In a matter of seconds, Martin Boyle claims VAR leaves players with too much information in the dark, going from joy to bewilderment.
There were numerous long checks in Hibs’ 2-2 draw with Aberdeen on Saturday, resulting in 14 minutes of stoppage time in both half, 10 of which came at the finish. Both Boyle’s first goal and the Dons’ equalizer, scored by Bojan Miovski, were ruled offside, and after Emiliano Marcondes equalized Jamie McGrath’s goal to put the home team ahead, play was halted for a few minutes.
The first goal scorer for Aberdeen, Nick Devlin, also kept Hibs from scoring a penalty when he used his arm to block a cross from Jordan Obita. Both David Marshall and Miovski were injured, which added to the extra minutes, but Boyle insists that it is “not ideal for anyone” to spend time searching for refereeing errors.
The Hibs winger admitted, “I had no idea what was going on half the time.” It’s just a little disorganized and stop-start. Nobody enjoys the stoppages, especially when there are only ten minutes remaining.
“Happy days if they made the correct decision. But we are unable to change it. All we need to do is proceed. The subject of the Devin handball has come up a few times. It all happened very quickly, and I haven’t really seen it. There is nothing we can do if the referee hasn’t used VAR and they can’t view it in real time.
“Honestly, I’m just taking a quick look around. The referee simply walks off while gesturing to his ear. Really, we have no idea what’s going on.
“I mean, I am aware that they are investigating a number of prior events to the tragedy. Plenty is happening. We’ve been sitting about for five minutes at a time, which adds up to ten minutes of injury time.
“It goes without saying that the objective is excellent. We achieve the objective. Happy days if they make the correct decision.”
Boyle claims there is no conversation between players and officials while checks are being conducted, but a little more communication on the field and for those in the stands may go a long way. The Australian international also stated that misunderstanding still exists while efforts are being made to arrive at the right conclusions, despite his insistence that he has no problem with them.
He said, “Nothing,” when asked what happens during communication. “All we’re instructed to do is screw off. I have no idea what they are talking about. It’s only psychological. Fair play, though, if the correct decisions are being made.
“The game may continue, players may become confused, and things may be called back.” Fair play if the correct decisions are being made. It’s not ideal if errors continue to occur.”
Nothing, though, can take away from the fact that Hibs haven’t won a Premiership since defeating Livingston on December 9th. In isolation, a point away from Pittodrie, where they have historically struggled, is not a bad result, but Boyle knows there can be no more mistakes when Dundee visits Easter Road next week, five points ahead of Hibs in sixth.
He declared, “We have to start winning games.” “We cannot continue to give up a lot of points. Next weekend, we should have a strong game and begin winning.
“With everyone returned from international duty and the addition of new players, I believe the team is stronger.
The manager now seems to be suffering from a headache. There is depth in the squad. The boys are working hard in their training right now, making sure that everyone is aware that if you don’t perform, someone else will.
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“I think the substitutes have really improved the team in the last few games, so it’s clear they want to start. This week’s training will be challenging as well, with all the boys vying for that spot.
Personally, Boyle has scored in back-to-back games since returning from the Asia Cup in excellent form. Following his round of Kelle Roos to start the scoring, he responded to some backlash on social media over the week by staging a dramatic dive in celebration.
“If you had seen my Twitter this week, you will have seen that I was getting a bit of abuse,” stated Boyle. “However, I enjoy that conversation with the fans. In the end, it’s just some lighthearted conversation. After a few minutes, we conceded, and it wasn’t humorous at all.
“The boys’ return demonstrated exceptional character. And I’m glad to be back on the team as a contributor. Overall though, we are aware that we must begin winning games.