Gary Newbon: We’ve come this VAR... let’s not ruin it by going back to old days

Hopefully, the Premier League will NOT abandon VAR when they vote on it on June 6. The system is a must, as in other sports, in this day and age. But I would agree several refinements need to be made.

Wolves, who have submitted a resolution, are leading the way for VAR to be abolished. I think they are wrong – even if they feel they have errors against them to back up their proposal. Nearly 50 goals have been reversed by VAR this season – 30 for offside.

The fact is that nearly every time VAR arrives at the right decision. I am sure lessons are being learned on the very few mistakes that occur.

Football managers (or head coaches) are to blame at times. For years several of them demanded video evidence. Then, when VAR arrived, losing managers sometimes screamed about controversial decisions. It was ever thus.

For years, managers fingered refereeing decisions rather than blame the shortcomings of their own players who they never name in public. At times, I would love to have sat down with the managers and watched the game back and point out where the game was really lost by their team.

If you get rid of VAR, we will be back to the referees getting the blame even when they are right. When they do miss a decision VAR usually rescues the situation.

There was a classic situation on Sunday. With two minutes of normal time to go West Ham appeared to score to and reduce the Manchester City lead to 3-2 in a game the champions had to win. The referee, John Brooks, gave the goal. But VAR ruled quite rightly that Tomas Soucek had used handball to net. No-one gives credit for that decision!

Why the long delay sometimes? With managers and owners prepared to yell so loudly if there is a mistake you can hardly complain if the VAR officials take their time to make ABSOLUTELY sure they reach the right decision.

So, improvements: Speed up the decisions, make offside a larger part of the body than just a toe or arm, explain how the decisions are reached with refs wired up to the public address system (or at least try it – hopefully the response will be sensible), and a pet gripe of mine – fouls in the penalty area by defenders, particularly from set-pieces, that go unpunished while they would not anywhere else on the pitch.

Some tell me there would be too many penalties! Good... because it would soon cut it out! VAR has been here five years. It must stay with its few problems addressed.

Meanwhile, my pre-season prediction was that Manchester City would retain the Premier League title. But it was a tight and brilliant competition with City clinching on the last day the record fourth consecutive top division championship. I voted for Phil Foden as the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, and that after the first leg of the Championship semi-final play-offs that it would be a Leeds-Southampton final on Sunday at Wembley. I think Leeds will go to the Premier League.

So what did I get wrong? Aston Villa to win the Europa Conference League, but what a great season they have enjoyed under Unai Emery, finishing fourth in the Premier League and winning a Champions League place for next season.

I stated that Birmingham City would make the play-offs. Oops!

But I did not know they were going to sack John Eustace for Wayne Rooney. Four different managers for four different reasons in the season did not help.

I thought Coventry City would make the play-offs again. Even though they missed out, their unlucky loss in the FA Cup semi-final to Manchester United was a magnificent effort.

I also predicted that Tyson Fury would beat Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed world heavyweight championship but I got that wrong by a split points decision.

However, in my book Tyson lost by three or four rounds. How one of the three judges gave the verdict to Fury I just do not know.

Usyk, the much smaller man, definitely won the fight, which was an outstanding contest. It more than lived up to its hype.

Usyk, now 37, has beaten Tony Bellew as a cruiserweight, and Anthony Joshua twice and Fury. He is the best heavyweight on the planet and if the contracted rematch with Fury does happen, Usyk will win again.

As for Tyson, with over £300 million in earnings he should consider retirement but we will see. He says he is still enjoying it so maybe the rematch will go ahead, probably in October.

Meanwhile, the day before I was busy interviewing one of our national treasures, the former WBC world heavyweight champion Frank Bruno at a sell-out luncheon at the excellent Chapter Restaurant in Edgbaston.

This was the latest event for Karl Ward, who for many years has been running sell-out sports luncheon or dinner events. He always attracts great names and always sells out.

Bruno, who is 63, and I will be back at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham just before Christmas. Before that I will be interviewing Martin O’Neill at the Grand, the former Aston Villa manager who is a great talker. All for Ward’s ORS lunches.

Also there on Friday was Telford’s unbeaten boxer Liam Davies. Karl Ward is one of his sponsors. Davies is a terrific prosect and is the current IBO super bantamweight world champion – a title he will be defending at the Birmingham Resorts World as top of the Frank Warren Queensberry bill on TNT TV on July 20.

Davies, who still lives in his home town, has won all 16 professional contests. He has also won the British and European titles.