'I felt Paul Warne dealt with Derby County situation really well but I am torn over debate'

In the latest installment of Gary Rowett's column he looks at the Norwich City and Derby controversy and recalls the time he was harshly sent off for the Rams

The debate as to whether VAR should be introduced in the Championship reared its head again this week, perhaps influenced by the decisions that went against Derby in their game against Norwich last weekend.

You will have read and digested the fallout surrounding the first goal in particular as TV replays showed the ball was clearly out of play when Josh Sargent crossed the ball.

I understand why there would be fresh calls for VAR when you consider the money at stake particularly when it comes to promotion to the Premier League is huge. If you recall the Huddersfield v Nottingham Forest playoff final, there were two penalty decisions that Huddersfield had that went against them and that game actually had VAR being implemented.

Sometimes you can see the cost of those decisions and how they impact a club and I remember a conversation when I was at Millwall that there was talk about VAR-lite was going to be trialled and how it was going to be a cheaper, less extensive version of what we see in the Premier League.

I sat in so many meetings with other managers and other key figures like Howard Webb and other stakeholders from around the game when they would discuss the rule changes etc. And so when you enter these meetings, VAR just seemed to take so long, it would take the joy away from scoring goals and celebrating for the fans and it was probably something I hadn't thought about.

It just seems to be a bit of an atmosphere and tempo wrecker. Statistically I think they are shaving off about a minute for VAR reviews which I think is excellent so there is progress being made. And so when you have that moment like Derby against Norwich, of course, you're always after that game going to say we need VAR in the Championship. It's a really difficult debate.

Technology is not going to go away and it's going to be more prevalent in the game. If it didn't kill the tempo or the atmosphere, I think everyone would like it. I remember a game for Birmingham against Nottingham Forest when there was a moment where the ball looked like it had gone over the line and I'm on a halfway like so bear in mind, I'm 60 metres away and there are seven or eight players in the way.

I'm jumping up and down, screaming to the fourth official saying it's over the line and that was what used to happen. As soon as goal line technology came in we literally don't even ask anymore. What the decision is, it is given so it takes a lot of that emotion and that hysteria on the touchline out of it.

I know the officials get criticism, but I do know that as a body, the PGMOL is trying very, very hard to solve these problems. I know they take that criticism that comes at them very personally because they're working very hard for the officials.

And that being said, I am still torn as to VAR. Maybe there is another debate for instances like Derby. Could there be technology that can judge the entire byline? Obviously you have to that for every stadium and how costly would that be to the clubs? But when you have situations like Derby had, it's a horrible situation for a manager because you're in the moment. I actually felt Paul Warne dealt with it really well and calmly afterwards.

There are times when you're angry, annoyed, frustrated and whatever emotion you're feeling, you've obviously got to go in after the game chat to your players who are disappointed as well.

You'd wait half an hour and perhaps say to the ref can I have a chat? Sometimes he might turn around and say, 'do you know what? We got it wrong.' And you do get those moments where maybe the officials are behind play because players are so fit and no official is ever going to be as quick as a winger for example.

When I first watched the Derby one, I thought that it looked out. I wasn't 100 per cent sure but as soon as they show it again you look at it and go 'wow, they've got that really wrong.' But with human decisions, you are going to get mistakes. It's like trying to create a football team that never makes mistakes? It's impossible. And let's face it, even VAR has made mistakes too.

But I just think this is a debate that is going to continue and I feel that as time goes on in the next few years, it wouldn't surprise me to see other things being mooted. As far as bad decisions in my own career, I remember I was sent off while playing for Derby against Leeds and as the ball was played over the top, I got in the wrong position and the striker pulled me on to him. It didn't look good, but it was around the halfway line or just over and I was sent off for denying a goal scoring opportunity.

Jim Smith was manager at the time and he went 'he (the striker) can't score from two yards let alone 60' so Jim's humour prevailed. I've only ever been sent off twice and the other one was as manager when I was at Stoke against Birmingham City.

When you got sent off there, you had to walk by the away fans. Stoke fans were probably booing me anyway and then I had to walk past the Birmingham fans too. It was a horribly long walk! The referee said I had sworn, but I never did and I told him that when I saw him after the game. When I watched the footage back there were two members of staff who ran up behind me and was shouting at the ref.

He then brandished the red card and they both legged it back to the touch line as though nothing had happened! I'm pretty sure they swore, and I definitely didn't. That that was one where I'd love to have had a microphone on. There are always times when you feel aggrieved but as annoyed as you are at the time, you end up seeing it as just part and parcel of a game and you hope it evens itself out through the course of the season.

Check out Gary Rowett’s Breaking Lines football podcast series on. https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingLinesPodcast ( https://www.youtube.com/@BreakingLinesPodcast ) . Follow Gary on Insta @garyrowett1

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