Andy Smith

Ex publican.

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@DougRDNaylor Book finished and says she wants book 2 when its out.

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

Ella-Rae has got stuck straight in to the book this evening @DougRDNaylor.
Thanks for signing it

[george @StokeyyG2]

Some announcement video from Leyton Orient as they unveiled new signing Alex Gilbert 😂😂

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@trevhewsongy @MikeyMcMahon Totally agree. That was a cowardly act by their keeper. Definite red card

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@mattdannatt Is Cam Gardner nearly ready for a return ?

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@Youngy316 Yep. And i thought he was even better last home game

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@backlessdress26 Tuppence

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@StanCollymore Surely konsa starts over stones!

[Talking Bottom @talkingbottom]

“I’m Rik f*cking Mayall. Don’t f*ck me about, ask me an interesting f*cking question… if the camera is shaking it’s probably because he’s masturbating.”

[Stan Collymore @StanCollymore]

VAR

I enthusiastically welcomed it. Was sold on the higher percentage of right decisions so we could all go home knowing football justice had been done and we could concentrate on which player was crap instead.

But I was wrong. Woefully and completely wrong.

Waiting 5 minutes for a decision to be made alone means the system isn't fit for purpose. Why? Because I sat with TV producers who said everything would be wrapped up in 10-30 seconds. It has literally taken the spontaneous joy from the most important part of the game. A goal.

Then, one thing completely blindsided me and many others.

Subjectivity.

I thought there would be science and a nailed on guarantee of a successfully and universally accepted decision. How wrong we were. Instead, arbitrary lines are drawn that simply can't with any certainty say whether a player is offside or not. So a human in a portacabin, 200 miles away only does what the referee can do, make a best guess.

Likewise handballs, dives, any penalty decision to be honest. A subjective decision decided out of stadium allowing an increasingly small and poor refereeing pool a get out of jail free card. Instead of them making a shit decision and owning it, they just pass it on 200 miles away so 3 men in a portacabin can make a shit decision instead. Lunacy.

For the love of the game, let's go back to investing in getting more referees, respecting them so that they join the trade and don't feel constantly abused. In short, treat them like rugby referees. Ultimate respect.

Then, fuck VAR off, it's ruined the game, made it petty and chaotic, and taken that one ingredient that you simply can't replace, instantaneous joy.

As a player and fan I accepted a referee making a bad decision in a game in the same way I accepted fucking up a shot or pass. We're all human.

Let's get back to that, humans doing their best, everyone walks away from the ground accepting that and less unrealistic pressure put on officials to be perfect when perfection doesn't exist in any walk of life.

VAR stinks. A system designed to help is a massive hindrance and it's about time pundits, fans, players, referees, clubs put pressure on authorities to get rid of it. We only need goal line tech, the rest can and should be refer refereed by humans making their best judgement. A best judgement that was over 98% right( audited fact pre VAR).

Enough is enough, fuck it off.

[On this GTFC day.... @onthisGTFCday]

19th April 1998 - As an amazing day in the history of Grimsby Town draws to a close, Sky News round up how their Auto Windscreens Shield win unfolded. #GTFC

[On this GTFC day.... @onthisGTFCday]

18th March 1998 - It's the morning after the night before, and in their 120th year it's beginning to sink in that Grimsby Town are going to Wembley. Calendar look back on the previous evening's monumental events at Burnley's Turf Moor. #GTFC

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@LegacySiu Massimo taribo. Probably spelt wrong. The terrible GK who played one maybe two games.

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@Goosey30111568 Ketchup or Brown?

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@M_Gi11on @eurofootcom He will only get a 1 game ban. Its not serious foul play.
Unless hes had more reds this season

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@GodlyNations Comedy

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@ColinBrazierTV And the additional NI costs imposed in April. That will be another 25 to 45k depending on the size of payroll.

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@bodudley82 Its an original van heusen

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@anon_opin Covid Jabs. "Im not taking that i dont know whats is in it".
Fat jabs people pay hundreds of pounds for and willingly take.

[Andy Smith @AndyRTSmith]

@BBCSport Embarrassing