Europa League LIVE: Man Utd faces Mourinho’s Fenerbahce; Spurs and Rangers in action

Peter: A question for Stephen. Everyone was begging for technology to help, so we got VAR. Now everyone wants to get rid of it! What is the answer?

Stephen: The introduction of VAR has divided public opinion down the middle. There was a survey last season and people wanted it to stay, but they still felt it needed to make big improvements to it. I’m exactly the same.

The problem we still have is whether this is a subjective decision. If you put 100 people in a room, it’s possible that 70 people will make a certain decision and 30 will make the other. So you might get 50-50, then you might get 90-10. They’re just opinions on how things look, so there will still be controversy around decisions because we all see the game differently.

What the Premier League has tried to do this season is ensure that the referee’s on-field decision is final, unless they have blatantly missed something, which they have done. There are still moments where they’ve messed up a little, but those moments have been fewer this season. I think better decisions have been made across the board.

I still think that the former players should be taken to the room, to the VAR booth, because they see the game differently, they know the dynamics, the movements of football and what the players are trying to achieve: commit a cynical foul, a tactical foul , or if they are trying to buy something and fall into a certain position. I just think if we can tie that together a little bit more, it’ll be better for the game as well.

It’s very difficult because people will say that players have affiliations with certain clubs, but I don’t think that comes into play because then you’re questioning the integrity of that person. Once they have the job and their job is on the line, if they start making bad decisions, they won’t last.