Morning all.
There are several cracking fixtures this weekend, our own for one against Aston Villa at 5-30pm tomorrow evening. Earlier in the day, Bournemouth take on Newcastle Utd at St James Park before Liverpool face Brentford at the Gtec Stadium at 3pm. Nottingham Forest play Southampton at home on Sunday whilst Man City travel to Ipswich. Then on Monday night, Chelsea and Wolves go head-to-head at Stamford Bridge.
Howard Webb has decided to appoint referee Chris Kavanagh for our game which is slightly disconcerting as he was the man who decided to send off Declan Rice against Brighton earlier this season. Already on a booking, Rice was shown a second yellow card for delaying a free kick.
In the Premier League’s episode of Mic’d Up a day or so after the game, Chris Kavanagh’s conversation with VAR and Rice was played:
I don’t like it, but he’s knocked the ball. Second yellow, for me. I had no choice, he knocks the ball away. As [Veltman’s] about to kick it, he knocks the ball. I have no choice. He’s put me in an awful position. Dec, you need to go I’m afraid.
Whether or not what happened that day has made players more aware of the ruling I don’t know but I’m pretty sure not one Premier League player has suffered the same fate since. We’ve been involved in fixtures when a player hasn’t even been booked for delaying a free kick.
The only other Arsenal game I think Kavanagh has officiated this season was against Fulham, a game which ended 1-1 but as far as I recall, there were no clear and obvious dreadful decisions made. VAR will be John Brooks who I think has officiated only one Arsenal league fixture this season which ended in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St James Park. He has been known to make a few awful VAR decisions though.
I’m just grateful that Jarred Gillet will be nowhere near The Emirates tomorrow evening!
As I always say though, if the Arsenal players don’t give the officials a decision to make, they cannot make it.
It’s just been announced that Erling Haaland has signed a new record breaking nine and a half year contract at Man City. Incredible or incredibly stupid I don’t know. I suppose it does mean that if he gets itchy feet, City will at least get a transfer fee for him but just imagine if he suffers an awful injury which he doesn’t fully recover from.
Still, that’s City’s worry, not mine. I’m only interested in which striker Arsenal will sign within the next three weeks and when. The sooner the better in my opinion because we need one, like yesterday.
Victor Gyokeres is the favourite according to the media who suggest his reported £83m get out clause not being a problem but as always, transfer rumours are nothing to go by. When David Ornstein comes up with something, that’s the time my hopes raise. Depending on who it is he says we’re in talks with of course. Apart from the Zubimendi news, he’s been quiet in relation to Arsenal. Although he did suggest we’re interesting in a young midfielder. Talking on The Athletic FC podcast:
There are young players that will be on their agenda now. I know I reported recently like Nypan from Rosenberg, one of the top young midfielders from what I’ve heard across the game, he’d be very keen on a move to Arsenal. They like him!”
Mikel Arteta will be facing the media today so perhaps he’ll tell us something interesting. Then again….
Catch up in the comments…
Morning Rico.
Yes it’s been annoying watching other games where an opposing player has delayed a quick free kick with seemingly no concern from the refs, and even more annoying is some of those decisions have been with Kavanagh, post Ricegate.
Morning Berg, it is. I get why Kavanagh did what he did but it’s the fact that he’s the only one who has.
Morning Rico and all.
I am not surprised by the ref for our game, as he will possible try to help liverpool get more points up on us for complaining about him last time.
Morning Geoff, he’s a Manc so perhaps he won’t want to help Liverpool.. lol
Morning Rico, none of them like Arsenal and if any referee did like Arsenal, we’d never get him..
As you say, don’t let the referee be the deciding factor, although it’s going to be tough.
Girona are sitting 8th in La Liga just behind Real Sociedad, they’ve scored 27 goals in 19 matches and conceded 25, so should be a few goal’s Wednesday?
G’day Rico and all.
Off subject here but good news is always welcome….I hope. Renee Slegers has been appointed as Arsenal’s Womens head coach on a permanent basis after managing to save the club’s season since the departure of Jonas Eidevall.
Slegers, who was Eidevall’s assistant before stepping in on an interim basis in October, has overseen an impressive 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions while qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League as group winners.
I sometimes wonder if we look at the lower leagues for someone that just seems to know where the goal is like :-Borja Sainz age 23 , plays for Norwich and has scored 17 goals so far this season in 26 games , currently they are 17 points from the top and 15 from the bottom of the championship. Effectively they are going nowhere this season. He is a Basque like Arteta . I am not saying that he is the solution but sometimes big money signings are not the answer.
You can watch our revitalised women play Crystal Palace in the WSL Sunday on Arsenal.com, kick off 2pm.
Arteta can get the low down on Sainz from his former team mate Jack Wilshire, who is on the Norwich City coaching staff.
Inside info. Always welcome 👍
A good call on Sainz Potter and he’s valued at 12m Euros….for now!
Afternoon Kev, Cicero.
Makes sense re Slegers imo, she’s done well since taking over.
Always thought the same about scouting lower leagues Potter, clinical strikers score regardless of who they play against.
Whatever happened to Mark Heeley?
We don’t have a great record at finding uncut gems in the lower leagues. Arsenal have dipped into that market occasionally over the years but not with a lot of success.
Who was that kid we got from non-league a few years ago, Cohen Bramall, I think he went to West Brom?