There has been no bigger champion than me for the introduction of video assistant referees in the Premier League this season, but a drastic rethink is required to make it work.

It cannot continue in its current form. I still believe in the idea of VAR. I want it to succeed. The way it is implemented must change.​

VAR should be a help for referees, not a means for them to become targets for more criticism. It needs to be stripped back down and applied in a limited, non-intrusive way – used only for intervention to remove the absolute howlers the officials on the pitch may have missed.​

I spent some time with the officials at Stockley Park before the season and was briefed on how it would operate. I was optimistic and supportive. I came away hoping we would hear about VAR only in cases of serious foul play, penalties being given when the video showed zero contact by the defender, a goal awarded which clearly and obviously should not have stood, or vice versa. When used well, it can be the difference between winning a trophy, promotion or relegation.​