Instant replay

The premier league in English soccer has been discussing doing away with the video replay, because there were some issues with it this season.  

It's strange to think about going backward, and using no technology to assist the referees in games.  In all sports, it's become something that's useful, and allows for fans another place to throw their outrage.  It's a part of the sporting experience. 

But as I think about it, I recall back in the late 80s/early 90s when the NFL was first experimenting with replay.  They had someone in "the booth" who looked at plays, and would radio down to the head referee if he wanted to review something, and then would provide an update.

But it was early, and the league hadn't really thought this through.  The communication that a play was under review was haphazard, and the communication sometimes caused the referee to stop play just before the ball was snapped, disrupting the rhythm of the game.  

And (worse) there were no standards for outcomes.  I distinctly remember one incident that was called out - and which led to the demise of this early version of replay.  The replay official radioed down "pass incomplete" which the referee heard as "pass is complete"… oops.