It’s OK to admit you’re scared. We all are.
Tonight Scottish football takes the plunge as VAR comes into effect in the Premiership. And barring an absolute catastrophe, it’s here to stay.
So I guess we better make our peace with it and accept the fact it’s going to be a part of our game for the foreseeable future.
The days of laughing at the English Premier League as goals are ruled off because Erling Haaland’s big toe strayed two millimetres offside could sadly be behind us.
It doesn’t bear thinking about what kind of monumental mistakes we could be in for ourselves as our officials get used to the new system over the next few months.
They say too many cooks spoil the broth. Well on Saturday when Dundee United come to Paisley there will be no fewer than six officials directly overseeing the match.
Referee Grant Irvine and his assistants Gordon Crawford and Michael Banks will be backed up by fourth official Barry Cook and video assistant referee Alan Muir.
Muir himself will be working alongside John McCrossan in the VAR lab in Glasgow.
Now you’d really hope that between the six of them they could get the majority of the decisions right at the SMISA Stadium this weekend.
And time will tell if they manage to get through tomorrow afternoon’s game unscathed and without scandal.
Personally I have always felt that VAR takes away an element of the magic of football.
Yes, when you scored you sometimes had to have a quick glance across to see if the linesman had flagged before celebrating, but VAR can see fans waiting minutes before actually being able to fully celebrate a goal.
For me that sucks away the immediacy of that joyous moment when the ball hits the back of the net for your team.
But I am all for officials getting as much help as they possibly can to get more decisions right.
God knows there are currently far too many instances when wrong decisions cost clubs massively in this country.
If the SFA can get VAR running smoothly, which will definitely require patience from everyone involved, maybe the trade off of the time waiting for decisions to be made will be worth it if those decisions are more often than not being made right.
What St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson will be hoping is that the introduction of VAR doesn’t sidetrack his side as they try to focus on getting back to winning ways in Paisley.
After a below-par performance against Kilmarnock, the Saints will be looking to prove that was just a blip as they look to make it an incredible five wins from their last six home fixtures.
In 2013, from 30 September to December 29, the Buddies went seven unbeaten in Paisley, earning 13 points.
A win against the Terrors tomorrow would see Robinson’s side overtake that run by claiming 15 points in just six games.
That shows just how impressive and rare this kind of home streak for the Saints has been in recent years.
It’s been built on a hard work ethic, something Robinson has made clear he won’t allow any of his players to drop.
After a shambolic start to the season United have started to show signs of improvement.
And every St Mirren fan knows the danger their former playmaker Jamie McGrath poses after seeing him net relentlessly for the Paisley side, particularly from the penalty spot.
I hope the Ireland international gets a great reception from the home support. He gave everything for the club during his time at the SMISA and thoroughly deserved his shot down in England.
Let’s just pray VAR doesn’t give him an opportunity to show his prowess again from the spot.
In fact, lets just hope the video tech doesn’t play any significant part in the game.
That would be the perfect welcome to VAR in Paisley.
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