The people running VAR are the same people on the pitch🤦‍♂️ that’s the problem

After the first injustice in a game, they'll be crying for VAR to return.

VAR is a great tool in itself, they need to sort out how to use it more efficiently and absolutely sack everyone who has run it the last couple of years because they can't keep it consistent.

Hi Charles, first time poster long time viewer: I do have to disagree on your points regarding VAR. The problems with VAR is the lack of consistency in officiating and the ability to explain decisions has exposed a level of naivety and laziness from the officials. Regarding match day experience, there is a sense of drama when you see that board come up and on the flip side, seeing Garnacho getting called offside was as great as a goal. I also feel people have forgotten how good VAR can be when first introduced in the World Cup 2018 and how well used it was. If the officials can maintain a standard of on field decisions and interpretations of the rules as well as reflecting on the times VAR has not worked and learn from those situations, this would help provide transparency. A5

VAR is the best thing to be introdcued into Footbal since the they scrapped the back pass rule. Last week, Real Madrid got a winner that was immediately ruled offside. VAR intervened and it was on side - the fans went crazy and Real Madrid are justfiably in the final.

A lot of VAR tends to be on offside call. With PL employing the new semi automated offside technology from mid-2024/25 (like how Europe already use this technology), it will make these VAR decisions very quick and also takes the bias out (no one needs to draw a line). No one complains about the automated technology if a ball has crossed the line or not for a goal. Given we know this, this will vastly improve the VAR offside call and worth keeping this bit.

It's sorted out the offside issue for the most part. They've had a few issues but var offside have more success than failures.

TNAT X Watts is what the fans need!!!

I've seen him play a couple of times in person over here in Portugal, and he's a tidy little player and good under pressure

Not very often I absolutely disagree with you, but on VAR, nothing worse than scrapping it and not forcing improvements in refereeing that are needed to ensure better overall experience.

Wasn’t a fan of the home kit when I first seen it, but it’s grown on me. I’m surprised to hear you say that you aren’t a fan of this years kit, I think this years was a banger and what a kit to win the league with. COYG AND COYI.

The point of VAR isn't to lessen debate, it's to improve the number of correct decisions which it has. Your opinion is truly insane.

Hi, Watts. Always like listening to Arsenal updates. Walter from 🇺🇬 🇺🇬 Uganda.

Bought the home kit already and love the gk shirt too

Hi Charles, I am a fan of your channel. On VAR, normally I am a fan of technology. However, in this case, I do think EPL has adopted a low tech VAR solution compared to the one used at Qatar World Cup. That particular system can recreate virtual model of players and the football in 3D and multi-frames to determine if the ball is in play or out of play beyond the line (similar to Tennis Hawk-Eye electronic line judge system). The game with Newcastle came to mind where the VAR refused to make any call due to insufficient cameras, inability to see the right angle and when it is quite clear to normal spectator that the ball was out of play at that corner(1st bad call). Then the human factor in VAR came into play which is another joke - VAR referees do not want to make an offside call (2nd bad call) and also Joelington's strong push on Big Gabby which resulted in him falling over and missed the chance to clear the ball away from the Newcastle player (Gordon?) (3rd bad call). The first bad call can be corrected by better technology which is already available. Being the best league in the world, EPL deserves the best and should invest in new system similar to the one used in Qatar. On the second and 3rd bad calls, these are human errors - I do not find many VAR referees willing to stand up to the on-field referee and put their feet down even though there are clearly fouls. UK referees must start standing up and uphold the rules rather than deferring to field referee due to his seniority or for the fear of making a fellow referee colleague lose face. If VAR referee did nothing to reverse a decision, only the on-field referee get blamed. So most fans actually believe VAR referees are sleeping on the job which led to this call to remove VAR completely. This culture must change if VAR continue to be used. What do you think? Avarta

Extra Time: If we dont win league, what are your learnings from our title charges? For me its that we need to some how marry the two last campaigns: Come out the blocks flying but maintain the control/defensive solidity in the final run in. The only we can do that in my eyes is rotation rotation rotation. Is it more important to raise the level of our squad players to a Trossard level rather than buying 1st team players.

Sesko has world class potential for a combination of reasons. First and foremost is his ball-striking technique; he is able to conjure up lethal shot power from a short backlift. He also places his shots very well and has a great conversion rate from xG into goals. Not unlike Havertz he also has a combination of pace, aerial prowess, defensive work rate and great off the ball movement. He's raw in other aspects, but has shown glimpses of gud creativity and vision nonetheless. Not a finished product yet, but for his release clause he would be a fantastic, comparatively low risk investment for Arsenal.

Hi Charles and James, just want to say it’s a highlight of my week listening to your extra time segment. That and your daily videos Charles really help get through the week with optimism. Also loved the book you really captured the emotions we as fans went through. Fingers crossed luck is on our side this weekend and we get to see the Arsenal lift the trophy.

VAR isnt the problem. Its the people running it that cause the issues. We need better people on VAR and they need to follow the likes of rugby. They keep people in the loop and everyone in the stadium knows whats going on throughout the process. We have the semi automated offside coming in, which will speed things up for some decisions. If improvements are made and we still dont see an improvement on the performance of VAR, then i would scrap it after next season.

The home kit looks great. The away kit looks like we’re Mexico fc but the 3rd kit is class.

Charles, the only positive to scrapping VAR, is to rule out the pauses. It is genuinely the only thing we really have to try to keep the players and (especially) the refs honest. If you think it's bad now, imagine going back to when players would blatantly con the ref by pretending to have been punched, diving constantly, or how every close offside call was simply a flip of the coin... never mind how many times "interfering with play" or "was it in the box?" needs to be checked. As much as I hate the impact on the live game, we're used to it now. We're also used to knowing that the refs have all the tools they need now to make the correct decision. Even if they do still make mistakes, they have no excuse anymore, and with every decision under the microscope, it takes a team of them to be incompetent, thus lessening the possibility for corruption. Once they iron out the kinks, the possibility for human error will have been mostly eradicated. The issue right now with VAR, is that the pure incompetency and inconsistency of the referees is being exposed, when in the past we might have assumed the ref simply didn't see it. That incompetency will still be there, VAR or not, but when we have a game-winning goal disallowed for offside in the 95th minute, I'd much prefer to know that it was genuinely offside, and not just given as such because that's the impression the linesman got at the time from his angle. We can't go back.

For me, Sesko is not a player that you could bring in, play him in pre-season and start him in August. He's more of a bring in and ease him in gently to the team in my opinion. There's definitely talent there, he gives me vibes of Kane and Lewandowski actually.

Even though I agree VAR is bad right now at least there's hope it will improve eventually. If you're against VAR please offer alternatives. I remember how painful all the refereeing mistakes were even before VAR and there were Arsenal games where I would have said "postpone the game for hours if you have to to get the decision right, I don't care". I get the argument about not being able to celebrate goals but I prefer that to suffering unjust defeats. If there are better alternatives then sure replace VAR but if it's just going back to football pre-VAR I'm going back to not watching it.

Extra Time: Hi Charles and James, great shows as always i dont know why but i dont think the league is over and i know everyone has already crowned city but i cant help but feel they finish 2nd this season, so dont lose hope we may party yet.

Extra Time: How has Folarin Balogun done this far, was it really a mistake selling him thus far? Not exactly lighting up the French League.

Hi Charles and James, Love the show! Just wondering what you think about the links with players on the younger side (Šeško, Neves, Hato etc.). I think given where we are now we need to be recruiting players in their prime who can make a difference now (Isak, Bruno for example)

Hi Charles! Love the content, keep up the good work as always! With the recent press that Chido obi-martin has been getting and rightly so, which youngsters do you think might be in and around the first team next season? Obviously there's a few that might get a mention like Nwaneri, Lewis-Skelly, Walters and Butler-Oyedeji. But are there any youth players that look like they might make the step soon? Also, has there been much word on the young Max Dowman? Not only breaking into the under 18's team but having a decent impact as well while only being 14! Love the work and hopefully we'll be celebrating come Sunday though I'm not getting too excited just yet... COYG Lewis

I'm the same on the kit, the cannon will take some getting used to as i like the crest but maybe im just a bit too old school

9:04 the olde-skool cannon (facing correct direction) ftw

Very interested to know who Charles and James would choose if they had to choose one between OLISE , KUDUS and Simons ?

The flip side is keeping var will also save a lot of heartbreaks if you are on the beneficial side of a disallowed goal....

Spot on about VAR Charles. VAR favours big clubs v smaller clubs. So many decisions go in favour of the likes of Man City & Man Utd after VAR referrals when playing bottom half EPL teams

EXTRA TIME With clubs voting to abolish VAR but semi automated offsides coming in, will we see less controversy or was it more about corruption than the technology?

#extra time why they don’t draw a line for city first goal against last Tuesday. I am feeling bad bcz every decision goes on city favorite every time please your both thoughs on it . keep the good work

I wasn't sure about the kit - I thought it would look better with matching red rather than blue stripes. However, now I've spotted the blue flash on the side of the shirt, the way that it is continued into the shorts and the way the blue stripes go down the full length sleeve, I'm warming to it.

Hi Charles. What exactly is the hold up with the 115 charges?

Question for Sam and Charles. We are being linked with Sesko,Hato,Neves and Xavi Simons(not the most genuine link). All of them are hell of a talent and are much younger than the current squad. Does this mean Arsenal are considering in a more long term vision? They are young but they have the potential to deliver what we want.

does anybody know if the game with Everton is on tv

Extra time! Charles a quick one, I really like sesko signing , I feel like he’s similar to Haverts but with better finishing, problem is if we sign sesko does havertz go to the left 8 or we sign a midfielder ??

Hi Charles and James what 5 players from 1st team squad do you think are likely to leave? And arsenal getting decent money from? Thanks

Hi Charles. I think I will keep the VAR and employ trained professionals to manage it, not premiere league referees.

Hi Charles - great show as always. Here's a question for you that's a little out there... With Zinchenko clearly going down the pecking order (you even floated the idea that you have a sneaky feeling he might be sold), our left back position with Tomi and Kiwior has been less inverted than before. We almost play with a classic left back/tucking in as third center back when White goes forward. Considering that, I don't think it would be a bad idea to keep Tierney after he comes back from loan. This season, if we had him in the squad, he would have 100% played ahead of Kiwior. He can play center back (he does for Scotland) and he is great at bombing forward the way White does. By having Tierney and White, we could be less predictable as to which side is going to have the full back pushing high, as opposed to now where we know that comes mostly/only from the right. I wouldn't have him as first choice, but he could be a great option to have. Although I know his injury record is poor.. What do you think? (Obviously I'm a massive fan of KT and never stopped loving the guy so I might be biased here..)

What I don’t like is the linesman not flagging straight away for offside. They let play continue then flag after the ball is in the net.

Extra time: We are not city yet , we should be in a position where we bench Saka and Rice and still be confident and comfortable. Hope this summer be helpful for us to do that . Kudus and Bruno G can easily do that . And one suprise signing out of nowhere prediction? Like we used to do every year .

Extra Time - Hey Charles love the content been around since lockdown love the consistency and these extra time shows with mr benj ! In terms of wing players who why is no one talking about kudus he would solve the saka replacement and midfield maverick role, in addition I know swap deals are difficult but Eddie and nelson for olise? What do you think ?

Extra: Thanks Charles for the good work. I've fit your channel into my daily regime. My question is with the current squad what positions and particular players do you think can help us clinch the EPL and hopefully get to the CL finals next season

Extra Time: Hey Charles and James, great content as always! Just a quick one, would you take 35 million from Chelsea to sign Ramsdale. You'd be strengthening a rival but it's clear he needs to leave and there may not be a huge interest in him due to lack of game time. Keep up the great work from Holland! 🇳🇱💪

EXTRA TIME - thanks for getting us to the final weekend Charles! Superb channel. On VAR - supporters near universally despise it and should make these views known loudly to their clubs prior to the vote. Frankly it is a vote of paying supporters that should carry the day. How can we achieve this?

The highlight of this summer is gonna be never having to hear people pretend that ESR is better than he is ever again

Charles, Along with your colleagues use your position of influence to call for an improved VAR. Everyone knows what the problems are and what needs to change lets get it right and improve the game for all of the fans.

On the topic of VAR, if the premier league is the biggest, wealthiest league in the world, why don’t we hire the best VAR team from a lower league. They would have a track record of good decisions and we could have them overhaul the current system. Cheers from LA Charles

As for away kit it’s simple. Have the black one from last year every year. That black n gold was the best kit I’ve seen in years !

Nice kit … reminds me of the 88 classic

Extra Time In a situation like the Tottenham vs Mancity game last Tuesday, who gets credited with the clean sheet between Ederaon and Ortega?

Have been listening for a few years now and always enjoy your Arsenal Updates on my drive into work! I disagreed with your take on the keeper kit until I realized Adidas has basically copy and pasted Fulhams current Keeper kit 🤮I felt the need to come back and comment on this video lol Hopefully the keepers have a nice Alternate they can wear throughout the season 🤞Keep up the great work! #COYG #MakeSomeNoiseForMrMoyes #UpTheHammers

Extra Time: Hi Charles and James what signing and position do you think would take us to the next level E.G - CM De Jong. Or do you think we need a few to take us up another level

Hi Charles, great content as always! On VAR, do you know who actually makes up the “20” voting members? Three of those teams voting could in theory be the relegated teams that are then voting on a huge issue that, when they’re back in the championship without VAR, won’t impact them but will impact on the three promoted teams who won’t have been able to vote. Doesn’t really seem fair on a team like Wolves who are safe from relegation and are clearly are against VAR, but teams who won’t be impacted are deciding everyone else’s fate…

Aslong as we don’t pay more that £50m for Sesko it will be a good buy. I think he’s still very raw.

What if they are busy training AI to do VAR in the future? Would you take it if it was say 85% accurate with decisions?

Q Can ahy thing come of the var with wolves wanting it removed from next season or can anything help to imporove it

EXTRA TIME Hey Charles! Do you think there’s much scope for some of the biggest academy prospects to get minutes next season? (Biereth, Patino, Nwaneri, Cozier-Duberry, Lewis-Skelly, Martin Obi) And do our most publicised transfer rumours affect some of those pathways?

If there aren't already standards of procedure for VAR, the standard process should be developed. VAR refs could have a checklist of things to confirm before moving on - check for offside, check for handball, etc.

Extra time Q- Any news on Amario COD? What are plans to integrate the youth players to the first team?

Extra Time: Hi Charles and James, do you guys have any information about what the team will wear on Sunday? The tradition seems to be to wear the newly released one for the next season but surely they should keep this season’s home kit seen as it is dedicated to the invincibles and the invincibles will be there on Sunday. Btw all people I saw on the Internet who bothered to draw the lines agree that KDB was off, so I highly doubt whether the PGMOL leak is genuine or just trying to save faces as they won’t be showing this anw.

VAR needs to change, not be scrapped. The key changes would be to remove the 'clear and obvious' which is vague. Instead teams should be allowed challenges whereby the decision will be re-refereed. There should be other changes, such as transparency, but that would be the key one.

EXTRA TIME: Hi Charles, I completely and utterly agree with everything you've said about VAR. I absolutely hate it, all it accomplishes is to show how incompetent the people who run it are. Scrap it immediately. Question for you and James: if Arsenal could pull off one realistic "shock" transfer this summer, i.e. Sol Campbell-esq, who would you want to sign? A signing you'd never expect in a million years, but would elevate the team to champions. Love the content! Vinnie P

Hello Charles, I'm a big fan from Nigeria and I always watch your videos I understand your views on VAR but it is based and weighing the enjoyment from a goal and massive reduction is the accuracy of refereeing in the EPL I think right now with VAR you can say they get about 70% right but without VAR it will be about 50% right decisions from the referee, I wouldn't take that risk

Hi charles. Following on from your discussion about maybe needing to buy an 8 rather that a striker now and also, zinny being one of the players that exits in the summer ... What do you feel is the reason why Mikel doesnt like the idea of Zinny playing there? Is it that he doesnt fit our system? Id like to know what you think. Great show ive followed you from day one COYG!

Do you think we should give the youth players extended playing time during pre-season ?I feel like we are missing the trick here with them not seeing the pttch enough then thrown in for carabao and then look out of place as they do not have the confidence to play their normal game

Just go back and watch a single episode of MOTD pre VAR. There are a fraction of the mistakes nowadays compared to then. Its not perfect but it's much much better. Don't let perfection be the enemy of very good.

For Charles and James - First of all, been following every day since you started uploading to youtube. Been a daily routine even if I moved around countries for jobs and thank you for the great content! Two questions 1. What the hell do we do if Martin Ödegård breaks in the summer/early part of next season? Do we try to get a proper under study (jurys out on Viera), or do we try to move Declan or even Saka into that role? We definently need a proper right sided forward! 2. With a season like this if we do go all the way this weekend, I personally would accept an official title in retrospective IF City actually were punished IN THE WAY THE SHOULD BE for their 115 breaks of regulation, but how would you two feel about it? I think we had a title winning season and it's just wrecked by an openly cheating institution. Cheers from Sweden!

GK kit channelling Jorge Campos energy.

Frustrating as VAR is I will 100% keep it. It meeds major surgery though. Which I believe the club will do at the June 6th AGM!

Extra Time Any last few weeks info on Cozier-Duberry signing a contract extension with the club ?

What do you think about Artem Dovbyk

VAR is destroying our game, the ineptitude of the officials is the root cause! Scrap it please and let’s enjoy celebrating goals again

I don't think VAR is the problem, but the official, It can easily be likened to a car knocking you over, the car is not the problem, the driver is.

Is the stripes blue or black?

How did you not like this season’s kit charles 😭

Agree with you Charles. I personally haven't celebrated a goal as it goes in in 4 years. I first wait to see if they find something silly in the build up, and then I celebrate after the game kicks off again. Either fully automate it like goal line technology or bin it. Goal line technology has been around for years without the need for referees to get involved, and no one has complained about it. Jeet from Kenya.

Extra Time with James Bengino: Hi Both, with the new home kit being announced I was wondering what your favourite and least favourite Home, Away and Third Kits are of the emirates era? Some of those spray on puma ones give me nightmares

EXTRA TIME Hey Charles and James, with the links with numerous number 6's...... Bruno G, Zubimendi etc, who do you think would be your choice and who do you think Mikel Arteta and Edu would more likely go for???? Me? I'm not sure that Zubimendi is big enough to last in the middle of the pitch in the Premier League.

EXTRA TIME Hi Charles & James, if we don't win a trophy next season, do you see the likes of Saliba, Gabriel or Ødegaard looking for a move away? I know they're on long contracts, but as long as Pep is at City, they might (rightfully or wrongly) see their chances of winning a trophy at Arsenal as slim if we can't get anything over the line next season. It's obvious that Real, Bayern, Barcelona & (dare I say) Man City would love to have these players. Would you be worried that some players might start to lose faith in our project if we hit 5 years without a trophy next season? (For the record I fully believe we are winning a massive trophy next season).

Seeing Both Sesko and Gyokeres, if you look closely Sesko is in the Haaland mold of strikers and the Other the Lewandoski type

Extra time: Hi, guys. I love the show! In terms of new incomings in the summer, which position is your number one priority, and who would it be? Vegard

VAR - stands for virtual Assistant Referee, the issue is when non-virtual referees intervene. Next year, apparently we will finally have semi automatic offside, which basically the system tells the referee the decision without putting the lines themselves.

Instead of spending money on Sesko they should being Mika Biereth back and try to bed him in gradually. I think he has potential to be a super premier league striker.

Extra Time Hi charles love what you do and loved reading your book. Let's talk about tottenham. 3 managers (ange, jose and conte) all say the same thing. How can a fan base be so delusional for so many decades. Yet tottenham see themselves as a big footballing club not through trophies like everyone else but to keep the "pressure" on the other teams. Ipswich have a bigger winning mentality than them. They are the only premier league club who's fans care more about ruining other clubs chances ( not just arsenal but how excited they were that they would have a say on the premier league a couple of weeks ago) than their own silverware. It's just a little weird can't think of another club/fan base like it.

I feel like they’re going to get 18/20, with both Manchester sides being the only ones not voting to get rid of

We'd also be Champions League winners if VAR existed in 06. Can work both ways....

Bring automated offsides in immediately.

we love saka, his our star boy and a fan like us, but then i think with the amount of games he's played is much, left wing is a must for me in the summer, and olise is a good option, pl ready and quality threat, who would you love to go for in that position and other positions that are needed in your opinion for the team that are not spoke about in the media

EXTRA TIME: Hi Charles and James, just a quick question on which current loanees you think could be featured on the USA pre season tour? My guess would be Nwaneri and Lewis Skelly. Walters and Okonkwo we know will both likely leave, Patino, Sambi and Biereth seem like they’re going to be sold too, the same applies to Nuno Tavares as well. Interested to get both of your thoughts on this?

I don't agree with you on VAR, Charles. I do not like the people running it but I like VAR.

Use VAR for offsides, as long as they remember to draw the lines. Digging for a minute reason not to give a goal, like Martinelli's foul 17 seconds before the goal against Yanited, is a ridiculous misemployment of VAR.

I don't understand why Charles is not happy with kits. If its in the Red and White of Arsenal, the kit is okay for me. What's wrong with the goal keeper's kit? I like it as well. I like the canon budge.

Hey Charles, I completely get scrapping VAR but football needs some sort of technology. I can't see how the Hawk eye systems in both Rugby and GAA football in Ireland work so fast and well with their sports but VAR is so crap in the biggest league of the most valuable sport in the world. I think it was too many changes with VAR too quickly and then we get scenarios with rules changing, where an innocent that is deemed a foul in the first half of a season isn't a foul by the 2nd half and VAR is like a microscope looking over everything. I think the goal line stuff has to stay and the semi automated offsides need to come in too but maybe start with just that and a video official in the ear of the ref for help when he asks for it. Like a review system rather than anything else and it needs to be tested in the lower leagues first and work it's way up to the PL

Extra time: Regardless of Sunday, do you have any insights on when Pep might move on from City? This isn’t just a doom and gloom question, just feel the prem will be so interesting in a post Klopp, pep era.

It’s the hope that kills. Quit asking the west ham question please.

Strange to see a player on loan wearing next seasons kit :P