I am against VAR. I always have been, and this World Cup is not changing my mind.

I’ve seen it used well this World Cup and I’ve been shocked when it hasn’t been used for essentially the same incident. But you probably disagree… And that’s always been one of my main objections to VAR. Everyone can have a different view of the same incident. That will not change, so an extra four referees looking at the same incident will only use four more differing opinions for a decision.

It only takes time and disrupts the flow of the game. You need momentum and pressure to score. It keeps the crowd engaged and on the edge of their seat. I struggle to be on the edge of my seat waiting a minute for an off-the-ball incident to be replayed twenty times.

Some people say now we’ve got cameras looking everything simulation and exaggeration will go from the game, but I disagree. If players know things will be looked at and it will take a minute to judge, slowing down the game and relieving pressure, won’t it get worse?

These are just a couple of issues I have with VAR, and I don’t think they’re going away.

Germany on the attack with Brandt. The substitute with a nice ball to Reus. Gomez is in there. Pulls it back. Over everyone and Germany can’t win it, but it drops to BRANDT!!!

That is one of the cleanest strikes you are ever likely to see! He caught that perfectly and it arrowed into the top corner, Ochoa had no chance!

For all Mexico’s resistance today they’ve been undone by one of the great World Cup goals. The man from Bayern Leverkusen has really made his presence felt since coming on only moments ago. That is the reason why they left Leroy Sane at home.

Brandt was involved in the build up, playing a nice ball to Reus, who moved it on to Gomez. His pull back was over everyone and Kimmich failed to win it on the edge of the area. But it fell to Brandt and he let fly with one of the goals of the tournament! We’ve already seen some worldies, but that one will be talked about for ages.

I hope the scratch on my arm leaves a scar, because then I can tell this story…

A washing basket attacked me!

I was walking around my apartment block when someone yelled, “Look out!” I looked up just in time to see a washing basket falling straight towards me! I manged to get my arm in front of my face just in time.

As I lay on the ground the owner of the washing basket came to my aid and explained. She was hanging out her clothes on the balcony and placed the full basket on the railing, she bumped it and sent it flying towards me.

She took me to the hospital. The doctors were more worried about the bump on my head than the gash on my arm. But after a lot of stitches, many concussion tests and skull x-rays I was allowed to return home.

And that’s how I got this scar.

I just finished reading a book. And until the World Cup starts there is very little to do, so I need to start reading another book.

But what type of book. Another fantasy? I’ve just read three fantasy novels in a row, I’ll definitely read another, but not now. I have plenty of other genre’s to enjoy. Biography? Murder Mystery? Teaching? Football?

I can’t choose a single book to read from my hundreds of books. Instead I narrow it down by the process of elimination. Let’s go through the options.

Football: A football book may lift my excitement for the World Cup. But I doubt it considering I’ve been waiting four years and now IT’S SOO CLOSE!

Teaching: I have a number of unread books about writing sitting on my shelf, and I should read them… But if I read them now I won’t be able to put any of it into practice because IT’S SOOO CLOSE!

Murder Mystery: I love a good murder mystery, I read them straight away. The only unread murder mysteries I have, I’m not sure about. There’s a body, but are the people investigating interesting? I’ve read a few where they’re not. I won’t gamble when IT’S SOOOO CLOSE!

Which leaves only one genre.

Biography: Learning about someone, how they think and what they think is enlightening. I love getting inside someone’s head.

Now, which one? IT’S SOOOOO CLOSE! Eliminate the thick ones, then the football ones. And after that there are only a few options. And the final step is ennie, minnie, minnee, moe. I’ll read that book.

And then… IT’s SOOOOOO CLOSE!