The term 'Fake News' has an orangey shadow following its every utterance, as President Donald Trump suggested every media outlet that questioned his views was purely false, a similar shade to the outline on Shrewsbury's kit.
In 2017, the remark gained worldwide recognition and set in turn a motion of the general public questioning what is real and what is not about the news we digest.
However, while many were able to make well informed decisions and establish their own research, many others; either through a lack of time, effort or care have decided against backing up their own conclusions.
A dangerous stance considering how well documented and easily manipulated media can be.
Hey Ricketts, Leave those kids alone!
For a recent example; Shrewsbury Town boss Sam Ricketts questioned the involvement of the Stockley Park officials and even hinted at bias towards The Reds citing a 'handball' by defender Virgil van Dijk in a fixture against Wolves on December 29th 2019.
The incident in question, was discussed frequently and in depth on beIN Sport, has been identified as one of the many reasons why the new rules, which were agreed by all 20 Premier League clubs has favoured the current table toppers.
While Ricketts may spend little of his time on social media, the constant spread of favouritism towards Klopp's men clearly was ingrained within his mind despite the incident in question being disproven on many occasion.
Van Dijk 'handball' never happened.
The ball rolled across his chest with his hand in the air given the perception from the camera angle at his rear that is made contact with the arm - despite never doing so.
The Shrews boss will be undeniably angry at the loss of his players who in spite of the VAR decision that went against his team - he said "We couldn’t get anywhere near them in the first half, they move the ball so quickly."
A testament to Neil Critchley and all of the academy staff, a moment to be proud of and savour.
Adapt, improve, overcome
A YouGov survey found that many fans are not satisfied with VAR at the moment with a number of reasons to blame - being in favour of Liverpool it found was not one of them.
While 'Fake News' spreads quickly over social media, an honest survey allows for clear answers to be given; provided the questions are clear also.
A poll of 1396 football viewers stated that 67% of them now found their sport less enjoyable since VAR was introduced but the positive news was that 74% said they wanted it to remain.
While those in Stockley Park have come under fire for essentially doing their jobs under the guidance of Mike Riley and other lead referees who have designed the rules around the system - it is clear there is still work to be done to improve the overall concept.
Over 81% believe that the fans in stadia and at home should be able to watch the review taking place as live - this is an idea that may never see the light of day due to pressure and the sheer amount of checks that take place during the 90 minutes.
There are many 'silent' checks that occur throughout the run of play that the VAR will converse to the official that he will have a look at - regardless of a halt in play or not, once reviewed he will offer his opinion as to whether call the game back or continue.
This is not possible at all stadia with Liverpool and Manchester United both without a giant screen, despite both relaying the referees decision to the crowd via a scoreboard and PA system - one lacks the dimensions to display a clear visual and the other lacks the technology in their current system.
This season without VAR, Liverpool would have an extra two goals, as would Manchester City; this in no way tells the bigger picture about how the system interrupts the flow of a team or disrupts their rhythm but it displays that The Reds have not benefitted always.
Summer 2020 will see a number of meetings between PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) and Premier League clubs in an effort to improve the impact VAR has over a game with journalists educated alongside them.
The 'fairness' is not a decision that many currently question it is a mixture of whether the technology is up to date, what defines offside, when does a passage of play begin and according to social media why is it not renamed LiVARpool?
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