Morning all.
No, that’s not one of the referees on duty in Russia trying to catch a sneak preview of the 2018 John Lewis Christmas Advert, it’s VAR in full swing. What he’s checking I can’t remember but it’s a sight which is soon to become far more familiar to all of us. VAR has been approved by English clubs and it’s highly likely to be introduced into the Premier League next season. It’s bound to have a few issues to begin with but I think it’ll be great for the game. Football played on a level playing field can only be a good thing for everyone.
So, what can be reviewed? Goals, Penalties, Red Cards and Mistaken Identity. I’m sure as seasons go by, other incidents will be reviewed too. If technology is there it only makes sense to maximise what it can do. Within reason of course because no one wants football to be a stop start game. As has been said before though, certainly by me many times, technology works in most other sports so there’s no reason why it won’t be a success in football.
Both Granit Xhaka and Julio Pleguezuelo have been quoted by a few newspapers about their future. With the Swiss midfielder it’s pretty simple. Should he ever leave Arsenal, which isn’t his intention for a long while, he wants to return to Basel. Totally understand that. His family is there, his brother still plays for them. Go on, be honest, you’ve just said to yourself, ‘I wish he’d go now’…..
For Pleguezuelo though, it’s a very story because the way the media portray his thought is in the here and now. If he doesn’t soon play, he’ll give serious thoughts to one of the many offers he’s supposed to have received from clubs back in his homeland. What he really wants though is to break into the Arsenal first team although he appreciates that’s going to be tough. I’d imagine when he talks of a move to Spain, he’s thinking about a loan but that’s not clarified in any of the reports.
Finally, Arsenal FC has been involved in the ‘breakaway league’ talks but they have no plans to join it.
“I see these articles that Arsenal want to breakaway, we never want to do any of that. But we also have to recognise we have to be in these conversations or we wouldn’t be responsible.
“We have to be in the conversations, it doesn’t necessarily mean we support them.” – Vinai Venkatesham.
Good.
By the way, I think the John Lewis advert is awful. What’s Elton John playing the piano got to do with Christmas?
Have a good weekend guys…
Good morning
Have a good weekend
Good morning Rico, now the mist has lifted it’s a lovely sunny day here.
Further to Vinai Venkatesham’s comments there’s more from Raul Sanllehi, He has said that Arsenal must be in the driving seat behind any changes in European football. “We know the competition we have in England. It is extremely exciting and competitive and something we will always value. We have to be responsible. We have an incredible jewel in Arsenal and we need to make sure Arsenal is always in the driving seat of anything that may happen. We need to at least be aware and decide in a responsible way whether that is the direction we take”.
To me that doesn’t sound like Arsenal are ruling out joining a breakaway European super league. I would hate to see Arsenal leave the Premiership and I doubt if I could bring myself to continue supporting the club if it did so, Norwich City would be my choice for a successor.
I have come round to accepting VAR, but the protocols for it’s use must be set in stone. The on-field referee must be the only person to call for a referral and must also be the final arbiter.
I’m with you rico, not feeling the love meself or should that be the authenticity of the ad either, still I suppose he needs the money eh !
Morning Cicero. Lovely here too.
I can’t see Arsenal breaking from the PL, despite what might be said. How on earth would we compete against some of the top European clubs.
Good to see you Micko, hope alls well. Yep, I guess now he has kids he’s in need of a few more pounds..
rico, wakey, wakey, competing doesn’t come into it, being one of the founder clubs we’d be guaranteed membership to the Super league for the next 20 years, collecting over €400 million a season and immune from relegation, if that don’t get your juices flowing nothing will, roll on 2021 lol
Still an old cynic then Micko…. 😜
Me, never, how dare you !
It’s all greed anyway, the big clubs just wanna get bigger and richer, isn’t that how the Premiership was born, the bigger clubs not wanting to divide the match day receipts fairly to help the smaller clubs survive, this Super league goes ahead and it could be end for smaller clubs like tottenham………something very beautiful could still come out of this sadness I suppose.
Ha ha. Just why I hope we never join Micko.
VAR is already being used in many championships. There is no shortage of polemics about him.
Most of them consisted in the first use of technology in the service of football. In English football, and well, they started by introducing the technology of the goal line.
It is, in my opinion, the only factor that undoubtedly allows us to correctly judge and overcome one of football’s most difficult decisions.
The VAR allows (re) viewing plays of doubts, player penalties, etc. It does not avoid controversy because not everything is possible to be recourse to the VAR, are always personal and debatable decisions, stop the game, delay the duration of games, etc.
What I have concluded, is that usually decisions are almost always favorable to the “powerful.” That is: when it is to harm the “strong” or there was communication failure, or they were “distracted”, or “went for coffee” …
In the English case, I am already seeing who are benefited: M. United, Liverpool and Totts. Not necessarily in this order.
Non Arsenal, but only because Arsene didn’t listen to me 4-5 years back hahaha
You won’t see a better save than this all year.
Matt Ryan-he was always going to make it.
https://youtu.be/VwNe6rhjFiA
Oh, and morning all.
Another boring break for us all.
Great interview by Eddie Jones, he seems to have a lot of enemies among the pundits, not sure why, jealousy maybe?
I get the feeling that he can see right through people and that upsets the snides.
Looking forward to the Six Nations.
Morning Gooners
Morning Rico.
Eddie Jones is a good man, Kev, and a straight forward one-a trait plenty don’t like.
He’s always butted heads with the media.
Morning Scott, Kev..
Another no news days. Darn internationals….
What’s he like in other areas of his game Scott? That was certainly a good save but I wonder how quick the ball was travelling?
Morning Rico, that was struck beautifully which made the save even better.
Ryan is at Brighton and is doing damn well there from all reports.
Fantastic shot stopper, and is maturing nicely into a top keeper.
His only issue is that he’s not overly tall-6 feet 1 I think.
Another of our local A League clubs prodigies that was sold on the cheap as soon as they showed ability.
Him, Rogic, Sainsbury (just signed with PSV), Jedinak yo name a few.
They are not exactly household names but still, all went on to some good things.
Bloody small club mentality 🙂
Arsenal women extend their 100% record with an excellent 4 – 0 win away to Everton. Sadly Jordan Nobbs was carried off with a serious knee injury.
Six points clear at the top.
It’s the Aussie coaching, Cicero 🙂 🙂
He did ok for a tiddler Scott. Lol
New post up now.