any fragment of the attacker’s body is beyond the defensive line, and that’s the decision.
The bottom line is that the technology isn’t inherently bad, more that the level of officiating is, and refs prefer to allow VAR to make bad decisions than to use it to help them make better ones.
11 Feb 2026 13:45:18
My issue with VAR is how it’s positioned. It’s looking for any reason, however minute that is, to disallow a goal, and not why a goal should stand. Every goal we score I’m waiting for it to be chalked off. It’s not great entertainment.
As for last night, low blocks have been our issue for years. Won’t be solved in one game.
11 Feb 2026 13:59:37
Danny
I think the technology is not accurate enough. One or more frames can make a difference. The
City one, there was a clear difference between the photo and VAR image, clearly looked a couple of frames at least different and if they are going to have such minute decisions the technology needs to be similarly accurate and I don’t believe it is. It needs to be reviewed and Utd need to ask questions. It needs independent review of the system.
Then tell me why there was a 5cm allowance for Liverpool and no one else?
It stinks quite honestly.
11 Feb 2026 15:24:32
My problem with the VAR offside reviews is when they deem the player that plays the pass has first made contact with the ball. It's looks like even this moment can cover the span of several frames which could be the difference between the goal scorer being onside or not.
{Ed025's Note - thats a very fair point Peter..
11 Feb 2026 15:32:56
Exactly that Peter, which is why it should be used as a tool and not a decision maker. The technology will never be 100% perfect or accurate. It should only be used as a visual indicator to help refs decide.
11 Feb 2026 16:05:02
I do agree Danny. Although it I just don't see how that works on the pitch. We can't have the referee running over to the monitor for every marginal offside. It will be as stop/start as the NFL.
There's only one way to fix VAR and that's to throw it in the bin. The game is dead.
{Ed025's Note - im with you Peter..
11 Feb 2026 16:29:24
How many frames is the ball touching the passing foot? Who checks it is the exact match to the frame where the player is? Is it an exact match? Is the system calibrated? Is the system verified by independent experts? Are decisions further reviewed for accuracy of the equipment? Does the accuracy vary from ground to ground?
I go back to the third disallowed goal v City, the VAR player image looked different body shape to the photo as if two or three frames different.
Something is not right and the Refs are hiding behind it. Then what about this 5cm rule?
11 Feb 2026 16:49:12
No mention of how bad Shaw was OP? He stinks, need to get rid of him, takes the piss out of us every season, plays well under a new coach or pre International tournaments, horrific.
11 Feb 2026 17:12:29
Red man. All the questions you are putting forward are valid.
Something is definitely not right!
I disagree however with your point that referees are hiding behind it, I feel that the referees are scared of it tbh. Does anybody enjoy their job when their decisions are constantly undermined? Some of the cup games earlier in the season were probably the best games to watch as they had no VAR and I remember a commentator pointing out how happy the refs were and he was right. Massive smiles on their faces, joking with the players. They were having fun and the games were fun to watch (except the Grimsby one ?) .
VAR was supposed to eliminate controversy. Ironically it has caused more controversy than there ever was.
I genuinely believe that over the course of a season the game has been compromised. The big prizes (forget the trophies, I'm talking about £££) will go to the highest bidders if this carries on. Maybe it has already started.
11 Feb 2026 17:56:22
I think the game last night is just another case of highlighting the limitations with our squad.
It's the first time in months where they've had to play 2 games in 4 days and the performance was flat.
Maybe we could/should have mixed up the team selection to try and freshen things up, but who exactly do we bring in and for who?
Can we drop Shaw or Dalot with Dorgu injured, and Mazraoui only just making his way back from an injury? Would Malacia and a not fully fit Mazraoui played better?
Or should we have started Yoro and/or Heaven for either Maguire or Martinez? Is it a great idea to throw young inexperienced CB's into an away game against an aggressive side like West Ham? Probably not.
So is it midfield where we try and freshen it up? Drop one of Mainoo or Maguire for who? Ugarte?
With Mount is out injured, then the only forward options to change things with the front four is Sesko and Zirkzee. In hindsight there was maybe a case for starting Sesko, but who should we have dropped? Bruno, Cunha, Mbeumo or Amad? Also Sesko has shown how he can change things from the bench, would the others offer a way to mix things up from the bench? Probably not as they offer a lot of similar things.
This squad seriously lacks quality in depth, and it certainly isn't even close to being ready to play 2 games a week for the majority of the season and maintain performances/results.
What was promising though was the never say fie attitude, the determination to fight back and not lost the game.
11 Feb 2026 17:59:01
Scholes
Said a few times about Shaw, if you recall I was very annoyed about ETH selling Alvaro who then cost Madrid £50+M.
11 Feb 2026 18:04:58
Should have been bombed out years ago.
Imo will go down as one of our worst ever signings.
11 Feb 2026 18:45:57
I can't remember was it was here mouthing off that this squad could have competed in the cl and come in top4 in the epl. On the neck of 2 good wins at the time.
???
This is a really weak squad or 1st 11 can compete in their next days but after that there is little or nothing.