Morning all.
Don’t you just love it when Arsenal not only capitalise on results which went before them and then the same two teams who’ve dropped points, go and drop more points? Oh yes! Utd could only draw at home to Southampton and Totts were battered at home by Wolves. Plus, Aston Villa were beaten by Newcastle Utd. West Ham and Leicester City drew.
Wolves are just a couple of points behind us now although we do have a game in hand of them. Both Wolves and Arsenal face each other again on 24th of this month at The Emirates, two days before we’re scheduled to play Liverpool but that fixture will be postponed because of the League Cup Final. The PL have three Arsenal matches to reschedule, Liverpool at home, Totts and Chelsea away. Watch this space eh, I bet they try and stitch us up any which way they can.
Not only were results strange over the weekend, the officiating at Old Trafford was too. Bruno Fernandes got away with swinging a right hook at James Ward-Prouse. Not even a yellow card came his way, yet we all know that had Granit Xhaka, Thomas Partey, or probably any other player representing Arsenal would have received a straight red card.
It’s no surprise Mikel Arteta has said he wants answers, clarity of the rules and how they are implemented differently depending who’s playing, or who is committing the fouls. This has gone beyond Arsenal just having a moan every now and then, this has got to the point of seriousness.
The Premier League has allowed money into the game by giving the red light for wealthy overseas owners to own football clubs. They’ve allowed unfairness because not all clubs are owned by people as wealthy as the owners of Chelsea, Man City and Newcastle Utd, nor are they able to continually throw good money after bad like Man Utd do. Every last penny has to be spent wisely for the majority of football clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, Totts and West Ham – three of whom are desperately trying to get the prestigious 4th place in May, mostly because of the money.
At the other end of the table, it’s the same battle but for different reasons. The clubs in the bottom three are desperate to move up the table and away from the fears which relegation can bring. I’ve seen enough of the style of football Burnley play to be amazed they are yet to be on the receiving end of a red card this season. Maybe they are just clever, I don’t know and I won’t without reading about all their matches but I’m not going to do that.
Going back to Arsenal though and Mikel Arteta’s reported requested to the PGMOL, ex referee Keith Hackett believes he’s right to ask questions:
He said he was unhappy. I have previously suggested that Arteta should have a meeting with the PGMOL anyway,” Hackett told the Football Insider.
When a club has a rising disciplinary record, there needs to be a meeting in order to clarify what was going on. Managers and referees do need to get together, I think, to ensure these kinds of things don’t happen in the future. Arteta is well within his rights to request a meeting if he feels that is necessary and the PGMOL should have no problem with it. I’m sure they will want to sort out Arsenal’s poor record as much as Arsenal do.
It’s easy to think that Mikel Arteta speaking with the PGMOL could cause further problems for Arsenal on the pitch but I don’t think it will. Whatever goes on in the meeting won’t be kept quiet because that’s how it is these days. The press will pick up on things and the rolling stone will start, well, rolling and that’s what football needs. It’s what Arsenal need.
Referees, VAR and Riley himself, need to be accountable. Trial by the British press can be brutal but bring it on I say. Stop labelling footballers as being soft when they’re on the end of a ghastly tackle, stop suggesting another player ‘didn’t mean it’ after he’s stood on another player’s face, elbowed him hard in the face, or raked his studs down the back of someone’s Achilles or shin.
We know Granit Xhaka is a liability, we know he can commit awful challenges but he’s not the only player in the Premier League who plays on the edge yet he seems to be the only player who consistently targeted by referees, the pundits and the press. We also know that our players can be naive after they’ve been booked but I honestly don’t believe that it’s the same rule for every other player in this League and that’s the problem.
If football, or rather the way it’s officiated was the same across the board as it is for Arsenal, no one would be talking about our red card tally. Instead they’d probably be talking about changing the rules as in my opinion, not one game each week would end with 11 v 11.
To end on a brighter note, well done to Stan Kroenke’s LA Rams who overnight won the Super Bowl. Hopefully that winning feeling will travel across the sea and into Arsenal Football Club.
See you in the comments.
The plot thickens as another example of inconsistency raises it’s head
https://www.football.london/arsenal-fc/news/gabriel-martinelli-arsenal-sending-off-23084877
Morning Rico and all.
Fine piece as always.
I appreciate Arteta having the balls to request an audience “to clarify what was going on”.
The only disagreement we have here is that I don’t expect things go public. Press could speculate and eijit pundits will chip in with their 2 cents of wisdom, but nobody would officially announce, confirm or deny anything. Mikel is a nice guy, so even if he would challenge the refereeing he won’t admit it. I’m afraid we’ll never know if Arteta is humbly looking for help from the PGMOL to understand and reduce the red card incidents or is about to challenge them for incompetence and double standards.
Morning Pbarany, Potter, all.
That clip makes Oliver look even more stupid if the one from a couple of seasons ago.
Good morning Rico and all. It seems that, at last, the sports media vultures have settled on a new source of carrion. The first paragraph of Jeremy Wilsons match report of the Spurs / Wolves game reads thus:
The boos that had already rung out around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium at half-time were only slightly amplified come the final whistle for one simple, damning, reason. Having left for home, a large portion of the crowd had already silently delivered their judgment on a performance that had not just lacked quality, but also confidence and character.”
Makes a change from slagging off Arsenal doesn’t it?
Wolves have had the least VAR decisions given them over the last two seasons funny isn’t it. We have had two players sent off within seconds of receiving the first yellow, funny isn’t it it’s a well known facts that usually top clubs get decisions given to them most likely forthe harassment they give the refs..
Morning Cicero, it does. But it’s so often about how poor one team was rather than giving credit to the opposition, in this case Wolves. We saw how difficult Wolves make it for a team to beat them, as did City, Liverpool etc.
Pbarany, I think the media will be all over it.
Doug, not Arsenal though. If our players surround the ref it usually ends up with a booking.
I’m sure you as a Wolves fan and football fan are no different to me and just what fairness despite the name of the club.
Morning Rico and all
It’s not only Arteta that’s complained about the referees, 2 coaches from the Ladies premier league have now also come out complaining about the standards of Referees in the league and the sad thing is, why certain ref’s and there bosses are around nothing will change.
Well Kroenke’s rams have made him a lot of money, that should easily pay for all the fines he received for trying to start a super league.
Doug and Rico , I fear that the media . Daily Mirror through their football London site and Birmingham live are trying to whip up a storm between the two clubs in the hope that something goes off in the return game at the Emirates.
Their quotes from Neves and Coady about the way we celebrated our win are purely put out there to cause disharmony
. It’s quite transparent to anyone that cares to look but unfortunately not many do .
Expect the topic to be ramped up as the game approaches . It’s what the media do.
Morning Geoff, I don’t think he’s been fined yet has he?
You’re probably right Potter, I guess we can expect Taylor or Atkinson to officiate the match, or maybe Riley will bring Dean out just because he can.
Rico I thought Kroenke excepted the fine and that he would pay it not the club
During the latest WSL match between Arsenal and Man. U. The ball hit the referee in our penalty area. She should have stopped the game and awarded a dropped ball to Arsenal but she let the game continue and United knocked the ball into the net, she absolutely wrongly let the goal stand. Last night in the WSL game between Man City and Man U, when the ball hit the referee she correctly stopped play and awarded the dropped ball. There is no VAR in the women’s get.
Game not get.
Hi Rico.. Nice one 👌 I’m glad he’s calling them out; will it do any good? I doubt it, he’ll probably end up with a touchline ban knowing them!!
I’d like to see post-match interviews with the officials..
Stan’s finally a happy fella.. now for Josh, hey?! 🤞 I must say that stadium is mind-blowing..
I recall when England were bidding for World Cup 2018 the Times (I think) wrote an expose about FIFA and Jack Warner at CONCACAF. The Times were pilloried for threatening England’s chances of winning the World Cup.
The reality was 2018 was already bought by the Russians. Jack Warner was corrupt as is the whole of FIFA. England had no chance of getting that World Cup. Even if they did send Beckham to chide Blatter.
The same way asking the PGMOL to explain their decisions will not make any difference. They are a secretive organisation with little accountability. They need to have more pressure put on them from anywhere possible. Arteta is starting the ball rolling.
The sad thing is Oliver is one of the better refs imo. Yes he mucked up for Martinelli, but the incompetence of Stuart Attwell in the Man City home game puts that in the shade.
@Potter interesting reading your experiences at the CL Final in 2006. I generally enjoyed it, but the game was disappointing. I can still see Henry racing towards me at 1-0 one on one with the keeper …and he scuffed the shot…
I had a run in with some Arsenal fans who didn’t have tickets around the Gare Du Nord. One big fat bloke in his 50s tried to steal my ticket the night before the game. He didn’t get what he was looking for, but it left a sour taste in the mouth.
You’d like to think Arsenal fans are better than that, but there are always a few that leave a bad impression. This seems to be the case at games in Europe. Brings out the worst in football fans.
I don’t know Geoff.
Chelsea v Arsenal Cicero, the ref clearly missed an obvious handball against one of the defenders.
Hi Sue, thanks. I can’t see it doing more harm because there’ll be more eyes on them. I like the idea of post match interviews with the refs.
Post match referee interviews will never take place. None of them have the guts to face the press or the managers.
Rico fair enough, any ref could miss a foul but not knowing the laws of the game is unforgivable.
Absolutely agree Cicero. Half the refs don’t seem to know the rules.
Arsenal v Brentford:
Referee: Jonathan Moss. Assistants: Marc Perry, Timothy Wood. Fourth official: Simon Hooper. VAR: Lee Mason. Assistant VAR: Dan Robathan.
Arsenal v Wolves:
Referee: Martin Atkinson. Assistants: Lee Betts, James Mainwaring. Fourth official: Kevin Friend. VAR: John Brooks. Assistant VAR: Stuart Burt.
I was just thinking we hadn’t had roly-poly Moss in a while; well he certainly won’t be able to keep up!
I don’t see why, Cicero – they all love being in the limelight! I’d love to hear the reasoning behind their decisions!
😂 Sue
If we had the fifth amendment to the American constitution one or two may risk an interview.
I agree with Pete, we’ve been on the receiving end of some atrocious refereeing decisions these last 3 years and those referees have pretty escaped, Pawson is awful as is Kavanagh and yes Attwell but Oliver is usually one of the fairest officials we get.
The problem is and remains with Riley and I’m afraid it won’t change until he’s removed.
Moss and Atkinson, a right win double there, we’ll get bugger all from either and Atkinson just loves a red card, Riley’s revenge is in full swing…
At first it cheered me up and then a bit depressing.
I loved Dudu, he’s the kind of striker we could do with. The kind of striker I thought Eddie might prove to be.
Martin Taylor has a lot to answer for, wasn’t he the player who practically finished Diaby’s career?
Morning all.
Martin Taylor ——– Eduardo
Dan Smith ————Diaby
Same meat different gravy.
The media who encouraged the ‘get in their faces’ mentality have a lot to answer for and the referees who allowed such brutality also have a lot to answer for…
That was always the great northern pillock philosophy . Allardyce , Pulis , McLaren , Ferguson . I am looking at you.
Morning Rico and all
The problem with these old coaches and ex players, They can’t move with the times and are still stuck playing on cow paddocks with no camera’s to show there dirty cheating style of play.
Allardyce , Pulis , McLaren , Ferguson
All played golf together , wonder what they talked about on the way round and in the bar afterwards.
Ah yes, Dan Smith. They’re all wired the same. Shawcross too.
Agree, we were the softies yet the reality is, the perpetrators were thugs.
Morning Geoff
Yellow cards always followed the reaction rarely the foul that caused it .
Morning
New post up now