Time wasting, unsporting behaviour like we saw from Martinez at the World Cup, players surrounding the officials in objection to a decision – players kicking the ball away after a free kick has been awarded against them and/or preventing a free kick from being taken by standing too close to the ball etc. Simple things, yet big things which can ruin a good game of football. It’s been going on for years but now, in 2023, it’s all change.
There’s been much said and written about games likely to last 100 minutes this season but I’ve a sneaky feeling, we’ll see a lot more matches finish with one or both teams having had a player sent off. Certainly early in this new campaign because the behaviours which will now get a player booked, have gone unpunished for so so long, they’ve become a habit. Arsenals biggest moaners are in my opinion, Gabriel and Jesus. Oh, and Mikel Arteta. Lol
Howard Webb explained:
We have too often confused unacceptable behaviour as passion. We’ve turned a blind eye or a deaf ear.
I find Webb’s comment about turning a blind eye, or a deaf ear laughable because the PGMOL and the officials are guilty of a lot worse than just just that. They have turned a blind eye when many players have been continually, sometimes brutally, fouled. I don’t think one referee has booked Kane for backing into a player with his backside which flips an opponent in the air – one day the guy on the receiving end will get seriously hurt. Tomiyasu was stamped in the face by Ben Godfrey back in 2021 yet Godfrey stayed on the pitch. England’s Lauren James however received a straight red card for her stamp on a Nigerian player just two days ago and there is no doubt in my mind that had the roles been reversed in that Everton game, Arsenal would have been down to ten men. Man Utd players have been surrounding referees for years but invariably have got away with it. I could go on, and on, and on….
Honestly, I welcome the new rules but they will only prove to improve the game if the officials apply them in every game and regardless of which club is playing. There can be no bias if Webb wants us all to believe he’s trying to clean up the game.
Cleaning up the game, now that would be something wouldn’t it and with Man City under investigation for breaching 100 odd rules, it now seems Chelsea could join them as the Premier League are investigating the West London club for financial breaches during the Abramovich ownership years. No charges have brought against them as of yet but I find it hard to believe that it’s not just a matter of time before they are. Watch this space I reckon.
Transfers out of the club are moving. AMN has already joined Lyon after becoming a free agent this summer. Matt Turner is going to Nottingham Forest, meaning he could be up against Arsenal on the opening Saturday of the new season and on his way to Arsenal, is David Raya who was apparently at Wembley on Sunday.
A new home still needs to be found for Holding, Soares, Pepe, Lokonga, Tavares, and sadly, Balogun. Lots of rumours are floating around about Monaco joining the race for Balogun, Wolfsburg and Werder Brenan chasing Tavares and Nice trying to sign Marquinhos on loan. Besiktas are reported to be interested in Pepe. News on Patino has been non existent so where he ends up is anyone’s guess really. Perhaps another loan before pushing his way into Arteta’s plan next season. Runasson and Okonkwo need their futures sorted too.
22 days of this transfer window remains but more importantly, there’s just 3 until Arsenal play Nottingham Forest.
Catch up in the comments…
Morning all
Perhaps I’ve got hold of the wrong end of the PGMOL stick here. But….
A scheduled game of football is 90 minutes, the stats men tell us that usually on average the ball is ‘in play’ for 55 minutes. By any bodies calculations that is nowhere near 90 minutes! So where did the unplayed 35 minutes disappear to??? Could it, in part be ‘wasted’ by over long delays in restarting the game from set pieces, players kicking the ball away or remonstrating with the referee? Or perhaps an injury sometimes serious often self inflicted when a player feigns injury, an arm in the head, a tap on the ankle, a push in the back front or side! I suspect the game needs a bit of a reset. We the fans pay a snap fortune to watch our respective heroes play for 90 minutes. By adding 10 or 15 minutes to the 90 not not entirely all played seems a fair reflection of us getting our money’s worth!
As for Varane saying injuries or worse tiredness at the end of 65 minutes will cause all manner of disasters to our delicate flowers who grace the shirts we adore, is a load of bunkum. These are professional footballers who are employed to play football once or twice a week for 180 minutes for which the are paid more per game than the majority of fans earn in a year!
Good on the refs. I wish them joy and what’s more I wish joy on the fans who feel obliged to stay and watch their stars fulfill their contracts and entertain us with the skills, tricks and fluidity etc, whilst ‘playing the game’.
Nice one Rico, as always.
Snap= small. Auto correct at its unbelievable best!
G’day Rico. I like the new rule that any player, apart from the Captain, approaching the referee will be warned and if that player repeats the action he will receive a yellow card. The various other rule changes are designed to speed up the game and to do something about the dead time in games apparently the average time the ball was in play in the Premiership last season was just 55 minutes of the ninety plus stoppage time.
Fans are being short-changed and it’s time they were given full value for the price of their ticket.
A lot is being said about the detrimental effect on players, both physical and mentally , being forced to play 100 minute games. The solution is clearly in the players hands, just stop the time wasting.
Afternoon Rico and all,
I am all for anything that keeps the game moving, especially the blatant time wasting by keepers, and certain clubs that insist on having all the team keep approaching the ref’s, I have always believed that only the player involved, and the captain need to speak to the refs.
I wonder what the refs will do when a player pretends to throw the ball back in, then drops it and runs off for another player to throw it in or keeps creeping down the sideline only to be sent back to the original spot for the throw in.
According to Fanatik, Besiktas have now ‘reached an agreement’ with Pepe and have ‘shook hands’ with the Arsenal star regarding his new salary.
This appears, on the surface, to be good news but there is no agreement with the club concerning a transfer fee. Indeed Pepe is hoping that Arsenal will agree to terminate his contract so he may join Besiktas as a free agent. He has one year left on his contract, will we gain more by him letting go and not having to pay him another years wages or demanding a transfer fee and getting stuck with him?
According to The Team, Arsenal and Nantes have reached ‘an agreement in principle’ for the loan deal of Marquinhos.
The report clarifies that the French side doesn’t have the option to buy included in the deal and so Arsenal still see the value in keeping him around.
He is contracted with Arsenal until 2027 and so it makes sense to keep an eye on him and let him develop properly while out on loan.
Afternoon guys.
Thanks Wavy. 30 minutes on VAR reviews perhaps. 😂
Hi Cicero, Geoff.
I hope the new rules and early season punishment dished out will make players and managers realise that they need to change their ways are sharpish. As long as there is no bias, it has to make the game better..
Marquinos’ loan with Norwich started well and a mixture of injury and a new manager saw his season fall apart. There is no doubt that he is a talent and even if he doesn’t break into our team should be worth a few bob if this season goes better.
However doing well in France doesn’t always mean that it brings a place in our first team just ask Balogun but it does inflate the player’s value.
Turner has gone and no doubt will get his premier league debut on Saturday , I hope that it’s one he will want to forget and should we get a penalty , lets have one of our new guys take it rather than one that he has spent a lot of time practising against.
If Pepe wants a move, he should buy out the remainder of his contract imo…
France finally worked out very well for Saliba, Potter.
Off now, dog walking duties.
I wonder why not so well for Balogun, unless it’s as simple as opting for USA instead of England. Not one part of me understands why he’s likely to be sold.
https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1689338657390329856?s=20
Raya deal is a loan then…
To loan Raya for 3mill sounds like good business to me, if he works out, we can pay the extra 27mill to keep him and if he doesn’t, we can send him back,
I’m guessing that this way we can keep the FFP rule under control and give Arteta and Edu another 27 Mill this window if needed.
Monaco’s £30 million bid for Balogun has been rejected but according to Calciomercato Arsenal are offering him and Tomiyasu to Inter Milan in exchange for 26 year old Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella.
Another midfielder? Can’t see that one having much truth to it.
Morning…
Really good to see Patino go out on loan rather than be sold. A good season in the Championship is just what he needs. 🤞
Jorginho’s replacement Rico? He’s said he wants to leave.
I thought that had been denied Cicero..
Inter Milan have pulled out of talks over a deal to sign Balogun as they won’t meet Arsenal’s valuation.
Good. I hope we end up keeping him and he gets a chance. I doubt it though.
New post up