Two years into Howard Webb’s reign as referee supremo, Premier League clubs are impatient for change.

And it has even been suggested that if tabled their motion to scrap VAR again, the outcome might be different from the 19-1 vote to keep it. It is too late to go back but VAR will never win any popularity contests.

At the heart of this, there remains support for Webb as the head of the The Professional Game Match Officials Limited as he is trying to drive improvements. But ultimately, any shortcomings or failures are on his watch and questions are asked of him whenever there is a high-profile error.

Even the normally supportive Referees’ Watch show on Sky saw ex-official Dermot Gallagher admit he would not have sent off ’s Myles Lewis-Skelly for his foul on Wolves’ Matt Doherty on Saturday. One regular referee commentator mocked the hyperbole surrounding the fall-out and public condemnation by insisting it was not even the worst mistake this season. That is sort of a backhanded message.

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The bigger gaffe was unfortunately down to Michael Oliver when he was VAR and intervened to give a last-gasp penalty against at for a foul no-one else could see. The notion about conspiracy theories is just that… a theory. And a flawed one at that. That does not deserve to be entertained any more than the scandalous abuse aimed at Oliver. He is an outstanding referee but probably needs to be taken out of the firing line.

There is a feeling that the VAR system is just not working well enough and the clubs are fed-up of mistakes and want to hear solutions. One of the big questions is why a junior referee would be on VAR and therefore would he feel able to question the decision of his senior? That dynamic is one that should be changed and the PGMOL are introducing more dedicated teams.

Webb inherited an organisation set in its ways, resistant to change and there can be no doubt there is a group of young referee coaches - and therefore referees - who are coming through and will be very good in the future. The PGMOL are championing a better pathway to the top level for young up-and-coming referees. Two EFL officials have graduated to the top flight this season.

However, the clubs want results now and, while it was always going to take time to make improvements and implement change, Webb is under the spotlight now. The refs do meet every fortnight for a debrief where decisions are reviewed while there is VAR training and now more dedicated pools of video officials.

Former referee Lee Mason, who stood down after a big VAR error, is back as one of around 40 coaches. That is not a great look. There is a feeling that there are too many ex-referees involved in the leadership team which effectively ends up with them marking their own homework and there is not external and constructive criticism or questioning of methods.

Webb does engage with clubs on a regular basis and speaks to managers and, according to one observer, there is rarely the same noise as is voiced in public. The PGMOL insist that there is a 50 per cent improvement on efficiency and errors as well as becoming the first major league to provide an audio feed for a TV show to improve transparency.

They are full time professionals but one ex-ref suggested that it has also become a job for life and after putting down their whistle they can become a coach whether they have the necessary skills or not. They suggested it should always be about performance-related contracts.

Another former referee believes there should be more training for officials but they believe, while the younger generation are open to fresh ideas, the established officials are resistant to change. Webb was brought in to make change and his appointment was seen as a hugely positive step. One thing is for sure, even with VAR, the debate over referees will never stop.

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